08/07/2026
On this day, 7 August 1970, the Marin County courthouse incident took place when 17-year-old Jonathan Jackson attempted to gain the freedom of the Soledad Brothers - three Black prisoners charged with the murder of a prison guard.
George Jackson, Jonathan's brother, John Clutchette and Fleeta Drumgo were accused of killing a white guard in retaliation for the prior killing of three Black prisoners by another white guard.
Jonathan Jackson brought three guns into the courtroom, armed the defendants, including Black Panther Ruchell Cinque Magee and took the judge, prosecutor and three jurors hostage. The aim was then to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers.
But as the group drove away, a firefight broke out in which four people were killed, including Jackson, all of the defendants except one, and the judge.
The guns used by Jackson were registered to Angela Davis, who was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder, and was later acquitted of all charges.
The only surviving defendant, Magee, was subsequently imprisoned for life, where he remained, only eventually being released in July 2023.
In commemoration of this event, and others, like the August 1971 killing of George Jackson by prison guards, Black August is marked as a month to commemorate Black political prisoners, and Black resistance to state violence.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10690/marin-county-courthouse-incident
Pictured, L-R: Jonathan Jackson, next, William Christmas, James McClain, DA Gary Thomas (rear), Judge Harold Haley and Russell Magee.
