After Harold "Hank" Taylor was arrested in Florida in December, the California Attorney General's office requested that Hank's bail be increased to $7 million or that he be held without bail. On December 20th, Judge Philip Moscone said that "while it is a violation of bail conditions," Harold Taylor's bail will remain the same at this point. In front of a large turnout of supporters in the courtroom, it was determined that issues relating to the Florida arrest would be revisited in January after it is determined what Florida courts will do. Harold Taylor is scheduled to appear in Florida on January 17th.

The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) encouraged supporters to attend the December court hearing, writing, "It is clear from the arrest and all the surrounding circumstances that the charge against Harold in Florida is totally baseless." Harold was apparently swept up in a sting operation in which numerous individuals were arrested, and all except Harold were alleged to have made a purchase. He had gone to this neighborhood to thank some of the people who had written letters of support for him when he was seeking release on bail in San Francisco.

Days before the arrest, Harold had appeared on "Democracy Now" with host Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, and attended a press conference held by the World Council of Churches at Riverside Church announcing international support for the SF8 launched by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other Nobel Laureates. Harold has made all of his court appearances and has every intention of fighting the charges in San Francisco and Florida.

The San Francisco 8 will officially enter pleas on January 10th, 2008. The defense will call upon former Assistant SF District Attorney Thomas Norman to answer questions about why he decided to not pursue this case against some of the same defendants in 1975. The Judge will also resolve questions about which documents that are currently sealed will be unsealed, and which will not. April 21st, 2008 is the date for the beginning of the preliminary hearing in the SF 8 case.

Free the SF 8 | 12/4 Court Update | Revolution: Interview with San Francisco 8 Defendant Richard Brown: A Case of Injustice & Torture | PWW: Nobel winners: "drop charges against San Francisco 8" | Democracy Now's Interview with Harold Taylor and Ray Boudreaux | Indybay's Past Coverage of the SF 8