He’s part of me. He does not end.” Francisco “Cisco” Torres, San Francisco 8
Bob Wells, our dear friend and comrade, died Nov.19, 2023, near Oakland, California, a year and a half after a serious stroke. Until the end, he was funny, courageous, and appreciative of all who visited him as they shared stories, cookies, and love. For us in the Bay Area, Bob’s commitment to making change, his sharp mind and wit, carried us forward in our lives and struggles, particularly his work to free Mumia Abu Jamal. He built friendships and allyships across political lines. As a member of the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee, he was inspired by his time in Chicago in the 1980’s and 1990’s where as a, where we learned from the Puerto Rican community what could be achieved with a clear vision and persistence. Below are a few tributes written by his friends and collaborators. Edy Scripps
Working with the Labor Action Coalition in Oakland, Bob helped organize a Teach-In on The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Death Penalty. The Teach-In took place in January of 1999. It was enormously controversial, broke the NYT blackout on Mumia (dominated talk shows in the Bay Area for two weeks, and made international news.
Bob W. played a role in reaching out to sports icons, like Colin Kaepernick, to speak out for Mumia.
*The first chapter of Bob W.’s book Reimagining Huck Finn consciously links the struggle against slavery to resistance to slavery’s continuing effects on the oppression of Black people today and was recorded by Mumia Abu-Jamal for radio broadcast.
*Bob W. linked Mumia’s case to the corrupt Chicago police establishment, precisely the torture regime of John Burge. As well as the NYC police corruption involving the attempted murder of detective Frank Serpico, who Bob specifically reached out to.
*Bob exposed the attainment and use of military weapons by local police forces, including school police, exposing the use of deadly dumdum bullets, which cause great bodily harm against civilians, including school children.
Carole Seligman/ Bob Mandel, Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abul Jamal, 1993-2023
Bob was deeply committed to anti-racism, and in the mid-1980s, he was a very active member of the Chicago chapter of the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee. During that time, Bob was injured as he and others physically defended a large group of people who gathered for a Stamp Out Racist Graffiti activity in Chicago when they were attacked by neo-Nazi skinheads armed with clubs, chains, and shields. Bob’s measured and thoughtful approach to JBAKC political and strategy discussions, his kind and caring personality, and his very funny, cryptic sense of humor made Bob a well-loved member of the Chicago John Brown Anti-Klan Committee.
Howie Emmer, Chicago, John Brown Anti-Klan Committee, 1980’s – 1993
Always game for outing the police torturer Jon Burge and his torture squad, Bob Wells was a solid co-schemer in the effort to bring to light the racist violence of the Chicago Police Department and the elected officials who co-conspired to cover it up. Bob brought a tremendous and sarcastic sense of humor, creativity, profound seriousness, and dedication to the campaign. For years, we lodged complaints in every possible forum, pairing them with demonstrations and press conferences (at Area 2 headquarters, disrupting City Council, Office of Professional Standards, and more), and Bob was our go-to spokesperson! He was always ready and prepared. Bob was game to expand our reach to “non-traditional” activist crowds, too, like the artist community, when we organized the sold-out performance of “Accidental Death of An Anarchist” by Italian playwright Dario Fo. The critical importance of the legal work had complimentary multi-layered forms of activism implemented by people like Bob Wells and a handful of close friends. Courageous groups like ACT-UP and the Puerto Rican Independence Movement also took up the cause. Bob helped co-lead grassroots organizing efforts (from schools to bars), earned and paid media, theatre, art, courage, and outrage! With Bob’s enthusiasm, we employed bird-dogging, creative non-violence, and door-to-door “polling.” These were the early days in the fight to expose the heinous crimes of Burge and his midnight crew. No one could have ever imagined that others would carry on the work that Bob helped spearhead years earlier that would result in reparations, a Chicago Torture Justice Memorial, and a curriculum about state-sanctioned police atrocities taught in schools.
We understand Bob continued his principled and thoughtful activism when he moved to the Bay Area, and we often said after his departure, when Chicago police violence continued to be exposed,” What would Bob say or do about this?) Bob’s legacy lives on, and his memory is a blessing! Mariel Nanasi and Jeff Haas
