FREE LORENZO KOM'BOA ERVIN
MELBOURNE PROTEST
OCTOBER 28, 1999,12 PM
U.S.A CONSULATE
553 ST KILDA RD
FIGHT POLICE BRUTATLITY
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
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**** THIS PROTEST WILL ALSO BE A LEAD UP TO *****
**** OTHER FREE MUMIA ABU JAMAL PROTESTS *****
**** Saturday 13th November
**** GPO at 12:00
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ORGANISED BY THE
ASG-M
ANARCHO-SYNDICALIST GROUP OF MELBOURNE
For more Info read on:
WHY IS HE BEING PERSECUTER?
For speaking out following a spate of police shootings against men in
Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lorenzo, along with two other Black men (Damon
McGhee and Ralph R. Mitchell) were jailed for violating Tennessee's
'disruption' law, a misdemeanour charge which outlaws political protests.
The trial of the Chattanooga 3 is scheduled to begin October 28, 1999.
WHO IS LORENZO KOM'BOA ERVIN?
During the late 1960's Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin was a member of the S.N.C.C
(Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee) in Eastern Tennessee, and
later joined the Black Panther Party for Self Defence when the two groups
merged in 1967-68. During that period, when the so-called "Black Power
movement" began to exert itself in opposition to the reformist civil
rights leadership in the Southen US and other parts of North America, he
was involved in anti-Klan and civil rights activities in Chattanooga,
knoxville, Atlanta and other cities. When a so-called "Black Power" grand
jury was convened in the summer of 1968 in Hamilton County, Tennessee to
investigate SNCC and the Black Power movement's role in "planning'
disturbances in the city of Chattanooga, Kom'boa was summoned to testify
before the grand jury on purported 'gun-running' charges against him and
other SNCC activists. He left the city when he learned the cops and the
Klan (often the same people in the southern states) wanted him dead if he
would not testify.
The police and FBI had "shoot-to-kill" orders. The official story would
be that Kom'boa was shot while resisting arrest (much like the 39 Black
Panthers killed during the FBI COINTEL-PRO operation). Kom;boa felt that
he had to get out of the country if he wanted to save his life. On
Februry 25, 1969, he hijacked a plane to Cuba from Atlanta, Georgia but
because of Cuba's fear of the Black struggle in North America, he was
later arrested and deported to Czechoslovakia. American agents located
him and tried to arrest him; he escaped, but ultimately was arrested,
brought back to the US, and tried before a racist jury in a small towm in
Georgia and given two life prison terms. However, he didn't give up the
struggle after he went to prison. He was a prison unionist, fighter for
Black rights, a jailhouse lawyer, and one of the first Black radicals to
come to Anarchism during his incarceration. At one time he was also one
of the Marion Brothers" who were political prisoners held in the infamous
Control Unit in Marion, Illinois federal prison, at the time the most
secure prison in North America. Ultimately, this association and the
resulting international notoriety on his case is what helped him get out.
Millions of people heard about the injustice of his case. He had served
almost 15 years (1969-1983) before an international defense campaign won
his freedom. Since his release, he has worked as a community organiser in
Chattanooga, and he is the past president of the Concerned Citizens
forJustice, a local group fighting racism and police brutality. He is the
author of Anarchism and the Black Revolution, the forthcoming
autobiography Years of Struggle, Years of Death, as well as a co-founder
of the journal Black Autonomy.
On Wednesday July 23 1997, Lorenzo gave a melbourne Public Talk at
Collingwood Town Hall. Soon after, Lorenzo left Australia ffollowing
pressure from the Australian government and constant harassment which
included being assaulted by police and imprisonment during his East Coast
speaking tour of Australia.
If you can't come you can:
Write letters of protest to the district attornet and the mayor demanding
that the charges against The Chattanooga 3 by dismissed.
Dear Mr Bill Cox
Hamilton County District Attorney
City-County Courts Building/601 market Street, 3rd Floor
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Jon Kinsey
Mayor of Chattanooga
101 E. 11th street Chattanooga, TN 37402-1403
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Send contribution to:
The committee to Defend the Chattanooga 3
2014 Citico Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37404
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hope to see you there and the other Free Mumia protests next month,
Bonnie
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ASG-M
The Anarcho Syndicalist Group of Melbourne
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
message service 0414 380 211
<http://www.xchange.anarki.net/~asg-m/>
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
LL.VJ
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