Jericho Response to Arrest of Our Comrades

To all Jericho chapters, members and allies:

It is with urgency that we call on you to be alert right now in light of this latest assault on our movement coming from California and New York. By now you have heard the news that fascism has called for the arrest of at least eight (8) former members of the Black Panther Party, two of whom are already serving life sentences in New York state prisons. The incident occurred back in August 29, 1971, when, if I remember correctly, a unit of the Black Liberation Army attacked a precinct in San Francisco in retaliation for the assassination of Field Marshall George Jackson the week prior.

As with many actions of the BLA, large-scale corralling measures were taken and numerous folks, community revolutionaries and unaffiliated community folks were arrested and charged with criminal bs. Torture and other illegal but totally characteristic measures were used by local, state and federal forces to coerce “confessions” and manufacture evidence where there was none. But that's war, aint it? Revolutionaries held up through it then, as they do now, 35 years later. 35 years later? I am being facetious. The war never ended, good people. And neither has our response to their war on our revolutionaries still confined within their steel, concrete and electronic bowels. We say: FREE ALL P0LITICAL PRISONERS. WE ARE THE JERICHO AMNESTY MOVEMENT. Right on? RIGHT ON.

The names that we have so far of the arrested are:

Ray Michael Boudreaux, 64, of Altadena; Richard Brown, 65, of San Francisco; Herman Bell, 59, and Anthony Bottom, 55, both currently incarcerated in New York state; Henry Watson Jones, 71, of Altadena; Francisco Torres, 58, of Queens, New York; and Harold Taylor, 58, of Panama City, Fla.

There is even a mystery “suspect,” sort of like in the Sean Bell Mystery Fourth Man theory. They said he may be hiding out in Tanzania, Belize or France . We hope that the O'Neils in Tanzania and Donald Cox in France know what's going on and also be alert.

The mass rag sheets have given their jive poisoned descriptions of the BLA, but we say that the BLA is a people's army fighting the good fight and still determined to win. But folks will say that there is no longer a BLA, and I take pleasure in reminding folks with the words of Assata Shakur that there is and will always be a Black Liberation Army until Black folks are free. So, take that, local, state and federal forces of fascism. Long as we believe, and long as our young folks hip-hop and praise the name “Black Liberation Army,” the army is alive and well and in a safe place in our hearts surrounded by balagoonistic spirits, Sandra-Holmes spirits, etc. Hell, empire is raising the dead. Let's go to work!

Stay tuned to freedom archives, Jericho and other people's sites for more info. The best we can say now is that information is still coming in. We should prepare for two things: To be ever alert, and support activity for our comrades, even if on short notice. Right on? RIGHT ON.

What? What? Filiberto is that you, that whisper…

What? What? Nannie Prosser is that you, that whisper…

What? Merle. Geronimo. John Brown. Twyman…

Lawd, the empire in trouble!!!!!!!

Ashanti Alston

Proud to have been a POW out of the ranks of the BLA

Servant Co-Chair, National Jericho