--- description: As the Democratic Party meets in Philadelphia to officiant select a nominee for president, a look back at the most infamous DNC protest title: Democratic Convention Protests: Vivid Color Photos From 1968 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8132292f210a5433/69889ba2a988ca5f3c6b897a/160712-time-1968-riots-09.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [politics](/tag/politics/) ## politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See Vivid Color Photos From the 1968 Democratic Convention Protests by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 27, 2016 3:30 PM CUT  Caption from TIME. In the most dramatic of the convention's protests, Yippies stormed an equestrian monument in Grant Park to protest the arrest of one of their leaders. Caption from TIME. In the most dramatic of the convention's protests, Yippies stormed an equestrian monument in Grant Park to protest the arrest of one of their leaders.Art Shay—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 27, 2016 3:30 PM CUT Heading out of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the message of TIME’s portfolio of photographs could be reduced to one sentence: “The images of Chicago will haunt the Democrats during the campaign,” the magazine declared. Nearly a half-century later, as the Democratic Party once against meets to officially select a nominee for President, that message is still true to an extent. The 1968 Chicago convention remains a key [reference point ](http://www.npr.org/2016/07/17/486346871/fears-of-violence-at-cleveland-convention-stir-memories-of-chicago-in-1968 "undefined")for all the ways a political convention can go wrong—in particular when it comes to protests and violence on the streets. That year’s convention, which was[ also covered photographically in the pages of LIFE Magazine](http://ti.me/2a6aHMh "undefined"), was the scene of what TIME called “sanctioned mayhem” when left-leaning protesters clashed with the heavy-handed Chicago police force. As TIME put it in [the story that accompanied these images](http://time.com/vault/issue/1968-09-06/page/30/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter "undefined") Chicago’s Mayor Richard J. Daley was seen as a man behind the method. By TIME’s count, he had grown the 11,900-man Chicago PD with 5,000 state National Guardsmen and 6,500 federal troops. The apex of the confrontation came the night that the convention would nominate Hubert Humphrey for president, as demonstrators, deciding what to do when refused a permit to march to the convention hall, were cornered by thousands of officers. TIME’s cameras were there throughout the violent week, capturing images like the ones seen here.  Caption from TIME. Police wearing masks advance through tear gas clouds in Chicago's Lincoln Park. Art Shay—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from TIME. Frustrated peace demonstrators refused permission to march to the convention hall, are hemmed in by grim lines of blue-helmeted Chicago police. Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Poet Allen Ginsberg (L) comparing notes with yippie activist Abbie Hoffman during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Police macing a protester during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Yippie protesters carrying banner with name of their Presidential "candidate" Pigasus during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Yippies parading their Presidential candidate, Pigasus the pig, during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Crowd of protesters throwing things at a lone policeman during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Yippie protesters linking arms in Grant Park demonstration during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Julian Wasser—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from TIME. In the most dramatic of the convention's protests, Yippies stormed an equestrian monument in Grant Park to protest the arrest of one of their leaders. 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