At the Q

Abstract

On October 31, 1950, trouble brewed inside California’s infamous San Quentin Prison. That afternoon, during the daily exercise regimen, thirteen of the sixteen men condemned to death row sat down and refused to return to their cellblock at the conclusion of their exercise period. One hour later, following a considerable amount of patience and pleading from the prison guards, they were forcibly removed. Screams and shouts of protest filled the prison yard, and arms and fists flailed. Guards struck inmates, and inmates struck guards. When the dust settled, there were bumps and bruises, but, miraculously, no deaths. Some of the inmates were escorted to the infirmary to treat their wounds, while others were escorted to solitary confinement. The San Francisco Chronicle featured the scuffle on the front page. The banner headline read: SAN QUENTIN GUARDS BREAK UP KILLERS’ SIT-DOWN STRIKE. But, the story missed its mark. Indeed, there was a sit-down strike, but not every inmate involved was a “killer.” Wesley Robert Wells was on death row, but he never killed anyone. Instead, his sentence stemmed from a much greater problem affecting San Quentin: black prisoners’ growing discontent at racial epithets and physical abuse from guards and other inmates.