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The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights
Examines the 1973 San Francisco murder spree of four African-American youths who attempted to incite a race war by killing fifteen white people, and the investigation by African-American detectives Prentice Earl Sanders and Rotea Gilford.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2006
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December 13, 2023
1965 to 1975 were wild times in the USA and elsewhere*. The hippies, the yippies, the Black Panthers, the Weathermen, the Manson Family, the assassinations, blah blah, you know it all. This particular story of the Zebra murders is strangely not so famous. It’s very easy to see why : it’s a horrible tale about racists.
The location was San Francisco. The time span : October 1973 to May 1974. The number of victims : 15 dead, eight more who survived.
All the victims were white. All the perpetrators were black. This wasn’t coincidental. I had thought that that was why these crimes were called Zebra murders but that would have been gross. No, it was because the Z channel on police radios was cleared for use only by the cops working on this case. Z is always for zebra, you know.
This is a story of American terrorism, not serial murder. Beginning in October 1973 the homicide cops in SF were confronted with a seemingly unstoppable series of random shootings. It was a worst nightmare situation. Usually with murders the cops have something to go on – witnesses, evidence, motive that can be deduced, money, drugs, sex, connections between the corpse and the killer that spin a thread the cops can follow. But in these cases, one after another after another, there was nothing. All the witnesses, when there were any, said the same thing – a guy walked up the street, pulled out a gun, shot this poor person twice, three times, then walked away. Description? Kind of tall, nondescript clothes. A black man. And it didn’t take the cops long to connect the shootings, they were all done with the same gun. And the cops also noticed the thing about the victims – young, old, men, women, quite random, except they were all white.
The bodies kept falling : five in December, five in one single evening in January. The story is told by Earl Saunders, the black homicide cop who worked the case from the very beginning. After the five in one evening, he said
“It felt like the gates of hell had opened up and something evil swarmed out. It was a feeling that grabbed your stomach and wouldn’t let go. Because as bad as that night was, what made it worse was we didn’t have a clue when it would end.”
Earl and his black partner shook down all their informants in the black community and got stony silence. Usually they could pick up a whisper here, a word there, not this time. That made them think – it’s not ordinary criminals doing this. Who then?
Eight months and they had nothing, not a single clue.
Eventually the case was cracked when the cops finally released some police sketches of suspects (they were reluctant to do this for some complicated reasons). And plus, the city put up a $30,000 reward. One of the group recognised himself and thought he could convince the cops he hadn’t killed anyone but he’d been along on the ride for a lot of the time, so he could turn state’s witness and get the thirty grand. And that’s what happened.
So who were the killers and why did they do it? If they weren’t called the Zebra murders they would have been called the Black Self-Help Moving and Storage murders, because the five guys who had been doing all the shooting met when they worked for this small company. It specialised in employing black guys recently released from prison, and it was associated with the Nation of Islam.
The book states many times that the Nation of Islam that existed in the early 70s was a totally different organisation to that which exists today. It then goes on to show that the teachings of Elijah Muhammed, especially one inflammatory passage about killing white devils, was taken literally by these guys. Earl says :
From what I could see, the one thing that seemed to guide every other possible motive, whether it was to start up a race war or just avenge what they saw as injustice, was rage. A crazy, insane rage over what they thought whites had done to blacks. Once you got to that realisation, if you were black, you had to pause. Because the truth was there wasn’t a black I knew who didn’t feel at least an inkling of the same thing.
Earl later became the first black police chief of San Francisco.
Although this is a fascinating and horrifying crime story, I nearly had to rate the book only 3 stars because it tries to tell two stories at the same time, the main one being, of course, the story of the murders and the investigation, and the other one the struggle of Earl Saunders and the very few other black police officers in San Francisco against the awful racism of the San Francisco Police Department. It’s a very worthy subject, surely, but, no offence intended, it gives the first half of the book a draggy stop-start effect. You want to get on with the what-happened-next of true crime and you are continually being informed about the lawsuit black officers were bringing against the SFPD and how the white officers tried to sideline the black minority, etc. But I can see that from Earl’s perspective the two are intertwined.
Final note : the 4th victim, who survived two point-blank bullets in the chest on 13 December 1973, was a guy called Art Agnos. 15 years later he became Mayor of San Francisco.
FURTHER READING (all these stories are connected and these are all wonderful books)
American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin
Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi
Malcolm X : A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff
And i need to to read
The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad by Claude Andrew Clegg III
*
*Of course, in the future they will say those 2020s sure were wild times.
The location was San Francisco. The time span : October 1973 to May 1974. The number of victims : 15 dead, eight more who survived.
All the victims were white. All the perpetrators were black. This wasn’t coincidental. I had thought that that was why these crimes were called Zebra murders but that would have been gross. No, it was because the Z channel on police radios was cleared for use only by the cops working on this case. Z is always for zebra, you know.
This is a story of American terrorism, not serial murder. Beginning in October 1973 the homicide cops in SF were confronted with a seemingly unstoppable series of random shootings. It was a worst nightmare situation. Usually with murders the cops have something to go on – witnesses, evidence, motive that can be deduced, money, drugs, sex, connections between the corpse and the killer that spin a thread the cops can follow. But in these cases, one after another after another, there was nothing. All the witnesses, when there were any, said the same thing – a guy walked up the street, pulled out a gun, shot this poor person twice, three times, then walked away. Description? Kind of tall, nondescript clothes. A black man. And it didn’t take the cops long to connect the shootings, they were all done with the same gun. And the cops also noticed the thing about the victims – young, old, men, women, quite random, except they were all white.
The bodies kept falling : five in December, five in one single evening in January. The story is told by Earl Saunders, the black homicide cop who worked the case from the very beginning. After the five in one evening, he said
“It felt like the gates of hell had opened up and something evil swarmed out. It was a feeling that grabbed your stomach and wouldn’t let go. Because as bad as that night was, what made it worse was we didn’t have a clue when it would end.”
Earl and his black partner shook down all their informants in the black community and got stony silence. Usually they could pick up a whisper here, a word there, not this time. That made them think – it’s not ordinary criminals doing this. Who then?
Eight months and they had nothing, not a single clue.
Eventually the case was cracked when the cops finally released some police sketches of suspects (they were reluctant to do this for some complicated reasons). And plus, the city put up a $30,000 reward. One of the group recognised himself and thought he could convince the cops he hadn’t killed anyone but he’d been along on the ride for a lot of the time, so he could turn state’s witness and get the thirty grand. And that’s what happened.
So who were the killers and why did they do it? If they weren’t called the Zebra murders they would have been called the Black Self-Help Moving and Storage murders, because the five guys who had been doing all the shooting met when they worked for this small company. It specialised in employing black guys recently released from prison, and it was associated with the Nation of Islam.
The book states many times that the Nation of Islam that existed in the early 70s was a totally different organisation to that which exists today. It then goes on to show that the teachings of Elijah Muhammed, especially one inflammatory passage about killing white devils, was taken literally by these guys. Earl says :
From what I could see, the one thing that seemed to guide every other possible motive, whether it was to start up a race war or just avenge what they saw as injustice, was rage. A crazy, insane rage over what they thought whites had done to blacks. Once you got to that realisation, if you were black, you had to pause. Because the truth was there wasn’t a black I knew who didn’t feel at least an inkling of the same thing.
Earl later became the first black police chief of San Francisco.
Although this is a fascinating and horrifying crime story, I nearly had to rate the book only 3 stars because it tries to tell two stories at the same time, the main one being, of course, the story of the murders and the investigation, and the other one the struggle of Earl Saunders and the very few other black police officers in San Francisco against the awful racism of the San Francisco Police Department. It’s a very worthy subject, surely, but, no offence intended, it gives the first half of the book a draggy stop-start effect. You want to get on with the what-happened-next of true crime and you are continually being informed about the lawsuit black officers were bringing against the SFPD and how the white officers tried to sideline the black minority, etc. But I can see that from Earl’s perspective the two are intertwined.
Final note : the 4th victim, who survived two point-blank bullets in the chest on 13 December 1973, was a guy called Art Agnos. 15 years later he became Mayor of San Francisco.
FURTHER READING (all these stories are connected and these are all wonderful books)
American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin
Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi
Malcolm X : A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff
And i need to to read
The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad by Claude Andrew Clegg III
*
*Of course, in the future they will say those 2020s sure were wild times.
February 19, 2019
4.5 stars
"When people talk about 'Zebra,' it's usually as a serial killing. That may be technically true, but the most accurate description of what [it] was is terrorism, plain and simple." -- Inspector Sanders, SFPD
This was a bit of somewhat recent American history that I was previously / completely unaware of, but 1.) I'm from the northeast U.S. and 2.) it was overshadowed by the 'Zodiac' killings from a few years earlier, and the Patty Hearst abduction by the SLA during the same time period. This was an era when the Bay Area of Northern California could simply not catch a break regarding violent crime.
From the autumn of 1973 into the spring of 1974, San Francisco was rocked by two-dozen random-seeming homicides and attempted homicides throughout the city. The common factors with each situation was an African-American young adult male suspect, and the firearm used was a .32 pistol.
Clues and evidence soon pointed to a very small radical faction who met through the city's Nation of Islam temple, where a number of angry and/or disenfranchised young men - some were ex-convicts, some had no criminal past at all - were particularly frustrated by the stalled civil rights movement and other actual (but sometimes only perceived) injustices. Appallingly, they began committing cold-blooded murder to trigger a race war, killing any white person, anywhere, anytime - from pedestrians strolling on a sidewalk to a lady folding clothes in a laundromat. The worst night was in late January 1974, when five separate shootings occurred within hours of each other, and resulted in four deaths.
Co-author Sanders was one of the two inspectors (as the San Francisco PD refers to their detectives or investigators), along with partner 'Gil' Gilford, who worked on the massive-scale investigation. They were also a rarity at the time - they were African-American policemen, as even in the early 70's the SFPD had only about 10% minorities filling the ranks in the agency. At the same time of this crime wave said inspectors were also involved (along w/ numerous other officers) in a heated lawsuit against the city regarding discrimination and the need for improved hiring practices / promotions.
(Lest you thing it was tasteless of the SFPD to refer to the investigation as 'The Zebra Murders,' the moniker actually came from the Z-channel on the police band / radio system used by the agency.)
As a true crime tome I found the events appalling, but the book sort of fascinating -- without much difficulty it switches gears to cover the long-running investigation, the many personalities involved, and the uncomfortable atmosphere at the time. I think that the case has been lost in the shuffle over the years as the U.S. has become increasingly violent (or so it sometimes seems), and that's sad. In the end many innocent people were maimed or killed during 'Zebra' for absolutely no good reason.
"When people talk about 'Zebra,' it's usually as a serial killing. That may be technically true, but the most accurate description of what [it] was is terrorism, plain and simple." -- Inspector Sanders, SFPD
This was a bit of somewhat recent American history that I was previously / completely unaware of, but 1.) I'm from the northeast U.S. and 2.) it was overshadowed by the 'Zodiac' killings from a few years earlier, and the Patty Hearst abduction by the SLA during the same time period. This was an era when the Bay Area of Northern California could simply not catch a break regarding violent crime.
From the autumn of 1973 into the spring of 1974, San Francisco was rocked by two-dozen random-seeming homicides and attempted homicides throughout the city. The common factors with each situation was an African-American young adult male suspect, and the firearm used was a .32 pistol.
Clues and evidence soon pointed to a very small radical faction who met through the city's Nation of Islam temple, where a number of angry and/or disenfranchised young men - some were ex-convicts, some had no criminal past at all - were particularly frustrated by the stalled civil rights movement and other actual (but sometimes only perceived) injustices. Appallingly, they began committing cold-blooded murder to trigger a race war, killing any white person, anywhere, anytime - from pedestrians strolling on a sidewalk to a lady folding clothes in a laundromat. The worst night was in late January 1974, when five separate shootings occurred within hours of each other, and resulted in four deaths.
Co-author Sanders was one of the two inspectors (as the San Francisco PD refers to their detectives or investigators), along with partner 'Gil' Gilford, who worked on the massive-scale investigation. They were also a rarity at the time - they were African-American policemen, as even in the early 70's the SFPD had only about 10% minorities filling the ranks in the agency. At the same time of this crime wave said inspectors were also involved (along w/ numerous other officers) in a heated lawsuit against the city regarding discrimination and the need for improved hiring practices / promotions.
(Lest you thing it was tasteless of the SFPD to refer to the investigation as 'The Zebra Murders,' the moniker actually came from the Z-channel on the police band / radio system used by the agency.)
As a true crime tome I found the events appalling, but the book sort of fascinating -- without much difficulty it switches gears to cover the long-running investigation, the many personalities involved, and the uncomfortable atmosphere at the time. I think that the case has been lost in the shuffle over the years as the U.S. has become increasingly violent (or so it sometimes seems), and that's sad. In the end many innocent people were maimed or killed during 'Zebra' for absolutely no good reason.
May 15, 2013
No terror seemed more biblical, however, than Zebra. It was like Revelation 11:8 come to life: “Dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city.”
Terror without end.
Terrorists killing citizens in a great American city.
Islamic terrorists killing US citizens at random in San Francisco
Black Islamic terrorists killing white US citizens at random in SF over a 6 month period
Nation of Islam terrorists shoot or hack to death with machetes – at least 15 dead, 6 wounded—all white
Add in a racist white SFPD trying to defend its’ historical prerogatives against minority challenges.
Plus two black homicide detectives (the only two in the SFPD) go all out to help solve the killings.
And the same two black detectives are suing the SFPD to end discrimination in hiring and promotions
The world is going crazy all-around. Arab terrorists hijacking planes, attacking airport terminals; IRA terrorists setting bombs in London, attacking the royal family; Yom Kippur War in the Middle East; US VP resigning for tax evasion; US president’s closest advisors indicted; Vietnam War ending in defeat; Patty Hearst kidnapped by terrorist SLA; Black Panthers ; Black Liberation Army; Weather Underground bombings… Got your attention yet?
The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights is a true story, a crazy tale in a crazy time. Honestly, I thought the book would just be a cheesy true-crime tale. It was so much more. I had never heard of this terrorist killing spree…40 years ago a small group of Nation of Islam followers tried to start a race war by randomly killing whites in San Francisco. This book tells that story but also a parallel story of two brave, black homicide detectives –Prentice Earl Sanders and Rotea Gilford--who simultaneously try to solve the crimes while being party to a lawsuit against the SFPD to end racial discrimination. This book covers the racial tensions in the SFPD and how it impacts the investigating process as the inevitable conflicts occur.
If you are familiar with the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s in the US, then you will appreciate this book. If you aren’t familiar with the times, this book will give you a small window into the times.
So many interesting aspects to the case and the times. The Nation of Islam is suspected early on but they have First Amendment protections, the police are constrained in what they can look at. At the same time, the FBI’s COINTELPRO has come to light, making investigation more difficult. The membership is tightly controlled and they do not talk. The killers do not ever claim credit or make statements. However, the killers are visible at the killing sites so everyone knows the racial makeup of who is killing who. The simultaneous terrorism of the Symbionese Liberation Army, SLA, is thought to be part of the same events for a time.
Mayor Joseph Alioto, (D), was running for governor of California (against Jerry Brown). This chaos in San Francisco is a drag on his campaign—but he also has concern for his citizens. He wants action on the Zebra killings and he wants it NOW! He signs off on a police operation to flood the African-American and mixed sections of the city with law enforcement. Racial profiling is the order of the day:
There is a reason we have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Sometimes it seems so easy to just disregard those rights in the interest of “public safety”. Sanders and Gilford warned against the searches, to no avail. The Zebra sweeps and stops grow more intrusive and antagonistic:
The sweeps are stopped by a Federal judge as unconstitutional. But thinking about it, could this same disregard for Constitutional rights happen today? You only have to look at the question of whether the police actions taken in Waterford, MA after the Boston bombing crossed a line or not.
I do have a couple of criticisms. Most important, there are no notes, references, index or appendices to go back and look at. That is not good. I also thought the backgrounds of the victims are given short shrift. The victims get a very brief introduction before the killers strike. Additionally you don’t learn what happens to any who survived except one.
Despite those criticisms, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
Terror without end.
Terrorists killing citizens in a great American city.
Islamic terrorists killing US citizens at random in San Francisco
Black Islamic terrorists killing white US citizens at random in SF over a 6 month period
Nation of Islam terrorists shoot or hack to death with machetes – at least 15 dead, 6 wounded—all white
Add in a racist white SFPD trying to defend its’ historical prerogatives against minority challenges.
Plus two black homicide detectives (the only two in the SFPD) go all out to help solve the killings.
And the same two black detectives are suing the SFPD to end discrimination in hiring and promotions
The world is going crazy all-around. Arab terrorists hijacking planes, attacking airport terminals; IRA terrorists setting bombs in London, attacking the royal family; Yom Kippur War in the Middle East; US VP resigning for tax evasion; US president’s closest advisors indicted; Vietnam War ending in defeat; Patty Hearst kidnapped by terrorist SLA; Black Panthers ; Black Liberation Army; Weather Underground bombings… Got your attention yet?
The Zebra Murders: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights is a true story, a crazy tale in a crazy time. Honestly, I thought the book would just be a cheesy true-crime tale. It was so much more. I had never heard of this terrorist killing spree…40 years ago a small group of Nation of Islam followers tried to start a race war by randomly killing whites in San Francisco. This book tells that story but also a parallel story of two brave, black homicide detectives –Prentice Earl Sanders and Rotea Gilford--who simultaneously try to solve the crimes while being party to a lawsuit against the SFPD to end racial discrimination. This book covers the racial tensions in the SFPD and how it impacts the investigating process as the inevitable conflicts occur.
If you are familiar with the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s in the US, then you will appreciate this book. If you aren’t familiar with the times, this book will give you a small window into the times.
So many interesting aspects to the case and the times. The Nation of Islam is suspected early on but they have First Amendment protections, the police are constrained in what they can look at. At the same time, the FBI’s COINTELPRO has come to light, making investigation more difficult. The membership is tightly controlled and they do not talk. The killers do not ever claim credit or make statements. However, the killers are visible at the killing sites so everyone knows the racial makeup of who is killing who. The simultaneous terrorism of the Symbionese Liberation Army, SLA, is thought to be part of the same events for a time.
Mayor Joseph Alioto, (D), was running for governor of California (against Jerry Brown). This chaos in San Francisco is a drag on his campaign—but he also has concern for his citizens. He wants action on the Zebra killings and he wants it NOW! He signs off on a police operation to flood the African-American and mixed sections of the city with law enforcement. Racial profiling is the order of the day:
There is a reason we have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Sometimes it seems so easy to just disregard those rights in the interest of “public safety”. Sanders and Gilford warned against the searches, to no avail. The Zebra sweeps and stops grow more intrusive and antagonistic:
The sweeps are stopped by a Federal judge as unconstitutional. But thinking about it, could this same disregard for Constitutional rights happen today? You only have to look at the question of whether the police actions taken in Waterford, MA after the Boston bombing crossed a line or not.
I do have a couple of criticisms. Most important, there are no notes, references, index or appendices to go back and look at. That is not good. I also thought the backgrounds of the victims are given short shrift. The victims get a very brief introduction before the killers strike. Additionally you don’t learn what happens to any who survived except one.
Despite those criticisms, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
May 26, 2021
An interesting book that's less about the Zebra murders than you'd think from the title. Being written or at least representing the thoughts and feelings of one of the cops who worked the case gives it an obvious bias but the migration and civil rights aspects of the book are interesting even if more of the book than you'd expect going in. You still end up wishing the book was more focused on the Zebra killings though because the solution and some of the mystery still surrounding it gets lost in the myriad other stories the book tells.
January 23, 2016
I was wrong to put off reading this one as long as I did. Fascinating case of serial hate crimes against randomly-chosen whites by a bizarro splinter group from the Nation of Islam.
February 28, 2018
This book recounts San Francisco’s crescendo of panic due to what the police named the Zebra murders, racially motivated murders that began in October 1973 and ended in April of the following year. The four people convicted of the crimes called themselves the “Death Angels.”
However, saying that this book is solely about the murders would be a great injustice. The murders are just the frame to talk about the institutional racism in the SFPD at the time and the men whose hard work and tenacity broke down barriers and allowed others to rise through the ranks.
However, saying that this book is solely about the murders would be a great injustice. The murders are just the frame to talk about the institutional racism in the SFPD at the time and the men whose hard work and tenacity broke down barriers and allowed others to rise through the ranks.
April 9, 2021
This was interesting in relation to what is happening these days with racial relations, however this was extremely wordy. There was so much information provided that was completely irrelevant and didn’t have anything to do with the murders. The history of the police officers, etc had nothing to do with the murders. So if you’re looking for something that’s basically just about the zebra murders, keep looking. If you want something that is more about the entire time period, this is more up your alley. However the title is extremely misleading if that’s case.
December 29, 2021
A 1970's San Francisco a group of members of the Nation of Islam went on a two year killing spree killing random white people (and one Palestinian). This story says a lot about the violence surrounding the Nation at the time, the era that was overall full of political violence, and in this book we learn a lot about the plight of Black police officers within the San Francisco Police department.
November 15, 2013
This is a really interesting case and I can't believe I've never heard of it! That surprises me because it is such an early example of homegrown terrorism, racial profiling and stop-and-frisk tactics and still very relevant to today. The authors are one of the investigators on the case, Sanders, and a reporter who seems to be acting as a ghost writer for Sanders. It is too bad that the co-author doesn't branch out further from Sanders' point of view. This was part of the flaw in the narrative because we never really get a good, cogent overview of the crimes or the investigation. Instead we are caught in a whirlwind of racial tensions, moment-by-moment reveals that preserve the limited scope of understanding that the first line investigators had, and a nuanced overlay of city politics that doesn't step back enough to let the reader compose a picture of the events in question. Perhaps if you already know the details of the murders then you would be better able to follow the argument that Sanders is drawing here without being frustrated by the choppy narrative of the crimes and the police investigation. But since I had no knowledge of the case I found it jarring to be pulled out of the crime story and into the politics and back again without warning. I think the structure of the narrative needed some work and perhaps it would have been better if the co-author would have gathered more sources in an effort to illuminate the world of the killers and the Nation of Islam at that time.
The problem is this is really two books woven together very awkwardly – one about racism in San Francisco law enforcement and one about a racially motivated band of killers – making it hard to fully appreciate either story. Sanders' experience as a black cop in a very biased San Francisco police department is really compelling, it also clearly bears on the motive of the murders. But when people are being killed in the street and the investigators seem to know very quickly that The Nation of Islam is at the center of it I want to hear more about that organization! I want to hear about the leads being followed and the light that is shed on the killers' actions in light of their backgrounds, beliefs, psychology. But while Sanders plainly states the killers were Nation of Islam the authors don't go beyond Sanders' first hand experience with the case to investigate the nitty gritty of the killer's motives. Instead they eloquently innumerate the racial tensions and radical forces of every other stripe that were percolating at the time, giving a generic explanation that is clearly true, but which stops short of the messy work of what these killers specifically were triggered by and what their lives were like.
Sanders believes that this is a terrorism case, not a serial killer case and I tend to agree. He argues that there need to be more police recruited from the communities that are being policed and again I agree. This is what justifies the book's interweaving of the Officers for Justice lawsuit with the murder case, but that format just doesn't work too well in the flow of the book. I wish they had kept it more specific to the crime…..interviews with the killers and their families to flesh out their thinking and their Nation of Islam indoctrination. I guess the book seems to be a true crime book but is really more of an argument for different anti-terrorism tactics but it didn't make enough commitment to either approach to be successful.
But I have to say this is a very worthwhile book for Sanders' first person perspective on a stunningly confusing and raw time in American history. He's a very thoughtful and persuasive witness to that history and he's absolutely correct that policing needs to reflect the community being policed. But I also hope that someone with more of a reporter's perspective takes this story up and really digs in to the particulars of it with gusto because this crime that I had never heard of is an incredibly rich field for study.
The problem is this is really two books woven together very awkwardly – one about racism in San Francisco law enforcement and one about a racially motivated band of killers – making it hard to fully appreciate either story. Sanders' experience as a black cop in a very biased San Francisco police department is really compelling, it also clearly bears on the motive of the murders. But when people are being killed in the street and the investigators seem to know very quickly that The Nation of Islam is at the center of it I want to hear more about that organization! I want to hear about the leads being followed and the light that is shed on the killers' actions in light of their backgrounds, beliefs, psychology. But while Sanders plainly states the killers were Nation of Islam the authors don't go beyond Sanders' first hand experience with the case to investigate the nitty gritty of the killer's motives. Instead they eloquently innumerate the racial tensions and radical forces of every other stripe that were percolating at the time, giving a generic explanation that is clearly true, but which stops short of the messy work of what these killers specifically were triggered by and what their lives were like.
Sanders believes that this is a terrorism case, not a serial killer case and I tend to agree. He argues that there need to be more police recruited from the communities that are being policed and again I agree. This is what justifies the book's interweaving of the Officers for Justice lawsuit with the murder case, but that format just doesn't work too well in the flow of the book. I wish they had kept it more specific to the crime…..interviews with the killers and their families to flesh out their thinking and their Nation of Islam indoctrination. I guess the book seems to be a true crime book but is really more of an argument for different anti-terrorism tactics but it didn't make enough commitment to either approach to be successful.
But I have to say this is a very worthwhile book for Sanders' first person perspective on a stunningly confusing and raw time in American history. He's a very thoughtful and persuasive witness to that history and he's absolutely correct that policing needs to reflect the community being policed. But I also hope that someone with more of a reporter's perspective takes this story up and really digs in to the particulars of it with gusto because this crime that I had never heard of is an incredibly rich field for study.
July 24, 2022
I had no clue about the Zebra murders. Of course, I was a child growing up in the Midwest in a conservative white suburb. I vaguely remember the Patty Hearst kidnapping. Reading this book makes me wonder how we, as a nation, survived the 1960's and 70's. Intensely interesting and thoroughly researched, this is a must read for anyone interested in history and civil rights.
September 6, 2024
I highly recommend this book! Ostensibly, it is a crime story regarding the famous Zebra killings in San Francisco during the early 1970s (I personally remember the fear of living during this episode), which included the shooting of future Mayor Art Agnos. It was also the story of San Francisco's first black police chief, Prentice Earl Sanders, a story that parallels the struggles of racial discrimination during this tumultuous era. Sanders was an SFPD officer involved with solving the Zebra killings while simultaneously bringing a lawsuit against the city for racial discrimination within the police department. The two stories are integrally interwoven, as noted by Sanders, "That's when I began to think back to Zebra, and it struck me again how it wasn't just a coincidence that the Officers for Justice lawsuit and Zebra were going at the same time. The truth is, they were connected. And by more than just time and circumstance." Again, this was indeed a tumultuous era. In addition to the Zebra murders, the Symbionese Liberation Army had abducted Patty Hearst, and the Black Panthers, Black Liberation Army, and Weather Underground organizations were each clandestinely recruiting members intent on terrorism. However, the story ends on a hopeful, albeit sober note, "Sometimes there is justice. Even in the Hall of Justice."
September 5, 2015
This case is a great example of what a tight lipped and very private group can do and get away with for an extended period of time. The writing was quite good, moved pretty quick, although there were some things that got mentioned over and over again, and that would get a little tiresome. I do not agree with much of what was stated about what we can learn from this and policies we should push to prevent/ catch terrorist acts in the future. In the epilogue Sanders implies that we should balance the police forces based upon the racial makeup of a community. I agree that if someone is qualified for a job that they absolutely should be given equal consideration as any other applicant. I do not feel that racial/ sex/ religious quotas should ever be imposed. Is that not racism in itself? Quotas never equal equality. I do agree with the belief that the Zebra killings were terrorism. A group of radicals went on a killing spree with no other motive than to kill and put the general public in a state of fear. Pretty much sums up terrorism. It is quite sad that California did not have the death penalty a that time, these cowards preying on innocent people that were selected to be murdered for no other reason than being white, yeah those men deserve to fry.
August 29, 2021
This book covered several issues at once, and was quite the ride. The personal experience of racism in the police department and community was so prevalent in this book. Additionally, there was a string of murders perpetrated against white members of the community. These people were targeted randomly over a six month period. The need for black police officers to help solve these murders was interesting. I read this book because it was on The Last Podcast on the Left reading list, and it was not disappointing at all. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in racial issues or true crime.
December 28, 2007
What a weird book: illogical structure/chronology, no pictures of the victims, no references, spends whole chapters (almost a fourth of the book) giving way too much context. Almost a case study in the egoism and paranoia of the author (Sanders) more than anything. Still there is some good material to come from here. I wish that other zebra book was still in print. I'd like to get the real story.
March 23, 2022
It's very definitely a complicated, convoluted story, and the author does well to explain the wider context for both the civilians and the SFPD.
However, I do feel that the victims of the crimes are lost somewhat in this, and I don't think that I feel much more informed about the crimes than I did before reading this book.
I may re-read, I feel that this would probably help with my understanding!
However, I do feel that the victims of the crimes are lost somewhat in this, and I don't think that I feel much more informed about the crimes than I did before reading this book.
I may re-read, I feel that this would probably help with my understanding!
May 2, 2021
The Zebra murders were something I had literally never heard of. Despite them occurring in and around the same space as the Patty Hearts kidnapping they did not receive much press. The racial divide in society and law enforcement is examined in detail while the case is also covered. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative but it did feel a bit repetitive at times.
April 11, 2021
Couldn't get beyond chapter two. Topic in the first two chapters is not about the Zebra murders. It's about integration of the San Francisco police department. Zebra murders as a topic seems to be a pretext for writing about integrating the San Francisco police department.
December 21, 2007
The story itself is really gripping, but fell the detective could have worked with a stronger co-writer.
February 11, 2008
One of the best books I have read. I would love to read it again.
July 31, 2018
This was an interesting look into a case that I was surprised I had never heard of! The Zebra Murders is the story of fifteen racially motivated serial killings that terrorized San Francisco over a two year period between 1973 and 1974. They were code named the Zebra Murders by the San Francisco Police Department because they were all attacks by African-American men against White victims. Prentice Earl Sanders is the author of this, but was also the SFPD's first African-American police chief and one of the lead detectives on the case. He had the tough task of determining whether the murders were mere serial killings or acts of political terror during a racially charged era. In between trying to interview suspects and following leads he also describes the racial discrimination within the police force and how that influenced his own investigation. The Zebra Murders is a riveting read and a very fascinating police procedural that looked at a crime and a era that seems to have gone almost unnoticed in present time
June 22, 2023
Super interesting! Much more of an examination of racism than a true crime book. A lot of time is spent on the lives of the two detectives who worked the case, as well as the SFPD in general. I also learned several pieces of Bay Area trivia. The victims of the titular case aren’t really featured so much as itemized, but the book provides a lot of insight into the atmosphere of the city and the climate of society as far as how crimes like this are fostered and the effects thereof. It’s also a major bummer when you realize we’ve made zero progress in not being dicks in the last 50 years.
May 26, 2022
Pretty good account of the work of black San Fransisco police officers struggles during the hunt for the Islam Fundamentalists that wanted to start a Black/White war by butchering white people. The Muslims hoped white vigilantes would seek vengeance and start the race war. But..they were caught. Enjoyed the book. The rasicm in the police department was considered normal and black cops were left without back-up in hostile situations. Would make a good movie.
December 20, 2023
This was crazy to listen to. I never heard about this crime before decided to pick this book up after having it on my TBR for a long time. I can not imagine having to live and work through something like that. I enjoyed listening to it and hearing about the whole background of it all and not just the crime itself
July 9, 2023
An interesting account of a brave man's career in the SFPD. The author recounts his time fighting racism in the police department while trying to discover those involved in a racial crime wave. It was heartbreaking hearing his stories about his personal racial profiling by fellow officers.
June 18, 2018
Wow just wow
Real crime real life if you never heard of the zebra murders you will know everything now.
Great read .
Real crime real life if you never heard of the zebra murders you will know everything now.
Great read .
May 2, 2021
I listened to the audio version and the quality sucked so much I couldn’t finish. Would like a hard copy to finish the book.
February 4, 2022
Who knew rampant racism would give rise to a violent and equaly senseless blowback? This is a complex case with many interesting life stories involved but I sometimes felt that the facts got lost.
March 7, 2022
A little hard to follow and stay engaged with, though the source material was very interesting- though that may have been the fault of the audiobook format, not the author.
August 8, 2022
Excellent and necessary piece of history
May 4, 2023
2.5 stars
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