Four of the Black Panther Eight appeared in a
This hearing followed the arrests of the eight men that took place on Jan. 23. The arrests related to the 1971 killing of police sergeant John V. Young in
Henry Jones, Richard Brown and Ray Boudreaux have been charged with Young’s killing. Richard O’Neal’s charge is unrelated to the 1971 allegation. O’Neal was charged with conspiracy to kill police officers.
The judge initially held all the defendants on outrageously high bail amounts. Both Jones and Boudreaux were held on $5 million bail. O’Neal and Brown were held on $3 million bail.
The courtroom was jammed packed with over 100 supporters, community organizers, and families of victims to police brutality, as well as some prominent Bay Area panther veterans.
Although everyone had to pass through a metal detector and bag search at the courthouse entrance, supporters were forced to go through an additional “security checkpoint” before entering the public hearing.
The four Panther veterans were escorted into the courtroom in orange prison jump suits, handcuffs and shackles. The audience immediately burst into applause to demonstrate their solidarity and to counter the demeaning treatment these men had endured from the state.
Moments after the applause started, panicked and aggressive cops converged in the center aisles and ordered everyone to leave immediately. They threatened the entire audience by yelling, “Everyone out! I’ll arrest you all!”
The atmosphere was charged with indignation and defiance as supporters left the courtroom impassionedly chanting, “No Justice, No Peace!”
The halls of the San Francisco Court Room filled with supporters who had crowded the courtroom, and the militant chanting echoed powerfully. The attorneys representing the former Panthers objected to Judge Donna Alyson Little’s order to throw out the audience.
Judge Little ultimately relented and let the supporters return, but threatened to permanently bar anyone who “disobeyed.” Attorney Stuart Hanlon then came into the court hallway to address the crowd. He persuaded the crowd to reenter the courtroom calmly so that the defendants could still have supporters present at the hearing.
Supporters lined back up to go through the security wanding and pat down once again. The cops at the door blocked many supporters from reentering claiming the room was full.
Supporters, including family members of victims of police brutality, were made to stand in the hall for the duration of the court hearing.
The judge read the murder charges against three of the four defendants. The four did not enter pleas at that time. Their attorneys have filed motions seeking to have the case thrown out because prosecutors waited more than 30 years to bring charges.
Judge Little lowered bail from 5 million to 3 million for Jones and Boudreaux.
Attorneys for the four defendants also objected to the handcuffs and shackles. Little stated that she would take up the issue at the next court hearing and also that the case would proceed with or without the presence of the remaining four defendants.
Attorneys were also at the hearing to represent the four defendants who were not there at the court. Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom are both incarcerated in
These charges were dropped once evidence surfaced that they were tortured by cops to obtain phony confessions.
The next hearing in the case is set for March 13 at the Hall of Justice Civic Courthouse,
