Harlem Six facts for kids

The Harlem Six was the name given to six young men from Harlem, New York. Their names were Wallace Baker, Daniel Hamm, William Craig, Ronald Felder, Walter Thomas, and Robert Rice. They were put on trial in March 1965. News reports sometimes called them the "Blood Brothers."

Their arrests and trials were connected to two events. First, there was an incident called the Little Fruit Stand Riot. Then, twelve days later, a couple who owned a used clothing store in Harlem was attacked. Margit Sugar died from a stabbing, and her husband Frank Sugar was hurt. Most of the Harlem Six were eventually released. However, Robert Rice is still in prison, serving a life sentence.

The Little Fruit Stand Incident

On April 17, 1964, a fruit stand was accidentally knocked over. The owner blew a whistle to stop children from taking the spilled fruit. This whistle alerted police officers who were stationed nearby. The children tried to run away, but police officers beat them. Several adults who tried to help the children were also beaten.

Frank Stafford, a Black salesman, tried to stop the attack. He was beaten so badly that he lost an eye. Frank Stafford, Wallace Baker, and Daniel Hamm all had to go to the hospital after this incident. The owner of the fruit stand told the police that Wallace Baker and Daniel Hamm had nothing to do with knocking over the fruit stand. He said they were only trying to protect the children from the police.

The Store Attack and Arrests

On April 29, 1964, Margit and Frank Sugar were attacked in their used clothing store. They were both stabbed. They were taken to the hospital, but Margit Sugar died from her injuries. Frank Sugar survived after having emergency surgery.

Police questioned four people they had seen at the Little Fruit Stand incident. Wallace Baker, who had just left the hospital, was also taken in for questioning. Daniel Hamm, William Craig, Ronald Felder, Walter Thomas, and Robert Rice, all teenagers, were arrested too.

The NAACP is a group that works for civil rights. They found this case very important. They put together a team of lawyers to defend the arrested teenagers. One of these lawyers was William Kunstler. He later became famous for defending people involved in the Attica Prison riot.

The judge in the case decided that the poor teenagers could not choose their own lawyers. Instead, the court assigned public defenders to them. The teenagers did not want or trust these lawyers. They even asked their mothers to request different lawyers.

An article in The New York Times newspaper claimed there was a link between the Fruit Stand incident and violent youth gangs. The newspaper said these gangs attacked white people in Harlem.

While waiting for their trial, the Harlem Six were often beaten by prison guards. The guards would stop the prison elevators between floors to beat the boys. They tried to make the boys confess to the crime. Some of the court-appointed lawyers told the boys to plead guilty to lesser charges. Because of this, the boys told the judge they could not get a fair trial in a "white man’s court." After this statement, the judge sent the accused teenagers to a mental hospital to check if they were mentally sound.

Court Cases and Appeals

The first court case for the Harlem Six began in March 1965. The Harlem Six were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Three years after their conviction, a group of lawyers worked to appeal the decision. This group included prominent Black civil rights lawyer Conrad Lynn and William Kunstler. The convictions were overturned, meaning they were canceled. New trials were ordered for the boys. The court decided that the confessions used in the first trial were not obtained fairly.

Two of the original six young men were tried separately. They were found guilty again.

The other four went on trial in February 1971. The jury could not agree on a verdict, so the judge declared a mistrial. This meant the trial ended without a decision. Bail was set at $75,000 for each young man. They could not afford this amount. By this time, they had already spent eight years in prison.

In the end, all but one of the men were found not guilty. Robert Rice was again found guilty of murder on May 7, 1970. He remains in prison.

In Popular Culture

Come Out is a music piece from 1966 by Steve Reich. It uses a repeated sound clip of Daniel Hamm's voice.