Amnesty Asked by 2 Panthers
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MONA OW 4 a:Panthers? 4, Amnesty Want to Return Asked by Continued from Page a< want to reurn to the U. S. ...at "It's their country," the lawyer said. "It's no fun liv- 2 Panthers ing in Algeria. It's living in exile." By RALPH BLUMENFELD Tabor may have extra Acquitted Black Panther fugitives Michael Tabor and homesickness. He has half- Richard Moore today demanded that District Attorney la written a book, and wouki Hogan offer them amnesty on bail-jumping charges so they X like to see it published here. can come home from Algeria. • Another book, the autobi- Their lawyers, Gerald Lefcourt and William E. Crain, ography of the Panther 21, said Hogan should act because he was responsible for the will be in print within three high $100,000 and $50,000 bail set for all 13 Panthers ac- weeks, Crain said. Random quitted Thursday in an alleged bomb-and-murder con- House is publishing the spiracy. work, ntitled "Look for Me "Hogan called a big press Indicted, on one condition. In the Whirlwind," with chap- conference on April 2, 1969, That would be if the four ters by 16 of the indicted the day they were arrested," in Algeria return to Hogan's Panthers, including all the '-7 Lefeourt said. "He went on jurisdiction voluntarily, to defendants. Five of the 21 TV and scared the city and face the bail-jumping charge could not meet their dead- scared the country with the or have it dropped and per- line ) idea that the Panthers were mit him to close the case once The mood at the Lawyers N running around with bombs and for all. Commune, at 640 Broadway, and guns. That's how he got • Tabor and Moore fled last Letcoures headquarters, re- $100,000 bail. Feb. 8, jumping bail of $50,- trained euphoric the day af- "He should call another 000 and $100,000 resPectively. ter the mass acquittal and It; press conference now. He Crain said amnesty also the celebration that followed should tell Moore and Tabor would be sought for two —a champagne party graced they can come back and he by 15 of the 16 jurors and other Panthers in Algeria, alternates. won't indict them." Nathaniel (Sekou Odinga) Want to Return Only Mrs. Elite Yanes, Jur- Burns and Larry Mack, e* No. 8, was unable to at- A federal warrant was is- named as co-conspirators in sued on the bailjumprmg tend the mixer of defendants, the original 30-count defense charges, but any prosecution ment. Both eluded a pre- lawyers and jurors. of the two must be made by dawn police dragnet here 25 'Conspiracy Was Convicted' Hogan's office. The maxi- months ago. Lefcourt said there was no mum prison sentences is four Despite their warm wel- way the defense could prop- come in socialist Algeria, erly thank the jurors'—"they Chre Panther lawyer con- with Panther philosopher were the only thing that de- siders it unlikely that Hogan Eldridge Cleaver and a dozen cided this trial"--except by will agree to amnesty, for the n Inviting them to the party. four fugitives in Algeria, but or so other Panthers, Crai It might have been the last speculates that the DA wouldthat said the there New Yorkis no foursomequestion fury of is kind, he said, if dismiss charges against the current efforts succeed in the co-conspirators who weren't Continued on Page 8 Legislature to limit defense lawyers' roles in selecting a Jury, by turning over most of that function to judges. But there's no doubt, Lef- court said, that the Panther 13 acquital has heartened the radical community nationally. He waved a sheaf of con- gratulatorY telegrams, and estimated he had gotten 500 phone calls. "I think it's a big up," he said. "Conspiracy (as an Idea] was vonvicted and the de- Two Panthers fendants were acquitted. And we're not a fluke, either. Look what's happened.. " 'Ask AMA ' g He cited the "mini-Panther" Continued from Page 8 O conspiracy case defended by bail. He faces an attempted g Paul Chevigny here a few robbery charge. So does .„ months ago, which resulted in Lumumba Shakur, who is acquittal, and the Harlem Five also charged with possession case, which ended in acquittal of a dealy weapon. on conspiracy charges four Same Gun, Another Charge hours after the Panther 21 Shakur and William verdict - Kinshasa King are both Dc. Some Still Jailed charged with kidnaping in - Prosecutions f black revo- the inmates' rebellion at the lutionaries are at low tide. Queens House of Detention -c last fall. Their bail hearing z„' Thomas (Mshina) Berry is Charges against David Hil- a fugitive, his whereabouts liard, chief of staff of the na- is Tuesday. -AU Bey Hassan has a gun 141 unknown. Lonnie Epps, a tional Black Panther Party, juvenile when indicted, will were dismissed last week. The possession charge pending in hte Bronx—the same gun, have his case heard June 2. New Haven murder cases Crain also hopes the against party chairman Bob- said Lefcourt, which was same withdarwn from the jury's hearing will be attended by by Seale and Ericka Huggins another Panther teenager, goes to the jury momentarily, consideration in the con- spiracy trial early this week Eddie Joseph, who jumped and murder charges against $5000 bail and fled. former Panther 21 lawyer Ar- by Justice John M. Murtagh, Lee Berry's case was se- thur Turco are still pending in along with sixx other gun Baltimore. counts. vered due to illness. Richard Lefcourt said the five Pan- Robert Collier, on parole Harris awaits trial on an- ther defendants sent back to when arrested in the con- other charge in a New Jer- Hikers Island while awaiting spiracy case, will seek rein- sey trial on other, unrelated, statementof parole to avoid charges would probably be having to finish the last half bailed out within a week— of a five-year sentence in a free for . the first time in conspiracy to bomb the Sta- over two years. tue of Liberty. -One; Clark Squire;-was re-- Of the 21 Panthers origi- leased yesterday in $7500 nally indicted, eight still Continued on Page 9 could be prosecuted on the same charges, in theory. But that would mean unlikely in view of the conspiracy jury's total _ repudiation of the prosecution case-156 counts, 156 "not guilty" verdicts. The only alleged co-con- spirator apparently open to prosecution now is Donald Weems, 24, also known as Kwesi Balagoon. He al- legedly fired shots at Patrol- man Roland McKenzie in the Harlem River Dr. incident, with one bullet penetrating McKenzie's summons pouch. That trial, if it took place, would deal with a tangible charge, assault, rather than an intangible conspiracy. Where They'Are Weems has been in jail throughout the conspiracy trial, facing a separate charge of assault in New Jersey. Now that there is bail money available, Crain hopes to meet Weems' $25,000 bond. .