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Explanation of how police were popularly called pigs after the 1968 National Democratic Convention - Succeed through Studying History. Also refer to Yippies, hippies, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Vietnam War, protest, anti-war, candidates, Chicago, Illinois, Mayor Daley, Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, Richard Nixon, yuppies, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions When Cops Were Pigs - 1968by Ron Kurtus (10 February 2006) Starting in August 1968 and for a number of years afterwards, police officers were called pigs by young people, the disenchanted and even the media. This came about when a group who called themselves the Yippies, protested near the 1968 National Democratic Convention in Chicago. They had a small pig as their presidential candidate, and when police disrupted their demonstration, they started to call the police pigs. The expression caught on. Years later, the radical leaders of the Yippies became mainstream and calling police "pigs" drifted into the past. Questions you may have include:
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson. 1968 National ConventionThe Vietnam War was a major issue in the 1968 National Democratic Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois. Democratic candidates for the 1968 U.S. presidential election were anti-war advocate Eugene McCarthy and supporter of the Paris Peace Talks, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey. In general, both were in favor of ending the war. The convention was meant to select a candidate to run against Richard Nixon for the office of President. Meanwhile, a group of anti-war protesters, extreme left radicals and anarchists attempted to protest and disrupt the convention proceedings. Let by such radicals as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, the group demonstrated outside the convention hall. They called themselves Yippies, as opposed to the popular hippy movement of long-haired, free-spirited youth. YIP stood for Young International Party. It was a spin-off of the expression of hippie for the lover generation. Pig for presidentOne of the things the Yippies did to show their disrespect for the political process was to have a small pig as their candidate. Rubin and Hoffman would carry the pig around, while supporters hooted and cheered. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley was fed up with these punk kids trying to disrupt his convention in his city, so he sent in police to break up the Yippie demonstrations. Daley took a particularly hard line against the protesters, calling for whatever use of force necessary to subdue the crowds. As police started to disperse the crowds and arrest some of the members, someone said, "We're running a pig for president. But you guys are the real pigs." This caught on and everyone started chanting, "Pigs! Pigs!" Reporters headlined their stories: "Police Called Pigs." This expression caught on and many young people soon started calling police "pigs". Although at first the police were outraged at such disrespect, some soon wore the name as a badge of honor. At least one police department issued little pig lapel badges for their officers to wear. AftermathAfter the convention, Humphrey lost the election to Nixon, the Vietnam War finally ended, Rubin and Hoffman went mainstream, the Yippies were replaced by the Yuppies, and cops were no longer called pigs. Nixon electedDespite the disruptions outside the convention building, Hubert H. Humphrey was nominated to represent the Democrats in the election. Whether the public was outraged at the behavior of the Yippies and of the anti-war movement or they associated them with the Democratic is uncertain. But Richard Nixon, who certainly was not an anti-war candidate was elected. This left many anti-war people wondering what these idiot Yippies were thinking of when they protested at the Democratic Convention. Chicago Seven trialRubin, Hoffman and five other protesters--David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner--were brought to trial on conspiracy charges. In 1970, they were found not guilty, but Rubin, Hoffman, Dellinger, Hayden and Davis were convicted of crossing state lines with the intent of inciting a riot. They were each sentenced to five years' imprisonment and fined $5,000. The convictions were all reversed on appeal in 1972. Vietnam War endsNixon continued the Paris Peace Talks and several years later, the U.S. forces pulled out of Vietnam, leaving the country to the Communist forces in 1973. Rubin changesYears later, Jerry Rubin did a complete turn-around, and took to wearing 3-peice suits. He became an entrepreneur and businessman. But still not one to completely follow the rules, he was hit by a car in 1994 while jaywalking in Los Angeles and was killed. Abbie HoffmanAbbie Hoffman also became a businessman years later, except that his business was dealing in cocaine. He was arrested but then avoided prison by living under an alias. In 1989, he committed suicide. YippiesThe expression Yippie disappeared, but a number of years later Yuppie became popular for short haired BMW-driving young professionals. I guess Rubin went from being a hippie to a yippie to a yuppie. PigsPolice are no longer called pigs. That was kind of a childish name anyway. SummaryThose were weird times. For a number of years after August 1968, police officers were called pigs by many people, including the media. Yippies protesting the 1968 National Democratic Convention had a small pig as their presidential candidate. When police disrupted their demonstration, they started to call the police pigs. The expression caught on. Years later, leaders of the Yippies became mainstream and people no longer called police pigs. Be fair minded ResourcesThe following are some resources on this topic. WebsitesBooks
Top-rated books on Vietman Anti-War Protests
Top-rated books on Jerry Rubin
Top-rated books on Abbie Hoffman MiscellaneousMini-quiz to check your understanding1. Why did the Yippies protest at the Democratic Convention? 2. Why did Mayor Daley get rough with the protesters? 3. Why did Rubin and Hoffman get into business? If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in History. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again. What do you think?Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Share linkFeel free to establish a link from your website to pages in this site. 
Or use our form to send this link to yourself or a friend. Students and researchersThe Web address of this page is Please include it as a reference in your report, document, or thesis. Where can you go from here?
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