PAROLE FOR HERMAN BELL

Dear Friends,

Herman Bell is requesting your support when he goes before the New York state parole board this summer.  A U.S. political prisoner and a former Black Panther, Herman was part of the brilliant liberation movements of the 1960s and early 1970s, and as such was targeted by the government for "neutralization" via their infamous and illegal counterintelligence ("COINTELPRO") program.  His first trial ended in a hung jury.  The second time, the prosecution used illegal tactics (including making a secret deal to drop charges against one witness in exchange for her testimony, and calling a witness who had been previously tortured by law enforcement who later admitted to lying on the stand) to obtain a conviction of Herman and his co-defendants Jalil Muntaqim and Nuh Washington (now deceased) for killing two New York City police in 1971.  Herman, Jalil, and Nuh are known as the New York Three (NY3).

Now, after nearly 35 years of imprisonment, Herman faces new charges.  In spite of suffering decades of removal from society, Herman has been deemed an imminent threat, evidenced by the government's prosecution of Herman and 7 other Elder Black activists and former Panthers for a police killing that took place nearly 40 years ago in San Francisco.  Herman, his NY3 co-defendant Jalil Muntaqim, and their 6 co-defendants are known as the San Francisco 8, or SF8.  The FBI's illegal COINTELPRO has morphed into Homeland Security's Joint Terrorism Task Force.  These domestic witch-hunters pad their fat payrolls not by looking for those who are actually a danger to society, but by casting their vengeful net towards activists of past liberation movements, trying to reshape these peace-loving activists into heinous criminals.  The Black liberation movement, the Puerto Rican independence movement, and environmentalists are all in the government's sites.  The government is not just targeting a handful of individuals – they are threatening any movement to resist tyranny and stand up for a healthy society.

Herman Bell is a courageous, loving man. He is a beautiful husband, father, grandfather, teacher and friend. He is an elder who has sacrificed his entire adult life to stand against government persecution of Black communities. Even from within the confines of prison walls, he's continued to be a positive example and mentor for the ever-increasing numbers of Black youth who are being herded into America's prison system.  Should Herman be paroled in New York this summer, he will be returned to San Francisco to face the preliminary hearing in the SF8 case, now set for early September.  He will have an opportunity to make bail, rejoin his family and friends in the community, and will be in a better position to work to defeat this vengeful prosecution.  

Your support of Herman Bell's parole is absolutely critical. This letter is a call to action. Herman needs you to make your voice heard. We ask that you review the attached background materials, and then write your letter of support.  Your letter should be addressed to "To Whom It May Concern" or "Dear Parole Commissioner."  Please use the Re: line of "Herman Bell, 79C-0262."  Please send your letter to Herman's son:

Kamel Jacot-Bell
Ankh Marketing
179 – 11th Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Fax #: (415) 865-0376

or email your letter of support to:   jacotbell@gmail.com

Please write about the nature of your relationship with or knowledge of Herman, and how long you have known him.  Some points you might want to include:

* If paroled, Herman Bell will not be released, but will immediately be sent to the San Francisco County Jail to face charges in that jurisdiction.  Therefore, New York State would be relieving its taxpayers of the considerable financial burden of continued incarceration of Herman.

* In a 11/30/07 press conference in New York, Nobel Laureates Archbishop Bishop Desmond Tutu and Mairead MacGuire called for the release on humanitarian grounds of Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom).

* Quoting from the victim impact statement by Waverly Jones Jr., son of one of the police NY3 were convicted of having killed, who requested to meet with the NYS Parole Board in 2004: "Me, personally, have forgiven these men for the positions that they took back then . . . I don't see them as someone that's going to come out of prison and commit violent crimes or anything of that nature. . . I feel that Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom were both victims as well of a much larger scheme which got them incarcerated to this day, . . . and to me they have shown great resilience in prison, that their mind is still intact, that their spirit is still eager to do good, and I just pray that the Parole Board will look at the context and the time and send a message to me of healing."

* With Maine farmers, Herman initiated the Victory Gardens Project, which brought urban and rural activists together for 8 years to learn how to grow and harvest free food for their communities and thereby learn how to work together for progressive social change.

* As Parole Commissioners have noted in Herman's previous hearings, Herman Bell has had an impressive institutional record and list of accomplishments in the course of the past nearly thirty-five years of his imprisonment.  He has completed his BA and MA in Sociology while in prison.  Parole should   be decided on the basis of one's record while in prison, rather than on one's charge of conviction. 

* Through self-study, Herman has acquired a knowledge of music theory and is mastering the flute.

* Herman has participated in many educational and cultural activities benefiting prisoners, including teaching Black history and English grammar and writing skills.

* Herman has brought prisoners together a multitude of times with his football and basketball coaching skills.

* Herman is a dedicated grandfather, father, and husband, who has a loving and supportive family working for his release, waiting for him to join them on the outside.

* Because of Herman's age, educational achievements, and decades in prison, he falls into the U.S. Justice Dept. category of the extremely low recidivism rate of 3%.

* Herman has already served almost 35 years in prison—enough is enough.

Please also review Herman's Case Synopsis, below.  Please send your letter by  June 16, 2008.

We sincerely thank you for your support,
Herman Bell's Family:
Nancy, Kamel, Kihana, Sage, & Simone 


CASE SYNOPSIS, by Herman Bell

In the aftermath of the murders of Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, Dr. King, Fred Hampton, and Mark Clark, to name a few, coupled with the Civil Rights Movement, the burgeoning Black consciousness movement, and the anti-war movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the tone and spirit of those times can be described as highly charged and volatile.  And in the wake of what had been perceived as an unambiguous racist policy of police malevolence, willful brutality, excessive use of deadly force and general disrespect of Black people's rights, scores of policemen at that time were seriously injured or fatally shot in the Black community.

I come out of that time period.  In 1975, after 2 trials, I was convicted (along with my two co-defendants) of having killed two New York City policemen, to which we all pled not guilty.  No eyewitness identified me as one of the assailants.  Coerced witnesses, manufactured and circumstantial material evidence, along with prosecutorial and judicial misconduct are what persuaded the jury to convict at the end of the second trial.  Years and years of state and federal appeals have been unsuccessful.

I am a former member of the Black Panther Party.  It's now generally known from documents revealed by the congressional 1976 Church Committee (which were not admitted as evidence during my trial) that a domestic program of political repression (Cointelpro) existed to neutralize or destroy the Black Panther Party.  In fact, any Black political organization or individual deemed to be a threat to U.S. security, as determined by then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, was a prime target.  Hoover gave his agents a wide range of discretionary power "legal and otherwise" to achieve this objective.  Thus the Church Committee report revealed a U.S. government 'secret war' initiated against the Black protest movement which I was part of.

Since being granted our "paper freedom," Black Americans have long claimed the right to pursue happiness in our own fashion.  Our historic fight since slavery has always been one that focused on carving a political and economic niche for ourselves in America.  During the 1960s and 1970s, people were killed on both sides.  To the degree that my humanity compels me to value and feel remorse for the loss of all life, human and otherwise, I feel remorse that people were killed and families and lives were destroyed.  The past is behind me now.  Many from those days have moved on and have been forgiven, but I've not been permitted to do so.  In the Summer of 2008, I hope to again appear before the New York State Parole Board.  I am requesting your help.  I ask you to please consider my personal evolution these past nearly 35 years of imprisonment in composing your letter of support for my release.