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Panther 21 Trial:Another Chicago New York (LNS) — Four Days a Denied Reading Mewl Anct Rec- Day

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Panther 21 trial:Another Chicago New York (LNS) — Four days a denied reading mewl anct rec- day. The first week of the trial, week, Monday through Thursday, reational facilities. Their rela- posters taken from the house of thirteen Black Panthers sit down tives were denied full visiting defendant Michael Tabor were together to face trial in the privileges; their lawyers were shown to one of the state's wit- Supreme Court of New York. Ten harassed by prison officials. nesses, Detective Coffey. There months ago District Attorney Sitting before them is Judge were five posters, one of two Frank Hogan charged them with John M. Murtagh. Murtagh is a black athletes raising clenched conspiring to blow up department sly fox. He tries to maintain his fists at the Olympics, another of stores, to murder policemen, to cool. His fundamental point is Huey P. Newton smoking a ciga- dynamite railroad lines, and to that the trial isn't political. It's rette, a third of Huey and Bobby explode the Botanical Gardens. a criminal case, he contends; G. Seale with guns, a fourth of a So New York City's Panther lead- the defendants are not on trial black mother and her child, and ership has spent 10 months in jail for their ideas; they are not on the last of Mao Tse-tung. The without trial. trial for being members of the audience cheered when the post- One of the defendants, Afeni Black Panther Party, but for their ers of Huey and Bobby were held Shakur, said that black people criminal acts. But Murtagh has up. When asked why he had torn knew the plot was a frame-up. sustained the political atmos- the posters off the walls, even "Why would the Black Panther phere which has surrounded the though he did not have a search Party bomb the stores that peo- trial from the start. warrant, Detective Coffey, who ple shop in?" she said. On April 2, 1969, D.A. Hogan has admitted he believes the Among the 13, it is sus- appeared on television and out- "Panthers should be eliminated," pected, there is a police informer, lined for the public a gruesome said that the posters "provided a Judas. In the course of the trial story of planned Panther atroc- evidence of conspiracy." Asked he will probably reveal his iden- ities. D.A. Phillips, who -is pros- how a poster of two black ath- tity and testify about the con- ecuting the case, calls the Pan- letes raising their fists gave spiracy. Now, no one knows for thers "a terrorist organization." evidence of conspiracy, he was sure who he is. Judge Murtagh, aiming to main- unable to answer. In the beginning there were 21 tain the public image of the Pan- Murtagh has launched a three- Panthers named in the indict- thers as a desperate terrorist fold attack. On the opening day, in ment Three of them — Nathaniel group, has instructed the police to a highly irregular procedure, he Burns (also known as Nathaniel search the courtroom for bombs. had the Panthers separated from Williams), LarrY Mack, and Outside the courthouse at 100 their lawyers, lawyers on one Thomas Berry — have eluded the Center Street a police closed- side, Panthers on the other side of police. Someplace, somewhere, circuit television camera takes the court. These physical condi- they are free. Two other men for pictures of everyone who enters tions made it impossible for most whom arrest warrants were orig• and leaves the building. Uniform- of the 13 defendants to consult with inally issued — Kwesi Balagoon ed policemen surround the build- their attorneys. (also known as Donald Weems) ing; they line the corridors in- From the start of this case the and Richard Harris — are being side, and there are over 30 court (Please turn to Page 17) held on charges of robbery in attendants, each with a pistol un- Newark, New Jersey, where der his blue uniform, in the Mayor Addonizio faces charges of courtroom itself. Murtagh has graft and corruption. A 22nd de helped to create what Panther fendant, Fred Richardson,was tack- attorney Sanford Katz calls the (fromPage 14) ed on to thttlattater on. lib was atniosphereof "an armed camp." judges and the D.A.'s have tried released in $25,000 bail, and On the fourth day of the trial, to block communication between skipped a hearing last year. He Phillips and Murtagh worked hand the Panthers and their lawyers — has not been seen or heard from in glove to build the political the Panthers were held in dif- since, and the Panthers say he is hysteria against the Panther& The ferent prisons making it impos- not a member of the Black Pan- witness for that day, Detective sible for their lawyers to meet ther Party. William Halloram, is a personal with them together as a group. Only Recently two other men have friend of the Judge. His wife is after prolonged court battles were been added to the indictment •-- Murtagh's private secretary. the Panthers placed together in the Kinshasa (also known as William When the defense asked Halloram same jail. King) and Shaba-Um (Lee Roper). to give his address, Phillips ob- For the first week of the trial That makes 13: Afeni Shakur, Joan jected, saying that he .:had board Murtagh denied the defense a copy Bird, Dr. Curtis Powell, Robert black people in the audience say of the court transcript. Tran- Collier, Dahruba (Richard Moore), they would. "kill pigs," and that scripts are essential to the de- Alex McKiever, Lumumba Abdul they would "settle this thing in fense's ability to show contradic- Shakur, Ali Bey Hassan (John J. the streets." Murtagh sustained tions in the prosecution testimony. Casson), Walter Johnson, Michael Phillips' objection. He noted that Defendants who are poor are Tabor, Clark Squires, Shaba-Um, these brave witnesses were taking and Kinshasa. their lives in their hands by ap- Three Panthers have had their Rearing in court to testify. He said cases severed from the others. that the court was dealing with Two high school students, Lonnie dangerous criminals. Phillips Epps, 17, and Eddie Josephs, 17, added that policemen all over the were granted youthful offender country had been killed by Pan- February 20, 1970 status. Lee Berry, an epileptic thers, When defense attorney who is in critical condition in William Crain reminded the court Bellevue Hospital, has also been of the murder of Fred Hampton separated from the current trial. and Mark Clark by Chicago pigs, For 10 months these Panthers Murtagh pounded both his fists have been held in jail. They were on the table, and said, "1 refuse kept in solitary confinement with to make any comment on that lights burning 24 hours a day. statement." He had blown his Several had, no mattresses to cool. sleep on. Joan Bird and Afeni Shakur were given four sheets The courtroom is a battle of toilet tissue _a day.k They were ground. A war goes on every ordinerily given the transcript free. Murtagh has insisted that the defendants prove they are in- digent. When they were first arrested, April 2, they were poor. After 10 months in jail, they have Page 17 become no richer, especially with dating the lawyers, using the with his lawyeMe got up out of any money they can raise going to- threat of prison sentences for con- his seat and proceeded to walk to- ward their bail; many of the Pan- tempt in an attempt to force them ward the lasiyer. Immediately, a ther wives are on welfare. It took to control their own clients. court attendant grabbed hold of a week of battling with Murtagh to Murtagh is concerned with ap- him and pulled him down. The get a free copy of the transcript. pearing liberal. Three of the de- other Panthers jumped up to pro- Since they are poor, the size of fendants are Muslims, and observe test. the bail is equivalent to no bail at Friday as a high religious day. The second outbreak occurred all. Eleven of the 13 Panthers are Murtagh granted their request to when Murtagh refused to grant held in $100,000 bail apiece, two cancel court on Friday. So, while the defense a transcript until fur- others on $50,000 each. Three in fact he denies them a fair trial, ther evidence of their indigency days before the trial began, Afeni Murtagh can say, "Look, I've re- was offered. He was also attack- Shakur was released from the spected their beliefs." Freedom of ing attorney Crain. The tension woman's House of Detention; religion. in the courtroom was building up. Episcopalian and Presbyterian For all these reasons — because Dr. Curtis Powell got up and Churches put up funds for her re- he has misrepresented the truth, called the judge a "Fascist Pig." lease. and because the District Attorney Dahruba got up, and told Murtagh When Afeni Shakur stepped out saw to it that Murtagh was the "You're the criminal." Then of jail she said that "not for one judge in this case — the defense at- Mary Ann Weissman, a member second did the 21 doubt the people." torneys have asked that he step of Youth' Against War and She told a group of Panthers and down. Gerald B. Lefcourt argued Fascism, stood up in the audience, white revolutionaries that the that Murtagh "sits at the D.A.'s and asked Murtagh "Who judges "struggle is a lifetime thing," table," noting that there is not your conduct?" Dahruba shouted that "you're supposed to be tired.
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