Thursday, April 05, 2007

Former Black Panther Party leader, Elaine Brown, on Ohio speaking tour

April 4, 2007
International Action Center

Former Black Panther Party leader, Elaine Brown, on Ohio speaking tour to
build awareness of the Lucasville Five case

Public forums in the first week of April in Toledo and in Cleveland will
feature Elaine Brown, a long time activist who became national Chairman of
the Black Panther Party in 1974, following Huey P. Newton's exile into Cuba.
The forums are entitled, "Why is standing up for your rights a capital crime
in Ohio? The case of the Lucasville Five."

Brown, a former political prisoner herself, will address the issues of the
prison-industrial complex and political prisoners. The forums are intended
to heighten public awareness of the grassroots movement to abolish racist
and anti-poor capital punishment. Brown is specifically focusing on the
Lucasville Five who were sentenced to death in relation to their involvement
in the 1993 prison uprising in Lucasville, Ohio. The cases against the Five
were based on perjured testimony that several of the "witnesses" have now
recanted.

The forum in Toledo is Apr. 5, 2007. 7:00 pm, University of Toledo Student
Union, Room 2582. The forum is Cleveland is Apr. 7, 12:00 pm, Cleveland
State University, University Center (E.22nd and Euclid Ave.) Room UC1.

For more information on the Toledo event call (419) 944-5327 or for the
Cleveland event call (216) 481-6671 or email pfcenter@sbcglobal.net

A play on the 1993 prison rebellion and the sham trials that followed is
being presented in 7 Ohio cities starting April 11, which is the date in
which the uprising broke out 14 years ago. It is entitled "Lucasville: The
Untold Story of a Prison Uprising" after the book by the same name by
Attorney Staughton Lynd (available at Leftbooks.com). The play is to be
presented in Portsmouth, Cincinnati, Toledo, Andover, Columbus, Athens,
Cleveland, and Youngstown. Ticket information is available at (216) 472-2209
or www.acluohio.org

Tell Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio to overturn the convictions of all
prisoners with charges related to the Lucasville rebellion. Tell him to halt
executions in Ohio. Write to him at Riffe Center, 77 S. High Street,
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108; fax him at (614) 466-9354 or call him at (614)
644-4357, or email him at www.governor.ohio.gov

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