CCCBA Drives Effort to Exonerate the Port Chicago 50

Port Chicago Task Force from the Contra Costa County Bar Association, sailor draped in USA flagThe Contra Costa County Bar Association formed the Port Chicago Task Force after the CCCBA DEI Committee presented a November 2021 program about the Port Chicago Disaster that occurred near Concord in 1944 and the historical injustice of the mutiny trial.

The CCCBA Port Chicago Taskforce is comprised of CCCBA member attorneys as well as non-attorneys from the community with an interest in the Port Chicago 50. The Port Chicago Task Force was formed with two goals:

  • Seek to raise awareness of this injustice in the legal and broader community and
  • Advocate for the setting aside of the mutiny convictions of the Port Chicago 50.

How you can help

  • Sign the petition. So far over 1,100 signatures have been gathered.
  • Call or write to the Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro urging support for the exoneration of the Port Chicago 50.
  • Share the information with your family, friends, colleagues.

In February 2023, local Representatives Mark DeSaulnier, Barbara Lee and John Garamendi introduced another House Resolution recognizing the victims of the disaster. The bill has yet to pass in the Senate.

Support from the legal community and the public is vital to restore the integrity and honor to the legacies of these sailors. For more information on the CCCBA’s efforts, visit cccba.org and search Port Chicago.