Black Panther Party of Northern California - Freedom Archives

BLACK MARKETER --- Continued
L3rowu lcaxizcsd aC the waxrants for his arrest, and, on the following day, arranged
through his attorneys to turn himself in to the F . G . I . in New York, On July 26,
Brown was leaving Washington, D, C, for New York tiae.t~rn himself in, when he was
arrested by the police at Washington National Airpoxt ~,nd~'immei~liately turned over
to the F,B, I, The F,B, I . was fully cognizant of where ; }~~oo~tt~~~vas ...~oing and, for what
purpose, but they chose to abrogate the agreement "tHat~:,~~d'~l~e~n zvozkc~~l.f .Qut ~'be.^t~~en
them and Brown's attorneys, choosing instead to~make_,i'~ ap~ear=fi~at ~~ .h~xl been'
trying to run away . ,,,; ; . , ; ;,
He was taken to a detention cell - in the U,S . Post Office Building-in Alexandya,-`
Virginia, held for six hauxs and then released . The Federal Government had decided.,
to drop the charges of "flight from prosecution"against him,
However, when Brown walked out of the Post Office Building, he was axrested'on
the steps by Alexandria police, who charged him'with "flight f~c~m prosecution,'' under
a Virginian state law, The Federal Government had bowed out to let the state
Government do the same work, knowing that in a.'5outhern couxt, there was much, less
chance for Brown to receive a fair hearing than a Fe~.era1 Couxt .
a :,,~, . .
. He was taken to the city jail in Alexandria, Va .,' and afteY some time was re"
leased on $10,000 bond, Then, ; .the Governor of Maxyl,~nd, ask~d''the Governor o~ Vir~ .
ginia to extradite Brown to stand trial on the school-burning charge . The Governor
of Virginia honored his request ; Brown was once- again- in jail, but his xetur.rr' to,.,
Maryland was prevented through legal action taken by~his attorneys, On September-,~
; 1 8 ,
Page . . . . . . . . 4
1967, Brown was released from jail on yet ~a`tiix~thex'`$14,000 bail on the condition
that he . would not leave the eleven counties of the Southern District of New Yoxk
, ;.except to travel to consult with one of his attorneys .
v'Shortly thereafter, Brown was once aga ,p af~es~ed'on a charge of carrying `a we~porr:
' whilE under, indictment, was j~ai],ed iri '~tecvr lbrkrCity and' released .p.n $15 ;Q00
bond . The red a ction on . Brown's right to travel was appealed"to the CYri:ef Ju~ti-ce
.off the U,S . Supreme Caur~t who tu ned:down the appeal .
It--` - is, , vl-eax (fiat if ,H :""Rap .Bxcswn .is going to be released fror;i his, ''jail" °in,New
York, it will ;-onL`yx'be t eC~titse of `pressure put upon the Federal Government . This is
an important case ; izec~usre-~,~ . g the Federal Government-succeeds in keeping~H . : Rap
Bxawn ''jailed", overnighf;'mil:~ants wall find themselves arrested on false charges
and xeleased, with the condition :hat ~~'~heir movements . .be' restricted_lvty a proscribed
area . It happened to Bill Epton, :, .~~:ack Liberation fighter from ~iaxaem, in .1964,
when he was arrested on charges of inciting to riot during the Harl2m ;rebellions of
that summer, I-c happened to John Harris, Black Liberat an fighter .in'Los Angeles,
who 'was arrested for leafleting, released and note restricted to California . It happened
to Edd e Oquendo, Black Draft resistor. from i3roaklyn, who. wa§ convicted for
refusing to serve in the army, released on appeal and is now restricted'vto .,,the borrough
of Brooklyn, New York . ~ " . ~. .
Tt is clear what the Government is tryingyto,do . It is oux responsibility to
stop them . If they succeed in keeping H . Rap~E3roovny- .one of the well-known Black
leaders, restricted to New York, they will then be able to move with impunity against
any militant in the country . - ;
(Continued)
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