CAMPAIGN FOR THE RELEASE OF SUNDIATA ACOLI
SUNDIATA ACOLI ----- FREEDOM
CAMPAIGN
(photo from http:// burn.ucsd.edu/~abcf/acoli.html)
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On May 2, 1973, three former members of the New
York City chapter of the Black
Panther Party - - Sundiata Acoli, Assata Shakur and Zayd Malik Shakur-
were
stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike for a purportedly "faulty tail-light.."
A
shoot-out ensued during which a state trooper, Werner Foster, and Zayd
were
killed and Assata and Sundiata wounded. Both Assata and Sundiata were
subsequently convicted of the murder of the trooper and related charges
and
sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Twenty-six years later Sundiata remains in prison,
and if New Jersey governor,
Christine Todd Whitman, and the New Jersey State Parole Board have
their way,
will remain there for the remainder of his life. In 1994, Sundiata
appeared
before the Parole Board was denied parole and assigned a new parole
eligibility date in 2006. At the time of his appearance before the
Parole Board, Sundiata
had maintained a "charge free" record for eight years and had outstanding
educational and work reports. However, the Parole Board, in denying
Sundiata's
release ignored all of the evidence supporting his release and instead
concluded that a substantial likelihood existed that if released on
parole
Sundiata would commit another crime because of, inter alia, his former
membership in the BPP; his characterization of himself as a "political
prisoner," and because his family, friends and supporters had written
letters
to the Parole Board demanding his release.
In other words, Sundiata is being held in prison
because of his and his
supporters First Amendment protected beliefs and activities. The transcript
of
Sunidata's telephonic parole hearings and the Board's decisions also
make
clear that the Parole Board had predetermined to deny Sundiata parole
in
violation of his right to due process of law. Twenty six years is long
enough! No evidence
exists that if released on parole, Sundiata, who is now 62 years old,
will
embark on a life of "crime." Sundiata has already served more time
than the
average person convicted of murder. Just because Sundiata is a former
member of the Black Panther Party and was convicted of a murder of
state trooper, along
with another well known member of the BPP, Assata Shakur who successfully
escaped and was deservedly granted political asylum in Cuba, should
not mean
that Sundiata should spend the remainder of his life in prison. The
purpose of
prison, except in the instances in which the barbaric punishment of
death is
imposed, is supposed to be rehabilitation, not torture and revenge!
Sundiata has unsuccessfully appealed the Parole Board's decision up
to the
United States Supreme Court and is presently preparing to file a writ
of
habeas corpus in federal court. In conjunction with the filing of his
writ of habeas
corpus, Sundiata is launching a mass campaign calling on Governor Whitman
and
the Parole Board to release him on parole. To succeed, he needs your
support
and the support of others like you.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Endorse the following "Call for Release of Sundiata
Acoli" by filling out
and returning the form below the Call to the Sundiata
Acoli Freedom Campaign
today at SAParole@aol.com. Please include your full
name, address and
organizational afflation, if any.
2. Copy and circulate this letter and Call for the
Release of Sundiata
Acoli to as many people as possible.
Thank you in advance for your support of the freedom of Sundiata Acoli.
Sincerely,
Joan P. Gibbs, Esq. and Florence Morgan, Esq.
Legal Advisors to Sundiata Acoli
CALL FOR THE RELEASE OF SUNDIATA ACOLI
For the past twenty-six years, Sundiata Acoli a
former member of the New York
City chapter of the Black Panther Party and one of the "Panther 21"
years has
been imprisoned on New Jersey state charges stemming from a May 1973
incident
involving Sundiata and two other former members of the BPP, Assata
Shakur and
Zayd Malik Shakur. On May 2, 1973, while driving south on the New Jersey
Turnpike, Sundiata, Assata and Zayd, were stopped for a purportedly
"faulty
tail-light." A shoot-out ensued during which a state trooper, Werner
Foster,
and Zayd were killed and Assata and Sundiata wounded. Both Assata and
Sundiata
were subsequently convicted of the murder of the trooper and related
charges
and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
In 1994, Sundiata appeared before the Parole Board
was denied parole and
assigned a new parole eligibility date of 2006. At the time of his
appearance
before the Parole Board, Sundiata had maintained a "charge free" record
for
eight years and had outstanding progress, work and educational reports.
In
denying Sundiata release on parole, the Parole Board ignored all of
the
evidence supporting his release and instead concluded that a substantial
likelihood existed that if released on parole Sundiata would commit
another
crime because of, inter alia, his former membership in the BPP and
his
characterization of himself as a "political prisoner." In addition,
the Parole
Board cited the fact that his family, friends and supporters had written
letters to the Parole Board demanding his release, in blatant violation
of his
and supporters rights under the First Amendment! Indeed, the transcripts
of
Sundiata's telephonic parole hearings and the Parole Board's decision
strongly
suggest that the Parole Board had predetermined to deny Sunidata release
on
parole in violation of his right to due process of law.
Twenty six years is long enough! No evidence exists
that if released on
parole, Sundiata, who is now 62 years old, will embark on a life of
"crime." The
purpose of prison, except in the instances in which the barbaric punishment
of
death is imposed, is supposed to be rehabilitation, not torture and
revenge!
Sundiata has already spend more time in prison than others convicted
of
similar crimes. Just because Sundiata is a former member of the Black
Panther Party
and was convicted along with another well known member of the BPP Assata
Shakur
who successfully escaped and was deservedly granted political asylum
in Cuba,
should not mean that Sundiata should spend the remainder of his life
in
prison.
We, the undersigned, therefore call on the Governor of New Jersey Christine
Whitman and the New Jersey State Parole to immediately release Sundiata
Acoli
on parole.
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Fax:
Electronic Mail:
Organizational Affiliation For Identification Only:
[ ] Yes, I support the Call for the Release of Sundiata Acoli.
[ ] No, I do not support the Call for the Release of Sundiata Acoli