Press conference at San Quentin (Part 1 of 2); The death of George Jackson

Rid of you and made fun of and put on a polite axent and say yeah we all need it and if I want to know what happened to my phone to call Ronald Reagan and every time I would call I would get some nasty crack an answer and Warden Park said he didn't want to see me that he had nothing to say to me and I told him I'd like to know what happened to my son exactly what happened with that AC hearing it on the radio because they never notified me he was day it I heard it on the radio and in Pasadena CBS. And that's the only thing I know about it and he won't even do me the courtesy to tell me what happened. He will let me have my son's body are his personal effects yes to investigate him. So I don't know what they're trying to prove that they have all the power in the world and nobody else cares and own thing and I could always have been here waiting. I came out this morning I thought maybe he might talk to me this morning to tell me what happened but he wouldn't see me he

had the people tell me he wasn't here. And he told me I'd have to wait to get these things and I'd have to wait to get his body. Anything is for genocide or socialism. Yes ask. Me. For. A long time finally. And they're going. To try to convince the public that he was even trying to do for the past. Right.

This is your daughter's in the back seat. John. Give us your reaction please to what happened yesterday. Any comment. Just mother that's. Right.

You know have any John have anything particular to say yesterday that he was glad to see his mother and hoping to see what for the future will John. Help. I don't qualify to come in here.

You're right. Why me go out any of the other newsmen here know him know me well enough to leave by the recent pics or any of the newsmen here no way he'll just check with any of them from UPI or Christian from Cape X they know who I am. All I know is that the prison officials are requesting you to leave you like you know you have a California Highway Patrol passport press pass that shows who I am. Why can't I attend the press conference. This isn't the same when they've requested you to leave. I'm surely going to leave and I certainly don't wish to disobey orders. I merely want to check out my rights as legitimate press.

I have my California press pass and my credentials are in order and I certainly want to cooperate in every way I can. But I don't understand why I'm not being let into the press conference with the same press credentials as other other press yes or would you take me up to one of them. Can I go through and talk to the moon like the rest. Yes I was just there sir. I mean they refused you entrance and that's all we can do they have refused you in France we have to. Except assist them. I said you know I certainly want to cooperate. I am a scientist. I will go back and talk with them. OK thank you sir. Any more thing I. Don't get

I think. There's you. I think. For you with. Any other ID I've got another person we're going. To look through their. Phone. Right over here. And elsewhere. Yeah and you know I saw it right. Oh you're right.

Well A. Place with a warden Nelson director of corrections Raymond Kaypro Cooney a PR. Oh yeah. Davis It's still got to be some you know information officer in Sacramento and down to get it and it will kill me. OK. They make a pretty penny a. Highly. Record great good for you I think. You're. All right. They're really focusing. On the court factor a little bit. Or am. I right. Given the leader of the right to record any of the openness they might. Be right in a very very. Very. Hard. For nothing anything additional that you can tell us today is to add to what I thank you had yesterday.

Very little. In the actual facts of the of what took place yesterday. Certainly things are going to get challenged but not really much we know at this point we do know that. There was at least one gun in the institution and that has been recovered. And has been turned over there to the California. Bureau of Criminal done a fixation an investigation to ascertain if possible the owner of the gun. And. We do know that at least two shots were fired. They have recovered the cartridges from those two shots. And we don't know of course if the. Three officers are dead. And three inmates are dead or get any kind of private type of weapon that we can let's say a 9 millimeter foreign made weapon automatic weapon on. The country of origin I'm not sure of but we do know it's a 9 millimeter format automatically I have is your obvious weapon was motivators and we do know that it was. That it was brought into the adjustment center by George

Jackson. Any idea how he got off. I can make no comment about that at this point you know. No that's not true. The Skins your search is conducted in the adjustment center and that was the that was what was taking place when George Jackson came from it came out with a weapon that was just possible that he had a gun from inside the prison from one of your own people. No it's not possible because George actually just been taken into the Adjustment Center for the visit and. And was being searched when he produced a weapon to do it. I'm not at liberty to say the visitor was an attorney and there was some person here who visited him. I do not know whether or not it is unclear why the person in custody comics renewed their. Visit procedures they do nothing unusual electronically. I'm not sure as to whether or not. There was but certainly if this were

brought in by a visitor it got through the electronic metal detector. Just come from there and you are just like you. When he begun to travel next. That's correct. I mean you know one officer was going into the U.S. from center. There has been talk of conspiracy. Bob do you have any light shed on that theory. I cannot comment on that. I would not care to comment on any outlets in your arsenal or very wise. What brought this all of this was a result of what. I imagine this was a from my own speculation and without many facts. But this was an attempt to escape from the confines of San Quentin. It involved Mr. Jackson or any other inmates. All the since all the inmates on the first floor of the Adjustment Center were loose from their cells. It may or may not have included all 17 men on the first floor of the adjustment center. Only 27. There were 27 only two however left the adjustment center.

I have no idea. We have not been able to talk to them at this point who the two inmates who were killed. That includes the two inmates who were killed. When you marry. Me I imagine that someone is looking for them are our responsibility pretty generally is limited by the confines of prison reservation. Where there was a Marine sheriff or the attorney general's office I'm not at liberty to say yet more than one visit. Yesterday afternoon I believe we only have one visitor. Where are you. George Jackson was in possession of some sort of substance which has not yet been analyzed to ascertain its composition. Within the adjustment center proper. I mean. How many times we get by far. I don't know. Write me. Their search before they leave the adjustment center. That's what's not in sight for him right now.

The entire prison is under lock and key. We have fed them on their cells. We're busy searching to ascertain if there are any other weapons because we are not certain that there were there was only one gun or of making effort every effort to find out. And as soon as we can we will restore a certain portion of the institution to normal routine and those people who we believe to be dangerous to the welfare and security of the institution. And please believe me we're going to err on the conservative side we're going to we're going to take no chances we're going to get them under lock and key for a long period of time. We're going to see the attitude of the guards the day after this crash. I'm pleased to report. I was here in 1952 when we had two officers killed and seven men fail to ever show back on prison grounds this morning. There was only one man fail to show and he called in and said he was sick was unable to report everybody else came and put their shoulders to the wheel. And so while understandably they're just they're dismayed and angry. They were here to do their job recognizing it is their job and nobody else's or not are getting it here.

We circulated around. And from one of the blocks I got the usual catcalling. I was into another block and the inmates without without exception said Warden. Don't give up. Don't give up. We can ride this thing through if you can. We are still bodies that are how were they informed. Every cell in the institution has an as a radio and Jim Parkes news conference came over very clearly last night as I heard just south of Klamath Falls Oregon. You've been working with Mr. Cuny since yesterday as I understand it. Additional security measures been decided to be instituted around here and around the state line institutions. Mr. Can you speak for himself. We're going to we're going to have a meeting this afternoon all the wardens of the northern part of the state as security has to sort of decide at that time whatever. MARTIN All right. Yesterday's yesterday's violence killing was a result of revolutionary bullshit.

I didn't hear Mr. Parks say that I'll be happy I'll be happy to agree with Mr. Parks. I'd like to show you. I'd like to show you for instance what we're required to let the inmates read and under law we're required to let the inmates read this copyright on revolutionary people's communications network not 25 cents especially the People's Republic of the Congo August 3rd 1971 hit by my number three. Time. So yes. It would it would be just as soon as it was got not of the visiting room and is going to do just my center will take probably 30 seconds no more and as soon as the from from the best information we have as soon as we went into just one center the search engine began whereupon he produced the weapon and said this is it. Well if the time lag between produce the weapon and he was shot. I don't know. About.

15 or 20 minutes 20 minutes. Could you explain to us an area I know a lot of right now what happened after he produced the guidance. Here you can make a point. I was never going to turn right now after he produced the gun. Then Oscar went up to the door to find out what was the delay in the escort office and a shot came out of the adjustment center. And he went back to get some help and there was another shot in the adjustment center after that. When they came back when they came back with help just before they came back with help Jackson and Spain left the adjustment center. And then there were no more shots fired from the gun that Jackson had but there were there were several shots fired in the tower and Jackson was felled just about 50 yards from the investments. I'm not certain I'm not certain he killed and injured inside. Justin said it was after Jackson left work that the investigation is

continuing and all the witnesses are being searched. The value of the search was not killed and we were not. Whatever we have not been able to talk to those wounded understandably so we can't get a picture. They're talking to inmates and what they have said or not said I am not at liberty to divulge what the 27 men in the adjustment center. How many were black and how many were nothing and we will we will ascertain we have. It was Makes there was whites Chicanos and blacks on the first floor they just exactly really likes Ronsard it does not on a people on the first floor of the Adjustment Center are they. I might point out are the worst of our incorrigibles that's why they're on the first floor. From the information we have the only weapon the only weapon that was used was a half a razor

blade a fascinator tooth brush handle. On one weapon and another and another half of a razor blade which is which I might point out is sufficient to cut a throat. So far gravel to ascertain some slicing weapon was available. Apparently the wounds were slashes not puncture wounds. And I said what you just can't understand it was fastened into one was fastened in a tooth brush handle were injured and in one killing. I have no way of knowing at this point we have not been able to talk to either of the people who are seriously wounded and who are there throughout a price like that. Where's my camera. Yesterday your associate warden James Park referred to the tragedy in the violence here in San Quentin as revolutionary bullshit. Do you concur. I certainly do. And I'd like to comment further than I did at the time

is it that much of the violence around this department right at the present time is as a result of a lot of revolutionary bullshit. Earlier I can show you several papers. This is a copy. This is a copyright on whatever that might be. It has a picture of the Black Panther so I assume it belongs to Black Panther Party under state law Twenty six hundred. We are required to allow inmates to receive anything it's accepted for mailing in the United States mail. I'm sure the legislators in their good intentions did not did not fully realize what this man did. What this does to men was short fuses. Also last week. Here's a copy of a paper that was circulated throughout the institution of the family of George Jackson as terrorist because the fact that we saw their small we found a small nephew of George Jackson attempting to bring in strapped to his top cap pistol

and because of this week we got this coverage and the underground press. I might point out too if the officers see the inmates reading this. Understandably this makes them some disturbed and adds to their anger. We're going to talk to Mr. Jackson this morning and she says she's not going to pick up her son's papers. Will she be safe. After that they have all been impounded for evidence. Everything that George Jackson had in the institution had been impounded for evidence and when and when the attorney general's office or the district attorney is through with them then proper disposition will be made. She also said she hasn't been able to get his body when will she be able to get his body. I have no way of knowing that will be determined by the coroner and if he wishes to claim it when that's done on the corners so that she can make proper claim to the body which should be allowed to get contact with you or with Mr. Parker in due time. Where is the search area from the visiting area and how far were the

bodies of the guards found from the area that George Jackson was being searched when he produced the bodies were found in George Jackson style. And the area the distance between the area which was searched and the visiting room is not in excess of 70 75 or 100 feet. Now is the dead officers were found in George Jackson sell off to who and when or where one was in the corridor. There were there were four there were four in George Jackson cell three dead and you know there were four but there were four bodies in George XSLT and including one of the inmates It was three officers and one of the inmates it was murdered it was in George Jackson cell the corridor in the corridor. And they've been booked into the animal not too many officers. I know many Australian three officers you said in the sound one in the car and there were three officers found the cell two were dead and one was still alive and there was an inmate there one dead officer was found

out in the corridor. The reason why they're in George Jackson cell because he was visiting in the cell was empty. I will leave that to your own best judgment where they locked in. Now the cell doors were opened the six officers what they were doing what their duties were in the adjustment center and why they would be there and things like that. I count three were on duty and three were on duty in the adjustment center. Two had discarded inmates and from the visiting room and then they sergeant who was killed Sergeant Graham had gone there to get one of the officers who had done an escort to get him to assign him another detail what is the condition of the injured officer. We understand there. Doing satisfactorily which is a general term for We've been able to interview any officers there to the hospital. One is even. I would suggest to you that probably any information I have will be given primarily to district attorney and then he will make the best. He will make to see.

How we are going to conduct the investigation. Who is going to say well this is done in conjunction with the sheriff's office was a Marine County district attorney with the attorney general and with the California Bureau of Criminal dedication and investigation. That's actually going to. And have I I can't I can't answer that because I'm not doing investigating myself the people or the people who are doing investigating will fashion it in their own best methods. Is it a possibility that it was not escapist but just an act to kill some darts as according to one party yesterday he had about 100 feet to go before he went to a 20 foot brick wall. Then after that about a half mile of ground to cover before he went to another fence. So I was wondering whether it was whether it could possibly not be an escape attempt. I can't I can't suppose he was running for the wall. I would assume that anybody running for the Wall has an idea they have some means of getting over the wall get

shot. If anybody wants to be shot it's conceivably might want to be shot. I don't know. He would best he would best know that. Now we get I don't know because the coroner is not yet reported I have no idea. The coroner will will perform this function as he does in all these cases and report to us as to what the cause of death was when one of the officers killed by a gunshot and sign. There may have been we understand there's a possibility that one of them may have suffered a gunshot wound but again we have no official confirmation of that or Today's any possibility that the bodies were asked to dash into that cell. Of course it's a possibility. We have no we have cation there was blood throughout the corridor.

The recorder is 19 cells in length which would make it roughly 100 feet or longer. Somebody had to unlock them. There was nobody unlocked there was nobody on the lock at that time. And somebody somebody had to unlock them. And. Jackson was the only one there at that time right then and needed to unlock those sounds and the keys. I can't describe it to you by virtue of the fact that I can't I don't think I could make you understand it's a gang locking device made by the steward locking device company which is an effective locking device where it's from the end of the corridor. Your control any one cell and a group of cells all of them all but one all but two it's a very selective locking device which is operated manually not electronically but operated manually. If he wanted if he knew how he could have opened it for everybody.

Mark carefully planned What evidence do you have it carefully. Well we have suspected that there is going to be there was going to be some incident within San Quentin. We have received information from many sources which indicate something was brewing. Both. This is this was information have come from varying sources which I am not at liberty to disclose I think this is the end or do you think there's more to that. I think this is the end of this particular incident. I'm certain the prisons being such as they are and holding the kind of people that we hold we are likely to face this situation again. Because on the outside today there are many people who appear willing to help this kind of person on the inside gain their freedom. Yesterday I believe it was a man. Why do you think.

I have not seen his visiting card. He only had one visitor sitter leave the grounds before the outbreak. I believe so. If you want to go I'd still be fine if they saw that we were running across a clock for them. If he had a gun in his hand it would be perfectly normal in fact if they if they didn't open fire they would have had to answer to me. Jackson still have the gun in his hand at that point. They found the gun adjacent to Jackson as he was laying on the ground. Frank. I think that Spain was trying to escape. He was when he was with Jackson. We think he was a man that was running with Jackson. I have no I there is Larry Spain. Yes exactly as BAIER for years. I glance at his file but I didn't see where it came from out of. He was a black warden. We were reloading our camera when you gave the account of where the bodies were found Could you give

this to us again. They were the bodies were found three all three officers and one inmate in the cell and was George Jackson was housed. One officer was found in the corridor and the officers that were there were not killed. We're being held hostage on the other side but were released. There seem to be a number of people talking with James Park now so we're going to go over there and get the county at this point I gather he was going so far when Jackson was dived into the bush. You know that's where Spain was hiding in the bush. JACKSON As usual you resort to

I don't know. So they're going to get the coroner's report on where you say Spain was very Spain was one was a man that went out of the adjustment center with Jackson when Jackson apparently Jackson was hit Spain dived into the bushes. Oh Jack no no entirely. It will be on the fire now. We're actually doing diving into the bushes. No. Yeah. Why did the officers choose how the officers choose which inmate to shoot at. I don't think you choose the front one I think you choose that one is ahead. Choose a first run of the man that had the gun. Either one. Along with a long shot of 50 or 75 yards I would get a look at the see which man had the gun from that distance I don't know just begun the nine

millimeter foreign brands of automatic and will give me more detail on it. There was a rifle. Leave me with one of our economy critical. Is it conceivable that someone would have gone toward a vision to think visited would have gone for that electronic monitoring device carrying a 9 millimeter pistol and it not showing light and one way or another on the instrument like in your country. In life anything is conceivable. He'll likely want it likely. He is not likely to have it on his person. Pretty good. I.

Have to get the coroner's report my impression that one officer was shot in the head. Sergeant Graham was shot in the head and died instantly. The he would appear just on visual inspection what I saw to the rest of the officers an inmate suffered wounds cut wounds for him reason. You know there isn't any escape attempt because assuming that Jackson had not been shot when he came out what could he have done. You know with one pistol two cartridge you could spend it on what you know with a wall around him and more space to go I mean how could this be a carefully planned attempt if he had all this still to go and look only only Jackson has them sort of you know how many visitors there were on together. Today men who were on the first floor of the it just so you know I don't know this at least two of these are walking. You know they either want us to we are going to release them.

I don't think so and they're very very I mean visitors don't work. Carefully while we screen all visitors pretty carefully screened we were you know we may come to that but you know we try to make an attempt to establish to establish that they are who they say they are. Visits are limited to family bonafide friends generally people have known prior to prison and we're going to move back over to Morton. I know that we shan't be gated there. She was asking me I said No I don't I don't know. What went on after.

And Jackson and Spain ran out no arguing over to these officers defense shield after you know because we were in shortly thereafter. How can you answer how long after they run out before we went in and forgot about that thing that it was for. We will know we will know when we talk to the people who were there talking to them now the DA. Those are in the hospital nobody's talking to them. Where is this going search conducted in and what kind of a room pried into it. Just outside the corridor to the justice center to look inside inside the Justice Center but outside the corridor inside the door and there's a little foyer and that's where the skin searches conducted You're the one officer doing the searching Jackson. Then there would have been there would have been the regular staff there right at the very moment and generate all of them right.

None of the officers in places like this are I'm dry. That is correct. That's true throughout the prison right throughout Britain in this country. What kind of guns did they have on the wall. I would assume it was a 25 35 car being. That's our general armament on the wall they shot it quite a distance didn't they when they think Judge Jackson was shot. Define what you mean by quite a distance of 75 yards is no 175 yards it wouldn't be that far 60 yards a hundred fifty feet. The reason that you are somewhat vague on some of these details of what happened inside there the fact that you haven't questioned anybody yet who was an eyewitness to this stuff. That's true we don't we don't really have the facts from people who are best qualified to to anybody that was inside there and saw it we have not talked. I have not talked to anybody investigators but what they're doing and what they have learned or not reporting on a minute by minute basis you know I'm not being argumentative I just don't understand.

There was a 15 minute time lag between this very short interval after Jackson took control of this place and he came out that was 30 40 seconds and then there was a 15 minute animal. And what I'm exploring with you Nasir is whether that was the time in which the men were killed. I have no way of knowing. But it's conceivable it's possible that had been in retaliation for what they assumed was some killing outside of Jackson. This might be this might be possible theory and it's because I don't have any theory for the way the facts are in. Do you have another press conference this afternoon. Not unless we learn something new in the current arrangement. You've got a double row of South Sydney just sent in a card you are facing and when isn't it sad. Can you go around the end of the sales from one card or back out the

front and go around to the other side of the front of the front of the of the cells there's a there's a gate at the front which opens as if there's not there's a gate at the back but that's kept locked at all by an officer and never gave us the numbers of officers. OK you know the one thing I still don't know why. Spain has a right to do that no I don't know but we we got that information I don't know why I don't. You have the information about Spain's worst pains from him for murder. First I think it's Los Angeles County and it was John Larry or Larry John Spain John Larry. Larry it was not wounded. How long had he been here. Spain had been in prison for years. The sort of sentence or Yet life sentence for

murder. Approximately 20 in his late 20s 26 27 something like that were very good in the justice center until now. Well we have to wait our investigation is completed. Quickly. For the first time I'm going to take a minute or two here. This was a press conference is taking place outside of the interview stream from the in-service training building. From here I can see if I get half mast. We have not gone through the second gates were between the first Gates and the second Gates San Quinten just next to us. The members of the press is a police car or some kind of state guard car with two officers in it one of

whom I believe are holding rifles and have the doors open as if perhaps the well being ready for anything that might take place. Parts as in you know most of the day I suppose. Yeah yeah yeah. Apart from RBM president that's the that's the main number. Secondly it's my number exactly. Beautiful. Coming from so many great people. Twenty six hundred twenty five you know the story of this is that there's the Black Panther and what do you think people on the outside.

Sinise peepers in what do you think. They try to get these people out because they somehow believe that they're going to aid them in their cause whatever it might be. We think that cause is I have no idea what I read in these papers and you. Hear me say Well last evening I heard someone say that when a hostage is taken if a guard is taken hostage that man is considered dead. Is that true sir. That's correct. So that you you look out for that man anymore you just have to go on as it was already we're talking about it. If it was for the purpose of effecting an escape then he's considered debt. But if it was for the purpose of negotiating for an extra portion of beans then we would sit down and negotiate for safety but if it's if it's a demand that he be allowed that they be allowed to escape under threat of putting him to death. The answer is yes he's considered dead from the time we receive the demand. Thank you sir. Stanton you're going to limit

movement more. Certain for a certain group of people. Yeah. Or the news server or statement after the meeting. No not necessarily. What we are were pretty open about talking to the press about anything but I don't hear any call a news conference. So I came in late on this what do you anticipate doing now what do you and what do you go from here. Well I get all the words coming up from here this afternoon from the medium and maximum security institutions we're going to. We met a week and a half ago about the same thing we're going to meet again now and see how we're coming in terms of better controls on and more people at the maximum end of the continuum. Thank you Mr. printing. All right.