Mutiny Trial
The mutiny trial was the biggest in America’s history.
(Source) Maritime Professional
Sailors refusing to work (Source) National Park Service
The men were confused about the charge of mutiny.
"...how could it be a mutiny? I didn't talk to nobody. I didn't conspire with nobody. I just made up my mind I was tired of it, you know. I wanted to be a sailor."
~ Martin Bodenave, Port Chicago 50
(Source) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
"I can't understand, then, why, whenever more than one Negro disobeys an order, it is mutiny."
~ Thurgood Marshall
The prosecution tricked and duped the sailors during interviews and they manipulated statements and verbally abused the accused during the trial.
"Well, they tried to say that Small was our leader. They even sent some people out to talk to us that say that we were communists and I didn't even know what a communist was, I used to say, well, communists was Russia, right? And they were fighting with us, right? I didn't know. So I was ignorant of the fact that at the time, you know, they tried everything."
~ Martin Bordenave, Port Chicago 50
The NAACP sent Thrugood Marshall to represent them. It took less than 2 hours for the all-white jury to reach a verdict, sentencing them to 8-15 years in jail plus hard labor, and dishonorably discharged. Marshall appealed, but to no avail.
"The consensus of opinion of the witnesses is that the colored enlisted personnel are neither temperamentally or intellectually capable of handling high explosives."
~ Trial of the Port Chicago 50
The Trial of Port Chicago 50 (back) (Source) San Francisco Chronicles
Trial of Port Chicago 50 (Source) San Francisco Chronicles
Source) San Francisco Chronicles