The George Jackson Brigade was a revolutionary group founded in the mid-1970s, based in Seattle, Washington, and named after George Jackson, a dissident prisoner and Black Panther member shot and killed during an alleged escape attempt at San Quentin Prison in 1971. The group combined veterans of the women's liberation movement, homosexuals and Black prisoners. The organization was ideologically diverse, consisting of both communists and anarchists. It engaged in a number of bombings and other attacks on governmental and business sites, as well as bank robberies over the years from 1975 through 1977. The group broke up with the death or imprisonment of many of its members by the end of that period. Formation In 1974 Ed Mead traveled to San Francisco, just a few years after his release from prison for a pharmacy burglary, hoping to connect with the Symbionese Liberation Army. However, when he arrived there he joined with another group, the New World Liberation Front or NWLF, where he learned to make pipe bombs. Upon returning home to Seattle he met with his friend Bruce Seidel. They decided to take up arms for their political beliefs. The two decided to deliver on former Black Panther lieutenant George Jackson's promise and thus the name George Jackson Brigade. Ideology and Activities The George Jackson Brigade included a mixture of Communist and Anarchist ideologies. It was involved in violent acts and advocated the use of force to overthrow the United States government or the government of the State of Washington, trying to initiate a popular insurrection and to draw attention to conditions for prisoners at Walla Walla State Penitentiary and an old federal prison on McNeil Island. The main goal of the George Jackson Brigade was to replace the capitalist government with a more humane government. The Brigade also sought to redistribute wealth. The George Jackson Brigade stated that the ruling class would meet any revolution with violence so they must be prepared to use violence themselves. After each attack they carried out, successful or unsuccessful they would send a communique explaining why each place had been attacked. They also used these communiques as a way to communicate with authorities. In its operations, it tried to avoid killing or injuring civilians at all costs. In various communiques, the group claimed credit for bank robberies, bombings, attacks against custom houses, court houses, Safeway stores, public utilities, and correctional facilities. Their second