Editing Abbie Hoffman (section)

== Countercultural activism ==

===Early activity===
{{See also|March on the Pentagon}}
Before his days as a leading member of the [[Youth International Party|Yippie]] movement, Hoffman was involved with the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCC), and organized Liberty House, which sold items to support the [[civil rights movement]] in the southern United States. During the [[Vietnam War]], Hoffman was an [[anti-war]] activist, using deliberately comical and theatrical tactics.

In late 1966, Hoffman met with a radical community-action group called the [[Diggers (theater)|Diggers]]<ref name="abbie">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sleepingwhereifa00pete |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/sleepingwhereifa00pete/page/71 71] |title=''Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle''|access-date=December 4, 2013|isbn=9781582430119 |last1=Coyote |first1=Peter |year=1999 |publisher=Counterpoint }}</ref> and studied their ideology. He later returned to New York and published a book with this knowledge.<ref name="abbie"/> Doing so was considered a violation by the Diggers. Diggers co-founder [[Peter Coyote]] explained:

{{blockquote|Abbie, who was a friend of mine, was always a media junky. We explained everything to those guys, and they violated everything we taught them. Abbie went back, and the first thing he did was publish a book, with his picture on it, that blew the hustle of every poor person on the Lower East Side by describing every free scam then current in New York, which were then sucked dry by disaffected kids from [[Scarsdale, New York|Scarsdale]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diggers.org/oralhistory/peter_interview.html |title=Interview by Etan Ben-Ami Mill Valley, California January 12, 1989 |publisher=Diggers.org |access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref>}}

One of Hoffman's well-known stunts was on August 24, 1967, when he led members of the movement to the gallery of the [[New York Stock Exchange]] (NYSE). The protesters threw fistfuls of real and fake [[United States dollar|dollar bills]] down to the [[trader (finance)|trader]]s below, some of whom booed, while others began to scramble frantically to grab the money as fast as they could.<ref>{{cite book|title=Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture: The Autobiography of Abbie Hoffman|first=Abbie| last=Hoffman|edition=First |publisher=Perigree Books|year= 1980|page=101|isbn=978-0399125614}}</ref> Accounts of the amount of money that Hoffman and the group tossed was said to be as little as $30 to $300.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ledbetter |first=James |title=The day the NYSE went Yippie |work=[[CNN Business|CNN Money]] |date=August 23, 2007 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2007/07/17/news/funny/abbie_hoffman/index.htm?postversion=2007082314 |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105091727/https://money.cnn.com/2007/07/17/news/funny/abbie_hoffman/index.htm?postversion=2007082314 |archive-date=January 5, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Hoffman claimed to be pointing out that, [[metaphor]]ically, that's what NYSE traders "were already doing." "We didn't call the press," wrote Hoffman, "At that time we really had no notion of anything called a [[media event]]." Yet the press was quick to react and by evening the event was reported around the world. After that incident, the stock exchange spent $20,000 (approximately {{inflation|US|20000|1967|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) to enclose the gallery with bulletproof glass.<ref>{{cite web|first=Cynthia |last=Blair |url=http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihonyindex2004,0,6301617.htmlstory |title=1967: Hippies Toss Dollar Bills onto NYSE Floor |work=[[Newsday]] |access-date=April 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606185320/http://www.newsday.com/about/ny-ihonyindex2004%2C0%2C6301617.htmlstory |archive-date=June 6, 2009}} For Hoffman's account of the events of the day, see his 1968 book ''Revolution for the Hell of It: The Book That Earned Abbie Hoffman a 5-Year Prison Term at the Chicago Conspiracy Trial'' (reprint edition New York, Thunder's  Mouth Press:2005) {{ISBN|1-56025-690-7}}</ref>

In October 1967, [[David Dellinger]] of the [[National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam]] asked [[Jerry Rubin]] to help mobilize and direct a march on [[the Pentagon]].<ref name="levitate">{{cite web|url=http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/jofreeman/photos/Pentagon67.html |title=Levitate the Pentagon |publisher=Uic.edu |date=October 21, 1967 |access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> The protesters gathered at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] as Dellinger and [[Dr. Benjamin Spock]] gave speeches to the mass of people.<ref name="space">{{cite web|url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20051021-pentagon-vietnam-protest-washington-dc-lyndon-johnson-jerry-rubin-david-dellinger-allen-ginsberg-yippie-robert-mcnamara.shtml |title=The Day The Pentagon Was Supposed To Lift Off into Space |date=December 19, 2005 |work=[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]] |access-date=April 10, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219220648/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20051021-pentagon-vietnam-protest-washington-dc-lyndon-johnson-jerry-rubin-david-dellinger-allen-ginsberg-yippie-robert-mcnamara.shtml |archive-date=December 19, 2005 }}</ref> From there, the group marched towards the Pentagon. As the protesters neared the Pentagon, they were met by soldiers of the [[82nd Airborne Division]]<ref name="space"/> who formed a human barricade blocking the Pentagon steps.<ref name="levitate"/> Not to be dissuaded, Hoffman vowed to levitate [[the Pentagon]]<ref name="space"/> claiming he would attempt to use [[psychokinesis|psychic]] energy to levitate the Pentagon until it would turn orange and begin to vibrate, at which time the war in Vietnam would end.<ref name="TeachingEarthDay">{{cite web|year=1997 |url=http://www.teaching.com/earthday97/center/text/webstock19.htm |title=Abbie Hoffman |work=Teaching.com |access-date=April 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060207094531/http://www.teaching.com/earthday97/center/text/webstock19.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2006 }}</ref> [[Allen Ginsberg]] led Tibetan chants to assist Hoffman.<ref name="space"/><!--

It should be noted that the ulterior motive of this act was to show the Pentagon, along with the rest of the [[U.S. government]], who actually held the real power in America; the effort was a deliberate intimidation tactic to show that at any time, the youth-centered, anti-war protesters had the power to surround and capture at will any [[government organization]]. The zany "front" of levitating the building was the kind of [[PR stunt]] necessary to limit any possible hostile media and government response. -->

=== Chicago Seven conspiracy trial ===
{{Main|Chicago Seven}}

Hoffman was a member of a group of defendants that became known as the [[Chicago Seven]] (originally known as the Chicago Eight), which included fellow Yippie [[Jerry Rubin]], [[David Dellinger]], [[Rennie Davis]], [[John Froines]], [[Lee Weiner]], [[Tom Hayden]], and [[Bobby Seale]] (before his trial was severed from the others), who were charged by the United States federal government with conspiracy, crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot, and other charges related to anti-[[Vietnam War]] and [[Counterculture of the 1960s|countercultural]] protests in Chicago, Illinois during the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]].

Presided over by Judge [[Julius Hoffman]] (no relation to Hoffman, about which he joked throughout the trial<ref>{{cite web |first=Kirsten |last=Pauli |url=http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/chicago7/hoffmanj.html |title=Judge Julius Hoffman |publisher=[[University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law]] |access-date=December 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211131748/http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/hoffmanj.html |archive-date=December 11, 2010 }}</ref>), Abbie Hoffman's courtroom antics frequently grabbed the headlines; one day, defendants Hoffman and Rubin appeared in court dressed in judicial robes, while on another day, Hoffman was sworn in as a witness with his hand giving [[finger (gesture)|the finger]]. Judge Hoffman became the favorite courtroom target of the Chicago Seven defendants, who frequently would insult the judge to his face.<ref name="Shonde">{{cite news |title=Judge Hoffman Is Taunted at Trial of the Chicago 7 After Silencing Defense Counsel |first=J. Anthony |last=Lukas |date=February 6, 1970 |work=[[The New York Times]] (paid access) |url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60716F6355B157493C4A91789D85F448785F9 |access-date=October 7, 2008 |archive-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512004832/https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60716F6355B157493C4A91789D85F448785F9 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Abbie Hoffman told Judge Hoffman "you are a ''[[A shande far di goyim|shande fur de goyim]]'' [disgrace in front of the gentiles]. You would have served [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] better." He later added that "your idea of justice is the only obscenity in the room."<ref name="Shonde" /> Both Davis and Rubin told the judge, "This court is bullshit." When Hoffman was asked in what state he resided, he replied the "state of mind of my brothers and sisters."

Other celebrities were called as "cultural witnesses" including [[Allen Ginsberg]], [[Phil Ochs]], [[Arlo Guthrie]], [[Judy Collins]], [[Norman Mailer]] and others. Hoffman closed the trial with a speech in which he quoted [[Abraham Lincoln]], making the claim that the president himself, were he alive today, would also have been arrested in Chicago's Lincoln Park.

On February 18, 1970, Hoffman and four of the other defendants (Rubin, Dellinger, Davis, and Hayden) were found guilty of intent to incite a riot while crossing state lines. All seven defendants were found not guilty of conspiracy. At sentencing, Hoffman suggested the judge try [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]] and offered to set him up with "a dealer he knew in Florida." (The judge was known to be headed to Florida for a post-trial vacation.) Each of the five was sentenced to five years in prison and given a $5,000 fine ({{Inflation|US|5000|1970|r=-3|fmt=eq}}).<ref>{{cite web|last=Linder|first= Douglas O. |url=http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/Account.html |title=The Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205224938/http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/Account.html |archive-date=December 5, 2006 |publisher=UMKC School of Law|access-date=October 23, 2008}} This article gives a detailed description of the trial, the events leading up to it, the reversal on appeal and the aftermath.</ref>

However, all convictions were subsequently overturned by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit|Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals]].

=== Continuing protests ===
At [[Woodstock Festival|Woodstock]] in 1969, Hoffman interrupted [[the Who]]'s performance to attempt to speak against the jailing of [[John Sinclair (poet)|John Sinclair]] of the [[White Panther Party]]. He grabbed a microphone and yelled, "I think this is a pile of shit while John Sinclair rots in prison&nbsp;..." [[Pete Townshend]] was adjusting his amplifier between songs and turned to look at Hoffman over his left shoulder. Townshend shouted "Fuck off! Fuck off my fucking stage!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/pacificaviet.html|title=UC Berkeley Library Social Activism Sound Recording Project: Anti-Vietnam War Protests – San Francisco Bay Area|work=berkeley.edu|access-date=April 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://servlet1.lib.berkeley.edu:8080/audio/stream.play.logic?coll=mrc&filename=abbiewho.mp3|title=Who guitarist Pete Townshend yells "Fuck off! Get the fuck off my fucking stage!" and strikes Hoffman with his guitar, sending him tumbling offstage.|work=berkeley.edu|access-date=April 10, 2017|archive-date=October 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023115813/http://servlet1.lib.berkeley.edu:8080/audio/stream.play.logic?coll=mrc&filename=abbiewho.mp3|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="riot">{{cite book|first=Peter|last= Doggett|date=2007|title=There's A Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of '60s Counter-Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emI9LXJ47KUC&pg=PT476|location=London|publisher=Canongate Books|pages=476|isbn=978-1847676450}}</ref> and reportedly ran at Hoffman with his guitar and hit Hoffman in the back, although Townshend later denied attacking Hoffman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0167zf4 |title=BBC 6 Music Documentary 'Before I Get Old' |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=November 9, 2012 |access-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref> Townshend later said that while he actually agreed with Hoffman on Sinclair's [[Incarceration|imprisonment]], he would have knocked him offstage regardless of the content of his message, given that Hoffman had violated the "sanctity of the stage," i.e., the right of the band to perform uninterrupted by distractions not relevant to the show. The incident took place during a camera change and was not captured on film. The audio of this incident, however, can be heard on The Who's box set ''[[Thirty Years of Maximum R&B]]'' (Disc 2, Track 20, "Abbie Hoffman Incident").

In 1971, Hoffman published ''[[Steal This Book]]'', which advised readers on how to live for free. (Many readers followed his advice and stole the book, leading many bookstores to refuse to carry it.) The book contained a section called "Free Communication," in which Hoffman encourages his readership to take to the stage at rock concerts to use the pre-assembled audience and PA system to get their message out. However, he mentions that "interrupting the concert is frowned upon since it is only spitting in the faces of people you are trying to reach."<ref name="riot" />

In ''[[Woodstock Nation (book)|Woodstock Nation]]'', Hoffman mentions the incident and says he was on a [[bad trip|bad LSD trip]] at the time. [[Joe Shea]], then a reporter for the ''[[Times Herald-Record]]'', a local newspaper that covered the event on-site, said he saw the incident. He recalled that Hoffman was actually hit in the back of the head by Townshend's guitar and toppled directly into the pit in front of the stage. He does not recall any "shove" from Townshend, and discounts both men's accounts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kent |first=Stephen A. |title=From slogans to mantras: social protest and religious conversion in the late Vietnam War era |date=2001 |publisher=Syracuse Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-8156-2948-1 |edition=1st |series=Religion and politics |location=Syracuse, N.Y}}</ref>

Hoffman was also the author of several other books, including ''Vote!'' co-written with Rubin and [[Ed Sanders]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Brate |first=Adam |title=Technomanifestos: Visions of the Information Revolutionaries |date=July 4, 2002 |publisher=Texere |isbn=978-1587991035 |chapter=Chapter Eight: Mediation for the Hell of It}}</ref>