[Cdhrsupport] Strong showing at rally for SF 8; hearing postponed

[SF-8 case]

Strong showing at rally for SF 8; hearing postponed

SF Bayview

by Cynthia Nelson

“Free the SF 8! Kidnapped by the state!” As the 
sun peeked over the city skyline Tuesday morning, 
a lively and vocal crowd of supporters of the 
political prisoners known as the San Francisco 8 
rallied in front of the county jail at 850 
Bryant, where six of the men are now being held.

The 50-100 demonstrators included elders, young 
folks and everyone in between, including a small 
contingent of bike messengers. They join protests 
that have been taking place in Los Angeles, New 
York, Boston, Orlando and elsewhere around the country.

Later that morning, the court was scheduled to 
hold a bail hearing for the SF 8. Bails have been 
set at an impossible $3 million each. Considering 
that the men appeared voluntarily for the 2005 
San Francisco Grand Jury and present a low flight 
risk, the amount is exorbitant. The men, now 
elders, had been living quiet lives and are known 
for community involvement. Some are employed by 
the city or volunteer with city agencies. Herman 
Bell and Jalil Muntaqim have been political prisoners since the 1970s.

The six other Black Panther veterans arrested on 
Jan. 23 were Ray Boudreaux, Richard Brown, Henry 
Watson Jones, Richard O’Neal, Harold Taylor and 
Francisco Torres. The case, which involves the 
shooting death of a San Francisco police officer 
in 1971, has had no leads in three decades. Some 
of the men were charged more than 30 years ago, 
but charges were dropped in 1975 because the only 
evidence was a confession shown to have been 
elicited after prolonged torture. The government 
claims new scientific technology, but the 
technology hasn’t changed in 25 years.

The government seems set on keeping the men 
imprisoned. Barely 20 minutes after the hearing 
began, the courtroom emptied of people wearing 
“Free the SF 8!” buttons. The judge had arraigned 
Francisco Torres, who was recently extradited 
from New York, and then postponed the hearing until April 27.

Mattie Scott is co-founder of The Healing Circle, 
a support group of Black women and men who have 
lost loved ones to violence, and they seek to 
prevent violence from perpetuating. They question 
the priorities of law enforcement: The cases of 
too many slain family members remain open, while 
the California attorney general goes after a case 
with no developments since the ‘70s.

Scott is a neighbor of Richard O’Neal – their 
children grew up together. “He’s done nothing but 
good things for the community, he and Richard 
Brown. And this is just not right,” she comments. 
“We pay taxes, we work here, we raise our 
children here. The police [should] work for us.”

Stuart Hanlon is a defense attorney representing 
Herman Bell. Objecting to the shackles that 
constantly chain the wrists and ankles of the 
brothers, he states, “They’re not security risks, 
but they’re being treated as such.” And 
responding to the nationwide protests and the 
persisting excessive security at the courtroom: 
“People have a right to speak out, and the public 
should. What we’re seeing here is a court system 
that’s afraid of the public. It’s terrific, the support of these men.”

Cynthia Nelson, a media studies graduate student 
at New College and intern at the Bay View, can be 
reached at <mailto:cynthianellie at gmail.com>cynthianellie at gmail.com.

Write to the SF 8

Judging from a letter that a young prisoner at 
850 Bryant wrote to the Bay View, the San 
Francisco 8 are passing around their copies of 
the paper along with generous portions of 
inspiration. As their supporters, it is our job 
to keep their spirits up by writing words of encouragement.

To write to the six who are now being held in the 
San Francisco County Jail, address letters with 
each man’s name and number and this address: 850 
Bryant St., San Francisco CA 94103. Their names and numbers follow:

Ray Boudreaux, 2301300; Richard Brown, 2300819; 
Richard O’Neal, 2300818; Harold Taylor, 2305584; Francisco Torres, 2307534.

Henry W. (Hank) Jones, 2301301 is at 425 Seventh Street, San Francisco CA 94103

The other two are still being held in New York 
prisons: Herman Bell, 79C0262, Sullivan 
Correctional Facility, P.O. Box 116, Fallsburg NY 
12733-0116; Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom), 
77A4283, Auburn Correctional Facility, 135 State 
St., P.O. Box 618, Auburn NY 13024
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