Camden 28 Raids Draft Office (1971)

Sat Aug 21, 1971

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Image: Camden 28 members Gene Dixon (far right), Milo Billman, and Mike Giocondo march at a local rally in Camden. [zinnedproject.org]

On this day in 1971, the Camden 28, a group of Christian anti-war activists, broke into a draft board office and proceeded to destroy and bag up thousands of draft documents. The group had been infiltrated by the FBI and all were arrested.

The raid resulted in a high-profile criminal trial of the activists that was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War and a successful use of jury nullification.

On August 21st, 1971, the activists broke into the draft board office and began destroying and bagging thousands of draft-related documents. A member of their group had become a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, however, and the FBI monitored the break-in, arresting everybody involved.

The 28 chose to be tried together, refusing an offered plea bargain for a single misdemeanor if the rest of the charges were dropped. Activist historian Howard Zinn testified at the trial as an expert on civil disobedience and recommended jury nullification.

On May 20th, 1973, the jury returned “not guilty” verdicts for all counts against all 28 defendants, acquitting them.