Yippie! Lincoln Park Free Motel “Come Sleep With Us” VOTE PIG in 68

Top Secret Yippie Plans for Lincoln Park during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

These ‘top-secret plans’ were created and distributed by members of the Youth International Party, colloquially known as Yippees, in anticipation of the upcoming 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Vote Pig in ’68 was no metaphor – the radical counterculture group encouraged the nomination of ‘Pigasus’ – an actual 150 lb hog (when pigs fly – get it?) – as the only qualified presidential candidate.

The photocopied group of material provides a fascinating read into contemporary grassroots political movements during the tumultuous late 1960s. It begins with an open-ended collection of ambiguous demands that starts with an end to the Vietnam War, and includes the legalization of marihuana and all other psychedelic drugs (#3), The Abolition of Money (#7), an end to all censorship (#14), and we believe that people should fuck all the time, anytime, whomever they wish (#15).

A schedule of events outlines ten days of Yippee activities in Lincoln Park, one of Chicago’s most popular outdoor spaces. Training in snake dancing, folk singing, guerilla theater, lovemaking, and ‘Pin the rubber on the Pope’ are all on the docket. August 28-30 (the dates of the convention) are particularly interesting, with “plans to be announced at a later date” and “events scheduled depend on Wed. nite.” A plan of the park is included, with various areas of interest labeled.

The cartography doesn’t stop there – also included are two diagrams of various venues occupied by the Yippees while in Chicago. State delegations were assigned to different rooms in the Sheraton, Palmer House, Conrad Hilton, and other accommodations of varying quality across the city. The international Amphitheater, ‘Gathering Place for the Tear IT Down Meeting of the World’ (the Democratic Convention), is also shown. A notable excerpt from the ‘impartial list’ of delegate reads ;“Security precautions taken by convention big-wigs is a farce. Emergencies do happen and we’re all actors in the play of life.” This radical encouragement is accompanied by a list of ‘action sites’ that includes the addresses of City Hall, CPD HQ, and the mayor’s home.