For this next item, we move far forward in time, to an era many readers will remember. It is an era of protests and even riots. This is the late 1960s, and the era of civil rights protests had given way to protests against the Vietnam War. This would come to a head at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in the summer of 1968. Thousands came to Chicago to let the party of President Lyndon Johnson know how they felt about the war. Various loosely knit organizations would attempt to organize protests in Chicago, only to be shut down by local authorities. Protestors would be met with force, and sometimes respond in kind. Ultimately, six leaders of various organizations, along with two others, the “Chicago 8,” were tried. One of those was Jerry Rubin, a member of the “Yippies,” the Youth International Party. It wasn't really much of a party, but Rubin knew how to draw attention, primarily by being outlandish and getting others to make themselves look foolish. He would successfully do so in his trial with Judge Julius Hoffman playing the fool, only to be convicted anyway. Rubin was sent off to prison, but still got the last laugh. He spent his time in prison writing the book We Are Everywhere, having his attorneys smuggle out his handwritten pages when they visited. Rubin wrote on the headings that the pages were statements to his attorney, thereby protecting them from being seized by the warden. He wrote about the trial, the radical movement, and the future as he saw it. A few months later, his conviction was overturned and he was a free man. Item 30 is the 122-page manuscript of this book Jerry Rubin wrote in jail and smuggled out through his attorneys. It was once thought lost, but was recently discovered. $25,000.
The Raab Collection may be reached at 800-977-8333 or questions@raabcollection.com. Their website is www.raabcollection.com.
