Legacy of Torture: the War Against the Black Liberation Movement

Submitted by claude@freedoma... on February 7, 2007 - 2:56pm.
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This session will be on: June 28, 2007 - 10:30am

It will be held at: Georgia Ballroom East room at the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown

View schedule

Organization Description

About the Committee for Defense of Human Rights The mission of the Committee for Defense of Human Rights is to draw attention to human rights abuses perpetrated by the government of the United States and law enforcement authorities which were carried out in an effort to destroy progressive organizations and individuals. By building coalitions with organizations and groups that advocate for human and civil rights, CDHR hopes to bring an end to these abuses. CDHR's basic principles are set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention against Torture. The Freedom Archives Preserve the past - illuminate the present - shape the future 8000 hours of audio and video recordings documenting social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally from the 1960s to the present. The Archives features speeches of movement leaders and community activists, protests and demonstrations, cultural currents of rebellion and resistance. This oral history is in a searchable database. You can download programs and clips. Internships and training programs are available.

Session Description

The session will view the 28-minute video:
The Legacy of Torture

The session will discuss:
Murder Charges Against Former Black Panthers Based on Confessions Extracted by Torture
Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, and Hank Jones were arrested in California. Francisco Torres was arrested in Queens, New York. Harold Taylor was arrested in Florida. Two men charged have been held as political prisoners for over 30 years – Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim are both in New York State prisons. A ninth man -- Ronald Stanley Bridgeforth – is still being sought. The men were charged with the murder of Sgt. John Young and conspiracy that encompasses numerous acts between 1968 and 1973.

Harold Taylor and John Bowman (recently deceased) as well as Ruben Scott (thought to be a government witness) were first charged in 1975. But a judge tossed out the charges, finding that Taylor and his two co-defendants made confessions after police in New Orleans tortured them for several days employing electric shock, cattle prods, beatings, sensory deprivation, plastic bags and hot, wet blankets for asphyxiation.

Confirmed panelists:
Cynthia McKinney, former Congressional Representative
Kathleen Cleaver, Professor of Law at Emory University and former leader of the Black Panther Party
Soffiyah Elijah, Harvard Law School Criminal Justice Institute


First Name

Claude

Last Name

Marks

Contact E-mail

claude@freedomarchives.org

Proposing Organization

Freedom Archives
Committee for the Defense of Human Rights

Organization Website

www.freedomarchives.org, www.CDHRsupport.org

Position or Title

Director Freedom Archives

Contact Telephone

415 863-9977

Event Day

Thursday, June 28th (Consciousness + Awareness Raising / Current Struggles)

Contact Address

522 Valencia St San Francisco, CA 94110

Format

DVD & panel

Contact City

San Francisco

Keywords

Antiracism
Human Rights, Civil & Political
Media and publication

Audience Number

100-250 people

Contact State

CA

Contact ZIP

94110

Person Reviewing

Theeba Soundararajan
Submitted by Anonymous on May 11, 2007 - 3:42pm.

Cynthia McKinney, former Congressional Representative
Kathleen Cleaver, Professor of Law at Emory University and former leader of the Black Panther Party
Soffiyah Elijah, Harvard Law School Criminal Justice Institute