A memoir of a life in activism by one of the original defendants in the Trial of the Chicago 7, subject of the 2020 Oscar-nominated Aaron Sorkin film of the same name. In March 1969, eight young men were indicted by the federal

This collective autobiography delves into the lives of the RNC 8, who were charged with violations of the Minnesota Patriot Act for organizing logistics protests against the 2008 Republic National Convention. Offering a glimpse into the contemporary reality of dissent in America , the book explores the upbringings and early political involvements of the defendants, their infiltration of the convention, and the subsequent arrests, legal defense, and outcomes of the case. Contributors include Luce Guillén-Givins, Max Specktor, Eryn Trimmer, Monica Bicking, Robert Czernik, and Garrett Fitzgerald. Their stories provide an understanding of the political repercussions experienced by activists today as a result of protest activity.

The Capitol Riots maps out the events of the January 6, 2021 insurrectionary riots at the United States Capitol building, providing context for understanding the contributing factors and ongoing implications of the uprising. This definitive text explores the rise of populism, disinformation, conspiracy theories, the alt-right, and white supremacy during the lead-up to and planning of the Stop the Steal campaign, as well as the complex interplay during the riots of political performances, costumes, objectives, communications, digital media, datafication, race, gender, and—ultimately—power. Assembling raw data from social media, selfie photos and videos, and mainstream journalism, the authors develop a timeline and data visualizations representing the events. They delve into the complex, openly shared narratives, motivations, and actions of people on the ground that day who violated the symbolic center of U.S. democracy. An analysis of visual data reveals an affective outpouring of mutually amplifying expressions of frustration, fear, hate, anger, and anomie that correspond to similar logics and counter-logics in the polarized and chaotic contemporary media environment that have only been intensified by COVID-19 lockdowns, conspiracy theories, and a call to action at the Capitol from the outgoing POTUS and his inner circle. The book will appeal to both a general audience of those curious about how and why the Capitol riots unfolded and to students and scholars of communications, political science, media studies, sociology, education, surveillance studies, digital humanities, gender studies, critical whiteness studies, and datafication studies. It will also find an audience within computer science and technology studies through its approach to big data, data visualization, AI, algorithms, data tracking, and other data sciences.

The founders of the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF) embodied late 1960s counterculture--young, idealistic, activists who were against racism and the Vietnam War, and fond of long hair, rock'n'roll, sex, drugs, and parties. Months after violence erupted during a demonstration, authorities arrested six men and one woman--all SLF members. The Seattle 7 faced federal conspiracy and intent to riot indictments aimed at limiting their ability to organize and protest. The prosecution's key witness faltered and the government's case appeared doomed, but the presiding judge issued a surprise ruling to end the dramatic trial and send the defendants to prison.

In 2012 Maria Alyokhina and other members of Pussy Riot performed a provocative 'Punk Prayer', taking on the Orthodox church and its support for Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime. They were charged with 'organized hooliganism'. That trial and Alyokhina's subsequent imprisonment became an international cause. For Alyokhina, her two-year sentence launched a struggle against the Russian prison system and an iron-willed refusal to be deprived of her humanity. This book gives voice to Alyokhina's insistence on the right to say no, whether to a prison guard or to the president.