Feature Archives

On Tuesday, February 22nd, the Heads Up Collective showed “Out, the Making of a Revolutionary” as a benefit for the From Attica to Abu Ghraib Conference. The film tells the story of Laura Whitehorn, an American woman who spent 14 years in prison after she was convicted in the 1983 US Capitol bombing, and for "conspiring to influence, change, and protest policies and practices of the United States government through violent and illegal means" The screening is part of the Televising the Revolution film series, which includes screenings each 4th Tuesday, to benefit different causes. From Attica to Abu Ghraib: An Organizing Conference on Human Rights, Torture, and Resistance will be held in Berkeley on April 22nd and 23rd.

Organizers of the conference say: "Torture, illegal detention and other human rights abuses have always been weapons used by the United States government to crush dissent and social justice movements. Today, the criminalization of people of color in the US, mass illegal detentions and deportations of Arabs, Muslims and immigrants, torture in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and in US prisons are evidence of a terrifying escalation in US repression both at home and abroad. What can we do? Our strength lies in building on the experiences of those who resist: here in the US, in Latin America, Palestine, the Philippines, the Caribbean, and in countless communities throughout the world." International Human Rights Initiative, the organization that is sponsoring the conference, was conceived by a strong diverse coalition, including US political prisoners, to help unite the emerging global resistance movement."

From Attica to Abu-Ghraib Website

2/16/2005: The Sheriff's Department has called the Chmait family and stated that the investigation is 80% done. They also said that the situation remains the same. This means that the shooting of Bassim Chmait is still not considered a crime. Read More

2/6/2005: Early in the morning on Saturday February the 6th around 1:30 am, Bassim Chmait along with three other friends were walking through an apartment complex in Mission Viejo, CA heading towards a college house party when a soda can was thrown at them from above. In frustration, one of Chmait's friends threw the can into the street, and they continued walking. At that point Douglas Bates, an off duty U.S. Custom's officer, left his home with his badge in hand and gun drawn to confront the group. He started to yell at them about laughing and being too loud. When one of Chmait's friend's asked Bates to stop pointing the gun in their direction, Bates pistol-whipped him on the forehead with the gun. Anticipating that Bates was going to hit his friend again, Bassim Chmait got in front of his friend telling the Bates to please put the gun down. Almost instantly the Homeland Security officer shot Bassim in the head. After shooting Bassim Chmait, Douglas Bates simply walked back into his apartment. While Chmait's friends were screaming for Bassim, neighbors dialed 911. About 5 minutes after murdering Bassim, Bates opened his door, with the gun still in hand, and yelled at his neighbors to shut up before returning to his apartment.

You would think that this would be an easy case to prosecute. You would think that Douglas Bates is in jail right now. But he’s not, he’s a free man, he was never arrested, he was never charged, he was never even asked to come to the police station to give a statement. The Orange County Sheriff's Department Spokesman, Jim Amormino, stated, "We treated this the same as we would any case. There was no clear evidence of a crime being committed, so there was nothing to book him on."
Read More | More Coverage: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | JusticeForBassim.com

The Justice for Cammerin Boyd committee encouraged supporters to attend several events this month. On February 23rd, there was a Police Commission Meeting. More info Also in San Francisco, on Saturday, February 19th, there was a Forum about Policing in the Black Community.

This week there were two events to honor Rudy Cardenas. On the evening of Thursday, February 17th, there was a vigil for Rudy Cardenas in the parking lot where Rudy was shot. On Saturday, February 19th, there were a march and barbecue at Roosevelt Park to remember Rudy Cardenas. More details

The court date in the Sheila Detoy case that had been rescheduled last month has been postponed to March. Info

On Sunday, Feb. 20th, California Anarchist Prisoner Solidarity (CAPS) will hold a dinner and screening in Berkeley to benefit prisoners in Guadalajara currently facing trial. Videos shown included David Gilbert: A Lifetime of Struggle, new footage from recent protests in Guadalajara, and a video on eco-defense prisoners. CAPS formed in Sept. 2004 to support those who face incarceration due to their beliefs or actions which "challenge the oppressive nature of the state, the injustices that exist due to class, racism, sexism, and homophobia, or the destruction of the earth and the species who inhabit it..." and "seek the abolition of prisons as part of a dismantling of all repressive state apparatus." Details

February 10th: After a seven-month trial, progressive New York attorney Lynne Stewart was convicted today on charges of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism. Her co-defendants Mohammed Yousry and Abdel Sattar were also convicted. They all face 20 to 40 years in jail. Stewart has announced plans to appeal. She is currently free on 500,000 bail but is limited to travel in New York State. During the course of Stewart's seven-month trial government prosecutors failed to produce a single witness or piece of evidence linking Stewart to a single act of terrorism or to any other illegal activity.

Lynne Stewart was convicted on conspiracy charges of aiding and abetting terrorism, of defrauding the U.S. government and of violating a government Bureau of Prisons Special Administrative Order (SAM) when she released a press statement from her 1995 client, the Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel Rachman.

Stewart supporters call the conspiracy charges a "frame-up." They also say that the conviction demonstrates the continued erosion of fundamental civil liberties in an era where the protections of the Bill of Rights have been subordinated through new legislation to a fear generated by the government's insistence that terrorists are everywhere. The government admitted that it had engaged in 85,000 acts of wiretapping of Stewart's emails, faxes and phone calls. The government eavesdropped, through hidden cameras and microphones, on Stewart's meetings with her client.

Stewart's national and local defense committees will continue to work for the reversal of her conviction: A press conference was held on Friday, February 11th in San Francisco, and an emergency defense committee meeting will be held on Saturday, February 12th. The National Executive Committee of the National Lawyers Guild has called for a "National Day of Outrage" to take place Thursday, February 17th

Read more | Justice for Lynnne Stewart Website | NLG Statement On Verdict | Democracy Now | Corporate News Coverage: 1   2 | Past Indybay Coverage of the Lynne Stewart Trial

February 25th: Stan "Tookie" Williams' request was denied by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In spite of the objections of nine judges who believe Williams' 1981 death sentence may have been tainted by racial bias, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider his bid for a new trial for the 1979 killings of four people during two separate robberies.Unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes, he could receive an execution date as early as this summer. The Bay Area Anti-Death Penalty Coalition and others are organizing to fight against Tookie's execution.

February 2nd: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today declined to grant a new hearing based on Stanley Tookie Williams' claim that prosecutors violated his rights when they dismissed all potential black jurors for his trial. A three-judge panel of the court had previously approved his execution without giving full consideration to the issue of the selection of the jury. Williams's attorney, Andrea Asaro, will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Williams was sentenced to death in 1981 for killing a convenience store worker in 1979, and also was convicted of killing three other people. He claims jailhouse informants fabricated testimony that he confessed. After he spent six and a half years in solitary confirement, he has written a series of children's books and has made many efforts to curtail youth gang violence. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story was shown on the fX cable channel last year. Williams has also published a memoir, Blue Rage, Black Redemption

"Save Tookie" Petition to the Governor | New Abolitionist article, Making change from death row | ACLU's Death Penalty Page | Tookie.com | California Department of Corrections Capital Punishment Page

2/4/05: A member of the Cardenas family was notified today that the motion for dismissal was denied.
On Friday morning, January 28, 2005, the family, friends, and supporters of Rudy Cardenas held a Press Conference at 8:00am just before a 9:00am hearing inside of the West Hedding Courthouse in San Jose. Michael Walker's attorneys presented arguments to a judge in an attempt to have the case against him dismissed. Walker is the state drug agent who killed Rudy Cardenas. In July of 2004, an open Grand Jury indicted Walker on voluntary manslaughter for shooting and killing Rudy Cardenas.

Cardenas family members and supporters spoke about the significance of carrying the Walker case to trial, especially given the fatal shootings by police in the San Jose area in recent weeks. (Early January | January 22nd) The family also gave updates on the family's legal activities since the grand jury decision. In a show of solidarity, Cardenas supporters all wore black, and packed the courtroom to show the court the public’s commitment to justice. Photos and Report
Past coverage of the Cardenas case: 10/26/04 | 9/25/04 | 7/17/04 | 6/26/04