When the trial of the Chicago Eight began in the early fall of 1969, Weiner was a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant at Northwestern University, and had previously graduated from the University of Illinois, studied political philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and earned a master"s degree in social work from Loyola University"s School of Social Work in Chicago.
Weiner and his co-defendant John Froines were acquitted of the charges by the jury. At Northwestern University, Weiner worked for Professor Howard South. Becker as a research assistant. The Chicago Eight defendants each contributed an essay to the book Conspiracy, published in November 1969.
In Weiner"s essay, "The Political Trial of a People"s Insurrection," he writes:
J. Anthony Lukas described Weiner as "a strangely remote figure who shunned most of the defendants" extracurricular activities." According to Professor Douglas Linder at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, "Weiner rarely attended defense strategy sessions, perhaps out of a belief that their cause was hopeless.
He spent most of his trial hours reading science fiction paperbacks or books on eastern philosophy. Weiner reacted to few courtroom developments, viewing the proceedings with a mixture of scorn and amusement."
According to Weiner, towards the end of the trial, "there was no question we would be put in jail.
I ended up going, mostly for correcting my name. People always pronounced it Wee-ner.
lieutenant"s Wye-ner. I was sentenced to two and a half months." Weiner was ultimately convicted on seven charges of criminal contempt that were later reversed and remanded following an appeal.
After retrial, Weiner was acquitted of all contempt charges. About a year after the trial ended, Weiner left Chicago and went to Rutgers University to teach courses about social change. In the years following the trial, Weiner has continued to work and protest for causes.
He has worked for the Anti-Defamation League of B"nai B"rith in New York and participated in protests for Russian Jews and more funding for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome research, and currently works as vice president for direct response at the AmeriCares Foundation in Stamford, Connecticut.
When the judge would say Wee-ner, I would shout out, "lieutenant"s Wye-ner," and he got pissed off and charged me with contempt, which was a perfect summary of my political stance. People magazine reports that "t a birthday party for Black Panther leader Bobby Seale in 1972, Weiner was overheard joking that he was "starting a new Communist party in New Jersey." The remark turned up in print, and he was told that his teaching contract at Rutgers would not be renewed.".
