The Angola 3

[janet]

In the scheme of human rights and the U.S. criminal justice system, the case of the "Angola 3" is one of the great injustices of our time. In 1972, three black men, Albert Woodfox, Herman Wallace, and Robert King Wilkerson, were prisoners at Angola State Prison in Louisiana when a guard was stabbed to death. The three Black Panthers were blamed for the murder on the flimsiest of proof and placed in solitary confinement. They would stay there for the next three decades, quite possibly the longest span of time any prisoner has spent in solitary confinement in the U.S. At Angola, a sprawling complex that was once a slave plantation, solitary confinement means living in a 6-by-9 cell, 23 hours a day, seven days a week. It is an extreme punishment that is physically and psychologically dehumanizing. "The SPCA" could shut this prison down if they had dogs up here like this," Herman Wallace says.

Angola has always had a reputation for racism and brutality, and the case of the Angola 3 has its own sordid back story. In the early 1970's, prisoners were, according to the Times-Picayune, "subject to being 'sold' to each other to be used as 'sex slaves' or prostituted out to other inmates in exchange for prison-brands of currency, such as cigarettes." The warden in those years -- a men who would later be jailed for trying to murder his wife -- acknowledges the existence of the sex trade in his memoir. According to the New Orleans-based defense attorney who continues to advocate for the Angola 3, the three Black Panthers had been "trying to stop the sexual slavery and rampant rage occurring there everyday." But organizing of any kind is frowned upon in a racist prison environment. In a very real way, the Angola 3 can be considered political prisoners.

The case of the Angola Three is legendary among prison activists, but the media has ignored it for decades, making any hope for justice elusive. In 2001, however, one of the Angola 3, Robert King Wilkerson finally won his freedom. All told, he spent 29 years in solitary confinement, an experience he calls "a nightmare. ... I saw men so desperate that they ripped prison doors apart, starved and mutilated themselves. It takes every scrap of humanity to stay focused and sane in this environment."

Woodfox and Wallace are still behind bars. Last April they marked 35 years in solitary confinement. Their incarceration is the very definition of crual and unusual punishment. Enough is enough.

(source: Liliana Segura
2008 Independent Media Institute)

[justice]

Did they or did they not kill the guard. What is it exactly that you guys think prison life should be. True justice should not be a walk in the park. people need to held accountable for there actions. Prison is not suppose to be a summer camp, it is prison for God sakes. Pay for your crimes. I did I'm not whining and crying about it. I took the law into my own hands and paid for it. Deal with it. You have to be hard on criminals so they will think twice about re offending. I don't think prison is hard enough. If it was we wouldn't have so many freakin people going back would we.

[janet]

Since they were conviced on little evidence, I, personally, don't know if they did kill a guard. Even assuming that they did kill the guard, it's incomprehensible that for so many, many years they've been held in complete isolation. While I don't think prison should be summer camp, isn't the purpose of imprisonment rehabilitation? If prisoners were taught the skills and mechanisms to be productive when freed, quite likely there wouldn't be the recitivism rate there is.

[happyhaddock]

justice said:

Did they or did they not kill the guard....

There's no evidence that they did. Are you OK with punishing people based on guesswork?

[justice]

Do you have any idea how many killers have had the opportunity to kill again because there wasn't enough evidence. let them kill 5 or 10 more until we have enough. Right. The difference between you and I Happy is that I care about the victim. The one that survives or the one that don't. I care about their families that have lost and what they have to go through for the rest of their lives KNOWING that someone took ,what was not theirs to take, and the sorrow they will always feel. You care about what the poor criminal will have to face when they get to prison. I do not care about the prisoner Happy they made their choice they need to face the consequences regardless of what they are. The victims did not get a choice. You tell me in all you wisdom why the criminal should have one. Convince me. Or go tell a mother that lost her child to sick rapist child killer your point of view. And see what she has to say.

[justice]

Reality. Very few, and I mean few people rehabilitate in prison most get out and re offend. Remember you are talking to someone who has been in the system. Am I rehabilitated. Absolutely not. Face with the same situation, I would do the exact same thing all over again. The reason that so many people go back to prison is because they choose. Everything is a choice.

[janet]

While I don't argue the point that rehabilitation is lacking in most prisons, it's dependent upon the crime committed to a great degree whether or not one re-offends. In the case of murder, the recitivism rate is the lowest. Murder is, in the majority of cases, a crime of passion or committed in a moment of utter panic. In the case of serial killers, of course, it's quite different. Then, how many serial killers or serial rapists could be deemed stable psychologically?

[happyhaddock]

justice said:

Do you have any idea how many killers have had the opportunity to kill again because there wasn't enough evidence. let them kill 5 or 10 more until we have enough. Right. The difference between you and I Happy is that I care about the victim. ...

That is a lie. Clearly I care much more about the victim than you do. Your posts are more than enough indication that all you care about is the perpetrator and how much vengeance you can exact from him or her. You dismiss the notion that the wrong people are all too often convicted with 'statistics' you make up. I know that when the innocent are convicted the guilty are free to create even more victims and that the number of cases of this is extremely high. Further, I am much more interested in taking whatever steps may be effective to minimize the number of victims by prevention in place of punishment. The three strikes law in California, for example, is soaking millions from the budget and doing very little to prevent crime. The death penalty is just as ineffective - costly but of no effect in preventing crime. The bluster of politicians has done nothing to reduce crime. Even policemen commit crimes, including murder. If the present system was effective in reducing crime, the police officer would be the last person on earth to break the law. He is not.

This is an area to discuss the DP, not for insults with no facts, sense or logic to back them up. Please make a note of it.

[justice]

If you would like with a little research. I can give you a nice list of criminals that were looked over or, or not arrested. Then went on to kill more because there was not enough evidence as you would say. I believe There are few less innocent people behind bars than you make out. The large majority are guilty. For those that are innocent, Yes it is very unfortunate and I hope the situation gets resolved. But even you can't deny. That there have been far to many cases where guilty people have gotten away with murder.

[justice]

What is your great ideas to prevent crime happy. You seem to have all the answers. You tell me I don't care about the victims. Yet I care enough about them to destroy the people that would do them harm. I may not have all the facts that you have. All I have is what is in my heart. My intentions are good and are all base upon the victims of violent crime. You may not like me or my views and that is fine. I don't have all the ##########'s or the statistics you have. I don't have the time to sit around and look for them. But please look up this statistic for me how many sick twisted pedophiles get released and then re offend. Please look that one up and let me know. Then out of all those see how many of them ended up killing a child. John Couey. he is not the only one I can come up with a lot more. I care about the victims my Friend. I hope they all get what they deserve. The reason I post this is because you say judges are for the system, trained by the system that is probably true I don't know, but I think the judges are to dang soft on these people. Call me a mean SOB if you will, but if someone like John Couey was in my town and I knew about it. and I saw him hanging around in front of my house. He would not be there for long. Just as before, I will protect my children with any means necessary. Furthermore I am done with this site. I did not realize that I would be talking to a bunch of people that care so much about murderers, rapists, and child molesters. Pray for them that they stay away from my house.Good luck and good bye. I will now go look for a coalition for the death penalty. If there is not one then there should be.

[pumpkinpie]

justice said:

What is your great ideas to prevent crime happy. You seem to have all the answers. You tell me I don't care about the victims. Yet I care enough about them to destroy the people that would do them harm. I may not have all the facts that you have. All I have is what is in my heart. My intentions are good and are all base upon the victims of violent crime. You may not like me or my views and that is fine. I don't have all the ##########'s or the statistics you have. I don't have the time to sit around and look for them. But please look up this statistic for me how many sick twisted pedophiles get released and then re offend. Please look that one up and let me know. Then out of all those see how many of them ended up killing a child. John Couey. he is not the only one I can come up with a lot more. I care about the victims my Friend. I hope they all get what they deserve. The reason I post this is because you say judges are for the system, trained by the system that is probably true I don't know, but I think the judges are to dang soft on these people. Call me a mean SOB if you will, but if someone like John Couey was in my town and I knew about it. and I saw him hanging around in front of my house. He would not be there for long. Just as before, I will protect my children with any means necessary. Furthermore I am done with this site. I did not realize that I would be talking to a bunch of people that care so much about murderers, rapists, and child molesters. Pray for them that they stay away from my house.Good luck and good bye. I will now go look for a coalition for the death penalty. If there is not one then there should be.

You tell someone to look up statistics for you, but then you say your leaving?! Why were you here in the first place then? No one here is defending the actions of people like John Couey. I personally can't stand the man and would like to bury him alive personally. But... in all reality, the death penalty doesn't just apply for guys like John Couey, people are given it when they are innocent and wrongly accused sometimes. Mentally retarded people are given it, people who've committed one crime of passion are given it. People who are under 18 have been given it. People who've been with friends who've been the one to pull the trigger and haven't actually committed the killing themselves have been given it. The death penalty isn't just used for pedophiles. What John Couey did to Jessica was one of the most outraging, heartbreaking crimes I've ever heard of in my life. So, please don't come in here and over and over again tell us we care about child molesters and want them freed, just because we don't see a need to execute. I agree, lock them up, after they offend once, don't let those guys back out, knowing that they do usually kill after their first offence, like Couey. That has nothing to do with executing them. Again, punishment is possible without death. What don't you understand about that? Your anger against the guy who did this to your daughter is reasonable. You wanting to kill him yourself is reasonable. I'm sure I'd feel the same way. I just don't see a need for the state to do it, once the criminal is serving his punishment in prison. That is the difference. We as a society should be above that.

[justice]

I have to say I am sorry for acting like an ass the other day. That is not who I am. I can totally see your point of view. Though different then mine. I have a question about Scott Peterson. I heard that him and Richard Ramirez are quit the pals in prison. As far as writing back and forth. Is this true? I also heard that Donna Thomas, though I don't know exactly who she is. Said she thought him to be innocent until she visited him in San Quentin and he made a full confession. Is this true as well?

[happyhaddock]

justice said:

I have to say I am sorry for acting like an ass the other day. That is not who I am. I can totally see your point of view. Though different then mine. I have a question about Scott Peterson. I heard that him and Richard Ramirez are quit the pals in prison. As far as writing back and forth. Is this true?

No. It's National Enquirer crap.

justice said:

I also heard that Donna Thomas, though I don't know exactly who she is. Said she thought him to be innocent until she visited him in San Quentin and he made a full confession. Is this true as well?

No. Even those who still believe Scott is guilty think she is a raving nutcase. She had to pay to get her 'book' published and most stores etc won't touch it.

[justice]

Thanks for the answers to my questions. Happy. I want to say I am sorry one more time for being a butt hole. I was out of line. I will have lots of questions for you all in the future I am sure. Does anyone have an updated list of convicts that are scheduled for execution in the near future. I did not find this info in a tabloid. I found it on Wikipedia encyclopedia. I thought they were on the up, and pretty truthful.

[happyhaddock]

justice said:

Thanks for the answers to my questions. Happy. I want to say I am sorry one more time for being a butt hole. I was out of line. I will have lots of questions for you all in the future I am sure. Does anyone have an updated list of convicts that are scheduled for execution in the near future.

Try ccadp.org/ or any of the many anti death penalty websites.