From The Bottom Of The Heap

Hillary King Robert

Description

From the Bottom of the Heap is the revised autobiography of Robert Hillary King, the only freed member of the Angola 3. After being convicted of a crime he did not commit in 1970, King was sent to Angola State Penitentiary where he became a Black Panther and tirelessly worked to improve conditions for prisoners. After years of beatings, starvation and solitary confinement, he was declared innocent in 2001. Somehow he never lost his humanity. In this book, King strips bare society's worth injustices and remains a beacon of human strength and capacity to overcome.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique

Informations

• Publié par: PM Press
• Date de parution: 05 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781604867916
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

“ IN TELLING HIS POWERFUL STORY, ROBERT King keeps the light shining on the struggle for human rights and justice.” HARRY BELAFONTE

“ MARTIN LUTHER KING REMINDED US THAT ‘our lives begin to end the day we become silent ab out things that matter.’ Robert King is very much alive and still fighting for justice. This book is a must-read!” COLIN AND LIVIA FIRTH

“ LESS THAN TWO MONTHS FROM HIS 7 0TH year of sojourn on the planet, and the 40th anniversary of A3’s stint in solitary con'nement, Robert Hillary King goes back to the bottom of the heap to extract quicksilver and lines of turquoise. is new edition contains a collection of essays on volatile topics like the n-word and executed POWs Shaka Sankofa a.k.a. Gary Graham (June 2000) and Tr oy Anthony Davis (September 2011). e book is also an annotated look at one man’s quest to alert the world about the conditions inside a system that punishes those who think differently. As relevant now as it was in 2009, perhaps even more so, From the Bottom of the Heap: e Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King, shows how despite the residual psychological effects of captivity — solitary con'nement at that — one’s humanity can be saved. is little book, by a brave and thoughtful man, can serve as a blueprint for those on the front line both in minimum and maximum security America.” WANDA SABIR Cofounder and CEO of Maafa San Francisco Bay Area;WandasPicks.com

“ KING’S WORDS PERCOLATE WITH THE urgency and determination that made the Panthers on ce one of North America’s most revolutionary units….ough Louisiana has yet to ato ne for the wasted years given by the trio of Black Panther organizers,From the Bottom of the Heapis one man’s shot at making sure a history and a struggle are not lost now or to future generations.” ERNESTO AGUILAR Political Media Review

“ THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND TRUE-TO-LIFE stories described inFrom the Bottom of the Heapthat there  illustrate are multiple and diverse African-American experiences in the U.S., experiences that range from the White House to prison walls.” STEFAN CHRISTOFF The Hour

“ WHEN ROBERT KING WAS RELEASED FROM Angola, he declared, ‘Even though I was free from A ngola, Angola would never be free of me.’ With this book, King makes good on his promise.” MEL MOTEL WINmagazine

“ ALBERT WOODFOX, HERMAN WALLACE AND Robert Wilkerson are worth my efforts and the efforts of all who believe that you must 'ght injustice where you find it.” DAME ANITA RODDICK Cofounder of The Body Shop and human rights activist

“ THE RELENTLESS PROSECUTION OF THE Angola 3 in the infamous Penitentiary at Angola … is another in a long line of cases in this country involving egregious prosecutorial misconduct. e in terests of justice can only be served by ending the prosecution and dropping the charges against them, and setting them free.” RAMSEY CLARK Former U.S. Attorney General

“ FRIENDSHIPS ARE FORGED IN STRANGE places. My friendship with Robert King, and the oth er two Angola 3 men Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, is based on respect. ese men, as Robert reveals in this stunning account of his life, have fought tirelessly to redress injustice, not only for themselves, but for others. Since his release in 2001 Robert has been engaged in the 'ght to rescue these men from a cruel and repressive administration that colludes in deliberate lying and obfuscation to keep them locked up. This is a battle Robert is determined to win, and we are determined to help him.” GORDON RODDICK Cofounder of The Body Shop and human rights activist

“ THIS BOOK IS A SEARING INDICTMENT OF THE contemporary USA, a rich and commanding nation, which still crushes the hopes and aspirations of so many poor Black Americans and criminalizes their young. Robert Hillary King’s account of his horrifying 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit should shame all of us who believe that justice has to be at the heart of any democracy worthy of that name.” (BARONESS) HELENA KENNEDY QCMember of the House of Lords, Chair of Justice, UK

“ WHEN THERE IS A TRAIN WRECK, THERE IS A public inquiry, to try to avoid it recurring. Rober t King’s conviction was a train wreck, and this book is perhaps the only way the world will get to understand why. ere are more than 3,000 people serving life without the possibility of paro le in Angola today, some as young as 14 when they were sent there, and many of them innocent but without the lawyer to prove it. We owe it to them, and others in a similar plight around the world, to read this book. And Robert King wears a mighty fine hat!” CLIVE STAFFORD SMITHDirector, Reprieve

“ AS A BRUSH WITH DEATH SHARPENS LIFE, A lifetime of confinement can broaden the vision … “ AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN

“… DISTURBED BY EVIDENCE SUGGESTING that their long term isolation may have been based, at least in part, on their past activism and association with the Black Panther Party … the pris oners’ prolonged isolation breached international treaties which the USA has rati'ed … e relevant treaties have found that prolonged solitary confinement can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” AMNESTY INTERNATIONALon the Angola 3, 2007

“ THEIR ADHERENCE TO THE BLACK Panther ideology has given them the strength, courage and spirit to fight the prison system.” DAVID HILLIARDFormer Black Panther Party Chief of Staff

“… THERE IS POWERFUL EVIDENCE THAT they were framed … despite the compelling evidence of a terrible miscarriage of justice, Woodfox and Wallace remain locked up …” INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS UK

“ THEY ENDURED AND SURVIVED OVER ALL these years with very little help from the outside. ey are the kind of unsung heroes who we must come forward to help because they never asked for a nything from us in exchange for what they have suffered.” GERONIMO JI JAGAFormer Minister of Defense Black Panther Party and former U.S. political prisoner

“ FACED WITH LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE IN SOLI tary, it is past time for us to organize for their lives to be lived in freedom. ey are political prisoners of the highest caliber who deserve your support.” MUMIA ABU-JAMALFormer Black Panther, and U.S. Political Prisoner on Death Row

“ THESE KINDS OF WARRIORS MUST NEVER BE forgotten. ey have been at the front line of the s truggle, 'ghting against the worst kind of brutalities and humiliations.” YURI KOCHIYAMAHuman Rights Activist

“ I RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF EVIDENCE that suggests these men were wrongly convicted. I urge a swift and just resolution of the matter.” JOHN CONYERSU.S. Ranking Congressmen and Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee

“ WE KNOW FROM GUANTANAMO BAY AND

other notorious prisons that keeping detainees in s olitary con'nement for extended periods of time can be extremely damaging and it is truly shocking that the Louisiana state authorities saw 't to inïict decades of solitary on ‘the Angola 3.’ Ro bert King’s book is a timely expose of past injustice as well as a call to action. It deserves to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in the United States, justice and human rights.” KATE ALLENAmnesty International UK director

“ TO LOSE ONES FREEDOM IS A TERRIBLE punishment in itself. To be innocent and incarcerated for 29 years is almost beyond belief. Robert King survived this experience with his dignity inta ct and with a renewed passion for justice. An amazing story.” TERRY WAITECBE

FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BLACK PANTHER ROBERT HILLARY KING BY ROBERT MttRRY KING

Copyright © 2012 Robert Hillary King This edition copyright © 2012 PM Press All Rights Reserved

Published by: PM Press PO Box 23912 Oakland, CA 94623 www.pmpress.org

Cover photograph by Ann Harkness Angola 3 illustration by Rigo 23 Robert King illustration by Emory Douglas

ISBN: 978-1-60486-575-2 Library Of Congress Control Number: 2012945337 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the USA on recycled paper, by the Employee Owners of Thomson-Shore in Dexter, Michigan. www.thomsonshore.com

DEDICATED TO The memory of Anita Roddick: activist, humanitarian, benefactor, and friend; 1942—2007.

Contents

Acknowledgements Ruminations onFrom the Bottom… by Mumia Abu-Jamal, M.A. Introduction by Terry A. Kupers, M.D., M.S.P.

From the Bottom of the Heap

Epilogue Whither South Africa: Journey to the Beloved Country by Marina Drummer Robert King Live at the Centre for the Study of Crime, Criminalisation and Social Exclusion, October 2011 Shaka, or Checks and Balances What’s in a Name: (Vulgarizing…Vulgarity)

Appendices King Family Tree Anita Roddick: A Friend of Distinction A Poem for Alice (africa) Malik Rahim and the Founding of Common Ground The Case of the Angola 3

Acknowledgements

REVOLUTIONARY LOVE AND REGARDS TO Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, who have kept the commitment to truth throughout these years and have continued to pay for it by being hel d in solitary for over thirty-six years. Your freedom is inevitable.

Special thanks to Rigo 23, a friend and ardent supp orter of the Angola 3, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier, and other political prisoners for many years. Rigo chooses anonymity, but his artwork and activism denies his wishes to remain anonymous.

Special thanks to scott crow, Cofounder of Common Ground Collective, and many other visionary grassroots projects. His urgent persistence, hard w ork, and enthusiasm was the inspiration I needed in a time of crisis to continue this work.

I would like to thank my two cousins Doris and Audrey for their genealogical research into family history. Their contribution is highly appreciated.

A whole chapter could be written just about Marina Drummer and her efforts to highlight the case of the Angola 3. Besides giving herself wholeheartedly to see us collectively achieve releases from prison, she inspired me individually with her own a ssessment of our case, likening it to that of Mumia Abu-Jamal, saying, “Just as Mumia is poster c hild for those wrongfully incarcerated on death row, Angola 3 are the poster children for those wrongfully incarcerated in prison.” It was this analysis and assessment that inspired me more than a decade ago, and this likening has continued to inspire me to this day. Thanks, Marina.

I would also like to thank Mark Child and Joanna Ta mburino for their efforts on behalf of the Angola 3 and for their research.

I would like to thank Nina Kowalska for her discipline, in-depth knowledge, expertise, and skills she has contributed to the campaign. She was an inv aluable asset. Without her, this, the second coming of this book could not have happened.

My deepest gratitude and recognition to:

Ann Harkness, my sister in struggle, for working behind the scenes on my candy business and for all the things you do. You’re a warrior.

NPR’s Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, for keeping my candy business and the story of the A3 alive.

Gordon Roddick and Samantha Roddick, for keeping alive the legacy of your wife and mother Anita Roddick.

Marion Brown, cofounder of A3 Support Committee, my longtime comrade, for not forgetting.

Malik Rahim, cofounder of A3 Support Committee and Common Ground Collective, for not giving up the fight for justice all these years in New Orleans.

Gail Shaw and Billy X, cofounders of the A3 Support Committee and It’s about Time, and Althea Francois, cofounder of A3 Support Committee.

Cola Robbins O wens, a teacher at Tougaloo College, Mississippi who showed me some of the ways of writing.

My heartfelt appreciation and thanks to many longtime friends and comrades who shared so much and have never given up. Bruce Allen, Orissa Arend, Brackin “Firecracker” Camp, Col. Nyati Bolt,