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<div align="center"><font size=3><u>No Surrender</u> and the Losses of
10/20/81<br>
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The
warm reception for my book is most welcome. I hope the title hasn’t
caused any misunderstanding. “No Surrender” comes from the Nazim Hikmet
poem about prison, which opens the book, on never giving up one’s
principles, spirit, and zest for life. I did not at all mean to refer to
a military concept or in any way to glorify the shoot-out that led to my
incarceration.<br>
<br>
I feel
terrible about the deaths, the wounds, the fractured lives and families
that resulted from that action. I’ve said this (and talked more
specifically about the errors I made) in the few interviews I’ve done
over the years, but perhaps my regrets and apologies haven’t been heard
clearly because of all I’ve also had to say about the colossal violence
of the social system and the brutal attacks on the Black Liberation
Movement. However, my relationship to the deaths on 10/21/81 is very
direct, so I need to address those losses very directly. Such a statement
is especially needed because during trial, feeling very embattled and
defending armed struggle as an abstract principle. I failed to publicly
express regrets about the individuals who had been killed and
wounded.<br>
<br>
I feel
terrible about the loss of life and the pain and suffering for the
families of the two officers and guard who were killed. [I am not
mentioning them by name out of respect for the wishes of the families.]
Whatever the historical context for us, these three men just happened to
be on duty that day. So it must have been an especially bitter loss for
their families.<br>
<br>
In
another sad repercussion three days later, longtime Black liberation
activist Mtayari Sundiata was killed by police. All the losses are more
anguishing because they resulted from the grievous mistakes we
made.<br>
<br>
My own
family was badly hurt; they never got to make choices about the risks I
would take but they suffered the consequences. Yet as hard as it’s been
for us, we’ve still been able to maintain a strong, tangible connection.
The families of those who died were left with far more devastating
losses: children growing up without fathers, mothers carrying on without
husbands, families without a chance to share joys or ever again to hug
their loved ones.<br>
<br>
In any
struggle, no matter how intense, we must never lose our feeling for each
and every human being. The only reason to become an activist is love,
love for the preciousness of life and for the rainbow colors of human
potential. Those same values mandate that we take the greatest care and
responsibility in how we fight for social change.<br>
<br>
I
proudly stand by my broad history of struggle and by solidarity with the
Black liberation movement; my actions on 10/21/81 were wrong, and I
deeply apologize for their role in the tragic loss of lives.<br>
<br>
David Gilbert<br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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