Audio interview with Claude Marks of the Freedom Archives about the San Francisco 8. Claude talks about the current charges, the context of COINTELPRO targeting liberation groups in the 1960's and 70's, and how people today can support the San F
recorded by dj questionmark
Audio interview with Claude Marks of the Freedom Archives about the San Francisco 8. Claude talks about the current charges, the context of COINTELPRO targeting liberation groups in the 1960's and 70's, and how people today can support the San Francisco 8 and stay informed.
From Committee for the Defense of Human Rights: http://cdhrsupport.org/index.html
Murder Charges Against Former Black Panthers Based on Confessions Extracted by Torture
Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, and Hank Jones were arrested in California. Francisco Torres was arrested in Queens, New York. Harold Taylor was arrested in Florida. Two men charged have been held as political prisoners for over 30 years 'â Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim are both in New York State prisons. A ninth man -- Ronald Stanley Bridgeforth 'â is still being sought. The men were charged with the murder of Sgt. John Young and conspiracy that encompasses numerous acts between 1968 and 1973.
Harold Taylor and John Bowman (recently deceased) as well as Ruben Scott (thought to be a government witness) were first charged in 1975. But a judge tossed out the charges, finding that Taylor and his two co-defendants made confessions after police in New Orleans tortured them for several days employing electric shock, cattle prods, beatings, sensory deprivation, plastic bags and hot, wet blankets for asphyxiation.