Description :

Protest on trial tells the story of the trial of the seattle seven in 1970 bakkes extensive interviews and legal insights show how the justice department became perverted by political dogma and paranoia the antics of the protesters seem almost comedic today the nixonian antics of the government are far more sinister and relevant. Months after a february 1970 protest at seattles downtown federal building turned violent authorities arrested seven slf leaders the activists faced federal conspiracy and intent to riot indictments during their chaotic trial they received a twelve day crash course in the real american judicial system. The seattle 7 faced federal conspiracy months after violence erupted during a demonstration authorities arrested six men and one woman all slf members the seattle 7 faced federal conspiracy and intent to riot indictments aimed at limiting their ability to organize and protest. But the trial of the seattle 7 never really was about conspiracy as defendant chip marshall said the judicial system has to be aware that justice and obedience are not the same thing and what the group of activists had done was essentially civil disobedience protesting an increasingly unpopular war. In protest on trial kit bakke explains just how and why the fifty year old story of the seattle 7 conspiracy trial is relevant todayindeed her opening paragraph which consists of five questions pulls the reader in by asking them to grapple with the complicated nature of choosing when how and why to protest