The Trial of the Chicago 7 Page #6

sir. I’m trying to be clear that I

can’t muddy Mr. Seale’s grounds

for appeal by appearing to speak as

his lawyer.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

I don’t ask you to compromise Mr.

Seale’s position, sir, but I will

not permit him to address the jury

with his very competent lawyer

seated-

Out of nowhere-

JERRY:

Jesus Christ, for the fourth time,

he’s not Bobby’s lawyer!

This was TOM’s nightmare.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

You’re Mr. Rubin?

JERRY:

Yes sir.

36.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

Don’t ever do that again.

BOBBY:

Your Honor, I’m not with these

guys. I never even met most of them

until-

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

We’ll have order.

BOBBY:

--the indictment.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

We will have order.

BOBBY:

There are eight of us and there are

signs out there that say “Free the

Chicago 7”--I’m not with them.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

Mr. Marshal, will you seat Mr.

Seale?

We see a WHITE MARSHAL whisper to a BLACK MARSHAL in the back

of the courtroom--the BLACK MARSHAL heads down the aisle

toward Bobby as Bobby continues-

BOBBY:

You’re saying it’s a conspiracy. I

never met most of them until the

indictment. Speaking frankly, the

U.S. Attorney wanted a Negro

defendant to scare the jury. I was

thrown in to make the group look

scarier. I came to Chicago, I gave

a speech, I had a chicken pot pie,

went to the airport and flew back

to Oakland and that’s why they call

the eight of us the Chicago-(

to the MARSHAL)

--get your hands off me.

JUDGE HOFFMAN:

Charge Mr. Seale with one count of

Contempt of Court.

Off of TOM’s barely-hidden frustration we

CUT TO:

37.

42 INT. DEFENSE CONFERENCE ROOM -DAY 42

This is the room where the defendants will meet privately

with their lawyers during recesses. There’s a carton of deli

sandwiches on the table and some cokes.

The defendants and lawyers are filing in. TOM’s the last one

in and he slams the door behind himself, which gets

everyone’s attention.

TOM:

We have to make a decision right

now--a decision I just assumed we’d

already made four months ago when

trial prep began. Are we using this

trial to defend ourselves against

very serious charges that could

land us in prison for 10 years or

are we using it to say a pointless

f*** you to the establishment?

JERRY:

F*** you.

TOM:

That’s what I was afraid--Wait, I

don’t know if you were saying “f***

you” or answering the question.

ABBIE:

I was also confused.

JERRY:

If we leave here without saying

anything about why we came in the

first place, it’ll be

heartbreaking.

TOM:

If the jury finds us guilty we’re

not gonna be leaving here at all.

And the only thing we need to say

about why we came is that it wasn’t

to incite violence.

DAVE:

I’m with Jerry.

TOM:

(beat)

Why?

DAVE:

The trial shouldn’t be about us.

38.

TOM:

I would love it if it wasn’t about

us but it definitely is.

John? Lee?

FROINES:

Yeah.

WEINER:

Yes sir.

TOM:

Do you guys want to say anything?

WEINER:

Does anyone think our judge might

be crazy?

TOM:

The judge isn’t our problem.

FROINES:

Give it time ‘cause I think he’s

gonna be.

TOM:

I’m talking about us. Abbie, you

can’t talk back to the judge. And

Jerry--Jesus.

ABBIE:

(finally speaking up)

Did you get a haircut just for

court?

TOM:

(pause)

I did.

ABBIE:

You did. You got a haircut for the

judge. That’s--I can’t even--that

is so foreign to me.

TOM:

So’s soap.

ABBIE:

Zing.

39.

TOM:

Let me explain something--it took

you two less than five minutes to

make us look exactly like what

Schultz is trying to make us look

like.

JERRY:

I don’t have a problem with what we

look like.

ABBIE:

Jerry likes what we look like.

John? Lee?

FROINES:

Yeah.

WEINER:

I always feel like I’m ten-pounds

too heavy, but yeah.

ABBIE:

Dave?

DAVE:

I don’t like when we fight.

ABBIE:

Rennie?

RENNIE:

Tom should be heard.

ABBIE:

And he was. But when we walked in

here this morning they were

chanting that the whole world is

watching. This is it, we’re on.

This is what revolution’s gonna

look like. Real revolution.

Cultural revolution.

TOM:

Why did you come here?

ABBIE:

I got an invitation from a grand

jury.

TOM:

Last summer. Why did you come to

the convention?

40.

ABBIE:

To end the war.

TOM:

Guys, before you tether yourselves

to this man, just know that the

very last thing he wants is for the

war to end.

DAVE:

Hang on-

TOM:

I don’t have time for cultural

revolution. It distracts from

actual revolution.

KUNSTLER:

Alright, did everybody get

everything off their chests?

The door opens and FRED HAMPTON comes in-

FRED:

(to KUNSTLER)

What in the name of hell was that?!

KUNSTLER:

Evidently not.

FRED:

You stood up and spoke for Bobby.

KUNSTLER:

I made it very clear I’m not his

lawyer.

FRED:

I’d like to sit in on these

meetings.

KUNSTLER:

You can’t.

FRED:

I think I will anyway.

KUNSTLER:

Fred-

FRED:

Bobby’s life is at stake and you

guys are playin’ to the crowd?

41.

TOM:

Thank you.

FRED:

Shut up. The white guys are in a

furnished room while Bobby’s in a

holding cell.

KUNSTLER:

The white guys are free on bail.

Bobby’s locked up ‘cause he’s under

arrest in Connecticut for killing a

cop, it’s not like he refused to

give up his seat on a bus.

WEINGLASS:

You have to convince him to let

Bill and me represent him, just for

today at least.

KUNSTLER:

The judge is-

JERRY:

F***in’ nuts.

KUNSTLER:

--a little hostile, and I’m sure

Garry didn’t anticipate that.

FRED:

(pause)

He’s innocent in Connecticut.

KUNSTLER:

Alright.

FRED:

He’s never killed anyone. It’s

important you all know that.

KUNSTLER:

You have to try to convince him.

FRED:

I can’t.

KUNSTLER:

Try.

FRED:

I have!

(beat)

He needs to do it his way.

42.

KUNSTLER:

Keep trying, alright?

FRED nods.

A MARSHAL sticks his head in the door-

MARSHAL:

We’re back.

The MARSHAL exits.

KUNSTLER:

Let’s go. Abbie, Jerry, unless

you’re asked a direct question,

shut your mouths while we’re in

that room.

ABBIE:

(barely audible)

This is a political trial.

KUNSTLER:

What?

ABBIE:

This is a political trial. That was

already decided for us. Ignoring

that reality is just...weird to me.

KUNSTLER:

There are civil trials and there

are criminal trials. There’s no

such thing as a political trial.

ABBIE:

(beat--smiles)

Okay.

ABBIE heads out with everyone else. WEINGLASS stops TOM for a

moment...

WEINGLASS:

Abbie’s smarter than you think he

is.

TOM:

Cows are smarter than I think he

is.

They walk out the door as we

CUT TO:

43.

43 INT. COURTROOM -DAY

DAVID STAHL is on the stand.

STAHL:

S-T-A-H-L.

TITLE:

Trial Day 3

SCHULTZ:

What is your occupation?

STAHL:

I am the mayor’s administrative

officer.

SCHULTZ:

Calling your attention to March

26th, 1968, did you have a meeting

on that day?

STAHL:

Yes.

SCHULTZ:

With whom?

44 INT. STAHL’S OFFICE -DAY

As ABBIE and JERRY step in.

STAHL:

Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Rubin is it?

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