Biography
John Briggs was a civilian ally of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), indicted in 1972 as one of the 'Gainesville Eight' for conspiracy to disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach. He was jailed September 8–17, 1972. All eight defendants were acquitted by a federal jury on August 31, 1973.
Gainesville Eight civilian defendant
Adam Weiss’s The Trial of the Gainesville 8 identifies Briggs as the exception to the other defendants’ VVAW membership on slide 2. The reproduced Time article dated August 20, 1973 (slide 19, repeated on slide 25) distinguishes the six initially arrested VVAW members from a subsequently charged veteran and civilian ally. The inaccurate opening description of Briggs as a Vietnam veteran and VVAW member is removed. His existing custody dates and the August 31, 1973 acquittal remain unchanged; a verdict is not treated as a physical release.
The Trial of the Gainesville 8, original PDF pages 2, 19 and 25
The Gainesville trial was heard by U.S. District Judge Winston E. Arnow, with Jack Carrouth appearing for the prosecution.
Original document 1236, PDF page 11; Original document 1236, PDF page 18; Original document 1236, PDF page 20.
