Jerry Rubin

“Supposing one day trucks travelled through the city announcing, ‘The war in Vietnam is over! The war is over! Turn on your radio for further information.’ Within two minutes everybody would be calling their mothers, ‘Hey Mom! The war’s over!’ Nixon would have to go on T.V. to reassure the American people that the war was still on.”

―Jerry Rubin

On the 24^th of August, 1968, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and ten other Yippies entered the New York Stock Exchange and climbed to the visitors gallery overlooking the main hall.

The Yippies addressed the brokers and traders working below them on the evils of money and greed. Most of the brokers found the incident amusing and at the end of the speech many joined in good-natured applause. Then the Yippies reached into their pockets and threw into the air handfuls of dollar bills. As money floated down like autumn leaves the scene changed dramatically. Brokers and traders jumped, pushed and buffeted each other to catch the falling banknotes, others on hands and knees scrambled about on the floor grabbing as much as they could. The security guards arrived and the Yippies were ejected from the building.