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Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)

The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a California leftist revolutionary group active from 1973 through the mid 1970s.  A primary goal of the organization was the “gaining of freedom and self-determination and independence for all their people and races.” The SLA utilized tactics of expropriation, direct action and armed propaganda to stimulate public awareness and action around issues of poverty, housing, racism, women’s rights, and prison issues. Despite undertaking a number of controversial and sometimes polarizing actions, one of the foremost successes of the SLA was forcing the Hearst family to give away millions of dollars worth of food from Safeway grocery stores to impoverished communities in the Bay Area.  

Highlights of our collection include scanned copies of the Dragon, a rare periodical produced by the Bay Area Research Collective in support of the SLA; original SLA communiqués, statements and publications; and press releases, flyers and statements from other Bay Area radical groups concerning SLA actions and ideas. Additionally, we have hundreds of articles taken from local Bay Area news sources, all pertaining to the SLA and the group’s activities. Our collection of paper documents is supplemented by our media holdings primarily derived from local recordings and programs. These include memorial shows, audio from rallies and news programs and taped communiqués.  

Subcollections

  • The Dragon
    The Dragon
    Periodical in support of the SLA printed monthly by the Bay Area Research Collective.

Documents

The Last SLA Statement: an interview with Russ Joe Bill & Emily The Last SLA Statement: an interview with Russ Joe Bill & Emily
Authors: Emily Harris, Bill Harris, Russell Little, Joseph RemiroPublisher: Bay Area Research CollectiveYear: 1976Format: PamphletCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
An interview with Emily Harris, Bill Harris, Russell Little and Joseph Remiro who were all members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. The interview follows the history of the SLA from the formation of the group in August 1973 until its declared end in 1976. The interview comments on the assassination of Marcus Foster, the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst, the Hibernia Bank Robbery, and the shootout on May 17th, 1974. The members also comment on their views of future revolutionary movements.
Free the SLA Free the SLA
Author: SLAFormat: StatementCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This statement written from the "underground" critiques the current revolutionary groups and provides directions for how the Left should continue. Its idea to unite the masses includes building a non-racist movement, incorporating the ideology of feminism into all theory and practice, and creating organizations capable of surviving repression from oppositional forces.
Declaration of Revolutionary War & the Symbionese Program Declaration of Revolutionary War & the Symbionese Program
Author: SLAPublisher: Bay Area Research CollectiveDate: 8/21/1973Volume Number: 21-AugFormat: CommuniqueCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This is a communique by the Symbionese Liberation Army that states what their goals are, details their political and military commitments, and a declares a revolutionary war against oppression.