Biography
Jesse Lee Evans was one of the "Leavenworth Brothers" — six prisoners (four Black and two Chicano) charged in connection with the July 31, 1973 rebellion at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. As The Black Panther reported (September 7, 1974), their supporters, organized as the Leavenworth Brothers Offense/Defense Committee and joined by antiwar priest Philip Berrigan at an August 16, 1974 rally, held that the men had been framed and made scapegoats by the prison administration because of their leadership in protesting the penitentiary's inhumane conditions. Mutiny charges against Jesse Lee Evans were dropped in August 1974.
The March 3, 1975 VVAW/WSO newsletter names this Leavenworth prisoner among the four men designated for long-term segregation and lists him at USP Atlanta, with Marvin Hogan listed as warden. The organization described the segregation as reprisal for the July 1973 rebellion and asked supporters to demand placement in general population. This is a dated historical custody observation and attributed repression allegation, not a new admission, release, sentence duration or current institution. Its report of assault/inciting convictions is retained as a contemporary account rather than silently replacing the existing disposition of mutiny charges.
A later report in The Black Panther, October 12, 1974, stated that the jury found Jesse Lee Evans and the other three Black Leavenworth defendants guilty on September 24, 1974 of inciting to riot, assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. The account reported testimony that they had been in solitary confinement during the July 31, 1973 rebellion and disputed prosecution testimony concerning August 1. Defense lawyers planned a new-trial motion and appeal. These later verdicts are distinct from the earlier dismissal of particular charges; no actual release or new admission date is established. The report identifies the court as U.S. District Court, Wichita, Kansas.
Original contemporary source 1 ; Original contemporary source 2.
The Westport Trucker’s March 29–April 4, 1974 issue individually listed Jesse L. Evans, historical prisoner number 27669, among the seven Leavenworth Brothers seeking defense assistance. The article reported a March 18 visit by National Council of Black Lawyers director Lennox S. Hinds and a petition signed by 325 inmates supporting the defendants. It distinguished the pending charges from the prisoners’ existing confinement.
The Weekly Westport Trucker, March29–April4,1974, PDF page 4.
The November 2, 1974 Black Panther individually named Jesse Lee Evans among four Leavenworth prisoners sentenced on October 7, 1974 after their September 24 convictions arising from the July 1973 prison rebellion. The report gives a range of ten to twenty years for the group without assigning each individual term.
The Black Panther, November 2, 1974, PDF page 8; The Black Panther, November 2, 1974, PDF page 22.
