Gainesville Eight facts for kids
The Gainesville Eight were a group of people, mostly Vietnam veterans, who were accused of planning to cause trouble at a big political meeting. This meeting was the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. The group was against the Vietnam War, and they wanted to protest it. Even though they were accused, all eight of them were found not guilty.
The Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) was a group of veterans who opposed the war. They planned to protest during the convention. The FBI had secret agents and informants inside the VVAW. These agents told the government about possible plans for disruption. Because of this, the Department of Justice started an investigation.
Contents
Who Were the Gainesville Eight?
Eight people were accused by the government of planning to disrupt the convention. These people were:
- John Briggs
- Scott Camil
- Alton Foss
- John Kniffin
- Peter Mahoney
- Stanley Michelson
- William Patterson
- Don Perdue
Most of these men had served in the Vietnam War.
What Were They Accused Of?
The group was planning their protests when they heard some worrying information. They learned that during the convention, the government might try to harm protesters or use explosives and then blame it on the anti-war groups. They also heard that five drawbridges could be raised. This would trap protesters on Miami Beach, making them easy targets for police and soldiers.
To protect themselves, the VVAW group planned to draw away police and soldiers. They thought about attacking federal buildings, police stations, and fire stations in nearby areas. This would keep the government forces busy. Then, they could reopen the bridges to help protesters escape.
A VVAW member named Bill Lemmer typed up these plans and shared them. It was later found out that Bill Lemmer was actually a secret FBI agent. The eight men were accused of planning to use weapons like automatic guns, explosives, and even slingshots and crossbows.
The Trial and Verdict
During the trial, the jury read the letter that described the plans to attack federal buildings. But they also saw that the letter repeatedly said, "This will be done for defensive purposes only." This meant the group's goal was to protect the rights of the protesters.
The jury understood that the men were trying to defend themselves and their right to protest peacefully. They found all eight men not guilty of all charges. The men didn't even need to present their own defense.
Scott Camil, one of the accused, explained it this way: "We didn't plan to disrupt the convention. Our plan, if you want to call it that, was to go to the convention and use our rights as citizens. We wanted to defend those rights against anyone who tried to take them away, whether it was the government or anyone else. And the jury agreed with us."
Secret Agents and the Case
In May 1972, Bill Lemmer, who was a leader in the VVAW, revealed that he was a secret FBI agent. Earlier, in January 1972, Bill Lemmer had been removed from a protest in Washington D.C. He had been suggesting violent actions, which the VVAW did not support. Information about this was sent to the trial in Gainesville.
During the 1973 trial, it was discovered that the VVAW group had been secretly watched by government agents and informants like Emmerson Poe and Bill Lemmer. It was shown that these secret agents had encouraged or led some of the illegal activities. This greatly weakened the government's case against the Gainesville Eight. The prosecution also tried to use the men's military records from Vietnam to suggest they were violent people, but this did not convince the jury.
The jury decided that all eight men were not guilty after thinking about the case for less than four hours.
People Involved
Jack Carrouth was one of the lawyers for the government in the trial. Brady Coleman was one of the lawyers who defended the Gainesville Eight.
Many famous people supported the Gainesville Eight. These included folk singers Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs, and also Ron Kovic, a well-known veteran and activist.
