'Drop the charges!'
Bear Lincoln supporters demand no new trial
By
Andrew Nye
San Francisco
On Jan. 15, Native activist Bear Lincoln and his supporters
gathered at the Mendocino County courthouse in Ukiah, Calif.
They demanded that the charges against Lincoln be dropped.
Lincoln has already faced trial once on charges of voluntary
and involuntary manslaughter for the death of deputy Robert
Davis. Davis and a Native man--Leonard Acorn Peters--were
killed during an ambush by Mendocino County sheriffs on April
14, 1995.
In September 1997, the jury voted 10-2 to acquit Lincoln.
Yet he is facing the possibility of a retrial on the same
charges.
Incoming Mendocino County District Attorney Norm Vroman had
stated during his election campaign that unless there was
strong evidence of which he was not aware, he would dismiss the
case against Lincoln based on the 10-2 acquittal.
However, at the Jan. 15 hearing Vroman handed off the case
to the State Attorney General's office. Observers saw this as
an indication that local authorities, who may have felt
pressure from local law enforcement, did not want to make a
decision on whether or not to pursue a retrial.
Supporters, including Round Valley Indians for Justice, the
Lincoln/Peters Defense Alliance and the National People's
Campaign, spoke at a rally outside the courthouse about the
long history of anti-Indian racism and brutal police misconduct
in the area.
Richard Becker of the NPC and Workers World Party compared
the case of Bear Lincoln to the victory won by the Plymouth 25
defendants in Massachusetts.
The 25 Native people and their supporters had been arrested
after a police attack on the 1997 Day of Mourning protest in
Plymouth. On Oct. 19, 1998, after an 11-month international
solidarity campaign, the city of Plymouth was forced to reach a
settlement with the Plymouth 25. All charges were dropped and
guarantees were given on future Native gatherings there.
Becker noted that the victory in Plymouth was made possible
through mass national and international pressure. He encouraged
people to keep mobilizing support for Lincoln's freedom.
Becker said both cases emphasize the ongoing oppression of
Native nations and the need to keep that struggle in the
foreground.
Lincoln's next court date is set for April 23 in Mendocino
County. Organizers are asking people to come and pack the
courthouse.
For more information on how to get involved, call the
National People's Campaign at (415) 821-6545.
This article is copyright under a Creative
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