Noble Blood: Very Special Episodes

Episode: A High School Brawl in the Panama Canal Zone
Date: October 25, 2025
Host: Dana Schwartz (iHeartPodcasts & Grim & Mild)
Guests/Contributors: Marisa Lasso, Wendy Tribaldos, Jim Jenkins, Rimsky Sucre, Jason English, Aaron Burnett

Overview

This episode of Very Special Episodes (a Noble Blood collaboration) dives deeply into the story of how a high school flag dispute in the 1964 Panama Canal Zone erupted into riots that ultimately influenced Panama’s quest for sovereignty. Through a mix of historical context, first-person recollections, and analysis from Panamanian scholars, the show unpacks how this “brawl” between American and Panamanian teenagers turned into a catalyst for monumental geopolitical change, leading eventually to the end of the Canal Zone as a U.S. colony.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. The Canal Zone: An “American Town” in Panama

[01:40–05:37]

• Dana Schwartz sets the scene in 1960s Panama City, contrasting the bustling Latin American city with the manicured, almost surreal American suburb of the Canal Zone.
• The Canal Zone, a 10-mile wide strip controlled by the U.S. since 1903, was home to 36,000 Americans (military and civilians) — a “country within a country.”
• Panamanians were largely excluded, except as workers or domestic help; the Zone had its own police and American customs, schools, and football games.

Notable Quote:
"It's definitely a different country. We had our own police force… It was definitely a different country."
— Joe Bremer (16:49)

2. The Roots of Panamanian Resentment

[07:06–13:49]

• The strategic history of the Isthmus of Panama, its colonization, and the U.S. “big stick” diplomacy (Theodore Roosevelt).
• The 1903 Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty granted the U.S. expansive and, in hindsight, exploitative rights over the Canal Zone.
• Massive displacement: About 40,000 Panamanians were expelled, whole towns erased for American settlements.

Notable Quote:
"This treaty gave to the US control of the Panama Canal Zone… as if it were sovereign in eternity."
— Marisa Lasso (11:16)

Notable Quote:
"The US built the canal over a densely populated area... There were around 40,000 people expelled."
— Marisa Lasso (11:42)

3. Divide and Discontent: Life for "Zonians" vs. Panamanians

[13:49–20:26]

• The Canal Zone is described as a “tropical paradise” for Americans, with organized neighborhoods and a “Tropical District Differential” (extra salary for living in the tropics).
• Jim Jenkins and Joe Bremer recall a classic American adolescence, while Panamanian teens—like Rimsky Sucre—describe exclusion and surveillance.
• The sense of home and pride for Zonians contrasted starkly with Panamanians’ anger and humiliation.

Notable Quote:
"They were also Sonians. They were also different Americans. They were overseas Americans…"
— Wendy Tribaldos (19:50)

Notable Quote:
"There was a lot of resentment. We felt like... approaching the Canal Zone or having any relationship with the Canal Zone was almost like bullying."
— Rimsky Sucre (17:39)

4. The Flashpoint: The Flag Dispute at Balboa High School

[22:47–27:41]

• Presidential order: Both U.S. and Panamanian flags should fly at public buildings in the Canal Zone as a gesture of partnership.
• Zonians refused, seeing the Zone as American territory, causing outrage and protests when the American flag was omitted.
• Balboa High students, led by Jenkins, protested by raising the American flag in defiance.

Notable Quote:
"I got the group together to raise the flag. ...We weren't looking for trouble. We were looking for a resolution."
— Jim Jenkins (27:41)

5. From Student Protest to Political Explosion

[31:00–39:26]

• News spreads: Panamanian students perceive the Balboa protest as disrespect to Panamanian sovereignty.
• Inspired by prior flag protests, about 200 Panamanian students, with their historic school flag, marched peacefully into the Canal Zone.
• The planned demonstration—holding up the Panamanian flag at Balboa High—degenerated into chaos. Translation issues and crowd hostility led to pushing and shoving, culminating in the Panamanian flag being torn.

Notable Quote:
"It's one of the biggest mysteries... You have the Panamanians saying the Americans ripped it up. ...You had the very hostile crowd."
— Wendy Tribaldos (46:39)

6. Aftermath: Riots, Martyrs, and the Path to Sovereignty

[49:24–55:07]

• Radio and newspapers inflame the story, turning the torn-flag incident into days of riots, violence, and deaths (at least 21 Panamanians, 4 Americans).
• January 9th becomes “Day of the Martyrs” in Panama, marking the start of public unity and sustained protest against U.S. presence.
• The violence and outcry forced the U.S. to renegotiate, culminating in the handover of the Canal Zone in 1979 and full canal control to Panama in 1999.

Notable Quote:
"It came to this point... where people lost lives... this had to happen for the US to react and think, okay, we might need to do something in Panama and try to not be the colonial power that we are."
— Wendy Tribaldos (53:20)

Notable Quote:
"Every Panamanian family will have a different story of how they entered the canal zone in 1979, how they felt... finally we could anchor in the Canal Zone."
— Marisa Lasso (54:34)

Memorable Moments & Reflections

Teen Agency and Historical Change

[56:48–57:37]

• Both Zonian and Panamanian students acted “very much into fighting for causes,” their youthful energy making them unlikely but pivotal agents of history.

Notable Quote:
"You can see the teenagerism in both sides in different ways... typical teenage behavior... two separate mind frames, two separate nationalities, two separate educational systems."
— Wendy Tribaldos (56:48)

Reflections on Flags & Identity

[57:37–61:03]

• Panelists share their favorite world flags and reflect on the symbolism and emotional weight carried by national icons, especially in moments of confrontation.

Recasting History

[60:46–61:35]

• Fun segment on hypothetical casting for a film adaptation, underscoring the episode’s narrative vividness and the dramatic arc spanning policy, adolescence, and nationhood.

Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction & Setting the Scene – [01:40–05:37]
• Historical Origins & Panamanian Displacement – [07:06–13:49]
• Life in the Canal Zone & Exclusion – [13:49–20:26]
• Flag Dispute Emerges – [22:47–27:41]
• Protests Escalate & Flag Torn – [31:00–46:39]
• From Flag Incident to National Riots – [49:24–53:45]
• Return of the Canal Zone & Lasting Legacy – [54:34–56:48]
• Teenagers as Historic Agents – [56:48–57:37]
• Light Segment: Favorite Flags/Recapping – [57:37–61:03]

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "This treaty gave to the US control of the Panama Canal Zone… as if it were sovereign in eternity."
  — Marisa Lasso [11:16]

• "You have the Panamanians saying that the Americans ripped it up... and the very hostile crowd."
  — Wendy Tribaldos [46:39]

• "I actually have no idea. I'm sorry that anything like that happened because I respect the flag too much. I respect our flag. I respect their flag."
  — Jim Jenkins [47:47]

• "The Panamanian people united like never before."
  — Rimsky Sucre [52:37]

• "It came to this point... this had to happen, sadly, where people lost lives... so the US might need to do something in Panama and try not to be the colonial power that we are."
  — Wendy Tribaldos [53:20]

• "You can see the teenagerism in both sides... two separate mind frames, two separate nationalities."
  — Wendy Tribaldos [56:48]

Tone and Language

The episode weaves personal remembrance with scholarly insight, maintaining a thoughtful yet accessible tone. The language is reflective, sometimes nostalgic, often evocative, especially in firsthand accounts and contemporary analyses. Dana Schwartz and her team skillfully balance narrative flair with historical clarity, offering both gripping storytelling and nuanced context.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode tells the little-known story of how a flag dispute at Balboa High School in the Panama Canal Zone escalated into deadly riots and, ultimately, a turning point in Panamanian history. Through the recollections of those who lived it and insights from historians, listeners see how a tense, segregated “American town” in Panama fostered decades of resentment. Teenagers on both sides became unexpected catalysts in a confrontation that forced the United States to relinquish its colonial grip, leading Panama to true sovereignty—and ensuring both nations and their peoples would never be the same.