Bell Riots
The Bell Riots were a series of events on Earth that took place in late 2024.
Started in San Francisco's "Sanctuary District A," the events were named after their protest leader, Gabriel Bell.
Sometimes called one of the most violent civil disturbances in American history, the riots and the subsequent crackdowns resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Sanctuary District residents.
Prelude and Event
In the 2020s, the American government reacted badly to their serious homelessness and unemployment issues. They created what were called "Sanctuary Districts," which were almost internment camps, in most of their major cities. Filled with the empty promises of free housing and food, these mini-cities quickly became dilapidated. By late 2024, the twenty square blocks that made up San Francisco's "Sanctuary District A," for example, had become nothing more than an overcrowded slum.
On September 1st, 2024, the residents of District A gathered for a rally. However, an argument between a guard and a resident resulted in a fight, which in turn became a riot. The District A protestors attacked the guards, quickly capturing the Processing Center that held responsibility for them. The "Sanctuary Cities" were exposed for what they were, and the general public rioted when they discovered the truth. Governmental officials ordered the San Francisco camps be retaken, and hundreds of residents were killed.
Gabriel Bell, the head of the protest movement, was killed during the riots.
Aftermath
When the dust had settled, public opinion turned against the concept of Sanctuary Districts. The internment camps were dissolved, and the nation that had created them began to actually address the socio-economic problems it had.
The Bell Riots were of such significance that their absence from Earth's history led to an alternate timeline, in which the United Federation of Planets was never created.
