By Matt De Vlieger, as a reflection of the collective sentiments of UCF SDS.
Left to Right: Hank Jones, John Bowman, Ray Bourdeaux, Harold Taylor, Richard Brown.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Orlando Student Group Calls for the Release of the Panther 8
On Jan. 19, former Black Panther Harold Taylor, 58, was an honored guest speaker at the University of Central Florida. Then one month ago on Jan 23, the Floridian was arrested from his Panama City home in relation to the 1971 killing of a Sa n Francisco police sergeant. That charge was dropped of over 30 years ago, in 1975, when evidence proved that New Orlea ns Police obtained confessions through horrifying torture. Harold Taylor and other members endured electric shock, sensory deprivation, beatings and other unspeakable at the hands of the state.
After years of relative peace in Florida, Taylor began experiencing threatening encounters with federal agents. The tim ing depicts a revival of COINTELPRO style tactics near the birth of the unconstitutional USA PATRIOT Act.
“In 1971, two brothers and I were set up by the FBI. We didn’t learn about COINTELPRO until years later. In 1973 I was a rrested in New Orleans and was beaten and tortured for several days. in 2003 the detectives that were responsible for my torture came to my house to try and question me. I have not been the same since.” — Harold Taylor #07-00944, 5600 Nehi Roa d, Panama City, FL 32404
Today, Harold Taylor sits in jail, once again awaiting extradition to California for a case he was cleared of.
UCF Students for a Democratic Society call for the immediate release of Brother Harold Taylor and those of the Panther 8 whose trials have been previously dismissed by grand juries on the grounds that [1.] these men have already undergone tria l;[2.] putting them in double jeopardy violates their 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution; [3.] membe rs of the Black Panther Party have endured torture?punishment without sentence?by the very officials whom wish to put them to trial. Based on this information, these defendants will once again be denied a fair trial. [3.] At its height, the Black Liberation Movement served an important role in improving the status and defense of people of color in the United States. Though much of the same oppressive structure remains in the United States, the conditions under which such parties arose ha ve been rewritten and written out of modern history books and through planned efforts to sterilize the civic compass of our public, removing radicalism and participatory action from our education system. Because modern society?s vast disconnect f rom the struggle of blacks through the 1970?s, there is little hope of finding a jury of peers, exposed to the atrocious au thoritarian aggression wielded against blacks, which led many to armed self defense.
The Harry T. and Harriet V. Moore Chapter of SDS at UCF are in firm solidarity with Brother Harold Taylor and are commit ted to joining his struggle until his safe release. UCF SDS also believes that the recent tactics of federal law enforcemen t are being used to undermine and strike fear in those committed to radical political organizing in the United States. We d emand they immediately end the infiltration of political action groups and prevent escalation of anti-democratic, anti-cons titutional measures against those committed to social change. Free the Panther 8!
