Transcription
Welcome back to another episode of Swamp Stories. For this video, we take a deep dive into a wild organization that's rarely in the news. But before we get into it, make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you're new. You can also follow the Instagram page as well. So let's get into it.
When you hear California, you may think of the surfers in San Diego, the techies in San Francisco, or the wannabe actors in LA. But in reality, the state is much bigger than the cities on the coastline. In fact, the Inland region is nothing like the cities on the coast. And in case you're unfamiliar, let me take you on a quick trip.
We start off in the beautiful city of Los Angeles and we head east on Interstate 10. The further we go, you notice that the cars on the road begin to change. You go from G-Wagons and Teslas to Toyota Camrys and BMW 3 Series. And after an hour of traffic, we began to run low on fuel in the city of San Bernardino. So we pull off with the first exit. And oh my goodness, what is going on? Why is there a man passed out at the gas pump and why is there a 250-pound pit bull sitting in his lap? We definitely don't want to stop here. So we get back on the freeway and head north toward the city of Victorville. This has to be better than what we just saw.
So 30 minutes later, we arrive in Victorville and look for a gas station. We arrive at the gas station and right there is the same man passed out at the pump with his pit bull. Okay, I'm just kidding. But why is every car a 2009 Nissan Altima with no license plate and why do they all have five percent tint covered in air bubbles? Anyways, we get gas and we head north to our first hotel.
The hotel is located in the town of Barstow and this place is much stranger than the previous two. We pull into the Motel 6 and all we notice is Breaking Bad characters in the parking lot. Yep, Jesse Pinkman, Badger, and certainly Mrs. Wendy. Thankfully, we make it through the night and we head up north on Highway 99. We pass by Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, and the city of Stockton. All of these places either make you feel depressed or grateful for your life. Regardless, we keep going north until we hit the city of Sacramento. Finally, we're back into civilization. But not for long, as we head north to Yuba City.
And this region is where you'll see things that you never thought you would see in California. I'm talking about southern flags, red hats, cowboy boots, and missing teeth. This area is more like Alabama than Coastal California. So you may be wondering why the video started off like this. But it's to show you where the people in this story originate from. Generally speaking, in all of these cities and towns, kids grow up a lot rougher than the kids on the coast. Some would call it white trash, others would call it hick. But I like to stay away from these terms. And just like Compton or Watts, many of these teenagers turn to the street life and ultimately end up in California's prison system.
And here is where the story begins. It's 1964 in San Quentin, California's most legendary prison. And this is the first year where all ethnicities will hit the yard at the same time. Previous to 1964, you pretty much had separate institutions operating in the same facility. But now that it was integrated, many people were nervous about what could go down. But according to many reports, things went pretty smoothly for the first few years. But then came 1967, where one man changed the entire dynamic.
This would be George Jackson, a man I covered in a previous episode. George had been in San Quentin since 1961, way past his deserved sentence. Well, at a certain point, George realized that the system was not fair for people of his background. And coincidentally, at the same time, the Black Panthers were marching for their freedom in the streets of Oakland, not too far away. Well, after reading the newspaper and hearing about the Black Panthers, George Jackson got inspired. He wanted to create his own similar movement just inside of San Quentin. So in 1967, George met up with W.L. Nolan, another inmate with the same mentality. Together, the two started the Black Gorilla Family, also known as BGF. Within just two weeks, BGF membership grew to the hundreds. And that's when they decided to make a statement on the yard.
On January 16, 1967, four BGF members claimed the life of Robert Halderman, an inmate from Yuba City, California. This was the very first incident of this nature, and it infuriated everyone. The next day, on January 17th, the largest riot in San Quentin history broke out on the yard. 1800 BGF associates versus a thousand white inmates. Thankfully, after nearly an hour, the guards were able to break it up. But now the tensions were higher than ever, and there was no end in sight. Not only did BGF have the size advantage, but they were also organized, unlike their opposition.
So in order to solve this problem, all of the men got together and started a crew. They decided on calling themselves the Aryan Brotherhood, also known as AB. Aryan represents an ancient European society, and Brotherhood represents that they'll always stick together. They decided that membership was not a walk in the park. In fact, becoming a member was irreversible. Their first rule was Blood In, Blood Out, meaning that once you joined, you could never go back. The second rule was to never cooperate with police and to never act cowardly. Essentially, this meant their writing or not following your commands would instantly make you an enemy of the Brotherhood. And lastly, before officially becoming a member, you had to take this pledge.
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Brotherhood, everything is about rank and earning stripes. The more acts you commit, the higher you climb, ultimately resulting in leadership positions. The highest rank is known as the Commission, which is reserved for the three baddest members. And in order to make this rank, you have to do some wild, wild things. Well, the BGF versus AB rivalry sparked off in San Quentin with multiple acts going back and forth. Eventually, something had to be done. So the warden decided to ship off members from both sides to facilities across the state. The plan may have slowed things down in San Quentin, but it started problems all over the state. Both sides decided to use this to recruit new members into fight battles in multiple locations.
But here's where the two sides were different. Unlike BGF, where membership was voluntary, the Brotherhood didn't really give you a choice. Because BGF had a larger pool to draw from, the AB knew that they had to go harder in recruiting to match their size. So anytime a new white inmate came to a facility, they'd tell them to either join or to be thrown in no man's land. If you didn't join the Brotherhood, you were told that you had no protection against BGF, LAIME, or NF. So as a result, 9 out of 10 inmates were compelled to join up.
One of these was a man by the name of Bobby Augusta Davis. Bobby was a native of Sacramento, way back when it was a poor farming town. Unfortunately, he had a tumultuous childhood, which led him to living a dangerous life. Starting at the age of 16, Bobby robbed banks, stole cars, and even claimed the life of a man at Alcatraz. All of this took place way before AB even existed. So when he joined in 1969, this meant only bad things for the future. Well, his membership started at Tallahassee Federal Prison, located in North Florida. There he became close friends with a man named Jack Twinning, who was a presumed AB member. Well, in January of 1970, Jack was released and returned to his hometown of Houston, Texas. Two months later, Bobby Davis was released as well.
Bobby wanted to return to California, but he knew that it would be the longest Greyhound ever. So instead, he contacted Jack, who agreed to host him in Houston. The two men were nearly flat broke, so they decided to come up with a plan. Bobby specialized in hitting banks, so he figured, why not try one in Houston? But Jack explained that this is Texas, where you won't survive two seconds trying to do that. So instead, they opted to try California, where this may have a better shot.
So on March 27, 1970, the two took turns driving to Sacramento. They arrive in early April and they drive around looking for banks. For whatever reason, they feel uneasy, so they come up with a new plan. They find the location of an armored truck company down in Long Beach, and they figure that this could work. So on April 5th, 1970, they head down Highway 5 to LA. While passing the small town of Gorman, they noticed a construction site on the opposite side of the road. There, all kinds of useful tools are laying unattended. So they pull around to the other side of the freeway and they grab everything they can get. Then they speed off and nearly ram into an oncoming car. This causes the car behind them to honk repeatedly, while Bobby does not appreciate this. So he pulls up next to the man and puts his blower out the window. The man slams on the brakes, and Bobby speeds away. But then the man pulls over at the next payphone and calls 9-1-1. He tells them to watch out for a red Pontiac coming southbound. So the highway patrol line up in Valencia, the next town along the freeway. Boom, there is the red Pontiac. So four officers and two cars take off in pursuit. Surprisingly, Bobby Davis pulls over at the Magic Mountain Exit. He and Jack Twinning decide to comply with the officers and exit the vehicle. But then, out of nowhere, they make their move.
The incident made the national news, and it became the outside world's introduction to the Aryan Brotherhood. You would assume that this reputation would anger the Brotherhood, as this act was disgusting in every way. But no, instead, it actually elevated Bobby's status within the organization. On the flip side, Bobby actually wasn't proud of his actions, and he certainly didn't want it to represent the Brotherhood. So within the next few years, Bobby would make a bold decision. He renounced his AB membership, which put them in a major dilemma. Bobby was possibly the most ruthless member they had, and he didn't fear anyone. Regardless, the AB leader Thomas Silverstein put a green light on Bobby Davis. As a response, Bobby went to protective custody for the rest of his sentence.
The early 1970s was the worst period for California's penitentiaries. You had the BGF versus AB rivalry and the NF versus LAIME rivalry as well. Every facility was divided on these fronts, and no one could picture it possibly getting worse. But then came 1972, the year that changed everything in California. In order to stop the fighting on the yard, the guards began only allowing certain groups at a particular time. For example, AB would be locked down for a week while BGF was on the yard. Then the next week, it would be vice versa. So eventually, it became nearly impossible for them to reach each other. The same strategy was used for NF and LAIME as well. So the guards figured that they had solved the issue.
But then AB would find their way around the barrier. The AB leader Thomas Center and LAIME leader Fred Valdez began working together, as seen in this picture. The two had developed a brother-like relationship, which carried over to the entire organizations. So eventually, they decided to join forces. Like MA plus AB was a force to be reckoned with. But here's why this relationship was important. When AB was on the yard with NF, they would take orders for LAIME. And when LAIME was on the yard with BGF, they would take orders from AB. This occurred behind BGF and NF's back, so they had no idea what was coming.
It's the spring of 1972, inside Chino prison in Southern California. And here, a young AB member named Fred Mandarin has been ordered to take out NF's Fred Castillo. Not only was Castillo a rival of LAIME, he also owed some money to AB. The reason they chose Fred Mandarin is because he was a former friend of Castillo in the streets. So Fred Mandarin was to set up a meeting with Castillo to exchange commissary, something that was very routine. And that's when Mandarin was to make his move.
Fred Mandarin followed through on April 23, 1972. This right here kicked off decades of madness. Just like Bobby Davis, Fred Mandarin was instantly given high rank. But also like Davis, Fred Mandarin felt bad about what he had done, especially because he was former friends with Castillo. At a certain point, someone's conscience will eat them alive, and eventually this occurred. So he decided to renounce his AB membership and pursue a life of faith and ministry. Of course, this didn't sit well with the Brotherhood, so he was forced to go into protective custody.
The AB had planned for Bobby Davis and Fred Mandarin to become Commissioners, but now that they quit, they needed to find someone equally as wild. And that introduces us to a man named Barry Mills, also known as The Baron. Barry grew up in the northern California town of Windsor, about an hour north of the Bay Area. There he lived an up and down childhood, which led him to the streets as a teenager. From the age of 16, he was in and out of the system until 1972, when he caught a seven-year sentence. Barry was sent to Tracy Prison, and by many accounts, he was the scariest person on the yard. From day one, Barry had a presence, a stern demeanor that no one could crack. Well, because of this, the AB took a liking to him and called on him in the summer of 1972.
In June of '72, LAIME had completed a mission for AB, so now it was their turn to return the favor. Barry was ordered by LAIME to take out a man named Jesse Bozo Renteria, a prominent NF figure. July 3, 1972. It's a Monday afternoon in Tracy, and everyone hits the yard at 3:30 PM. Barry hits the yard with his head down, searching quickly for Jesse. He then spots him in line and makes his move. This instantly gave Barry high rank in the Brotherhood, but it also got him shipped across the country.
In August of 1972, Barry was sent to USP Atlanta, one of the highest security prisons in the country. While this didn't mean that Barry was done, as he had one more mission to complete. And that takes us to the year 1979. By this time, a man named Thomas Silverstein, also known as Terrible Tom, had become the Commissioner of the Brotherhood. Originally from Long Beach, Tom grew up with a poor single mother, which made his upbringing difficult. And it only got worse in his teenage years when he reconnected with his biological father in Fresno. Of course, Fresno had to ruin his life. But to be fair, if I lived in Fresno, I probably wouldn't care about my life either. Anyways, together, the father-son duo began hitting banks all over the state. While in 1971, they caught their first case, and Tom was sent to San Quentin for four years. This is where he began climbing the ranks of the Brotherhood.
Long story short, just a year after being released from San Quentin, Tom caught a second case, which landed him 15 years. This case was so severe that it was taken over by the Feds, so Tom was sent to USP Marion. And for those who are familiar, this may be the most secure prison in all of America. Well, from inside of his 6x9 cell, Tom ran the entire AB organization. He oversaw all of the dealings and he made orders whenever he felt like it. No one had ever dared to cross Terrible Tom. But then an AB member named John Marsloff refused to pay his debts, and that's all it took for the Brotherhood to put him in the hat. Once word got out about the plan, San Quentin moved him to a federal prison where he would be secure. Somehow, they decided on sending him to USP Atlanta, the same facility as Barry Mills. This is bad news.
May 20th, 1979. It's another day at USP Atlanta, and John Marsloff is using the recreation shack. He then walks into the bathroom, unaware that Barry Mills is following him. So he uses the bathroom and turns around. Boom, right there is Barry Mills. Directly after the incident, Barry Mills joined the Commission. This meant that the entire Aryan Brotherhood was led by Thomas Silverstein, Barry Mills, and a man named Tyler Bingham. Together, this Commission was way worse than anything the system had ever seen. These guys had no morals, and they wanted to prove a point at every chance they got.
While in the early 1980s, they began bumping heads with a group of guys they had never heard of. Just like you had BGF on the West Coast, the East Coast had the DC Blacks, another group inspired by the Black Panthers. They originated in the streets of Washington D.C., but in the 1970s, they sprinkled into the system. Because D.C. doesn't have state prisons, the men were sent to federal facilities all over the East Coast. While one of their strong facilities was USP Marion, where Terrible Tom thought he was king. But in reality, the two most powerful men were the leaders of DCB. This would be Robert Chappelle and Raymond Smith, also known as Cadillac. These guys were legends in the streets of D.C., the kind of guys that no one disrespected. Well, for whatever reason, Terrible Tom was not a fan of Robert, Cadillac, or any DCB members. In fact, he felt disrespected by them on multiple occasions. So in 1981, he decided to send a terrible message. Thomas Silverstein personally claimed the life of Robert Chappelle inside of the shared bathroom.
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This was an unthinkable act, something that the guards would have never predicted. And of course, the incident kicked off a major rivalry between DCB and the Aryan Brotherhood. In fact, two weeks later, Thomas Silverstein was poked up eight times while walking down the hallway. He ended up being okay, but he still wanted some revenge. On the morning of September 27, 1982, Cadillac Smith was found outside of his cell. This was a major blow, as Cadillac Smith was a huge figure in the DC community. So now everyone waited to see if DCB would respond. On December 9, 1982, prominent AB member Neil Bumgarner was found outside of his cell. This rivalry took years to calm down and is still regarded as one of the worst in history.
Well, after the Cadillac incident was solved, Thomas Silverstein was sent to the hole. For most inmates, this means 23 hours in a cell and one hour on the yard. But for Silverstein, they couldn't trust him for that one hour, so instead, they locked him up for 24 hours a day. The only time he could leave his cell was to take a shower, and other than that, he had zero human contact. He was so dangerous that two guards were hired to stand in front of his cell at all times. On top of this, the lights in his cell were kept on for 24 hours a day to make sure that the guards could see what was going on. Well, to keep his mind busy, Silverstein began drawing, and he made a collection to show how bad his living conditions were. I don't know about you guys, but in my opinion, I think this kind of life will drive anyone crazy.
Well, eventually, Thomas had enough, especially after complaining about the new officer assigned to his cell. In 1983, he began complaining about Officer Merle Klutz, who he claimed to harass him and make fun of him on a daily basis. But Tom was not the only one who felt this way. In fact, another inmate located down the hall felt the exact same way. This would be another AB member named Clay Fountain. Well, once Tom's 24-hour lock-up was complete, he could hang out with Clay Fountain for one hour a day. So together, they came up with a crazy plan.
October 22nd, 1983. It's shower time for Thomas, and Officer Merle Klutz walks him to the bathroom. Earlier that day, Clay Fountain had hit a tool under the soap bar. So Thomas walks in, grabs the tool, and turns around on Officer Merle Klutz. After this incident, Thomas Silverstein was shipped to USP Atlanta, where he would be with his fellow commissioner, but not really, because he was placed on infinite 24-hour lockdown for the rest of his life. This meant that Thomas Silverstein had zero human contact for the rest of his life. During this time, he wrote numerous letters and calls for help about his living conditions, but because of the severity of what he had done, no one wanted to hear it. While Thomas Silverstein would pass away on May 11, 2019.
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But let's not skip too far ahead. Let me introduce you to a man named Hugo Pinell, also known as Yogi Bear. Hugo was one of the original BGF members alongside George Jackson and W.L. Nolan. In fact, he was famous for his role in the San Quentin 6, which was BGF's attempt to escape San Quentin. During this attempt, Hugo claimed the life of a guard, which landed him a severe sentence. Not only was his sentence extended to life, but he was also placed under 23-1 for 45 years. This was the longest solitary confinement ever recorded in the books. Regardless, Hugo was still one of the most feared men in California, especially because he became the BGF leader. Well, this of course made him a top target of AB, but they couldn't reach him for 45 years.
Well, then comes August 11, 2015, the day that Hugo Pinel is finally released from solitary confinement. By this time, Hugo Pinel is 71 years old. So he makes his way to the yard, finally enjoying some sunlight. The first day on the yard kinda feels like freedom for the old man. But then comes the next day. On August 12, 2015, Hugo Pinell was found in the middle of the yard. Many blame this on AB, but no one was officially charged. Regardless, this incident capped off decades of a wild rivalry. In fact, the incident actually got the Aryan Brotherhood wiretapped by the FBI.
In 2016, during the investigations, the FBI found out how large and dangerous the AB is. In total, 22 members were indicted, including the leader William Sylvester, also known as Billy from Norco. And what it revealed is that to this day, the AB is still as wild as ever. Through years of pointless rivalries and no progress, you wonder why these things continue. But hey, I guess it's not for me to understand. But on that note, I hope you guys enjoyed the video. And if you did, make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you're new.
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