SF8 members in court

Four of the San Francisco 8—former members of the Black Panther Party and community activists—were in court in San Francisco again on April 21, at a hearing to discuss legal “discovery” or evidence, to be used to prosecute the men. Their trial is scheduled to begin in September.

Francisco Torres, Hank Jones, Ray Boudreaux and Richard Brown are all charged in the killing of a San Francisco policeman in 1971. Although the same charges against the SF8 were dismissed in the mid-1970s, after the passage of 37 years the charges were refiled in 2007 by the umbrella group of repressive agencies called the “Phoenix Taskforce.” This taskforce includes the San Francisco Police Department, California Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney.

Most important about this court date, however, is that people from the local community and from other cities came early in the morning to rally outside the courthouse and then pack the courtroom. The support for these community representatives, including longtime activists who are now African-American elders, is crucial to exposing the injustice of dredging up the dismissed charges in an obvious campaign of harassment against these men, meant to send a chilling signal to young and veteran activists alike. An April 29 hearing will be the next opportunity to come out and stand in solidarity with the SF8. For more information, go to the Web site: www.FreetheSF8.org

—Joan Marquardt