Feb. 22, 1974: 50 years ago, February 22 1974, rioting broke out in East Oakland at a [...]
50 years ago, February 22 1974, rioting broke out in East Oakland at a food giveaway organized by media magnate Randolph Hearst’s People In Need, a charitable organization he had created to satisfy a demand by the Symbionese Liberation Army, who had kidnapped his daughter Patty
The SLA, a highly unusual group led by Cinque Mtume (suspected by many to be an agent provocateur) had kidnapped Patty Hearst earlier that month. They demanded the Hearst family organize grocery handouts in poor neighborhoods throughout California https://t.co/Z3KevYF5mU
Against the protests of Gov Reagan, the Hearsts cooperated with the SLA’s demands, setting up grocery distribution points in 12 sites, including Richmond, East Palo Alto, and San Francisco. In East Oakland, the Nation of Islam’s Shabazz Bakery was chosen as a delivery site
The distribution was poorly planned, and panicked volunteers began haphazardly throwing groceries into the crowd of 5000 outside the bakery. Angered, the crowd hurled soup cans and bottles at the PIN workers, who hastily drove off. Rioting continued on and off throughout the day
