BILL ANALYSIS
SJR 21
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SJR 21 (Wright)
As Introduced January 26, 2010
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :36-0
VETERANS AFFAIRS 9-0
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|Ayes:|Cook, Salas, Block, | | |
| |DeVore, Gilmore, Lieu, V. | | |
| |Manuel Perez, Saldana, | | |
| |Yamada | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Memorializes Congress and the President of the United
States to act to vindicate the sailors unjustly blamed for, and
the sailors convicted of mutiny following, the Port Chicago
disaster, and to rectify any mistreatment by the military of
those sailors.
COMMENTS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1)On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading
ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento
River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic
explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval
base and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago, located 1.5
miles away.
2)Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed
instantly - some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom
were African American enlisted men; and, another 390 military
and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African
American enlisted men.
3)After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days' leave to
visit their families - according to survivors, this was the
standard for soldiers involved in a disaster - while only
African American sailors were ordered back to work the next
day to clean and remove human remains.
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4)The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to
return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition,
citing the possibility of another explosion; the first
confrontation occurred on August 9 when 328 men from three
divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great
majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested
and confined for three days on a large barge tiered to the
pier.
5)Fifty of those men were selected as the ring-leaders and
charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80
minutes of a military court, all 50 men were found guilty of
mutiny - 10 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced
to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and five sentenced to
eight years; and, all were to be dishonorably discharged from
the Navy; and this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the
United States to this day.
6)After a massive outcry the next year, in January 1946, 47 of
the Port Chicago men were released from prison and "exiled"
for one year overseas before returning to their families.
In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy stated that
"there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for
the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to
loading divisions at Port Chicago."
7)In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy, prompted by
Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of
only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was
clearly motivated by race.
The United States Congress reduced the death benefit to those
killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the normal amount given,
to $3,000, simply because the sailors were African American.
In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were
never told they were entitled to consideration for the death
of their relative.
This resolution memorializes the Congress and the President of
the United States to act to vindicate the sailors unjustly
blamed for, and the sailors convicted of mutiny following, the
Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify the mistreatment by the
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military of those sailors.
This resolution memorializes the Congress and President of the
United States to take the necessary actions to ensure those
sailors' treatment is rectified by the following:
1)A survey is conducted to ensure that all families of sailors
that are eligible to receive benefits have received
notification of eligibility.
2)Full compensation is provided on behalf of the sailors'
families that were not paid the benefit or only paid part of
the benefit, including appropriate interest on that
compensation.
3)Full exoneration to all who were court marshaled, whether
alive or deceased, is granted, including, but not limited to,
having the military records of these men cleared of any court
judgment or less than honorable discharge.
4)The remains of one of the unnamed graves from the Military
Cemetery in San Bruno, where unidentified sailors were placed,
are taken to Arlington National Cemetery and placed in a
marked grave with full names to commemorate the event and to
represent all those who died at Port Chicago.
5)A ship is named the "Port Chicago."
6)The survivors and their families are invited to the White
House for a recognition ceremony.
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Worthen / V. A. / (916) 319-3550
FN: 0004875