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ByDonThompson TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO Hugo Pi- nell, a notorious killer with ties to the 1960s and 1970s black revolutionary move- ment, survived 45 years as the longest-serving inmate in California's prison iso- lation units, partly for his own protection. Just days after he was moved into the general prison popula- tion, fellow inmates fatally stabbed him in an exercise yard. Pinell became infamous for his role as one of the San Quentin 6, where he helped slit the throat of San Quen- tin prison guards during a failed 1971 escape attempt that killed six. The 71-year-old, known as "Yogi Bear," was killed Wednesday by two other inmates in an exercise yard at California State Prison, Sacramento, prison offi- cials said. His family may consider a wrongful death lawsuit arguing that prison officials should have known Pinell would immediately be marked for death once he was moved to the general population prison housing unit days ago, his attorney said Thursday. "He has been a target from just about every group in prison because of his no- toriety and what he did years ago," said Keith Wat- tley, his Oakland-based at- torney. "This was foresee- able, which is what makes it so much worse and why the family is looking for an- swers as to why prison offi- cials let this happen." Pinell was one of nearly 1,000 inmates moved out of the state's isolation units and into the general population in recent months as the de- partment responded to crit- icism that too many inmates were being held in solitary confinement, Department of Corrections and Rehabil- itation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. Thornton said that be- cause the investigation is ongoing she could not re- spond to the criticism of his transfer to the general prison population, nor say if officials feared for Pinell's safety. "They don't know why these two inmates attacked him yet," she said. "That's what we hope to learn from the investigation." The slaying at the maxi- mum security facility east of Sacramento triggered a melee by about 70 other in- mates that sent 11 prison- ers to outside hospitals with stab wounds, corrections of- ficials said. Five remained hospitalized Thursday, one in critical condition. Despite spending nearly all of his adult life locked up, Pinell maintained a strong following outside the prison walls. He wrote long letters posted to a website by sup- porters, addressing the civil rights movement and the decades of solitary confine- ment that he likened to be- ing "buried alive," with no contact visits with relatives or friends since December 1970. He was allowed a 15-minute contact meeting to marry a woman, who has since died. Pinell survived repeated assassination attempts over the years even while he was kept isolated from other prisoners, first in adminis- trative segregation cells and later in Pelican Bay State Prison's security housing unit with other purported gang leaders. "He's had other prisoners throw bombs into his cell, shoot him with prison-man- ufactured guns, stab him and otherwise physically attack him," Wattley said. Most were in the 1970s and 1980s, but Pinell had death threats as recently as this year, after he was moved to the prison dubbed "New Folsom" that houses about 2,300 inmates in the sub- urb 25 miles east of Sacra- mento. Many of the assaults and threats were by members of the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood, which wanted to kill Pinell for his purported involvement in the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang with San Quen- tin 6 ringleader George Jackson, who was killed in the escape attempt, Wattley said. Pinell long denied any gang connection, but de- cades ago he led other black inmates who refused to ac- cept some prison policies. "Being in this kind of confinement is terrible, yes, in many ways, but try- ing to make it in the streets is harder, more challenging, and we knew that, in the 60s, and that's why we were working hard to change and prepare for the streets re- ality," Pinell wrote in a let- ter posted on the website, which includes instructions on how to send him money and cards. His supporters describe him as a political prisoner and "a revolutionary hero." In his letters, he described learning at San Quentin of the Black Liberation Move- ment and efforts to improve the lives of black prisoners. Pinell was initially sen- tenced to life in prison in 1965 for a San Francisco- area rape. He received a second life sentence for kill- ing Correctional Officer R.J. McCarthy in 1971 at the Cor- rectional Training Facility in Soledad, and a third life sentence for the San Quen- tin escape attempt after he was convicted of assaulting two correctional officers. He was denied parole 10 times, most recently in May 2014. PRISON RIOT Notoriousinmate'slawyersays officials knew he was target By Seth Borenstein The Associated Press WASHINGTON The cur- rent El Niño, nicknamed Bruce Lee, is already the second strongest on record for this time of year and could be one of the most potent weather changers of the past 65 years, fed- eral meteorologists say. But California and other drought struck areas bet- ter not count on El Niño rescuing them like in a Bruce Lee action movie, experts say. "A big El Niño guaran- tees nothing," said Mike Halper, deputy director of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Adminis- tration's Climate Predic- tion Center. "At this point there's no cause for rejoic- ing that El Niño is here to save the day." Winter Every few years, the winds shift and the water in the Pacific Ocean gets warmer than usual. The resulting El Niño changes weather worldwide, mostly affecting the United States in winter. In addition to Califor- nia, El Niño often brings heavy winter rain to much of the southern and east- ern U.S. It's also likely to make the northern winters warmer and southeastern U.S. winters a bit cooler, but not much, Halpert said. The middle of the U.S. usually doesn't get too much of an El Niño effect, he said. California's state cli- matologist Michael An- derson noted that only half the time when there have been big El Niños has there been meaning- fully heavy rains. The state would need 1½ times its normal rainfall to get out of this extended drought and that's unlikely, Halp- ert said Thursday. Still, this El Niño is shaping up to be up there with the record-setters, because of incredible warmth in the key part of the Pacific in the last three months, Halpert said. He said the current El Niño likely will rival ones in 1997-1998, 1982-83 and 1972-73. NASA oceanographer Bill Patzert said satellite measurements show this El Niño to be currently more powerful than 1997- 98, which often is thought of as the king. But that one started weaker and fin- ished stronger, he said. This El Niño is so strong a NOAA blog unofficially named it the "Bruce Lee" of El Niños after the late movie action hero. The California-based Patzert, who points out that mud- slides and other mayhem happens, compares it to Godzilla. Benefits Economic studies fa- vor the hero theme, show- ing that El Niños tend to benefit the United States. Droughts and Atlantic hur- ricanes are reduced. Cali- fornia mudslides notwith- standing, the U.S. econ- omy benefited by nearly $22 billion from that 1997- 98 El Niños, according to a study. El Niño does tend to cause problems elsewhere in the world. And while El Niño often puts a big damper on the Atlantic hurricane season, that means more storms in the Pacific, such as Hawaii, Halpert said. So far this year, tropical cyclone ac- tivity in the Pacific is far higher than normal. WEATHER Federal experts: El Niño may be historically strong CALIFORNIADEPARTMENTOFCORRECTIONSANDREHABILITATION Inmate Hugo Pinell. Pinell was involved in a 1971San Quentin escape attempt that le six dead. GET A FREE RESCUE ALERT WITH ESTIMATE! 2DAYINSTALLATION•LIFETIMEWARRANTIES 100% FINANCING AVAILABLE (O.A.C.) MOST PROJECTS COMPLETED IN ONE DAY 530-513-6168 CA LIC #711042 Veterans Discount ASK ABOUT OUR LOW PRICE GUARANTEE WALK-IN TUBS • SAFETY SHOWERS WATER SAVING SAFETY SHOWERS WALK-IN TUBS $0 MONEY DOWN 0 PAYMENTS 0% INTEREST FOR 12 MONTHS WWW.SELIGCONSTRUCTION.COM FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 A