San Quentin Six
Encyclopedia
The San Quentin Six were a group of six inmates at San Quentin State Prison
in California
(Hugo Pinell
, Willie Tate, Johnny Larry Spain, David Johnson, Fleeta Drumgo and Luis Talamantez) who were accused of participating in an August 21, 1971 escape
attempt that left six people dead, including George Jackson
, founder of the Black Guerrilla Family
prison gang
. Costing California taxpayers more than $2 million, their 16-month trial
was the longest in the state's history at the time and was dubbed "The Longest Trial" by Time
magazine. Of the six defendants, one was convicted
of murder
, two were convicted of assault
on prison guards, and three were acquitted
of all charges.
During the escape which sparked a riot
on the cellblock, Jackson had a 9 mm automatic pistol
, allegedly smuggled into the prison by attorney Stephen Bingham
(immediately after the incident, Bingham went on the run and fled the country for 13 years; he returned in 1984 to stand trial, and was acquitted of all charges in 1986). During the riot, caused by Jackson and two dozen other prisoners, three corrections officers and two inmates were tortured and killed.
Spain was found guilty of murder, and Johnson and Pinell were found guilty of assaulting prison guards. Drumgo, Talamantaz, and Tate were found not guilty on various counts of murder, conspiracy, and assault.
. Twice charged and acquitted for the murder of prison guards, he was released from prison in August 1976 after serving nine years for a Los Angeles burglary.
Drumgo was shot to death in Oakland on November 26, 1979. According to Oakland police, Drumgo had been shot by more than one weapon and witnesses reported two men leaving the scene, one with a shotgun and one with a handgun. His killer was never caught.
.
In 1985, Johnson was reported to be a student at San Francisco State University
.
. In 1985, he was serving his sentence in Folsom Prison. He remains incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison
Crescent City, Ca. He is a member of the Black Guerilla Family prison gang
.
Hugo Pinell's original 1964 conviction for attempted rape and abduction of a woman carries a 10-15 year conviction which he served but seems to have been overshadowed by the more than 46 years he has spent in a maximum security prison, currently at Pelican Bay Prison. 40 of those years have been spent in solitary confinement. Many supporters of Hugo PInell, family and friends as well as Amnesty International have spoken out against the excessively severe prison term Pinell has had to endure for these many years.
to a black father, Arthur Cummings, and a white mother, Ann Armstrong. The child of an extra-marital affair, he was named Larry Michael Armstrong, taking the last name of his mother's husband, Fred Armstrong, a beer truck driver. During a deliver to a nightclub and restaurant in Utica, Mississippi
, Fred Armstrong asked the black owner if she would take in the six-year-old boy. The woman said she could not, but contacted her husband's cousin in California who agreed to do so. At the age of six, Spain was adopted by Johnny and Helen Spain in Los Angeles
where he was renamed as Johnny Larry Spain.
Spain, the only one of the Six convicted of murder, had his conviction overturned according to the Los Angeles Times
in an article that appeared on July 1, 1982, by federal judge Thelton Henderson
who has also placed Pelican Bay State Prison
under federal receivership.
In 1985, Spain was serving his sentence in Vacaville
. He was granted parole in 1988 and now works in community relations in San Francisco.
Spain is the father of Sahara Sunday Spain
.
. After his acquittal, Talamantez was paroled from prison on August 20, 1976, then was taken to a party at the Marin County home of Robert Carrow, his primary defense attorney.
In 1985, Talamantez was reported to be "living in the south".
Luis Talamantez along with Willie Tate and David Johnson participated in a July 15, 2011 Bay area memorial for Geronimo JI-Jaga, the Defense Captain for the LA Black Panther Party (1969-1972). Talamantez continues to be an activist and often participates on cable access programs bringing attention to the current conditions in the US prison system.
where he lived until he was six-years-old. His father was a sergeant in the United States Army
. The family moved to El Paso, Texas
, however, Tate could not attend school as there was no kindergarten or first grade for black children. The family moved to California and settled in Fresno when he was about eight-years-old. Tate was first arrested at the age of 14.
In 1985, Tate was reported to be a "fugitive on a Fresno drug warrant".
Willie Tate has been a bay area activist supporting many human right causes and serving the needs of his communities since his release in the 1970s.
Recently, Willie Tate participated in a July 15, 2011 memorial for his friend and fellow San Quinton Inmate the late Geronimo Ji-Jaga. Geronimo a Black Panther
Leader was wrongly accused in 1972 by the FBI and LAPD of committing a murder in 1968. His case was over turned by a US District Court of Appeals in 1997.
The LAPD and FBI were forced to acknowledge misconduct and pay Geronimo Ji-Jaga $4.5 million dollars for wrongful incarceration.
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(Hugo Pinell
Hugo Pinell
Hugo "Yogi Bear" Pinell is a Nicaraguan prisoner currently incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison in California.Despite maintaining then and now that he is innocent, Pinell, after being repeatedly told he would face the death penalty if he did not confess, eventually pled guilty in 1965, at the...
, Willie Tate, Johnny Larry Spain, David Johnson, Fleeta Drumgo and Luis Talamantez) who were accused of participating in an August 21, 1971 escape
Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
attempt that left six people dead, including George Jackson
George Jackson (Black Panther)
George Lester Jackson was an American convict who became a left-wing activist, Marxist, author, a member of the Black Panther Party, and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang...
, founder of the Black Guerrilla Family
Black Guerrilla Family
The Black Guerrilla Family is a prison and street gang founded in 1966 by George Jackson and W.L...
prison gang
Prison gang
Prison gang is a term used to denote any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. Prison officials and others in law enforcement use the term security threat group or STG...
. Costing California taxpayers more than $2 million, their 16-month trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
was the longest in the state's history at the time and was dubbed "The Longest Trial" by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine. Of the six defendants, one was convicted
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...
of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, two were convicted of assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
on prison guards, and three were acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
of all charges.
During the escape which sparked a riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
on the cellblock, Jackson had a 9 mm automatic pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, allegedly smuggled into the prison by attorney Stephen Bingham
Stephen Bingham
Stephen Mitchell Bingham, a legal services and civil rights attorney, was tried and acquitted in 1986 for his alleged role in Black Panther George Jackson's attempted escape fifteen years earlier from San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California, in 1971.-Early life and education:Stephen...
(immediately after the incident, Bingham went on the run and fled the country for 13 years; he returned in 1984 to stand trial, and was acquitted of all charges in 1986). During the riot, caused by Jackson and two dozen other prisoners, three corrections officers and two inmates were tortured and killed.
Spain was found guilty of murder, and Johnson and Pinell were found guilty of assaulting prison guards. Drumgo, Talamantaz, and Tate were found not guilty on various counts of murder, conspiracy, and assault.
Fleeta Drumgo
Fleeta Drumgo (born circa 1945) was one of the Soledad BrothersSoledad Brothers
The Soledad Brothers were an American garage rock trio from Maumee, Ohio. Taking strong influence from blues rock, the band consisted of Ben Swank on drums, Johnny Walker on guitar and vocals, and Oliver Henry on sax and guitar...
. Twice charged and acquitted for the murder of prison guards, he was released from prison in August 1976 after serving nine years for a Los Angeles burglary.
Drumgo was shot to death in Oakland on November 26, 1979. According to Oakland police, Drumgo had been shot by more than one weapon and witnesses reported two men leaving the scene, one with a shotgun and one with a handgun. His killer was never caught.
David Johnson
David Johnson (born circa 1947) was from San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
In 1985, Johnson was reported to be a student at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
.
Hugo Pinell
Pinell, convicted of assault, is the only one of the six still in prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. In 1985, he was serving his sentence in Folsom Prison. He remains incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison is a supermax California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison near Crescent City in unincorporated Del Norte County, California. The facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary...
Crescent City, Ca. He is a member of the Black Guerilla Family prison gang
Prison gang
Prison gang is a term used to denote any type of gang activity in prisons and correctional facilities. Prison officials and others in law enforcement use the term security threat group or STG...
.
Hugo Pinell's original 1964 conviction for attempted rape and abduction of a woman carries a 10-15 year conviction which he served but seems to have been overshadowed by the more than 46 years he has spent in a maximum security prison, currently at Pelican Bay Prison. 40 of those years have been spent in solitary confinement. Many supporters of Hugo PInell, family and friends as well as Amnesty International have spoken out against the excessively severe prison term Pinell has had to endure for these many years.
Johnny Spain
Johnny Larry Spain was born July 30, 1949 in Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
to a black father, Arthur Cummings, and a white mother, Ann Armstrong. The child of an extra-marital affair, he was named Larry Michael Armstrong, taking the last name of his mother's husband, Fred Armstrong, a beer truck driver. During a deliver to a nightclub and restaurant in Utica, Mississippi
Utica, Mississippi
Utica is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 966 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the URJ Henry S...
, Fred Armstrong asked the black owner if she would take in the six-year-old boy. The woman said she could not, but contacted her husband's cousin in California who agreed to do so. At the age of six, Spain was adopted by Johnny and Helen Spain in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he was renamed as Johnny Larry Spain.
Spain, the only one of the Six convicted of murder, had his conviction overturned according to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in an article that appeared on July 1, 1982, by federal judge Thelton Henderson
Thelton Henderson
Thelton Eugene Henderson is currently a federal judge in the Northern District of California. He has played an important role in the field of civil rights as a lawyer, educator, and jurist.-Career:...
who has also placed Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison is a supermax California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison near Crescent City in unincorporated Del Norte County, California. The facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary...
under federal receivership.
In 1985, Spain was serving his sentence in Vacaville
California State Prison, Solano
California State Prison, Solano is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California, adjacent to the California Medical Facility...
. He was granted parole in 1988 and now works in community relations in San Francisco.
Spain is the father of Sahara Sunday Spain
Sahara Sunday Spain
Sahara Sunday Spain is an emerging writer born in California in 1991.She is the fourth generation in a line of visual artists and musicians. Her mother is the contemporary artist-photographer Elisabeth Sunday and her father, Johnny Spain, is a former Black Panther...
.
Luis Talamantez
Talamantez was born circa 1943. In February 1966, he was convicted of armed robbery in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After his acquittal, Talamantez was paroled from prison on August 20, 1976, then was taken to a party at the Marin County home of Robert Carrow, his primary defense attorney.
In 1985, Talamantez was reported to be "living in the south".
Luis Talamantez along with Willie Tate and David Johnson participated in a July 15, 2011 Bay area memorial for Geronimo JI-Jaga, the Defense Captain for the LA Black Panther Party (1969-1972). Talamantez continues to be an activist and often participates on cable access programs bringing attention to the current conditions in the US prison system.
Willie Tate
Willie Tate was born circa 1944 or 1945 in Selma, AlabamaSelma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
where he lived until he was six-years-old. His father was a sergeant in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. The family moved to El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, however, Tate could not attend school as there was no kindergarten or first grade for black children. The family moved to California and settled in Fresno when he was about eight-years-old. Tate was first arrested at the age of 14.
In 1985, Tate was reported to be a "fugitive on a Fresno drug warrant".
Willie Tate has been a bay area activist supporting many human right causes and serving the needs of his communities since his release in the 1970s.
Recently, Willie Tate participated in a July 15, 2011 memorial for his friend and fellow San Quinton Inmate the late Geronimo Ji-Jaga. Geronimo a Black Panther
Leader was wrongly accused in 1972 by the FBI and LAPD of committing a murder in 1968. His case was over turned by a US District Court of Appeals in 1997.
The LAPD and FBI were forced to acknowledge misconduct and pay Geronimo Ji-Jaga $4.5 million dollars for wrongful incarceration.
See also
- George JacksonGeorge Jackson (Black Panther)George Lester Jackson was an American convict who became a left-wing activist, Marxist, author, a member of the Black Panther Party, and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang...
- Folsom Prison
- Black Panther PartyBlack Panther PartyThe Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
- Pelican Bay State PrisonPelican Bay State PrisonPelican Bay State Prison is a supermax California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison near Crescent City in unincorporated Del Norte County, California. The facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary...
- Black Guerilla Family
- Thelton HendersonThelton HendersonThelton Eugene Henderson is currently a federal judge in the Northern District of California. He has played an important role in the field of civil rights as a lawyer, educator, and jurist.-Career:...