More languages
More actions
Ruchell Magee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ruchell Lewis 1939 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | October 17, 2023 (aged 84) |
Ruchell Cinque Magee (born Ruchell Lewis; 17 March 1939 – October 17, 2023) was a Statesian political prisoner. He spent a total of 67 years in prison, making him the longest held political prisoner in the United States.[1]
Imprisonment[edit | edit source]
Magee was born in Louisiana in 1939. He was sentenced to eight years in the Angola prison in Louisiana in 1955, where he was forced to pick cotton. In 1962, he was paroled and moved to Los Angeles, California, where he lived for six months before being arrested and beaten in 1963 for having marijuana. The court sentenced him to life in prison because he had a prior felony conviction.[1]
1970 rebellion[edit | edit source]
Ruchell was involved in a 1970 prison rebellion at San Quentin prison. The rebellion began after Fred Billingsley was beaten and gassed to death in February 1970. On the day of the rebellion, Ruchell testified in court on behalf of another prisoner involved in the rebellion. In court, Ruchell said that California's entire justice system was corrupt and racist. An attorney threatened to gas Ruchell if he didn't incriminate Angela Davis.[1]
Death[edit | edit source]
He was released from Vacaville Prison on July 28, 2023. Magee died on October 17, 2023, only 81 days after finally being released from prison.[2]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Natalia Marques (2022-08-10). "Ruchell Magee: US Prisoner, Political Thinker, Rebel, and Still Fighting for Release After 67 Years" Black Agenda Report. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
- ↑ "Ruchell Cinque Magee has joined the ancestors" (December 14, 2023). San Francisco Bay View.