oyinbo condone homosexuals prison rape

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AMY GOODMAN: Robert King, could you talk about that, the philosophy of the Black Panther chapter in the prison where you were, the preaching against the violence and the racism?

ROBERT KING: Yes. Well, it was the—the philosophy was and the idea was to bring some type of consciousness to the prisoner. There were 17—as George pointed out, there were—Angola was considered the bloodiest prison in the nation. And there were 17—it was a slave plantation. There were 17 hour of work every day, and especially during can season, sometimes longer. Men were working, going into the fields without boots or raincoat, without being fed adequately.

Albert and Herman and other members of the Black Panther Party decided to bring this knowledge to prisoners that they still have a right, they were human beings. And this was the teaching of the Black Panther Party ideology, you know, that we were protected by due process, 14th Amendment and other constitutional grounds. And we adhered to that. Of course, the prison tried to discourage us and, you know, impose punitive measures for—upon us for doing this, but we continued to do so. And we were successful. Herman and Albert were very, very successful, along with other people who also organized with them.

And as a result, they have paid dearly for it, because people, as George pointed out and other prisoners point out, that during that time it was a—it was a dire period in prison—and Herman and Albert. There were numerous rapes that were going on and that were being allowed by the prison officials. Inmate guards ran the prison. They were the backbone of security in prison. They sold younger prisoners to older inmates for sexual—you know, for sexual purposes and so forth. And this was something that, while the Black Panther Party members were not homophobic or anything like this, but to be in a situation where you were forced into this type of activity was something that we frowned on. And even if we had not been members of the Black Panther Party, we still would have frowned upon this, because it was a dehumanizing practices in a dehumanizing environment. And we felt the need and went out with—into prison, and I joined Herman and Albert, having the same ideology and being a member of the Black Panther Party and being a struggle—struggler, because I felt the need to struggle. I joined them. I willingly joined their efforts to kind of combat some of the stuff that was going on. And as a result, like I said, we were successful.

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/2/after_4_decades_in_solitary_dying

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Freed to die after 'a lifetime of injustice': Ex-Black Panther who spent 41 YEARS in solitary confinement for killing prison guard is released while suffering terminal cancer


A 71-year-old Louisiana prisoner who spent 41 years in solitary confinement and is now dying of cancer has had his release ordered by a federal judge.

Herman Wallace had his murder conviction of a prison guard in 1974 overturned by U.S. District Chief Judge Brian Jackson who said that women were unconstitutionally excluded from the grand jury that indicted Wallace nearly four decades ago.

The case against Wallace and two other prisoners became infamous when the three men were sentenced to solitary confinement for decades a piece.

'The record in this case makes clear that Mr. Wallace's grand jury was improperly chosen in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of `the equal protection of the laws' ... and that the Louisiana courts, when presented with the opportunity to correct this error, failed to do so,' Jackson wrote.

A lawyer for Wallace said the decision gives his client 'some measure of justice after a lifetime of injustice,' but his response was tempered by the grim outlook for Wallace's health.

'He's pleased,' Kendall said of Wallace's reaction after hearing of Tuesday's ruling, 'but he's quite ill.'

Wallace, whose birthday is October 13, has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

His lawyer said that Wallace 'ceased receiving treatment a couple of weeks ago.'

A telephone message left with East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar C. Moore III's office was not immediately returned. The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections referred all questions to Moore's office.

Wallace and two other inmates convicted in the 23-year-old guard's slaying came to be known as the 'Angola 3.'

Wallace, of New Orleans, was serving a 50-year armed robbery sentence when guard Brent Miller was fatally stabbed in 1972.

Wallace and the two others convicted in Miller's death- Robert Hillary King and Albert Woodfox- were moved to isolation at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola.

In 2009, Wallace was moved to 'closed-cell restriction' at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel and recently was taken to the prison's hospital unit.

Kendall said his client has asked that, after his demise, they continue to press the lawsuit challenging Wallace's 'unconstitutional confinement in solitary confinement for four decades.'

'It is Mr. Wallace's hope that this litigation will help ensure that others, including his lifelong friend and fellow `Angola 3' member, Albert Woodfox, do not continue to suffer such cruel and unusual confinement even after Mr. Wallace is gone,' his legal team said in a written statement.

Kendalll said Woodfox won full habeas relief last year but the state has appealed that as well. The case is pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 2010, Woodfox was moved to the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, where he remains in custody.

Woodfox and Wallace have continued to deny involvement in Miller's killing and say they were targeted because they helped establish a prison chapter of the Black Panther Party at the Angola prison in 1971, set up demonstrations and organized strikes for better conditions in the prison.

Amnesty International last year delivered a petition to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's office, containing 65,000 signatures from people around the world who called the men's solitary confinement inhuman and degrading.

The third man, Robert King, was released after 29 years in solitary confinement.

King, convicted of killing a fellow inmate in 1973, was released in 2001 after his conviction was reversed and he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2441053/Herman-Wallace-Ex-Black-Panther-terminal-cancer-freed-die-lifetime-injustice.htm

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—it was a dire period in prison—and Herman and Albert. There were numerous rapes that were going on and that were being allowed by the prison officials. Inmate guards ran the prison. They were the backbone of security in prison. They sold younger prisoners to older inmates for sexual—you know, for sexual purposes and so forth. And this was something that, while the Black Panther Party members were not homophobic or anything like this, but to be in a situation where you were forced into this type of activity was something that we frowned on. And even if we had not been members of the Black Panther Party, we still would have frowned upon this, because it was a dehumanizing practices in a dehumanizing environment.


http://www.democracynow.org/2013/10/...solitary_dying

homosexuals raping blakk men in prisons still da oyinbo norm

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A 71-year-old man who spent more than four decades in solitary confinement in Louisiana died Friday, less than a week after a judge freed him and granted him a new trial.

Herman Wallace's attorneys said he died at a supporter's home in New Orleans. Wallace had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and stopped receiving treatment. Wallace was held for years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. In 2009, Wallace was moved from Angola to "closed-cell restriction" at Hunt Correctional in St. Gabriel, where he recently was taken to the prison's hospital unit.

Jackie Sumell, a longtime supporter of Wallace, said he was surrounded by friends and family when he died. Wallace at one point told them, "I love you all," according to Sumell.

"He was in and out of consciousness," she said.

U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson in Baton Rouge had ordered Wallace released from prison on Tuesday after granting him a new trial. Jackson ruled women were unconstitutionally excluded from the grand jury that indicted Wallace in the stabbing death of the 23-year-old guard, Brent Miller.

A West Feliciana Parish grand jury re-indicted Wallace on charges connected to Miller's death on Thursday. District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla told The Advocate newspaper that Jackson ordered a new trial because he "perceived a flaw in the indictment — not his murder conviction."

Wallace and two other inmates held in solitary confinement for years came to be known as the "Angola 3."

Wallace's attorneys said in a statement Friday that it was an honor to represent him.

"Herman endured what very few of us can imagine, and he did it with grace, dignity, and empathy to the end," they said. "Although his freedom was much too brief, it meant the world to Herman to spend these last three days surrounded by the love of his family and friends. One of the final things that Herman said to us was, 'I am free. I am free.'"

Wallace, of New Orleans, was serving a 50-year armed robbery sentence when Miller was stabbed to death.

Wallace and fellow "Angola 3" member Albert Woodfox denied involvement in Miller's killing, claiming they were targeted because they helped establish a prison chapter of the Black Panther Party at the Angola prison in 1971, set up demonstrations and organized strikes for better conditions.

In 2010, Woodfox was moved to the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, where he remains in custody.

The third "Angola 3" member, Robert King, who was convicted of killing a fellow inmate in 1973, was released in 2001 after his conviction was reversed.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/angola-inmates-dies-week-freed-prison-article-1.1477069