Black August + Political Prisoners
The Black Guerilla Family: A Political Prison Tragedy?
From early aims as the radical prison arm of Black Power to now apparent gang-affiliated destruction.
In 1960, American author and activist, George Jackson was arrested for allegedly stealing $70 at gunpoint inside a gas station. At nineteen, he was convicted of armed robbery and received an indeterminate sentence of one year to life in prison. Rather than succumbing to the dehumanizing prison experience, Jackson gave his life over to the revolution; — becoming a leading political prisoner and serious writer.
During his early years at San Quentin State Prison in California, Jackson became heavily involved in Black nationalist ideologies. In 1966, Jackson met and befriended fellow inmate, W.L. Nolen, who had been in prison since 1963 for a convicted robbery.
Nolen was highly known in prison as a political intellectual, street fighter, and boxing champion. He was once said to be considered the next Marvin Hagler, — noting Nolen’s impeccable skill with his hands. Nolen was also one of the founders of the Black Liberation Movement in the California Prison System. George Jackson credited Nolen for his introduction to Marxist and Maoist political thought…
