Protest on Trial: The Seattle 7 Conspiracy

The Seattle 7 embodied late 1960s counterculture--young, idealistic, active organizers against racism and the Vietnam War. In January 1970 they founded the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF). Nationally, the FBI was practicing secret and illegal tactics such as wiretapping, warrantless break-ins, and hiring informants and provocateurs to destroy organizations like the SLF. In Seattle, it went a step further. Months after a February 1970 protest at Seattle's downtown federal building turned violent, authorities arrested seven SLF leaders. The activists faced federal conspiracy and intent to riot indictments. During their chaotic trial in nearby Tacoma, they received a twelve-day crash course in the real American judicial system. When the prosecution's key witness faltered and the government's case appeared doomed, the presiding judge issued a surprise ruling to end the trial and send the defendants to prison. "'Protest on Trial' chronicles a significant, real-life slice of history, but it reads more like a well-crafted novel--a compelling narrative that feels completely contemporary, and reminds us that dissent--now no less than then--is the essence of democracy."--Bill Ayers, author of "Fugitive Days," Public Enemy," and "Demand the Impossible!" "Using impressive interviews as well as the revealing trial transcript, this excellent narrative makes contributions to the history of the Northwest, Seattle, radicalism, and activism."William Rorabaugh, University of Washington Professor of History and author of "American Hippies"