via: San Francisco Bay View (http://www.sfbayview.com) (Great photos at the site!)
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SF 8 and supporters celebrate a bittersweet victory
Posted By blockreportradio on July 9, 2009
Statements by Kiilu Nyasha, Wanda Sabir and Scott Braley on the plea
settlements by Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim, the dropping of charges
against all the others except Francisco Torres and the gathering
Tuesday evening at Ella Hill Hutch Community Center
Statement by Kiilu Nyasha
Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim are both well aware that there is no
justice in the U.S. courts for us – there’s just us, as we used to
say. Jalil did a great job of making sure all four co-defendants would
have their charges dropped before making this decision that I know he
did not want to make.
Nevertheless, I think that we can count this a small but significant
victory, albeit bittersweet without the release of Herman and Jalil
and with the continuation of Cisco’s (Francisco Torres’) case, which
we expect to win or have the charges dismissed. For those who think
this plea bargain is somehow a sell-out, this is definitely not the
case. These brothers still have solidarity with one another and all
recognize, as do I, that our fight cannot continue to rely on their
system of injustice.
We are ultimately going to have to take it to the streets. In the
process of fighting for our global liberation, we must demand the
release of our political prisoners and POWs. This was accomplished in
South Kmt in the 1980s–‘90s. However, while South Kmt got its
political prisoners released, including Nelson Mandela, by letting
that struggle become the main goal of the liberation movement, they
lost sight of the real prize – an egalitarian, socialist society that
would nationalize the nation’s cash cow, the gold and diamond mining
industries, to finance universal health care, education, housing, etc.
Now the masses of South Kmtyws are living in worse poverty than ever
with no liberation movement and no Mkonto we Sizwe (Spear of the
Nation, or military wing). We cannot make the same mistakes over and
over again. The very life of the planet is dependent on us. Surely
there are enough positive and negative examples of liberation
struggles throughout the world – at this point in history – for us to
be able to learn from their mistakes and successes, their defeats and
triumphs.
Power to the people. Free ‘em all.
Kiilu Nyasha, Black Panther veteran, revolutionary journalist and Bay
View columnist, hosts the TV talk show Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
every Friday at 7:30 p.m. on SF Live, San Francisco cable channel 76.
She can be reached at Kiilu2@sbcglobal.net (http://ca.mc365.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Kiilu2@sbcglobal.net)
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Statement by Wanda Sabir
The party Tuesday evening was fun. Many of the folks at the Ella Hill
Hutch Community Center, by the time I arrived, were the same folks I’d
seen at the courthouse yesterday. I was up all night Monday; I just
couldn’t believe the verdict: All charges dropped for five of the six
men who comprise the San Francisco 8, everyone except Francisco Torres.
I don’t think I’d ever been inside the building I’d admired for a long
time. There are these great murals of community heroes and activists
on the outside. I’m glad I arrived when I did, because I was able to
catch Pierre Labossiere, and then not long afterwards Kiilu Nyasha
made it by and we weren’t expecting her. She made my trek across the
Bay totally worth it. In her sunshine-colored top, she lifted our
spirits even higher.
As I stood speaking to an intern at Legal Services for Prisoners with
Children, Courtney and her friend Amina, both graduate students, Amina
at UCSF and Courtney at Brown, Richard O’Neal walked up and said, “I
am SF 8.” I didn’t get it because I didn’t know him until he said,
“I’m the other Richard,” and immediately I remembered his charges
getting dropped in 2008. He was in jail nine months.
He was so bubbly. I loved his positive energy, really exuberant.
In speaking to Jalil’s attorney Daro G. Inouye, who works out of the
San Francisco Public Defender’s Office (30 years now), this afternoon
before heading to San Francisco, I understand better what he meant
yesterday when he said Jalil did a noble thing when he took the plea
for a lesser charge.
Prior to the prosecution’s offer, Inouye was set to file against the
state for holding him on previous charges dropped for insufficient
evidence. He was not in San Francisco when the alleged crime was
committed and, since there was no new evidence, the state had no right
to hold him for two more years. Inouye said Jalil was certain to have
won the suit, but whether or not the other men charged in the SF 8
case would have had all charges dropped was not as easily determined.
Jalil’s change of strategy and use of what Inouye called a “calculated
gamble” to plead no contest in exchange for the release of his co-
defendants was something most of the men were not aware of, I found
out tonight. Whether this move will jeopardize his freedom when he
goes before the New York parole board was something Inouye could not
answer. He said they would probably see how frivolous the case was and
let it go. We’ll have to follow his case closely though and see.
Jalil did a noble thing when he pled no contest in exchange for the
release of his co-defendants. His attorney, Daro Inouye, was set to
file against the state for holding him on previous charges dropped for
insufficient evidence. Jalil was not in San Francisco when the alleged
crime was committed and, since there was no new evidence, the state
had no right to hold him .
Inouye, who said when I spoke to him today that he is carrying a case
load of 120 clients, had to decline my invitation to join us on the
air the following day, Wednesday morning, July 8. Monday, July 6, he
was working two courts and had to run after he savored the victory for
a few minutes to handle another case. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a
sister like Serena or Venus to help him keep the balls in the air and
traveling, something the sisters did well Sunday at Wimbledon [3].
Cisco was in a great mood tonight, laughing with well-wishers and
friends like Pierre from Haiti. Cisco is from Puerto Rico, though he
was raised in New York. All the men are in great spirits, even those,
like Ray, Hank and Richard Brown, who lost their positions or jobs
when their lives were interrupted two and a half years ago. Mortgage
payments have been late, pensions have been exhausted and retirees
like Ray have to go back to work.
I can’t begin to imagine what’s going on with Cisco, whose ordeal is
still not over. But optimism was the operative word here. Send support
(money) to the SF 8 at Free the SF8 - Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (http://www.freethesf8.org) [4]. The work is not over.
One supporter said the “Free SF 8” T-shirts which were on sale tonight
will be collector’s items soon when the SF 8 are all released. We were
chatting about milestones or victories like the one yesterday. I named
a few recent ones like the court’s dropping the felony charges on 16-
year-old David in the Oscar Grant case stemming from his leadership
role in the downtown Oakland action Jan. 7. Other successes or
victories were getting disabled inmate “Chuck” moved from Solano State
Prison to the Medical Facility so he could use a wheelchair and the
Louisiana court’s ruling in favor of Albert Woodfox of the Angola 3
this spring, even though a higher court overturned the ruling to
release him on bail.
It was good seeing Maisha Quint, Javad, Donna Willmott, Linda Evans,
Diana Block, Scott Braley and of course the men we were there to
celebrate, the SF 8 – those absent, political prisoners Herman Bell
and Jalil A. Muntaqim and the late John Bowman, present in our hearts.
Bay View Arts Editor Wanda Sabir can be reached at wsab1@aol.com (http://ca.mc365.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=wsab1@aol.com).
Visit her website at wandaspicks (http://www.wandaspicks.com) [5] for an expanded version
of Wanda’s Picks, her blog, photos and Wanda’s Picks Radio. Her shows
are streamed live Wednesdays at 6-7 a.m. and Fridays at 8-10 a.m. and
archived on the Kmtyw Sistahs’ Media Network, http://www.WandasPicks.ASMNetwork.org (http://www.wandaspicks.asmnetwork.org/)
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Statement by Scott Braley
Big changes! Friends and supporters of the SF 8: After large and
enthusiastic support demonstrations before court, Jalil Muntaqim and
Herman Bell have made tactical pleas to reduced charges. Because of
this, and because of two years of mass opposition to charges based on
statements made under torture, Harold Taylor, Richard Brown, Ray
Boudreaux and Hank Jones had all charges dropped. Only Francisco
(Cisco) Torres still has charges, which he, the rest of the Brothers
and the defense committee will continue to fight. With your support,
we have almost defeated a case which has felt the full vindictiveness
of the FBI, Homeland Security and the SFPD.
Scott Braley, a member of the San Francisco 8 Defense Committee and a
photojournalist who has recorded the entire SF 8 ordeal, can be
reached at scottb@igc.org (http://ca.mc365.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=scottb@igc.org).
on a move! free dem all! brick by brick wall by wall we have to free mumia abul jamal!
it is not over till the fat lady sings,we have to continue to fight for the release for jalil mutaquin and herman bell