THE TIO prep to 0
into 1993, there indeed a tional
atmo phere of " nticipation and
yearning for chan e." The political
force that were in control of the
dmini tration in W hington for
t twelve years are on the ay
out of office.
Yet, the e are times that demand
the vigil nee of the civil right
community throughout the nation.
Full voting rights and statehood for
the District of Columbia would be a
positive step forward th t would help
make our democracy more inclusive.
to continuo to
INIlldlOtII ot tho of
District of Columb
their full vo 11gb. Statehood fo
D.C. is not an unfair demand on
anybody. The of j lice
served hen all cltize treated
equitably.
Let us ep the pre Ute on!
Sta boodIDdJUIticeforD.C. muld
be DOW I
There i ,however, ome ood
n w bout this important ue. In
direct re pons to the leadership of
Congre wom n Eleanor Holm
orton (D-D.C.), House Democra
have voted to give Delegate orton
the right to vote on the House floor
beginning in January 1993. House
,
Wo
I: , 2�� YOU GUYS HAVE DECIDED TO GET AN E�.RLY START ON rus WEEKEND."
"There is something about
Sundiaa that exudes calm. From
every part 0/ his being you can sense
the presenc« of revolutionary spirit
and fervor. And his love for Black
people . so intense that you can
almost touch it and hold it in your
hand. "
, , -A 8 t. Shakur
New Afrikan Prisoner of War,
Sundiata Acoli has endured nearly
two decades in U.S. gulugs in several
states, and is thus, one of the longest
held political prisoners in the world.
Sundiata was arrested and tried
with Assata Shakur (who was later
freed from prison) following the May
2, 1973 ambush on the New Jersey
Turnplke in which New York's
former Deputy Minister of
Information of the Black Panther
Party, Za yd Malik Shakur, was
.assasslnated by NJ. state troopers.
Although in the car during the
ambush on the turnpike, Sundiata
wisely fled the scene, and captured
two day later, he found himself
charged not only ith killing a state
trooper, but with killing Zayd, his
comrade, as well!
The "trial" inMorri County, NJ.,
a white bastion of wealth, was an
exercise in bias. Black potential
hine
on
jurors (although exceedingly rare)
were peremptorily removed. Police
appeared as both fact and expert
witnesses. The judge was the son of
a police chief, who refused to recuse
himself from a highly publicized trial
involving the death of a state
policeman. County sheriffs
eavesdropped on.jury deliberations
daily and reported to prosecutors.
Media reports, citing police and
prosecutorial leads, saturated the
county, and served to insure no fair
panel woUld be selected free from the
flood of coverage.
Under such a regime, a "trial" was
a formali ty and conviction a foregone
conclusion.
transferring' Acoli, in the dead of
night, into the federal prison system,
even though he had been neither
charged nor convicted of aL'Y federal
crime. His Ihidnight removal seemed
to confirm the findings of the
respected world judicial panel, and if
the transfer wasn't confirmation,
surely his treatment was. ,
Beatings, tampered foods,
tampered mail, interruptions of legal
visits, denial of visits from lawyers,
was the order of the day, all designed
to further isolate Acoli from both his
family and his revolutionary
supporters. Babies and old women
were brutally haras ed and
intimidated by those sworn to upbold
the "law," federal agen and prison
staffs. Still, through the withering
hatred and fear of the tate, Sundlata
Acoli persevered, with a smile.
MUMIA
ABU
JAMAL
-,
,
•
z
SUNDIATA ACOU, with no
Significant criminal history, but a
wellnoted and significant political
history (member, Harlem Chapter
Black Panther Party, former member
of famed Panther 21-[later
acquitted]--case) was sentenced to
life plus 30 years.
ShorUy after his sham of a trial, an
international panel of jurists released
a report condemning (he process as
violative of international law,
naming Sundiata Acoli as a "political
prisoner" who had been denied the
norms of aw;"
The state responded by
FROM
DEATH
ROW
Hi. 'one-time CO-defendant,
Assata Sbakur, wrote lovingly of him
in her book from ezile, Assata;
"EveI)' time I see him he looks
like he belongs 'on a porch
somew�re down South, brcatbingin
the IUlDlDel air and bouncing babies
on his knee. The truth of the matter is
that Sundiata 15 COUDtry. He would'
deny it to the bitter end, but he is sho
nuff eountry. " .
You can write to him at; Sundiata
Aeoli, 139794-066, P.O. Box 1000,'
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Bowing to a dwarf will
not prevent you from
standing erect again.
MIa ...... Prowrb
t
Chief Kno
Our Man of
the Year
•
•
•
Detroit Police Chief Stanley Knox should earn everyone's Man of
the Year Award,
When he fired the four officers charged with beating Malice Green
beating death, he did hat many African American public officials are
, hesitant to do: take charge.uo right, exercise authority responsibly on
behalf of the co nity..
Police officers, who take an oath to uphold the law, should be the
I last to break it ard the first to suffer consequences if they do.
Yet, a check of the personnel files for these officers charged in the
• beating of Green reveals a history of community complaints for
: brutality and harassment.
: A second complaint from the public on anyone officer should be
grounds for immediate dismissal. · I.
\ d�1 the P'lIilic feels for IbC misjllS�; inj:S"ti!"'cetMNIand",,1 IbChnofll1lJiMl,US"'tiCe",c n
perpetrated on inner city residents in the name of law and order.
This disgust is not reflected nor understood by the majority society.
TI_1us, the attorneys defending the officers riduculed testimony
given at the preliminary exam that the officers had offered drugs to
citizens and possessed a toy gun to be used as evidence of a threat.
Too many inner city residents across this country know that type
of criminal activity conducted under the guise of law enforcement is
: anything but rare. In Benton Harbor, for example, there is an officer
notorious in the community for his questionable activity with drugs,
and drug dealing; an officer who plays out judge, jury and prosecutor
as he chooses.
: One of the most debilitating blows to justice-and the foundation
: of much of the other illicit activity by authorities - is the corrupting
: practice of using snitches. Certain thugs, criminals -murderers even
: -walk free, inflicting mayhem on the community because they have
: the license to be a criminal bestowed on them by virtue of their status
: as a police informant.
: When police authorities tum their head for one criminal in order to
: use his testimony to convict another, lady Justice not only dies, she's
: buried ten feet under, with no bope of resurection.
. We urge Chief Knox to continues on his path. His action took
: courage and he deserves our recognition. May he continue on, weeding
: out tbose who have forgotten they are public servants.
: Dumping the practice of snitches would be the most welcome
: second step. Who knows, the community may yet regain control of the
: streets.
£.�. f�
. 19+1