History Daily: The Lincoln Hospital Takeover

Summary

American History Tellers: Episode Summary – "History Daily: The Lincoln Hospital Takeover"

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Introduction

In the July 14, 1975 episode of History Daily from the American History Tellers series by Wondery, host Lindsey Graham delves into a pivotal moment in American civil rights history: the Lincoln Hospital takeover orchestrated by the Young Lords in 1970. This detailed account explores the motivations, actions, and lasting impact of this radical protest aimed at addressing systemic healthcare neglect in the Puerto Rican community of the South Bronx.

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Background: The Rise of the Young Lords

The Young Lords originated in Chicago as a street gang but transformed into a powerful civil rights organization under the leadership of Jose Jimenez. Inspired by figures like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, Jimenez redirected the group’s focus from petty crime to activism, highlighting the struggles of Puerto Ricans and other marginalized communities in the United States.

“As a Puerto Rican, Jose has long felt that many people in the United States did not see him or his community as real American citizens.” [03:12]

By 1968, the Young Lords had established a New York chapter, intensifying their efforts to combat police brutality and advocate for improved public services, particularly healthcare, within the Puerto Rican community.

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The X-Ray Truck Hijacking: A Bold First Step

On June 17, 1970, 22-year-old Miguel "Mickey" Melendez, a key member of the Young Lords, led a daring operation by commandeering a New York City Health Department's mobile X-ray truck. This act was a strategic protest against the overlooked tuberculosis epidemic affecting their community.

“By the end of the day, Mickey Melendez will have overseen the examination of more patients than the X-ray technicians would normally see in a week.” [00:09]

The successful operation not only diagnosed numerous undetected tuberculosis cases but also pushed the city to improve accessibility to essential health services for underserved populations.

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The Lincoln Hospital Takeover: Marching Toward Change

Building on the momentum from the X-ray truck incident, the Young Lords escalated their activism with the Lincoln Hospital takeover on July 14, 1970. Early that morning, Melendez and a group of armed Young Lords, dressed in white doctor's coats, gathered outside Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx.

“Their mission is to enter the Lincoln Hospital and seize control, using force if necessary.” [03:12]

As the activists stormed the hospital, they were met with minimal resistance. Many of the local Puerto Rican staff and security were either supportive or had prior knowledge of the takeover, allowing the Young Lords to establish control swiftly.

“Once inside, Mickey's first task is to make the hospital secure. To ensure police officers can't simply walk in and pull the Young Lords out, Mickey instructs his fellow activists to chain the doors shut.” [03:12]

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Demands and Actions Within the Hospital

With the hospital under their control, the Young Lords set forth a list of demands aimed at rectifying the dire conditions and systemic neglect:

• 24-Hour Childcare: Ensuring that both staff and visitors have access to childcare services.
• No Further Budget Cuts: Preventing additional funding reductions to the hospital.
• Long-Term Commitment: Securing the promise of building a new, state-of-the-art hospital to replace the dilapidated Lincoln Hospital.

“He demands the administrative team leave the hospital at once because the Young Lords are in charge now.” [03:12]

Inside, the activists transformed the space into a community hub, establishing testing facilities for tuberculosis and lead poisoning, common ailments in the impoverished Bronx area. Additionally, Mickey prepared to educate hospital patrons and staff on health and political issues, reinforcing their mission beyond mere protest.

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Negotiations and Escalation

As the takeover continued, the New York Police Department (NYPD) became aware of the situation. Initial communications between Mickey and the police revealed limited willingness on the authorities' part to meet the Young Lords' demands without fearing a precedent that could inspire similar protests citywide.

“He knows that if he gives in too easily, it could prompt similar protests throughout the city, and that would lead to chaos.” [10:24]

Despite ongoing negotiations with Mayor Sid Davidoff's assistant, the NYPD prepared to intervene physically to reclaim the hospital, raising tensions and the possibility of violence.

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The Ingenious Surrender: A Peaceful Resolution

Facing the impending police action, Mickey devised a strategic plan to avoid bloodshed and preserve the integrity of their message. The Young Lords donned their doctor’s coats and, accompanied by regular hospital staff, discreetly exited the building. This peaceful evacuation left the NYPD with no immediate evidence of a violent takeover, allowing the Young Lords to maintain moral high ground.

“So Mickey has come up with a different plan. Dressed in the doctors disguises they wore to enter the building, the Young Lords take turns simply walking out of the building alongside the regular hospital staff.” [16:10]

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Aftermath and Legacy

Although not all demands were met, a significant off-the-record commitment was secured to build a new hospital, symbolizing a tangible victory for the Young Lords. However, internal fractures and external pressures, including alleged FBI infiltration, led to the group's eventual dissolution. The legacy of their activism endured, culminating in the opening of a new $200 million hospital in 1976, replacing the condemned Lincoln Hospital and better serving the community.

“In March 1976, a new $200 million hospital will be opened to serve the local community. And the old dilapidated Lincoln will finally be shut down.” [16:10]

The Lincoln Hospital takeover remains a testament to the power of organized, peaceful protest and its capacity to effect meaningful change within marginalized communities.

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Conclusion

The History Daily episode on the Lincoln Hospital takeover offers a comprehensive look into the strategic activism of the Young Lords, highlighting their role in advocating for healthcare reform and social justice in the South Bronx. Through meticulous planning and unwavering commitment, Miguel Mickey Melendez and his comrades left an indelible mark on American history, demonstrating the profound impact of grassroots movements.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the podcast transcript segments provided.

Transcript

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

It's just after midday on June 17, 1970, in Manhattan, New York. 22 year old Miguel Mickey Melendez maneuvers a large truck through the busy streets. He's never driven something this big before. The truck belongs to the New York City Health Department and Mickey has not been given permission to drive it. But he's not worried about that right now. Mickey is a member of the Young Lord's Party, a group of radical civil rights activists. Mickey and his mostly Puerto Rican comrades believe there is a tuberculosis epidemic underway in their community, but no one's doing anything to stop it. So today, Mickey and the young Lords have hijacked the city Health Department's mobile X ray truck and brought it to their headquarters. Mickey nears the corner of Madison Avenue and 111th Street. Waiting for him there is a crowd of nearly 200 people. They clap and cheer Mickey's arrival as he brings the vehicle to a jerking stop. And with the truck safely parked, Mickey opens the driver's door and climbs out. He smiles at some of the faces he recognizes in the crowd as he rounds the vehicle. Then he opens up the back of the truck to reveal an X ray machine and two very confused technicians. Mickey helps them out and introduces them to the crowd. Mickey asks for the technician's help to X ray every member of the public waiting here today sharing a look with his colleague. The first technician nods. An elderly woman from the neighborhood is the first to step forward and Mickey invites her into the truck. As the technicians switch on their machine to get to work. By the end of the day, Mickey Melendez will have overseen the examination of more patients than the X ray technicians would normally see in a week. And the Young Lord's stunt will reveal many undiagnosed cases of tuberculosis. It will also lead to a change in city policy, making the truck more accessible to the people who need it most. The hijacking is such a success that even the kidnapped X ray technicians will praise it. And it will encourage the Young Lords to move forward with an even bigger plan to take over an entire Hospital on July 14, 1970. American Historytellers is sponsored by the Easy money podcast. In 1920, a broke immigrant in Boston became one of America's richest, most infamous men practically overnight. He swindled the modern equivalent of a quarter billion dollars and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind one of the most notorious scams ever, the Ponzi scheme. Hosted by Maya Lau and featuring award winning comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco, this is Easy Money. The Charles Ponzi Story. An Apple Original Podcast produced by illmedia. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

[TJ Raphael]

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[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

From Noiser and Airship. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History. Daily history is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is July 14, 1970. The Lincoln Hospital takeover it's just after 5am on July 14, 1970, in the South Bronx, New York. A month after the Young Lords hijacked a mobile X Ray Truck, 22 year old Mickey Melendez is once again behind the wheel of a large vehicle. But today he's on a new mission. This time his truck isn't carrying X ray technicians. Instead, it's crammed with members of the Young Lords, all dressed in white doctor's coats. The streets are still quiet when Mickey parks outside the Lincoln Hospital and climbs out. He throws open the back doors of the truck and starts handing out baseball bats and nunchucks to the men and women inside. While he arms his comrades, two more trucks filled with other activists pull up alongside Mickey. Soon a small army, a hundred strong, has gathered on the sidewalk. Their mission is to enter the Lincoln Hospital and seize control, using force if necessary. And when Mickey is certain everyone is ready, he gives the signal. The activists rush toward the building, putting their latest plan into action. The end of the 1960s was a turbulent time in the United States. Civil rights protests, the seemingly never ending Vietnam War, and the assassinations of leading political figures left many feeling frightened, angry and marginalized. This led to the emergence of a wide range of new radical political movements, and among them were the Young Lords, founded in Chicago by Jose Jimenez. At first, they were a gang mostly known for petty theft and street fighting, and it wasn't long before Jose was behind bars. But there he was introduced to the work of revolutionary civil rights activists like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, and he started to take an interest in politics. As a Puerto Rican, Jose has long felt that many people in the United States did not see him or his community as real American citizens. And while he was in prison, he decided that Puerto Ricans needed someone to fight for them. So once Jose was released in the summer of 1968, he pushed the young Lord's gang away from crime and into activism. But it wasn't just in Chicago that the Puerto Rican Community felt mistreated. In New York, men and women like Mickey Melendez and his friends were also sick of being treated like second class citizens. They were often the victims of police brutality and the local hospital which treated them was in desperate need of funding. So In May of 1969, Jose Jimenez approved a New York chapter of the Young Lordship. This new group quickly got to work with headline making protests of its own. And after the success of the X ray truck stunt, the Young Lords of New York hope that their takeover of Lincoln Hospital will shine a spotlight on the poor conditions and underinvestment at that facility. Though they're brandishing weapons, Mickey and the Young Lords meet no resistance from the security guards at the hospital's entrance. The facility's staff are predominantly Puerto Rican and many have been tipped off about the planned takeover. So most of the security and staff just stand aside. Others even help, holding open doors for the activists as they make their way into the building. Once inside, Mickey's first task is to make the hospital secure. To ensure police officers can't simply walk in and pull the Young Lords out, Mickey instructs his fellow activists to chain the doors shut. Any patients or medical personnel who need to come or go will still be able to. This is not a hostage situation. But Mickey wants control over every entry and exit point. Once the hospital is locked down, Mickey then enters the administrative office. For months, the Young Lords have been writing letters to the hospital about the poor treatment of its Puerto Rican patients, but they've all been ignored. But hospital administrators can't ignore Mickey now. He demands the administrative team leave the hospital at once because the Young Lords are in charge now. As the administrators file out of the building, two members of the Young Lords take to the hospital rooftop. There they hoist a giant Puerto Rican flag to the top of a tall flagpole. Then, from second floor windows, other activists unveil a huge banner that reads welcome to the People's hospital. After just 30 minutes, the young Lords have successfully taken over the Lincoln Hospital. They have a list of demands and are ready to get to work, showing the world just how bad conditions are at the hospital and insisting change be made. But they don't know yet whether anyone will listen. 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[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

It'S 9am on July 14, 1970 in the South Bronx, four hours after the young lords entered Lincoln Hospital. Miguel Mickey Melendez paces down the hallways getting a first hand look at the state of the building. The walls are filthy, cockroaches scuttle across the floor and patients sleep in chairs while they wait to be seen by the overwhelmed medical staff. Lincoln Hospital has been largely for forgotten by City hall and is so dilapidated that it was condemned by the council years ago, but it still remains standing all the same, with mortality rate three times the national average, this ramshackle hospital has such a Bad reputation that its local nickname is the butcher shop. But Mickey isn't just here to spotlight the problems the hospital faces. He's come armed with solutions too. Before today, Mickey and the other Young Lords agree, agreed on their priorities for this protest. Raising political awareness about the plight of Puerto Ricans is high on their agenda. But so is broader healthcare reform. The Young Lords want to make the Lincoln Hospital a community first hub, dispensing vital medical care and health education. So in an unused room, Mickey supervises the creation of a new testing facility. He talks to a dozen nurses before dividing them into two teams, assisted by the Young Lords, who one team of nurses will test patients for tuberculosis, the other for lead poisoning, both common conditions in the poorer communities in the Bronx. Elsewhere, Mickey finds his comrades hastily arranging a makeshift classroom. It's here that Mickey himself is going to give a lecture on health, education and politics to anyone in the hospital who wants to listen to what he has to say. But before he can take his place at the front of the class, the Young Lords tell him the New York Police Police Department is on the phone. They know all about the takeover and they're not going to just sit back and do nothing. Taking the call in the administrator's office, Mickey pulls a notepad from his pocket with a list of the Young Lord's demands. He begins to read them one by one. Among their requests are 24 hour childcare for staff and visitors, the assurance of no more cutbacks in the immediate future, and the promise of a brand new hospital in the long term. As Mickey talks with the police, members of the press are allowed into the hospital to report on the takeover. They had been tipped off by the Young Lords. It's all part of the group's plan. Mickey and his comrades want to drum up support for their cause by showing the world just how bad the hospital is. So they let reporters film the blood stained walls, the filthy floors and the huge banners declaring the hospital the property of the people. Then, at a makeshift press conference, various members of the Young Lords explain why they felt need to take this action and why the takeover is crucial for their community. As the media relay the Young Lord's message to the people of New York, Mickey explains to the NYPD that he and his fellow activists will leave the building peacefully if their demands are met. But the police negotiators on the other end of the line don't have the power to grant any of the group's requests. So they arrange a call between Mickey and the New York City Mayor's assistant, Sid Davidoff. But despite being sympathetic to the young lord's call for action, Sid can only promise so much. He knows that if he gives in too easily, it could prompt similar protests throughout the city, and that would lead to chaos. But while negotiations with the mayor's office continue, the NYPD decides that their officers will have to move into the hospital to end the standoff. It's not a solution that anyone wants. Although they came to Lincoln armed with clubs and nunchucks, the young lords always hoped their stunt would remain peaceful. And for their part, the police don't want to risk the safety of officers or patients by having to force their way into the hospital. But it seems there's no alternative. So over the next few hours, the police will gather their forces around Lincoln Hospital and inside the building and on the street outside, fears will grow that the young lord's takeover can end only one way in violence. We acting bad, bad, bad, bad. We ain't trying to hurt nobody.

[Jesse Weber]

For decades, he was untouchable.

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

I've gone from Harlem to Hollywood.

[Jesse Weber]

But now it's all coming undone.

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

Sean Combs, the mogul as we know it is over. He will never be that person again, even if he's found not guilty of these charges.

[Jesse Weber]

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[Misha Brown]

Right now, every big moment starts with a big dream. But what happens when that big dream turns out to be a big flop? From Wondery and ill media, I'm Misha Brown, and this is the Big Flop. Every week, comedians join me to chronicle the biggest flubs, fails, and blunders of all time. Like Quibi.

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

It's kind of like when you give yourself your own nickname and you try to, like, get other people to do do it.

[Misha Brown]

And the 2019 movie adaptation of Cats.

[TJ Raphael]

Like, if I'm watching the dancing and I'm noticing the feet aren't touching the.

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

Ground, there's something wrong with the movie.

[Misha Brown]

Find out what happens when massive hype turns into major fiasco. Enjoy the big Flop on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to the big Flop early and ad free on Wondery Plus. Get started with your free trial at.

[Miguel Mickey Melendez]

Wondery.Com it's just after 5pm on July 14, 1970 at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Twelve hours after the Young Lords took over the building. One of the leaders of the group, Miguel Mickey Melendez, throws on a white doctor's lab coat and tells the rest of the Young Lords to do the same. Looking out from a second floor window, Mickey sees the NYPD mobilizing on the street below. Mickey knows that the Young Lords could stay and fight, forcing the police to drag them out. But the images of violence on the news won't help their cause. It'll only make it easier for the authorities to dismiss the Young Lords as violent thugs and ignore their important message. So Mickey has come up with a different plan. Dressed in the doctors disguises they wore to enter the building, the Young Lords take turns simply walking out of the building alongside the regular hospital staff. The unsuspecting cops on the street have no way of knowing they're watching the activists leave the scene. And by the time they stormed the hospital, almost all of the Young Lords had vanished. This peaceful surrender of Lincoln Hospital is thanks to negotiations between the Mayor's office and the Young Lords. While most of the activists demands have not been met, a deal has been struck which includes an off the record commitment to build a new hospital. They didn't get everything they wanted, but the Young Lords are satisfied. Despite the success of their protest, however, the group will fracture and split. In the aftermath of this hospital takeover, some members will accuse the FBI of infiltrating and disrupting the party. But even with the demise of the Young Lords, the activists will still leave behind a legacy. In March 1976, a new $200 million hospital will be opened to serve the local community. And the old dilapidated Lincoln will finally be shut down. Seven years after the Young Lords took it over to spotlight a failing health system on July 14, 1970. Next on History Daily July 15, 1983. The revolutionary Nintendo Entertainment System console is released in Japan from Noiser and Airship. This is History Daily hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammad Shahzid Sound design by Gabriel Gould Supervising Sound designer Matthew Filler Music by Thrum this episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholas Edited by Joel Callan Managing Producer Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser. If you like American historytellers, you can binge all episodes early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail].

[TJ Raphael]

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