Interview with Lee Weiner, Author of Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7
By Allison Yates
When the 1968 Democractic National Convention—one of our nation’s most tumultuous and notorious—came to Chicago, 29-year-old Lee Weiner was a “little-known community activist and social worker,” according to his memoir, Conspiracy to Riot: The Life and Times of One of the Chicago 7.
[Related: What It Was Like to Work at Jane, Chicago’s 1970s-era Underground Abortion Network]
Despite is low profile, he ended up one of the “Chicago 7”—a group of seven (originally eight) activists charged in 1969 by the U.S. Department of Justice with conspiracy, crossing state lines with intent to riot, and other charges during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, alongside activists like Bobby Seale and Abbie Hoffman.
The only of the "Chicago 7” to be a native of the Windy City, Lee was raised in the South Shore neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. His activist life began with free-speech demonstrations at the University of Illinois in 1960 and continued with years as a community organizer in poor neighborhoods in Chicago, and friendships and in-common work with other political, anti-war and counter-cultural activists. After the trial, his continued political work included direct response fundraising for members of Congress and national nonprofit organizations. Along the way, he collected a couple of master’s degrees and a PhD in sociology. He now lives in Florida.
Read & Run Chicago hosted Lee Weiner virtually after our Running Tour of the 1968 Democratic National Convention Protests with guide John Foley in November 2024—just after the reelection of President Donald Trump. Weiner, having seen years of both progress and missteps, wasn’t optimistic about the future of equity in the U.S. Watch the video below to learn more about what he thinks of contemporary America.
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Transcript:
[ 00:00:00 ]We kind of ended at the Art Institute talking about that idea of, like, what to do now. And part of the advice that I gave was the idea of find whatever it is that you're passionate about and make it happen. Either join that nonprofit or make that event happen or be part of, like, a mutual aid to kind of, like, contribute and, like, make the work matter. What is the advice that you have for everyone who kind of abides? What would the next steps be of making? Well, I mean, I agree with what you're saying, of course. It's going to be hard times for a period of time. And it could be fun. And finding people you can work with, live with, kind of living together. Spend time, enjoy, and find some joys, yeah. And participate as a national team in politics and at the different levels, yeah. Yeah, find the work where it needs to be. One of the interesting things is that when I started the tour today, I gave the context of everything that was happening in the 1960s. It was like, whoa, yeah. So it was like the assassination of JFK, and you wrote really eloquently in the book about Robert Kennedy's assassination right before the convention. You said
[ 00:01:55 ], 'economic power had to continue and grow'. And I really appreciate your words there because I feel that like a lot of that still is, we're still living it. Do you have, yeah, is your, having been through this cycle several times, is your faith in like that kind of election, the idea of election shaken or are you like this is part of the system and we've got to work through it? Let me be honest. I'm not an electoral politician. I made my living helping people who were doing that for a little while, but that was long after that high order that the artists sent to the artists.
[ 00:02:57 ]But, and still, I think America needs to be re-built and reconfigured. And it doesn't necessarily, certainly an elected, is a preferred, kind of simply it's easier. But certainly, extra political. Extra-electoral activities, demonstrations, organizational efforts of various sorts, both locally and nationally, have a place. I mean, you know, what the heck? Yeah,
[ 00:03:47 ]so no, I don't, I don't, I'm not thrilled with electoral politics. Things I'm not so thrilled with the alternatives... uh, so but the good news is I'm only five years old and it's more your problem than mine, I mean I apologize to all my children that I did the best I thought I could and now I'm working really hard to be uh what I never was; I would be like i'd love to be a stoner. And I'm doing my freaking best to do that now. It sounds like something I should have. Talks like this interfere with that effort. It's a nice political therapy. And it allows you to relax. One of the reasons why I like the time frame that you worked in fascinates me so much. This is one of the political parties. Made that transitional switch, um, and the Democratic Party went from like being the party of segregation to like a party of civil rights, um, in that time in the 60s. Were they actually perceived as actually being different or were they all kind of like the same machinery in a lot of people's eyes?
[ 00:05:22 ]The perceptions of class loyalties, the divisions between the two political parties, except as they function in Washington, but on the ground, it's quite different. I mean, you guys live in Chicago. I mean, you're right. I mean, it was a more democratic city than Chicago lived in when I was growing up. I mean, you know. Yeah, it's. I realized I was walking today, like counting different colors of flowers that I saw. And I realized that she's been talking a long time. You know? When I was in my 20s, I was talking to people who had won the Spanish Civil War. And I thought they were old. I thought their politics were cute. But certainly not directly relevant to my life. And now, I mean, my political work extended until I was like seven or five.
[ 00:06:31 ]I played seven. I was writing a fucking book. But, and I was lucky. I mean, my world was an easier world to live in than your world. That's all. It's just so true. I could have a friend, two friends, who managed to dominate media coverage and the gerium that you have, of course. And this thing like media was what it was. You guys live in a far more diverse communications universe, and that shapes things. I mean, you know, I've been thinking a lot about social media. I have very reluctantly put my fingers in, my toes in occasionally. But, I mean, I don't even know. You know, there are those who have 1 million, 2 million, 3 million, 4 million in terms of followers and stuff like that.
[ 00:07:30 ]I don't even know whether you can define them geographically. I think you must be able to, but possibly not. And so that communications environment, that world, the back and forth shouting defines your policies in a way that my back and forth shouting is much more... to record face to face with just a few cameras. And so that world is different. And I don't fucking know. I mean, I don't bounce, you know? And I talk to people how to do it. I want to see me organized with among people who are destined to be poor and destined to be angry. I did that for years. But I never worried about earning a living. The world was such that if I needed to have word of her, let me tell you, what a job. It was never a question. That's not true. I mean, I've got one of my kids is an electrician. Another one works the night shift at a hotel; contest. What, I don't know how to describe what she does. She does things with herbs and half the herbs you're thinking about.
[ 00:09:00 ]I've got another kid who does artificial intelligence. I've got another kid who is like a lawyer. Another one is a clinical social worker. I've got your kids. And they find TV up to their world. My youngest kid is Gen Z. She's hilarious. Here. Here's the difference in the world. And that's why I wish that I had language, tricks, something, a tattoo. Anything that could help. So my youngest daughter is totally queer. And she just got there the last weekend, October. I mean, she's a classic. I mean, it's like 1967 in Greenwich Village, in a lesbian bar. She should be the bartender. It's very important, right? But she lives in rural New Hampshire. Jesus, okay? So I rounded up at the wedding, and we had all this stuff, and we did all this shit, and one of the things, I put her aside, and I said, listen, in addition to the other things I'm giving you, I'm trying to help in terms of you and your wife, should I help get you a weapon?
[ 00:10:40 ]Because she looks exactly like she is, a stone-cold type. Um, I mean, she looks like she could pick up a book or anything like that. She's got metal in her mouth. Tattoos all over the place. She's terrific. Um, but she lives in rural Hampshire. I thought her name was going to kill me. I mean, I think that, I mean, these are, there was no Harris for President signs in the part of New Hampshire that I was in. None. And so, that was, that was. quite bigoted, but certainly biased. Her neighbors loved her. I mean, these, I mean, she was, she was joking, we were joking with her, but these very tough, working-class guys, all were pro-Trump. The good news was, they were probably going to vote.
[ 00:11:33 ]You know, so, but my, my perception of it was a potential danger to my family. They were, they were, they were. I fixed cars with him. What the fuck? So my connections to the world as it is now is not as strong as it was even a couple of years ago. And I can only imagine. I have a hard deal with the next couple of years. I'll be furiously angry. And the anger will be mostly because I'm incapable. I'm acting politically ineffective. I mean, I won't. I smoke a lot of dope, drink a lot of tequila. I do a lot of drugs. I smoke probably until I try to smoke every fucking day. And I'll take calls from my friends and the Zoom staff and the little people. It ain't going to be critical. And I'm going to feel guilty as shit for not doing more.
[ 00:12:47 ]He flies the stairs, and we appreciate Captain as God forsaken. My congressional district went through all of this. She's a lunatic. Her name's Luna, my congressperson. Can I help support the person who's lying? Yes, sir, absolutely. Can my county swing right by 10 points? Yes. On the other hand, the good news is, when he was winning, when it was clear that he was going to win, there were no loud demonstrations outside right now. And I thought a lot of things were going to happen. My neighbors would erupt in the street. Yay! That did happen. So again, I feel guilty not being able to offer, not being able to provide the kind of help and strengthening that I think people are going to need.
[ 00:13:48 ]Ain't good news, I'm sorry. Well, I'm interested in the story about your daughter getting married. And one of the questions I had was about, especially in light of the election, do you feel America has made progress? And in many ways, I do, because people are at least able to be who they are in ways that they weren't able in the 1960s. There's no fucking question that America is a different place. None. I mean, yes, both in terms of racism and, I mean, we're better in lots of ways. In some ways, the concentration of wealth will be worse. In some ways, there's a breeze of inequality and equity between people that's worse, much worse. So, in terms of people's private lives, better. Better. I mean, in terms of the economic and political context of our lives, probably worse.
[ 00:15:05 ]Probably worse. I mean, when I wrote my book, I did it afterwards. They would make it a paperback, so I'd sit and I'd do the afterword. Because I made a mistake in a big way. I didn't talk about how people were living. I didn't have to talk about people's work, which was never an issue for me and my friends. Because the world we grew up in, the world we were functioning as adults in, that the work was supposed to be done. I mean, Jesus Christ. I mean, not only was it. Now the jails are very involved. But ultimately, I ended up being a consultant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. I mean, that's a hell of an argument. And along the way, I got more than 20 very different types of work. Not like different pieces of work, but different work. And that really flexibly gave me an opportunity for work and living. It's not good. It's just not good. And in that sense, it's more closed and more dangerous for people. I think. I was not very optimistic through life. One interesting conversation I had with a friend right after the election and he pointed out that
[ 00:16:43 ]In comparison to the hope of 2008, when Obama was elected, a lot of people were like, we've never seen a black man become president. And it has that feeling right now that is, this is kind of a big question, is America more misogynistic than it is racist?
[ 00:17:14 ]Or if I cut off your left foot or your left hand. I mean, besides your hands up. I think we're a country where we have far more institutional and historical supports for racism. There are at least, our history has, you know, has occasional eruptions of strong and supportive women. I don't know, that's it. It's like it appears what's worse. They're both horrible, and you have to fight against both. I mean, it's just bad. And what the college mentioned, it's too different. I guess. It makes no sense whatsoever to argue about who's a bigger victim or who's more in danger. We are in danger. People who care for other people and think that the economic and political structures of the United States support not such good things and want to make a difference.
[ 00:18:43 ]People's lives and make it easier for people, that this is going to be a hard time. I mean, it's not like, I mean, a lot of people are convinced that they're going to make America better, but they're going to do it in ways that are going to hurt quite many people. I don't discount the good intentions of people who vote in the Trump. I don't. I mean, I have to be real clear, yeah, racism, it gets really bad. Economic inequality, and all kinds of awful things. Revenge, anger, all that stuff is there. Fundamental Christian interpretations that are very dangerous for people like me. Anybody who doesn't fit into those categories should know that. But I also think some people have good, or wholly comparable to the best.
[ 00:19:35 ] They think that the values that I hold and held are hurting them or hurting their families. They want to get better. Fair enough. Fair enough. Our tasks are to make it difficult for them to execute plans that are going to hurt people and build towards a possibility in the future, how far up here is in question, to get something better. The economic inequality, in your mind, what would be the first steps in trying to begin to address that? Is it unions which Trump will attack, or is there some other path? Yeah, I just want to take a dollar level. I don't know. Let's call it a billion dollars. And anybody who makes a billion dollars, they're all the seasons, like a deer. You shoot them. They shouldn't be echoing. There seem to be consequences. There needs to be some kind of negative consequence to people who are manipulating a system in which 200 million people are struggling hard. And these people have been so successful that they're way up here. So I understand. I can have their cars and their lives, but their lives should be at risk. It seems to me, I know this is somewhat harsh.