‘68 Revisited

Is there room in court for the Chicago 11? It took nearly a week of trying, but veteran protester David Dellinger and a small following of activist demonstrators finally got their moment in the sun as they were led out of a Chicago federal building in handcuffs. Dellinger, 81, one of the 1968 convention’s Chicago 7 defendants, and Andrew Hoffman, son of the late Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman, another defendant at that trial, were among 11 people arrested Wednesday for causing a disturbance at the building in downtown Chicago. Randall Sanborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, said the protesters were taken into custody for blocking the path to the building’s metal detector. According to Sanborn, they were issued citations for disorderly conduct and will have to appear before a federal magistrate sometime in November.

A Recycler’s Dream

Vice President Al Gore, noted for his commitment to the environment, no doubt was tickled green with the recycling efforts throughout the four-day convention. Most news organizations disposed of their recyclables in the blue bags that the city of Chicago doled out, said Waste Management Inc. public affairs manager Rebecca Kopplin. In fact, 60% of the estimated 20 tons of trash generated daily in and around the convention center was recycled. Of the recyclable material, 50% was paper, 30% glass, 10% aluminum and 10% plastic, she said. NBC News has been one of the most Earth-friendly companies. Even before the convention began, network staff members called to ask how they could best recycle their waste, Kopplin said.