The 1968 democratic convention best known for police brutality against demonstrators has been relegated to a dark place in american historical memory battleground chicago ventures beyond the stereotypical image of rioting protestors and violent cops to reevaluate exactly how and why the police read more. Battleground chicago the police and the 1968 democratic national convention by frank kusch an excerpt this retelling of a well known story is significant partly for its detail and objectivity but mostly because the author focuses on telling the story from the perspective of the police rather than the protesters . As violent confrontations go chicago 1968 was a mild event kuschs history of white chicago policemen and the 1968 democratic national convention is a solid addition to a growing literature on the cultural sensibility and political perspective of the conservative white working class in the last third of the twentieth century. The 1968 democratic convention best known for police brutality against demonstrators has been relegated to a dark place in american historical memory battleground chicago ventures beyond the stereotypical image of rioting protestors and violent cops to reevaluate exactly how and why the police attacked antiwar activists at the convention. Chris gair university of birmingham the 1968 chicago democratic national convention is remembered as possibly the supreme illustration of the irreconcilable divisions within the united states at the height of anti vietnam war protest