Black Riders held on million dollars bail each

LA Indymedia Dec. 11, 2007

The state’s cases against T. A. C. O., Aryana and Stress, which T. A. C. O. described as “b. s.” to defense attorney Guillermo Suarez, are based on the testimony of an undercover cop who alleges that he approached the Black Riders, pretending to be Lebanese and connected to freedom fighters in the Middle East. He claims that the three defendants were involved in a plot to take possession of weapons and protective vests that he claimed to be able to provide them.

No weapons were ever involved. These charges are essentially for a “thought crime” – allegedly conspiring to attempt to possess weapons.

It is no accident that the arrests took place while several of the Black Riders were up in northern California Building support for the San Francisco 8 political prisoners. Recall that in 1974 a federal court had dropped all charges against the San Francisco 8 because the New Orleans police and the San Francisco police used torture to extract a confession.

It is also no coincidence that the Black Riders were scheduled to appear in court on December 3, the same day as a hearing was scheduled in San Francisco on San Francisco 8.
From the newswire: Black Riders held on million dollars bail each, back in court Wednesday by Repost of Assata Shakur forums