This Teen Girl Became a Terrorist - The Patty Hearst story

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Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast 8 min 2 speakers 7 chapters transcribed

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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

How did Patty Hearst become a target for kidnapping?

Narrator 0:00

So how did this rich teenage girl become the most wanted woman in America? Now her name's Patricia and she's 19 and she goes to college in California and one night in 1974 there's a knock at her door and she answers it and boom three people wearing masks bust into her apartment and they're armed.

Who are the SLA and what do they want?

Narrator 0:21

Then they grab her and they tie her up and they blindfold her and they throw her in the trunk of their car and they speed away. And they bring her to a safe house and they throw her in a closet. And this is actually a real life photo of that tiny little closet. So who are these kidnappers? Well, they're actually members of a Marxist group called the SLA. And they think of themselves like Robin Hood types, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. And even though she's only 19 years old, Patricia is wealthy. Well, her family's wealthy. Her dad is actually Randy Hurst, the head of a newspaper empire. So not only is her family super wealthy, but they're sort of known for controlling the media.

Narrator 1:02

And because of this, the SLA sees kidnapping this rich man's daughter as the perfect symbol for what they stand for. And so this kidnapping story blows up and it becomes huge news all over the country. A few days later, the SLA sends a letter to a local radio station for them to read on the air. And the letter is a message to Patricia's dad, like, we kidnapped your daughter, bro. And once people are paying attention, the SLA sends an audio recording of Patricia.

Ty 1:31

Mom, Dad, I'm okay. I had a few scrapes and stuff, but they've washed them up and they're getting okay. I've caught a cold, but they're giving me pills for it.

What were the demands made by the SLA?

Narrator 1:42

But also, the SLA is on tape making demands. Before any form of negotiation for the release of the subject prisoner be initiated, that an action of good faith be shown on the part of the Hearst family. This gesture is to be in the form of food to the needy and the unemployed.

How did Patty's family respond to the ransom demands?

Narrator 1:59

And so the SLA demands that Patricia's dad distribute $70 worth of food to every needy, hungry person in the state of California, which would be around $500 a person today. But donating that much food would cost Patricia's dad an estimated 400 million dollars. So Patricia's dad is like, 400 million dollars? Best I can do is 2 million. And they're only going to distribute the food to needy people around the Bay Area specifically. And so they do this. They distribute $2 million worth of food and it kind of causes a riot, but they get it done. Despite that fact, the SLA doesn't release Patricia like they said they would. Meanwhile, Patricia's captors have started letting her out of the closet little by little.

What was Patty's transformation during captivity?

Narrator 2:42

And she's been talking to them and listening to some of the things they're preaching and they're making her read their like manifestos and stuff. And over the course of a few weeks, she's like, damn, some of the SLA's ideas kind of make sense. I mean, they're pro-women, they're anti-racism, they want the rich to help the needy. Some of these ideas are a little ahead of their time. And this is very appealing to a 19-year-old college student like Patricia. And so about a month later, the SLA finally gives her the option to go home. I mean, they can't hold her forever and they don't really have much use for her anymore. But Patricia decides, nah, I want to join you. I want to be a part of the SLA. Plus, she starts getting mad at her dad.

Why did Patty decide to join the SLA?

Narrator 3:23

She thinks he didn't do enough to help feed those needy people he agreed to feed. So she makes a new audio announcement and sends it.

Ty 3:31

In the last week, it has become obvious to the SLA and to all hungry people and to me that my father has not even attempted to show a gesture of good faith.

What did Patty say in her announcement about her father?

Narrator 3:39

And it's very clear from this recording that she has been fully radicalized.

Ty 3:43

I've chosen to stay and fight. I've been given the name Tanya. Patria o muerte. Venceremos.

Narrator 3:49

Then, about two weeks later, the SLA goes to rob a bank. And Patricia, as one of their members, goes with them. And so they roll up into this bank and they've all got pew-pews. and they start screaming, put the money in the bag, or whatever. But you can see Patricia on security footage here, and she doesn't look like she's being held prisoner. She looks like a full participant in this robbery.