[Cdhrsupport] SF Bayview - San Francisco 8 strong in court appearance

[SF-8 case]

San Francisco 8 strong in court appearance
February 15 - SF Bayview

by Claude Marks and Cynthia Nelson

In a significant showing of support, family and 
friends of four of the San Francisco 8 packed the 
San Francisco courtroom of Judge Little on 
Wednesday. The Healing Circle, a group of Black 
parents who have lost loved ones to violence, 
were the most visible assembly. They carried 
signs bearing the names of those they had lost, 
questioning the City’s pursuit of these ancient 
cases – against men who worked with youngsters to 
stop the violence – while it closes the 
investigations into their children’s killings.

Many people were unable to get into the 
overflowing courtroom. And despite the usual 
metal detectors and bag searches at the entrance 
to the building, those entering the courtroom 
were again scanned with metal detector wands.
As the four – Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown, Hank 
Jones and Richard O‘Neal – were brought into the 
courtroom in shackles, supporters burst into 
applause, long and loud. The judge immediately 
halted the proceedings, and the large showing of 
sheriff’s and SWAT officers cleared the 
courtroom. Supporters filled the hallway outside 
Department 12 chanting, “No justice, no peace.“ 
Defense attorneys objected to closing a public 
hearing and the judge agreed to let people back 
into court if they agreed not to be noisy, but 
only after every individual was again searched by 
sheriff’s deputies and wanded.

Unlike their previous court appearances since the 
arrests in January, the men were shackled in 
court, and close to a dozen sheriff’s deputies 
and SWAT officers were inside the courtroom. The 
hearing opened with defense attorneys arguing 
against the redundant wanding at the courtroom 
entrance and for the unshackling of the brothers 
as “they represent no threat to the court or the public.“

They pointed out that the men had appeared 
voluntarily and without need of such extensive 
police presence during the 2005 San Francisco 
Grand Jury and that the shackling and heavy 
security were prejudicial – especially feeding 
the sensationalist coverage of the corporate 
media. The court agreed to hear security issues 
in a future meeting with the sheriff and lawyers.

None of the men have yet entered pleas in the 
conspiracy and murder case stemming from the 
killing of a San Francisco police officer at the 
Ingleside Police Station in August of 1971. The 
defense called for full disclosure of government 
documents, some of which were described as 
inaccurate and inflammatory. Some government 
documents had been presented to the court in 
secret hearings outside the presence of defense 
attorneys, where they could not be contested.
Although there has yet to be a formal bail 
hearing, Judge Little did lower the outrageous 
bail for Ray Boudreaux and Hank Jones from $5 
million to $3 million – still outrageous – 
equalized to the bail for Richard Brown and 
Richard O‘Neal. A formal hearing on their bail as 
well as other motions was scheduled for Tuesday, March 13.

“Today’s court appearance was significant in a 
number of ways,“ explained attorney Stuart 
Hanlon. “The strong public support for the four 
men in court was a powerful reminder that these 
men are part of their communities and are not criminals.

“The attorney general’s comments made clear that 
they (the state prosecutors) want to keep these 
men in jail on high bail and that they will make 
excuses to explain the 35-year delay in bringing 
this case.” California’s attorney general is now 
Jerry Brown, former governor, who was until last month mayor of Oakland.

“It was made clear to us that this is the 
beginning skirmish of a legal war with high 
stakes – the freedom of these eight former 
Panthers and the rewriting of political history 
by the government criminalizing the Black Panther 
Party and African American freedom fighters from 
the ‘60s and ‘70s. It is a war we will win and 
that we have to win. And it is a war where the 
support of the community, in and out of court, is crucial.“
The brothers seemed strong and in good spirits.

Claude Marks, founder and director of Freedom 
Archives, can be reached at 
<mailto:claude at freedomarchives.org>claude at freedomarchives.org. 
Cynthia Nelson, journalism graduate student at 
New College and intern at the Bay View, can be 
reached at <mailto:cynthianellie at gmail.com>cynthianellie at gmail.com.

PHOTO: SF8 hearing Healing Circle 021407 by Scott Braley.jpg

CAPTION: Lloyd Jones, Mattie Scott, Judy Hughes 
and Paulette Brown, members of the Healing 
Circle, a group of parents who have lost loved 
ones to violence, came to the SF 8 hearing to ask 
why the police are imprisoning these community 
leaders, who have worked to stop the violence, 
when their loved ones’ cases have not been solved.
Photo: Scott Braley


The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org  
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