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News Briefs

By VVAW

LEAVENWORTH PENITENTIARY

On February 7, 1974, a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Kansas City, Ka, handed down major indictments in connection with the July 31, 1974, inmate rebellion at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. Though the content of the indictments has not been made official, we have learned that Odell Bennett, Jess Lee Evans, Alf Hill and Alfred Jasper have been charged with murder, assault and kidnapping. William Hurst, Jess Lopez and Armando Miramon were charged with assault and kidnapping. All are VVAW/WSO members. Bennett, Hill and Jasper have also been indicted for post-July 31 incidents. On Feb. 13th, after having been severely beaten, these men were brought to court for discussion of the indictments; one man required 29 stitches in his head. Seventy inmates have been placed in isolation cells following a protest of the beatings.

POLICE ATTACK N. CALIF. VVAW/WSO COORDINATOR

On Feb. 6th, Bob Hood, N. Calif. Coordinator, stopped his truck to act as a witness for a friend who was being harassed by police. The police then pointed a .38 caliber pistol at him and ordered him to put his hands up. When he complied, he was knocked to the ground and beaten. Bob was taken to City Jail and booked for "assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer," after police found a pocket knife on him.

USS LITTLE ROCK

Ten black sailors announced at a news conference on February 13th, that they were the victims of racial discrimination. They made the announcement at a hotel room in Naples, Italy, along with their lawyer, Robert S. Rivkin from the Lawyers Military Defense Committee.

The announcement came a result of a previously unpublicized fight which took place on the cruiser USS Little Rock on Nov. 8, 1973, while on patrol in the Meditarranean during the Middle East crisis. The fight broke out after a white seaman attacked a black sailor with a wrench. The black sailors said the incident followed months of racial tension and the institutionalized racism of the ship's officers. One white seaman involved got 45 days in the brig; the other was acquitted. The black sailors are asking that their case be removed from the ship's command. They face a maximum of 6 months' confinement and a Bad Conduct Discharge.

FARAH STRIKERS WIN VICTORY

In an unusually broad and harshly worded statement, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled recently that Farah Manufacturing Co. must allow the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America to organize in Farah plants. Farah will appeal the ruling.

The strikers, mostly Mexican-American women, went on strike in May, 1974, for job security and union recognition in an effort to end poor working conditions and low pay. A boycott of Farah plants has been on for over a year. The boycott and strike have forced a shutdown of 4 plants and the loss of millions of dollars to Farah.

LAWTON/GARDNER TRIAL

Chief Counsel for Gary Lawton in his third trial will be Mr. Franklin S. Glenn of San Jose, California; Assistant Counsel will be Mr. William Kunstler from the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York City. Pre-trial motions have been filed by the attorneys in an effort to call a halt to the harassment of Lawton and Gardner. No trial date has been set for this unprecedented third trial for the murder of two Riverside, California, policemen. Complete background available from VVAW/WSO National Office.