Bell, Gabriel
Resident of Sanctuary District A in San Francisco, Earth, after whom the Bell Riots of 2024 were named. Bell went down in history as the one responsible for ensuring the safety of hostages being held during the uprising while demands were being made to close the Sanctuary Districts and reinstate the Federal Employment Act. Sacrificing his own life to save those of the hostages, he became a national hero, and outrage over his death and the deaths of hundreds of other residents changed public opinion about the Sanctuaries, leading to their closure and sweeping social reforms in the United States.
In fact, the real Gabriel Bell died just days before the riots began, stabbed to death when he tried to intervene in an altercation between a gang of "ghosts" — dangerous residents of the Sanctuary who preyed on others — and a couple of newcomers. The newcomers were Benjamin Sisko and Julian Bashir of the 24th century, who found themselves in this time and place after a transporter accident. Realizing that their presence led to Bell's death, Sisko adopted his identity when the uprising broke out and government employees were taken hostage, and made sure the hostages would not be harmed while the residents had their voices heard.
History recorded that Bell was killed when government troops stormed the Processing Center. Sisko, whom everyone believed was Bell, was shot in the shoulder, but not fatally. After the smoke cleared, two of the District guards protected by Sisko returned the favor and switched his and Bashir's ID cards for two of the casualties. Therefore the historical record was restored and subsequent events transpired the way they were supposed to, although the photo attributed to Bell was actually that of Sisko.
