We support improving and enhancing the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, the site of the deadliest domestic explosion during World War II, and the exoneration of the sailors wrongly convicted of mutiny for refusing to resume work after the explosion without an improvement in their working conditions.
Thousands of tons of ammunition exploded on the night of July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in the east San Francisco Bay area. The blasts instantly killed 320 sailors, wounded hundreds more, and damaged and destroyed merchant ships, the pier, a train, and the buildings of Port Chicago.
Less than a month after the tragedy, three divisions were ordered to resume work at a new site a few miles away. Most of the men refused to continue their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged fifty men with conspiring to mutiny; all were convicted.
The majority of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. This injustice had clear racial implications, and was a turning point in our nation\'s history. Following the conviction, Thurgood Marshall, then a lawyer with the NAACP, took up the case.
The Port Chicago disaster and its aftermath strongly influenced America\'s move towards racial equality, including the Navy\'s move toward desegregation in 1945, and President Truman\'s 1948 Executive Order desegregating the Armed Forces and guaranteeing \"equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.\"
I have been spending hours digging through archived military records to better understand the systemic failures that led to the death of these men. Reading your personal stories about the fight for justice keeps me focused on getting the official exoneration that these sailors were denied for so long.
December 9, 2007
Seeing this level of support for the men of Port Chicago brings me to tears because their story should have been honored decades ago. The momentum we have built proves that the fight for their exoneration is finally becoming a priority for people across this country.
7 Comments
S
Sarah Pratt
18 years ago
Featured
My grandfather worked near the bay area back then and he always said the navy treated those men like garbage.
K
Kevin Osei
18 years ago
Featured
EXONERATE THEM NOW. 70 years is long enough to wait for justice.
D
David Tate
19 years ago
Featured
How do we get the navy to admit what they did was wrong? these guys have been gone for decades but their families deserve closure.
B
Brenda Carter
19 years ago
Featured
glad someone is finally looking into this. history books left out a lot of the truth about port chicago.
J
James Lund
19 years ago
Featured
Unbelievable that this still isnt resolved. they were basically told to die or go to prison. ridiculous.
M
Marcus Fleming
19 years ago
Featured
its about time they cleared these guys names for good. they were just trying to stay alive.
K
Kathleen Soto
7 years ago
Is there anything we can do to try to get the mutiny sentences reversed?
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We support improving and enhancing the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, the site of the deadliest domestic explosion during World War II, and the exoneration of the sailors wrongly convicted of mutiny for refusing to resume work after the explosion without an improvement in their working conditions.
Thousands of tons of ammunition exploded on the night of July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in the east San Francisco Bay area. The blasts instantly killed 320 sailors, wounded hundreds more, and damaged and destroyed merchant ships, the pier, a train, and the buildings of Port Chicago.
Less than a month after the tragedy, three divisions were ordered to resume work at a new site a few miles away. Most of the men refused to continue their dangerous tasks until supervision, training, and working conditions were improved. In response, the Navy charged fifty men with conspiring to mutiny; all were convicted.
The majority of the men killed while handling ordinance at Port Chicago, and all of those convicted of mutiny, were African-American. This injustice had clear racial implications, and was a turning point in our nation\'s history. Following the conviction, Thurgood Marshall, then a lawyer with the NAACP, took up the case.
The Port Chicago disaster and its aftermath strongly influenced America\'s move towards racial equality, including the Navy\'s move toward desegregation in 1945, and President Truman\'s 1948 Executive Order desegregating the Armed Forces and guaranteeing \"equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.\"
I have been spending hours digging through archived military records to better understand the systemic failures that led to the death of these men. Reading your personal stories about the fight for justice keeps me focused on getting the official exoneration that these sailors were denied for so long.
December 9, 2007
Seeing this level of support for the men of Port Chicago brings me to tears because their story should have been honored decades ago. The momentum we have built proves that the fight for their exoneration is finally becoming a priority for people across this country.
7 Comments
S
Sarah Pratt
18 years ago
Featured
My grandfather worked near the bay area back then and he always said the navy treated those men like garbage.
K
Kevin Osei
18 years ago
Featured
EXONERATE THEM NOW. 70 years is long enough to wait for justice.
D
David Tate
19 years ago
Featured
How do we get the navy to admit what they did was wrong? these guys have been gone for decades but their families deserve closure.
B
Brenda Carter
19 years ago
Featured
glad someone is finally looking into this. history books left out a lot of the truth about port chicago.
J
James Lund
19 years ago
Featured
Unbelievable that this still isnt resolved. they were basically told to die or go to prison. ridiculous.
M
Marcus Fleming
19 years ago
Featured
its about time they cleared these guys names for good. they were just trying to stay alive.
K
Kathleen Soto
7 years ago
Is there anything we can do to try to get the mutiny sentences reversed?
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach
100 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
or sign with Email
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
My grandfather worked near the bay area back then and he always said the navy treated those men like garbage.