Upton Sinclair was a man that stood with the Wobblies during the San Pedro maritime strike. It was May 25, 1923, when Upton Sinclair stood on Liberty Hill and began to recite the First Amendment. Before Sinclair could finish, he and three other Wobblies were arrested. The arresting officer was recorded saying, “We’ll have none of the Constitution stuff.” This is shocking to hear from someone who is trying to enforce the law, because the Constitution has given everyone a chance to speak and have their thoughts heard. Three days after the incident, 71 other Wobblies were arrested and jailed. Soon after, a meeting with an attendance of 5,000 people was called addressing the strike, and the Wobblies voted to end the strike. Even though Sinclair was arrested he still showed his dedication to the workers that were fighting for their rights. In the end we see that the police were biased and were more interested in defending the harbor masters than abiding by the law.
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While trying to give his speech, Sinclair was arrested along with over 70 other wobblies. While being arrested, officer says, “Enough with this Constitution stuff.”
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After the mass arrests, the IWW (Wobblies) met together and decided to end the strike.
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