Correspondence from various Chicago city departments and the staff coordinator for the April Peace Parade indicate that the city was less than cooperative about allowing the April 27th peace demonstration to go forward. They refused to grant permits to the Committee for a variety of reasons.
The lead-up to the April 27th demonstration, as well as the violence that took place that day, is widely regarded as a significant plot point in the story of the 1968 Democratic Convention.
(The following is from National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence (RG 283 Series 59 Box 7, exhibit A-186) from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.)
Upon receiving the application for a permit, the Chicago Park District sent a letter to the group, dated March 14, 1968 for more information about the April Parade Committee. It asked for a list of officers, a list of groups participating in the demonstration, as well as the topic of their speeches for the day.
A response was sent back to the Park District, with the information requested. On March 19th, the Chicago Park District denied a permit to the group because another demonstration was going to take place on the same day in the same area.
A March 22nd letter from the April Parade Committee states: “A quick check by phone to your office revealed that there is no conflict between the two Parades scheduled for April 27.” The letter notes that the Loyalty Day Parade begins at 11 a.m. and their demonstration would begin at 2 p.m. “This will give the ‘Loyalty Day Parade’ two and one half hours to walk eight blocks…”
An April 1st letter from the Chicago Park District states “The Chicago Park District is chartered by the State of Illinois for recreational purposes and the use which you request is not in keeping with the dictates of that charter.”
On April 10th, the April Parade Committee sent out a series of letters asking, once again, to meet with various officials to plan the event. An April 16th meeting was specifically requested.
An April 11th letter from the Office of the Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation says that the Parade Board would not grant a permit because “The Department maintains a strict policy prohibiting two major parades, in the Loop area, on the same day.”
On April 13th, the April Parade Committee responded to this letter, noting that other cities, including New York City, had two demonstrations in the same area on the same day. It again reminds the recipients of the April 16th meeting.
The April Parade Committee wanted their demonstration to end at the Civic Center Plaza. On April 16, agents for the property denied use of the location because repair work was being done on the property. They felt that the demonstration would “damage the work in progress.”
A letter from the Parade Committee on April 17 notes that the Park District representative was not able to attend the meeting. “We will make every attempt to comply with any reasonable insurance request which is consistent with past practice.”
A letter from the Parade Committee to the Department of Streets and Sanitation, dated April 17th states, “In the event that a parade permit is denied, we will have no alternative but to move 15,000 people from Grant Park to the Civic Center on the sidewalks.” It also notes that a department representative was not at the April 16th meeting.
An April 18th letter from the Parade Committee to the property agents for the Chicago Civic Center again is asking for use of the Civic Center for Alderman Rayner’s address. Since repair work to the area was being done one section at a time, they wanted to try again for an area where no work was being done. It also notes that a representative was not at the April 16th meeting.
