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Interview With Gary Lawton

By VVAW

(The following is an interview with Gary Lawton, a member of VVAW/WSO and defendant in the Riverside, California case of the murder of to Riverside policemen. Gary and his co-defendant, Zurebu Gardner, have already gone through two trials, both of which ended in hung juries. Further details of the Riverside frame-up can be obtained from the National Office of VVAW/WSO or from the Riverside Political Prisoners Defense Committee (RPPDC). The addresses are listed on page 10 of this paper. This interview came at the end of one part of a national speaking tour sponsored by the Chicago chapter of VVAW/WSO. Gary spent two days in Chicago and one day in Milwaukee meeting with people from both communities and speaking about this political trial).

WS: What is the current status of your case?

GL: My co-defendant and I are set to go to trial again on May 20th. However, this may change as we (the defense committee) are in the process of filing a major motion for dismissal which is scheduled to take place around April 17th. The motion will be filed by William Kunstler, who is helping my attorney, Franklin "Skip" Glenn. You see, this thing (the frame-up), had reached unprecedented heights. This third trial will be the first time in the history of the state of California that a person will be tried a third time without there being a prior conviction of the defendant. The first tow trials were hung with the majority from the two juries leaning towards acquittal.

WS: What tactics has the prosecution and/or the Riverside Police Department (RPD) used to stop or hinder the work of the defense committee?

GL: You have to understand that the atmosphere in Riverside is one of extreme oppression. I mean, every day some new act of terror comes down on the community. The DA and RPD are waging a campaign of brutality against the community in the hopes of scaring away our support. For example, several members of the defense committee were brutally attacked, without provocation, by members of the RPD on March 24th. It was an obviously planned incident. One of the committee members was being arraigned at the Superior courthouse and my wife Chukia, Zurebu, and Rusty Bronaugh, a defense worker and member VVAW/WSO, were there to show solidarity with the brother, William Palmer. The RPD knew that members of the RPPDC and VVAW/WSO were going to be there as they had picketed the courthouse earlier. Out of nowhere, this cop decides he's going to arrest Palmer's 14 year old son for burglary. Well, the committee was not going to let that happen without a warrant, which they asked for but none was presented. My wife then told this cop that he was not going to arrest the boy until a warrant was shown. Bam! Chukia, Zurebu, Palmer and another woman are jumped by at least 15 officers. Chukia was choked unconscious and the muscles in her right arm were ripped up. Zurebu may have permanent damage to his right eye. Six cops held him while this one just kept hitting him, and he was later refused medical treatment. All of them have been arrested and charged with "assault on an officer". Rusty received word of the charges against him through the mail!

WS: Why, with no evidence, is the DA bent on convicting you and Zurebu?

GL: Look at it this way. Shortly after the killing of the two cops, the RPD announced in the press that the killers had evaded their massive net. They have absolutely no leads on the real killers and they have already spent 3 million dollars trying to nail us. They have to save face because right now they look like absolute idiots with two hung juries and a bunch of punks and weirdos for witnesses, Mark Rosenbaum of the ACLU, said that the DA does not have enough courage or ethics to admit they (the DA) have no case.

The cops have stated that the murders were "professionally" done. James Tennell, the investigating detective, said: "There is no other person in this area who could have carried out this killing but Gary Lawton because of his military background." (Ed. ? Gary was in the Marines for 4 years spending a portion of his service as a weapons expert). Now the cops had to find someone who was obviously in friction with them and I'm it. You see, I helped organize what we called a "police monitor" program. We used to go to possible trouble spots between the cops and the people of the community. This work did not help create friends with the RPD because we would raise a stink about police misconduct; plus get involved on the scene. So, you have this militant black man chasing cops around Riverside and that gives the DA the lever he wants.

WS: How do you see this case in relation to other political prisoners?

GL: The RPPDC and I have an overriding concern for many other political prisoners, because we see no difference between our frame-up and the situation of many other brother and sisters either behind bars or on trial. Take Ruchell Magee -- or Melvin X. Smith, or the Attica brother and many others. They are all in the same boat as me and I do not think that I am special or different than any of them.

The tragic thing is that Ruchell has been forgotten and ripped off. Political groups and individuals used Ruchell for their own selfish aims. They used him to raise money that didn't go to the defense, they set up bogus defense committees, and yet today there is no active defense work being done. He represents an era of political repression, 18 years in the struggle to be free. His co-defendant was Angela Davis and she has left him to rot. Ruchell has done incredible work such as setting legal precedents for other prisoners, yet the people have forgotten him. I recently visited Ruchell and the man is still waging his war on oppression -- the right for this slave to rebel.

Look, my oppression is the same as all poor people, all struggling people. I am glad for all the support I and Zurebu have received, but you've got to fight for the end of all oppression; you can't isolate our case from everything else.

WS: Are there any other points you'd like to emphasize?

GL: Well, there is one point that is of particular importance to me. I want people to understand that this is not hype solicited from me. There has been much talk about VVAW/WSO's involvement in my defense in political circles. Things like "you are only doing it to push your organization," and other such bunk. I'd like to make it clear that we were offered support at a time when there was no defense committee, and it was support with no strings attached. I mean, neither Zurebu nor I have been asked to endorse the group or even to join it, although I have joined VVAW/WSO while Zurebu has not. The thing is, VVAW/WSO still support Zurebu like he is family -- the same support I get. They have been sensitive to our needs and wishes.

It is a shame to me that VVAW/WSO has given 2-1/2 years of consistent support, while no other national organization has even given lip service, and others are still sniping at the organization. If other groups had given a fraction of the sincere support that VVAW/WSO has given, not only to us, but to others like Ruchell, we'd all be in a better position today.