It was all radical and bloody in the 1970s when the black liberation fighters struggle was at its peak in the United States. The violence was spurred by the incessant racism and disregard of the rights of black people despite laws that protected the race after over 200 years in slavery.
The liberation struggle gave birth to militant groups like Philadelphia-based MOVE founded by John Africa in 1972 and the Black Panther Party founded in late October 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale drawing on experiences working with a variety of Black Power organizations. Its militant wing called the Black Liberation Army.
As members of the police force were killed in black communities for using excessive force and killing black people, members of the militant groups later classified as terrorist organisations were killed for their aggression towards racism and police brutality while others were jailed for crimes they never committed.
A typical example is the case of Elmer “Geronimo Ji Jaga” Pratt who was a member of the Black Panther Party. He was arrested after the 1968 murder of a 27-year-old elementary school teacher, Caroline Olsen, perpetrated by two men on a tennis court during an $18 robbery in Santa Monica, California.
In 1972, the FBI used a secret informant to help convict Pratt of a murder he did not commit. Pratt had maintained throughout his trial that he was in Oakland during the night of the murder.
He was released in 1997 by a California Superior Court judge on the grounds that the informant had lied about working for the government and the information was not shared with the defense. He also won a $4.5 million civil rights settlement against the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department.
This is just one of a few cases that resulted in the release of members of black liberation groups who have been jailed for crimes they deny knowledge of after 40 years in prison.
Over two years, Ed Pilkington, the chief reporter for Guardian US, has interviewed a number of black people labelled radicals who are still in prison since the 1970s.
Some of them are members of MOVE who were convicted 25 years to life for killing cops in 1971. Some of the jailed fighters have died in prison while the remaining maintain their innocence and complain of unfair trials, cover-ups and a deliberate attempt by the government keep them in jail till their death as they are denied parole.
Here are some of the black radicals spotlighted by Ed Pilkington who are still in prison after four decades.
Mumia Abu-Jamal (Wesley Cook) – former Black Panther
Age: 64
Incarcerated since: 1981
Convicted of: Murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner
Sentence: Life without parole
Current prison: SCI Mahanoy, Pennsylvania
Delbert Orr Africa – MOVE
Age: 72
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Dallas, Pennsylvania
Eddie Goodman Africa – MOVE
Age: 68
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Mahanoy, Pennsylvania
Janet Holloway Africa – MOVE
Age: 67
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Janine Phillips Africa – MOVE
Age: 62
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania
Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom) – former Black Panther, Black Liberation Army member
Age: 66
Incarcerated since: 1971
Convicted of: Murders of police officers Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini
Sentence: 25 years to life
Current prison: Sullivan Correctional Facility, New York
Mutulu Shakur – associated with Black Panther party and other groups
Age: 67
Incarcerated since: 1986
Convicted of: Helping Black Panther Party member Assata Shakur escape from prison in 1979
Sentence: 60 years
Current prison: Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville, California
Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz – former Black Panther
Age: 74
Incarcerated since: 1970
Convicted of: Murder of Philadelphia police sergeant Frank Von Colln
Sentence: Life without parole
Current prison: SCI Dallas, Pennsylvania
Sundiata Acoli (Clark Squire) – former Black Panther, Black Liberation Army member
Age: 81
Incarcerated since: 1973
Convicted of: Murder of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster
Sentence: Life plus 30 years consecutively
Current prison: FCI Cumberland, Maryland
Chuck Sims Africa – MOVE
Age: 59
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Dallas, Pennsylvania
Michael Davis Africa – MOVE
Age: 62
Incarcerated since: 1978
Convicted of: Third-degree murder of police officer James Ramp during Philadelphia siege
Sentence: 30 years to life
Current prison: SCI Graterford, Pennsylvania
Joseph Bowen – former Black Liberation Army member
Age: 70
Incarcerated since: 1971
Convicted of: Murder of police officer, and later murder of two prison officers
Sentence: Life without parole
Current prison: SCI Coal Township, Pennsylvania
Veronza Bowers Jr – former Black Panther
Age: 72
Incarcerated since: 1973
Convicted of: Murder of US park ranger Kenneth Patrick
Sentence: Life
Current prison: Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, North Carolina
Fred ‘Muhammad’ Burton – former Black Liberation Army member
Age: 71
Incarcerated since: 1970
Convicted of: Murder of police officer, and later murder of two prison officers
Current prison: SCI-Somerset, Pennsylvania
Sentence: Life
Romaine ‘Chip’ Fitzgerald – former Black Panther
Age: 69
Incarcerated since: 1969
Convicted of: Murder of security guard and attempted murder of a highway patrol officer
Sentence: Two life sentences
Current prison: California state prison, Los Angeles County
Ruchell ‘Cinque’ Magee
Age: 65
Incarcerated since: 1963
Convicted of: Aggravated kidnapping in 1970 courthouse break-out attempt in which Judge Harold Haley was killed
Sentence: Life without parole
Current prison: California Men’s Colony, San Luis Obispo, California
Ed Poindexter – former Black Panther
Age: 73
Incarcerated since: 1970
Convicted of: Murder of Omaha police officer Larry Minard
Sentence: Life
Current prison: Nebraska State Penitentiary, Lincoln, Nebraska
Kojo Bomani Sababu (Grailing Brown) – former Black Liberation Army member
Age: 65
Incarcerated since: 1975
Convicted of: Murder of drug dealer, attempted prison escape
Sentence: Life
Current prison: USP Canaan, Pennsylvania
Kamau Sadiki (Freddie Hilton) – former Black Panther
Age: 65
Incarcerated since: 2002
Convicted of: Murder in 1971 of Atlanta police officer James Green
Sentence: Life
Current prison: Augusta State Medical Prison, Georgia
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