The Untold Stories Behind The Iconic Bell Riots

TV & Film

Aug 30

Everyone knows the history of the Bell Riots. At least everyone thinks they do. In the early 2020s sanctuary districts were set up in almost every major city in the United States. They were set up with good intentions. They were supposed to help the homeless and unemployed by providing free food and shelter and matching the unemployed with potential jobs. Despite their good intentions, the sanctuary districts quickly devolved into walled-off slums. They were essentially concentration camps for the people that society wanted to forget about.

By 2024, things had gotten out of hand. Criminals were supposed to be barred from the sanctuary districts. However, as would be expected in any overcrowded slum, many people turned to violence. These people were known as Ghosts. Many in the districts were mentally ill. These were known as Dims. The rest were known as Gimmes. Tensions were high between the three groups and also between the residents and the guards and employees of the districts. It was just a matter of time before a spark set the whole thing ablaze.

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On September 1, 2024, in San Francisco’s Sanctuary District A, that’s exactly what happened. A fight between a Dim and a guard was the spark. The Ghosts quickly joined in, overpowered the guards, and stole their weapons. They took six hostages and barricaded themselves in the processing center. Luckily for everyone involved, the Gimmes, including Gabriel Bell, stepped in. They prevented the hostages from getting hurt and negotiated with the police. Their demands were simple. They wanted the sanctuary districts shut down and the people inside to be given a chance to reintegrate into society.

The uprising was illegally covered on channel 90 on the net. As word got out, riots began breaking out in other districts. Also, the American people learned how bad things had gotten. It became the impetus for real change.

On September 3, the governor of California sent in the National Guard to end the standoff. Hundreds of people were killed. Thanks to Bell and the other Gimmes, none of the hostages were hurt. Bell was killed in the incursion. Because of his prominence in protecting the hostages, his name became forever associated with the riots.

In broad strokes, that is what happened. But there are crucial details left out of the official account. Three Starfleet officers were there for the riots: Commander Benjamin Sisko, Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, and Doctor Julien Bashir. They were visiting Earth from their station, Deep Space Nine, to give an update to Starfleet about the Gamma Quadrant. When they attempted to beam down to Starfleet headquarters, there was a malfunction in the transporter sending them back in time to August 30, 2024.

Knocked unconscious by the accident, Sisko and Bashir were soon found by two sanctuary guards. The guards assumed they were homeless and sleeping in the street. They took Bashir and Sisko to Sanctuary District A. Dax, luckily, was found by Chris Brynner, owner of channel 90, who assumed she had been mugged and offered his help.

While being processed in the sanctuary district, Sisko soon realized that they were in Bell’s district and just a couple of days away from the riots. Despite the knowledge of how bad the riots would be, Sisko and Bashir knew they could not interfere in history. That is until they had no choice.

On the 31st, Bashir was attacked by some Ghosts. A bystander stepped in to help Bashir, but the bystander was stabbed to death in the struggle. That bystander was Gabriel Bell. When Sisko realized they had inadvertently changed history, he assumed the name Gabriel Bell. Sisko, as Bell, proceeded to fill the role Bell was supposed to play in the riots. He protected the hostages and negotiated with the police.

Meanwhile, Dax is the one who talked Brynner into broadcasting the riots and the stories of those inside the sanctuary district. Together, Dax and Sisko kept history from being significantly altered.

The only thing Sisko did not do was die during the National Guard’s raid. Instead, he made a deal with two guards who had been hostages that he protected. They agreed to falsify the records to make it look like Bell had died. Shortly after, Sisko, Bashir, and Dax were rescued and brought back to 2371.

In just five days, three officers from Deep Space Nine broke and then fixed the timeline. These heroes must get the recognition they deserve. Also, we must get the full historical account. Anything less would be a disservice to the Federation and its mission.

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