Lynne Stewart on the SF 8

2007-09-18T05:01:36Z

Support of the San Francisco 8

An open call to all my friends and comrades and political cohorts,

...the Movement

After a lazy summer, I was called back to action
by the fact of the tremendous victory that was
won by the lawyers for the San Francisco 8, in
state court in San Francisco, when the Judge
against the strong opposition of the government
(California Attorney General Jerry Brown (!)) set
bail. In my 45 year experience as an activist
and as an attorney, they just don???t set bail in
a case that involves the murder of a cop??? -not
in the police state . They especially don???t
set bail when the defendants are activist black men.

To capsulize the case ??? the state has accused 8
men, all with Black Panther, or other activist
ties in the past, almost 40 years after the
event. For all of them except Herman and Jalil,
they have lived public lives for nearly all of
that time. The crucial point, I believe, is
that the state???s proof consists of confessions
made under torture???which were disallowed as
coerced and unreliable in legal proceedings in
the 1970s. Now, with repression ever looming,
they are resurrecting this case to feed the
salacious police state, the racism that is
flourishing unabated AND, most importantly, to
legitimize torture on the home front.

I am assuming your support of the San Francisco 8
and I am asking you to go one step further. We
all know how to demonstrate and leaflet and hold
events. This is a call from me to all of you,
who are able, to act above and beyond by
committing your Property and to stand as surety
for this bail or to help with the expenses to
secure property commitments from others.

It is a tremendous advantage to be free on bail
during trial. It enables one to live in a
positive, healthy manner and to ORGANIZE. It
communicates to the jury and the public that they
have nothing to fear and should do absolute justice.

I have spoken with members of the Defense
Committee and I can assure you that there is
virtually no risk involved. (Indeed, even the
Judge so stated when he set the amounts). All of
the 6 men have deep family and community
roots. Your property will be pledged without any
cost to you and minimal hassle. While smaller
properties can be used and put together as a
package, the Committee???s best hope is
for California progressives who invested wisely
(!) back in the day to come forward. I can tell
you that my husband, Ralph Poynter, has offered
the equity ($100,000) in the country house and
property he owns in upstate NY. As for me, as
Judge Koeltl said at sentencing, I am
???destitute????but only financially. I still
have the energy and the will to try to organize,
and yes, guilt trip everyone into taking a deep
breath and doing something concrete, to demonstrate commitment.

In 1983, in one of my earliest political trials
the wife of my client was held as a grand jury
resister. She was 8 ++ months pregnant and to
enable her to deliver the baby in relative
freedom and spend the months necessary to nurture
her child???the Judge set a bail. Ralph put up
that bail ??? to the frantic concern of his
silent partners. My client was ultimately
acquitted and this summer at a Boston event
celebrating the Rosenberg fund, we met the
???baby??? who was born 24 years ago and is now a
vibrant and lovely young woman.

Back when our hemlines were much shorter and our
hair much longer, Oscar Brown,jr sang:

???Brother, where are you????

Times haven???t really changed. We still need to stand up for the
political brothers and sisters who are caught up
in the legal system. Give them a fighting chance
by allowing them to deal with the case from the
outside. We need to answer the ???brothers??? call???.

I will. Will you ?

Lynne F. Stewart

Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
350 Broadway, Suite 700, New York, New York 10013
tel: (212) 625-9696 fax: (212) 625-3939
<http://www.lynnestewart.org/>www.lynnestewart.org

Advisory Committee

Amiri and Amina Baraka
Terry Bisson
Paul Chevigny, Esq.
Noam Chomsky
Kathleen Cleaver
Elizabeth M. Fink, Esq.
Arthur Kinoy, Esq. (deceased)
Clark Kissinger
Barbara Lubin, M.E.C.A.
Father Lawrence Lucas
Jeff Mackler
Robert Meeropol, Esq.
Michael Ratner, Esq.
Hon. Bruce Mcmn Wright (deceased)
Howard Zinn

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Lynne Stewart on the SF 8