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Lawton Speaks On Ohio Tour

By VVAW

May 20th has been set as the date for the beginning of the third trial in the case of Gary Lawton and Zurebu Gardner. These two black men have been framed by the Riverside Police Department for allegedly killing two white police officers in April of 1971. This marks the first time in the history of California that the state is prosecuting a third time after the first two trials ended in hung juries. Because of this continued racist attack on the defendants, growing interest in the case is spreading across the country.

During the last week of February, Gary Lawton went on a speaking tour of Ohio which brought him to Kent, Mansfield, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. The tour was arranged by VVAW/WSO and several speaking engagements were co-sponsored by black and community organizations.

At each engagement, Lawton briefly summarized the history of the case and explained why he and Gardner are continuing to be framed by the police. Prior to the killing of the police officers Gary was a respected community organizer working successfully in Riverside and as such, became a threat to the government officials, who were being exposed for their inability to function in the interests of the community. Lawton stressed, again and again, that this frame-up is part of an overall attempt on the part of the government and the police to silence political activism.

To prove his point even more, while Gary was in Cincinnati he met with James Hardy and talked about this case in his speech. Hardy, like Lawton is a black community organizer who was framed by police and spent a year in jail for attempted burglary, and like Lawton, he was totally innocent!

The speaking engagements gave many people in Ohio a chance to hear first hand of the Lawton/Gardner case. Similar tours are being set up in Illinois and New York. Peter Zastrow, regional coordinator for Ohio VVAW/WSO said of the tour, "The tour gave the people of our region a clearer insight into the nature of political and racist oppression, specifically in the case of Gary Lawton, but also how the same repression exists daily in the communities in which we live and work."

Gary also told each audience of the attempts by his defense committee to have all the charges dropped and the trial called off. A petition drive is beginning aimed at the DA of Riverside. To date many petitions have been signed and the defense committee encourages all to write to Byron Morton, District Attorney of the County of Riverside, 3535 10th Street, Riverside, California 92501 and call for the dropping of charges.

The defense committee is in desperate need of funds. To send donations or to obtain petitions, write to the Lawton/Gardner Offense-Defense Committee, PO Box 244, Riverside, California 92502.

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STOP THE THIRD TRIAL!