MARTIN SOSTRE Martin Sostre Defense Committee Martin Sostre, Prison Revolutionary By Lorenzo Komboa Ervin Even i this jon, many young actvits know of George Jackson aka “Comrade George,” Black Panther leader,revolutionary prison witer and ‘organizer who was assassinated in August, 1971, in the Califomia penitentiary, San Quentin. Yet, in the late 1960's and early 1970's, Martin Sostre (1923-2015) was ‘every bit as well known as a prison activist, revolutionary, and jailhouse lowyer, who almost single-handedly won democratic rights for prisoners to receive and read revolutionary literature, write books, worship altemative religious faiths, to not be held indefiitey n soltary confinement,and 10 obtain legal rights to have access to legalrights a disciplinary proceedings. He was the one responsible for prisoners being able to ‘organize during the prison struggle 1967-1374. These lawsuits changed prison conditions nationwide. He had served a sentence n Attica, New York, during the eary 1960's and went through a poliical metamorphosis from a Black Musiim (NOD, Black nationalist, and later an Anarchist. In 1966, he got out of prison, came home to Buffalo, N.Y,, and started the Afro-Asian Bookstore in the Black commurity. Sostre’s bookstore became a center of radical thought and poliicaleducation n that city. A Black “rot” against police brutaity ‘of a Black youth broke out at this time, and Sostre was blamed for this rebellon since many youth visited his bookstore. “The city cops and white political establishment chafed at Sostre's organizing and politcal education, and decided to shut him down. They amested him on July 14, 1967, along with a bookstore co-worker, and charged them with *sale of narcotics, rit,arson, and assault” These were totally frame-up charges, but he was sentenced to 41 years in prison. Recogrizing this injustice, n international campaign was begun on his ‘behalf by his supporters and fellow activists. At one poit, he became the best known political prisoner in the world, and his case became adopted by Amnesty Intemnational,the prisoner of conscience organization, n 1973. This was a firt for US. poiftical prisoners and put tremendous pressure on the state of New York and the US. government.Finally, is worldwide defense organization pressured the New York state goveror to grant Sostre an executive clemency, and he was released in 1976. (continued,owpage 72) .. Tdble of-Contents Lorenzo Komboa Ervin Introduotion g Gerald Gross The Struggle, Against Oppression Report Prom Jail to My Bevolutionary Friends An Appeal to the Students ‘Letter Prom Jail-to My Student Supporters and Friends Black. L1l The Strugsle Against U.S. Impertaliem’ Letters Frop:Green-Eaven Prison ration "I was born and raised in Harlem and I lmow the methods.of the streete: the gEavors: of 126th aod 7tk 1n Front of the African Memcrial Bookshop (upon whiohmybegkshop dAn Betfelo was patterned) and those;of !lflh'llfl 7%h) the ploketing,. e T, L Bigh Sohool on 18th Street in New York Oity, *Like Brother Malooln X, I tried.te educate myself in prison. I booame a Muslim-in Abbics Prison beoause 1ts Black Natione f1s6 enats eppealed uo ue; it was sixilas to the Hlask onalisn loked up in Harlen.as a stentng to the speakers in front of the: Black Bookshop on ‘125th Street and reading about ¥arous Garvey, However, when I got ridon and saw Ghat the Nuslin Movesent vas not the reval: tionary Hlack Nationalism that our youth was following and that the Muslim movement was so alisnated from the Hlack masses, I gave 1t up. the While in Attios Prisom, I beoaxs a student of. law - oonsti- futional, international and New York State Law,” (Mertin fails Yo mention here any of the fruits of his study of law but & partioularly lmportant one recoxmends itself, While he was 111 @ prisoner in Attica, 1t was Hartin:Who waged the legal sbruggle which resulted in's oourt ruling allowing Muslim Toligions servives inaide the prisen, Bd,) ¥ 4 Letters From Prison fiafl_‘%_'% the Martin Sostre Defense 382, Ellicott Station, y Buffalo, New York 14205 a’ compilation of Martin Sostre's correspondence from Erie County Jail, Buffalo, New York and Green Haven Prison, Stormville, New York FERprplbr the Philosophioal Soolety, N versity of New York at Buffalo, ° P.0. Box 45, Norton Union, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 1421k First Printing - July 1968 Second Printing - May 1969 Compiled by True Leap Press Chicago ® Anti-copyright 2018 Labor Donated RODUCTION g This year's edition of the Journal of the Philosophical Soolsty of the State University of New York at Buffalo is devoted $o the unfortunately little-known struggle of Martin G. Soatre, Black booksfore propristor and politioal activist,.who vas vielously framed by federal, state and local racist law officials during the Black rebellion of June - July 1967 in Buffalo's East Side ghetto. Through e compilation of the many letters sent by Martin from jail to meabers of the Martin Sostre Defense Cosmittes, friends, and family, the editorial ataff of the Journal has been able to re construct the essential story of vhat happe: rebellion, the subsequent months of legal atruggle to fres Martin ant 8180, %o give & picture of Martin's political acusen, his analyses of the profound social and political iseue of our time. Martin Sostre operated the Afro-sian Bockstors on Jeffer- 08 Avenus in the heart of the ghetto. Jefferson is the main.drag where the many yhite-owned shops and stores loot the Black population day and night as they go up and doyn the Avenuo, fresh from being su- per-exploited in Buffalo's stesl mills, sweat shops, and suburban Bomss of the rich. It vas asong these unfortunate and e~ t1e" poople that Martia Sostre became known as & leader aad militant apokessan for Black Bancipation. I firet mst Martin sosstise in 1966 when I went to his o with a friemd. Both of us ere active ix the Philosophi- ty and in Youth Againat War and Pasoism on campus. At this time, the Philosophical Society vas conducting & semisar at the com us oa the philosophy of People's China and we wanted to purchase s0me books related to this subject. Martin's bookshop was the only Place in towa where you could get booka on this and other "contro- versial" subjeots that wers written by other than hostils comsenta- tors. After visiting the-store on many. cubsequent oooasions - and after Martin came to understand that We ourselves. were sericusly in- Yoived in the struggle, especially in street demonstrations against the war in Vietnan and in support of Black liberation -- we became go0d frienda with Martin, Ho alwaye enjoyed disoussing ourrant events, the interna- tional eituation, Black and Asian history, literaturs snd political vhilosophy. We thought highly of Sostre as an intelleotual aad 1t was claar that he was aleo an activist of ususual alertaess and po- 1itical perception. Martin's favorite subject was the bookshop’and the Afro Freedon , » mimeographed ghetto community newspaper i Cis foesten Habier, 3 wioegrreriee, Sutts, commnt sy aeveaper oeived of and vas about to bring into existence. The stor onondoally a burden, was graduslly besoming known b pressed Black youth of the comsunity. They wore often in the talking to Martin or reading a book or just browsing. very mich about the youth. He wanted to provide thes vith a pers; tive and a progras, to teach them to think, learn, inquirs iato aad qubstion sverything. However, teaching the young to think for thepselve never been popular'asong those who want to keep things the a: and Buffalo's Martin ‘Bot to eacape the wrath of thoae who ra ¢ What you are about to read through the media of his cor- roapor s the story of a Black political prisoner's inapiring struggle againht the extrems brutality and cunning sachinations of the oppressor: \ the entire racist, big-business ruling clique of this highly segregated northern industrial city. It is a story of the frame- up techingue of whith so 1ittle is told by the officlal and unofficial apologista of American soclsty but which - stands out as perhaps the most ruthless and subtle device of tl tory of witch-hunt and poli- tdoal-intellectual persecution by reactionary officials who, fearing the diasemination of controveraial books and pasphlets that discusssd, other things, the emancipation of the poor and oppressed of the' suppressed the answer to poisonous racial fictions spewsd by the business-controlled sass pedia with KKK style, police state and fascist tactics. In essence, then, this is the story of atate power 4teelf which - in the handa of racist, white politiciams and. their big-business bosses -~ means "pig-cop" brutality, frame-ups, legal 1ynchings, kangaroo-style court prosecutions, judictal intimdation and even nind-destroying drugs to the long oppresaed Black mass: My aubsequent involvesent as chairman of Martin's Defense Comaittes has given me & priceless sducation about the system of ruthless repression which exists i the U. 8. In particular, it has opened ay eyes more fully to the racist judicial system which I have s0an to be nothing more than the machinery of state repression con- those who oppose their lecherous gre those who sti11 harbor courta, cops, mase-medis, liberal establishment, sto., to seri study the letters contained herein. The wraps of liberal bourgeois demccracy, herein resoved by an angry Black man who has suffersd 45 yoars under this "free" soclety, cover a racist, militarist - that 1s to say, fascist monstrosity. Of spocial interest La the discussion of the payohiatric o Gommittee uants to share the manifold object lessons of the case with all partisans of the oppre 88d everyvhers. The financial situstion, hoveve: firet printing of this edition of the Journal will have to be a 1L mited one. We hope that you will utilize the experie 4n Martin‘s words and that you will show it to frie: ia-arms who may benefit from the touchstone case from the very bey 3 s mentioned above, the betrayal of Martin by the'white middle-class Liberals and pseudo-radicals and by the blishasnt ais-leadors of e Black community is extremely significant. Nembers of the Defenss Comaittes have, {rom time to tise, been confronted by the unofficial of the opp 1y shoots down the Black paople and poor whites who seck to better their siserable lot —- wh “hen they dare aughters the poor of the world by the £y his authority, 7 Our position has alvays bean the unconditional defense of any Black aan, Woman or child being iynched by the racist seb oo sven though that Bob be the very same men Who own and rule this souniry. Ve uphold evary can's right toa fair trial by his o Beople o Bie Boers — and wooes damn the meciat o, urther e phola the baslc right of the oppresasd Black pecple o rebel ageinas Anhusen conditions, e Know thet no oae aan o onuae & Febeiad esthar #in vas; originally charged —- not even as drilliant and dyngate a deader as Martin Sostre. In blaming individusle1ikeTHereiy, che ruliag ravista’are only seeking to'aover their own orises of looting the very1ives of Anerisa’s Black people. To theiliberals, radicals and pasudo-gosialiste thess: slesentiry.principle: decency must forever ‘Temain a' hook "with seven. seal: On the other hand, &0 those who havs contributed to tl Dafenge Pund and whohave. supported.the ma inge, - fund-raising affails, strest demonstrations, sio., andreho contines. their pertisen aupport for Martin through the. thick and-thin of 1t all v vistory, shall be ours! "Xk 1a ‘our gouviction that'the oppressor san only be defanted 17 people are-wiliing to pull itogether and sacrifice for one another. This iaith true meaning of-solidarity —- sad this is what you have s meaningfully showa. Let ug contimus to verk to- Sother and fight for the 1iberation of 1L the oppressed of the Vorldi DEPEND BLACK LYBSRATION WITH DEEDS! NO MORE FRAME-UPSI FREE MARTIN SOSTRE NOWI Genahl roes Gerald Gross, Chairssn Martin Soatre Defense Comsittes + Martin Sostre And The Fight Against Soiitary Confinement MAY 16, 2016 BY GARRETT FELBER htip://www.aaihs.org/martin-sostre-and-the-fight- ‘against-solitary-confinement/ DEDIOATION 7 The Philosophical Sootety 1s deeply honored and most proud %o dedicate its Journal of 1968 to Hartin Sostre, revolutionary Black tionalist liberation fighter and victis of a rasist fraze-up in £2alo, New York. t a “professional philosopher of the offictsl Amerioan Univeraities, Martin Sostre is a phi- osopher in the tiuest sense of the word. In fact, he i & phil Pher in the only sense that has ever had any vital'significance 4 professional revolutionary. Like Socrates of Athens, who taught.ths youth to inquire into the "how and why Sostre showed the Black youth of the Buffalo ghetto how to question and analyze the vorld and "tell it like 1t da.0 of America and the poor of the world. Fe hus fol- otatepa of Malcoln X and stands beside Robert F. Wil- Ldams and other Black dilitants atraggling for the complete Pation of all modera-diy ‘slaves and serfe. And, at this very chanbera whers they pursue he idea of ele- all over the vorld cast their lot hired apologiats ove bistory for- ward and be honored by the future generations of man. - Biitorial Star Philosophical Soolety report from jail to my revolutionary friends Beport Fron Jail bo My Reyolutionary Friends Pirst let me thank you for your moral and finane o181 support without which We == Geraldine Robinson and I - Sould not survive this framewnp by the enemy, Since paper is very scarce and space is therefore limited, I will dispense with some of'the details of the frame-up which you sre al- ready familier with. 10 Seyeral weeks ago the enemy oppressors -- who viewed with slarm the growing mumber of youths hanging out in the Afro-Asian Bookshop and their suddenly increased interest in Black nationalist and sooialist literature (which I gave free or on oredit to those Who laoksd the momey o purchase it) evidently deaided that the increased youth activity around the Bookshop posed & large threat to require inmediate aotion; and o they made their Gestaposlike raid on the Bookshop, beat me up, pushed Geraldine around, framed us with & sale of narootics, wreoked the Bookehop and stole everything of value. raresd itk Sesch ok SEACEICE. Lhe Teoemn A e dr @ ‘arson and s rece: . n Buffalo, in addition to the above said marootios chargs, I 1ad en Unexpeoted visitor with ¢ strangs messugs. This Visi- tor was an Tom lawyer-politisian who was aspiring to ‘become one of the sccommodating Negro leadera, He inforned me that there was talk in the Black community of another “riot" during the weekend (this visitor oame on July 27th, Thurs~ day) and the power etrusture had sent him to request that I send this Unole Tom to the main “leaders® so that Uncle Tom could find out from them their demands or grievanoces and pre- Sent them to the power strusture, In this Way, he said, Tloodshed oould be avoidsd beosuse the city oifiolals had inforned hin that mext time they would show the “rioters" no meroy; that his sole interest was to avoid bloodshed snd loss of property by interposing himself between our people and $he power’ strusture® to ses if the issue could be nesotisted pescefully, I replied that assuming the untensble hypothesis That I would send him to the “gang leaders®, they would mot et hin act as their spokesman becsuse he Nas not ome of us at the grass-rosts; we did not trust him, I reminded him that until recently (vhen he lost his County job) he had been most zeslous in proseouting our people on behalf of the op- pressor and that he had semt to prison some of the same youths that he now sought to sent, Moreover, I continued, %o divulge the pames and addr of ghstto militants, if one Imew them, would only insure their arrest by police offioisls, Undaunted by what he probably considered my stubormess in view of his repeated probestations of inoerity and honesty, he then suggested & mesting in oourt on the following day [ *HUAC There wee,three, ccording o Police Commissioner Frark Felceta 2 Frame Up, at 10:30. The frst was al 1412 and a halfJeferson Ave. A ‘second was o289 High Ond xyself ---if any of, the Ho 881 ‘thatshe had notioed -87exy .oourt prooesdi; ; of Chen ners Lenders ang iou13, Do present at the hearing soheduled for the Tallowims gay. e further stated that he could arrangs & private wens The next day (before I went bo-oourt) I had another s the Jall. Mr. Boooio, the public defender, ocame fo relterate Unsle Ton'a’offer.and to volunteer Mis:sroeny aorathe ‘conferance. Tuat afternoon Boooio. maderthe neseasary Arranguments %o use his Gffice and he-asked me an soen eo s gntered the ‘eourtroom if any of the young: "gans leaderss were Jresent? I told hin'no, Others were present, however. sho . Wold Telate the mesgage of nesctiation to the-leaders. Beosio poked 2o o piok out thode wioT yanted in the oonference Joom. I ploked out, elght; o nine friends inoluding a spavesman for my Defenss Comaittes: and Geraldine, Unole Tom did mos tEPey in the oourtroom that day, Befois the conference got earlier, had asked the. gtuck hia head "tn: the Foon and anasunced. he'would not object if my bail was redvos Boooto Teplied that he would make, gonference —'this being an induo geoperation,” However, they were, o beidiss; his onference to my advantags'‘tosexshangsinews, ¥ith mw friends and to expose thal rwiioh Sommuntty ot deeomes o pieeeb et | o a o prevents of revolt that weekend, CYE and & ¥ould be easy to - the, sudden’ z and eale ofmy 1iterpture by.saying. thati DAtiTel oonsequence or cumlativesrfestof thotn of Karzisteoriented and Black pamphlets and leaflets whioh I old, loaned out and given T s, Sy B ane? CroTeery, L volad S tyfng 17" ou that, my friends, misleading:you e oo, Tow this s not %o say that T wam't making say” S 3 The Alismalive Commurity in Bufalo, 1968-76 B. Marin Sostre Booksaller Tumad Black Revauiionary (1967). The Bufalonian, 2001, Retrioved 7 Sy 2011, . 1 Powel, Elwin 8. Mriin Sostre Bcoksetlr Tumed Blsck Revolutonary (1967)". The Ateinative Communty n Buftalo, 1965-76. The Eufsonian. Retrieved Decomber 20, 2011. headvay in spresding the word beoause I was, But the pace, | & though steady, was very slow, In comparison, tha smdden wpturn ogvering the period of June i, 1967 througn July 14th (the day of the Gestapo attack) equaled or bettered the yravious sir month period, I believe I imow the Teason for this phenomenon. It just so happened that during the month of June there provalled in the Afro comminity in Buffalo an impending revolt, There had already been several minor skermishes with the poitce in which neighborhood orowls Sook arvested persons out of the handsof the police, Tension built up which finally exploded at the end of June when the police supplied the needed spark -- as usual, During the three nights of the revolt, when 11 the shops in iy area — both Hlack and whits owned o olosed early, I stayed open until J A,N,, thereby providing a refuge (from the tear gas being indiseriminately sprayed in the streets by the polics) for many passers-by and freedom fighters, The shop stayed and the oops cutside didn't 1ike 1t, tut there was nothing they oould do, I had the right %o atay’open - as long as I wanted to, Nesdiess to mentien: T made political hay in “zmlu the police brutality going on outaide to the large orowds in the stors, Then, after a rousing speech, I would go to the shelf and pick up an appropriate book or pamphlet, 1ike Robert P, Williams' Negroes With or Pre- Sivi) ¥ar Blaok Nationalisn or & 9 oola X or bera s sto, and o ’ . SRR femnine, ot A ing or read an appropriate passage, With interest stim- wlated § would make several sales and oreate several mew fresdon righters, Now even provious to the Tevolt, T have alvays agitated, d1sous. 80d and dobated the Surrent Ppolitical issues in the same manner. But during the revolt (and £or the nezt two veeks ¥hen the images of the many brutal acts were still fresh 1in people’s minds) I had something oonorete that was ouwrrently happening right out- 8ide for everyons o 5eo o namely, the invasion of the Black community by droves of White armed police who indisorininately shooting tear &ms and tullets, beating up and arresting Black men, women eud children and oomaitting obier depravities, ALl that wis Rissing were the cattle prods, jo one ©0n1d argus againet thess concrete Tactal The two weeks following the revolt (until I was framed on July 14th) were the best I ever had —- politically, s * Churchit, Ward: Wi, Jim Vander (2002). Agents of Regression: The. FBI's Socret Wers Against the Black Poniher Pary and the Americon ndien Movement. South End Press . 1. IS8 978-0.09608-646.3 [ > Gross, Geraid . (March 23, 1972). “Lter o the ERor The Case of Martin Sosire. The New York Reviw of Books. Retieved September 3, 2015. - even'despite the fact that the. firemen, in collusion ‘Police, broke -out my windows and.played two high pres- sure fire hoses inside the Bookshop under the.pretext of putting out a fire which ooourred in the tavern mext door -- and hever g0t near my shop, Although I suffered extensivo water damage, my good friend Jerry Gross helped restock my shelves by domating several hundred new and used books, magazines and pRmphlets. e plyvood emergency enclosures oovering the front of y /3 store ag well as the other three stores in the same building (one. was vacant and the othier two olosed because of the fire) gave me an ides which proved very effective, In the fashion of the wall posters put up by the Red Guards in Red China, T started pasting thought~provoking articles and photos of the revolt, anfi-Vietnan War artioles and photos of the atrociti comnitted by the U,S., eto, Imnediately passers-by began to stop and read and disouss the articles, cartoons and photos; many would. come into the store to buy books and magazines and diacuss the articles, What I had done was to convert the entire front of \the building-on the Southwest corner of Woodlawn and Jefferaon into a huge community bulletin board and each day I Would paste new articles and photos out from newspapers, maga- zines and pamphlets on the board to keep public interest alive. A few days before the cops raided the bookshop several people paper and magazine olippings which they them- oted. Acoording to my recollections, one Was on of the Uetts "riot", one on Estevanico, a Black with the Span- iards, another on Stokely Carmichael and seversl others the subjects of which I can't recall. This -- to me -~ Was tangible Proof of the approval of the bulietin board by the commumity. The oops, however, did not 1ike 1t one bit and their angry glares at me and at the Eroups of people who were reading the bulletin board left no doubt that they considered this Red_Guard wall posters a threat to 1 noticed also during:this period of uneasy 1ull following the revolt (June 30th to, July 1bth) that, in addition o the inor ‘mimber of Police oars patrol- 2ing'the area (with their windshields, back and side windows taped to prevent their shattering when struck by brioks and Vottles), more cars appeared carrying police hrass and white oivi1ian high officlals and these would slow down upon approach- ing the area of the Bookshop and &11 their atbention would foous on the Bookshop and the entire length of the bulletin board, It became evident that our activity had come to the attention of the high officials. One morning when 1 came to opon the stors I noticed that some of the posters had been Tipped off and that unsucosssful attempts had been mede to Tip the others off (they were too tightly glusd td be ripped off). A taxi driver who works on the night shift case to the shop an hour after I opened to inform me that he had observed the looal cops Tipping the postera down after I closed the shop at 2 or 3 T immediately put up more articles and photos to replace ‘the ones Tipped off or damaged, I used more glue to paste them to make 1t harder to rip off. A Sort of battle developed between the cops and me during the five days preceeding the raid and framing of Geraldine and me on the dope chargs. !4 Another significant fact which, no doubt, reached the ears of the high officials and further alarmed them was word of the AfTo Freedon Pighter (AFP), & mimeographed newspsper which 'ts pre-publication stage, Two weeks befors the revolt a used Gestetner mimeo machine for $100. I had porsonnel (writers, reporte the paper became Self-supporting cartoonist). Bad 1t not bsen for the fire the AFP would ha: been in print before my arrest. Befors the fire nd fust ous'to the Tevolt I was proudly displaying the machine {imich I had in the shop) to many people and informing the thet the AFF was going fo be & genuine grass-roots community newspaper completely Tun and published by the militant youth of the community -- by us "115t1e" people; that unlike any other Who are Grunbs which the Tuling white oppressors dole out to thes. I Vould Biss no opportunity to let the psople know (in the above Language) what the policy of the APE was to be. The overwheiming 2ajority of the people to whom 1 talked were gisd tnat such & newspaper was to be published, Many stated that this type of Rewspaper was long overdue in Buffalo. As for the so-called Negro leaders in Buffalo, the revalt of June and 1ts aftermath showed them up for What they Teally are: @ group of parasitic opportunists who oomsand neither a following, Tespect nor prestige in the Black community and are merely traitors, handpioked by the White ruling oppres- sors ¥ho sppointed thea “leaders for the sole purpose of having the injustices and depravations daily heaped upon the Black community, legitimized by their sanotion and approvel, During June and July these "leadsrs® - preachers and politicians -- Tan around the neighborhood 11ke chickens with their heads out off, pleading with the youths, begsing, promising, but to no aval, The youth would not listen to them, Every time they opened their mouths, they put their feet in. They promised the youth Jobs, but the youth Answered them, "Who the hell said we were-fignting for jobs? You miss the whole point, mant We can always get one of those hot and dirty, low-paying jobs.We don't want jobs, we want justice!" The fact 1s that none of the established Black pol- 1tioal groups, religious lsaders or other organizations command the allegiancs of the youth who o ‘the largest and most gyneao sogasnt of the Black commnity. If this 18 true then he next question should bei What mist & Black revolutionry o o command the allegiance of the militant Black youth? I believe I have the answe: In xy two years as ‘owmer of the Afro-Asian Bookshop I vas contimuously plagued by two main-protlensy i) how ve Jako the shop self-mutfistent and 3) hov to somvert the. mhop | o into a political center for the Afro-Amerian youth,.I was : / working alone, without any experience, politioal comsotions, noney, friends’ (I way a stranger in Buffalo, having mads Lt my hose when Teleased from Attics Prison in Ootober 196k), or sponsors,.I had to play it ky ear, {hrough the. tine-oonsuning rrocess of trial and error in the blenting of different types of 1iterature with rhythn and blues and jass records, Afrioan oarve ings’ and 1ithogrephs, Africen rings, eto, Vhen I first opened the Book- chop. 1t as aclely & bockepe B St story, oulture thos, Soms’of ' the books were by 18t writers, some by Marxis Ty ‘treditional Negro writers, they did not sell, I then Sought to diversiry my meager stook by sdding a few novels, I inoluded the works of Eichara Wrignt, Jomes Baldwin and LeRot Jones, These bosks sold better than'the ones on history and politics, but mot at_the: voluss required to make the shop self-supporting, Luckily, I'Was working at Bethle- hen Steel and able to pay the rent, 1ight and phone bills out of my pay oheok, Casting about: for some means of attracting’ oustom- y I deotded to adorn my walls with large 1ithographs of African subjeots. I aldo displayed a few in By windows, They attracted a few customers’who usually' also purchased: a book or magazine when I brought them to their atten- tion, Shortly: therearter, I atooked some’ African woodoary- ings, s doon as I put thes in the Window ‘they began attrac ing ourious passers-by who' would oome in to ask what the carvings represented, who made-them, whers 414 they oome from, how mich did they 0ost? It was surprising that many had never seen African Sarv- ings before, While the many ine quiries did 'mot result in the sale of many oarvings, book sales did increas The Bookshop was still not self-suffiolent, but after a yoar of experizentation with above-said stook and the addi- Si0n of many different titles, the store at least began to pay Yte omm rent, 1ight and phone bills, I still had to use my Bethiohen Steel pay oheck to buy stock each week and put in | oLght hours at the store without pay <. but at least the goal of‘making the store self-sufficient and self-supporting was in Signt. I reasonsd that if keeping the store open only elght Bours daily abhieyed such & Tesult, would not the fiml goal be chieved in hALf the time if I quit the Steel Plant end put in 95'or 16 hours a day at the shop? To be sure, quitting a $135 a vaek 3ob to depend on & store which vasn't'paying for itself Was vory risky Dusiness, Several days later, while mtill unde- ided a8 to what step to take, the problem was resolved for me by something I saw in the street, Wnile walking down Jefferson Avenue, I passed & group of youths standing in front of one of the local Tecord shops istening to the loudspeaker (all record shops in the Afro community have loudspeakers outside) blaring out a popular Jazz mumber, The idea struck me as I watched them stomping Their feet with the beat and enjoying the msio, This was 1t1 Why not add a Tecord departmént to the Bookshop? Sell jezz and Thythn and blues records and place s loudspeaker outside. Husic is the best form of advertisement in the Black community: Yt attracts attention becsuse everyons loves music —- especial- 1y youths, The following pay dey I went to a pawnshop and pur- Shased & used Tecord player, bought a ten inoh television Joudspeaker at & TV repair shop and set up my own misic System By placing the loudspeaker outside the shop and wiring 1t to the Tecord player. The next day I went to the local record dis- tribuor on Main Strest and purchased $50 worth of the latest Tacords, Sowith an investment of about $70 I was in the record ‘tusiness. e resotion was instantansous. As soon the fizet record, heads turnd toward the shop, Even ped: ans across the street would turn to look, People started Soming in the stors to purchase records, Some Would browse and oy & magaine or Dook o cATVIng. A lob of youths, including Cotnagers, started hanging out in the shop. Some Toqueated that I play certain Tecords which I did. In conversstion, I vourd ebpladn to them the temsts of Black nationalism, socialis And AfrocAmerioan history, I Would illustrate my points by showing them photos and cartoons from books and magazines on ‘the shelves, I taught continually -- giving out pamphlets free £6° those ¥ho had no Boney. I let them it and read for hours Tn the store. Soms ould come back every day and read the sase ook wntsd they finished it, This was the opportunity I hed Evenned bout - to bs sble to help Gy peopis by increasing the political awareness of the youth, A month later, I quit my job at, Bethlenen. Being forced now by my decision bo quit the Plant, to make the store not only self-supporting but also SUppTt me, I kept 1t open,an average of fifteen hours & day, seven daya-a Woek, Thua I was able to wring from the shop about $60 a veek, in silary, So sotually, the dsolsion o quit the plant 2. » §75 por week pay out, I didn't-mind that, The 2 a3 to pass the' knowledge ‘and political ideas which 1y paopie to, them via the 1iterature. in the Bookshopind ‘this:la wWnat I was doing, True, I was always pinched for moneycand I Was alvays behind on a bill o a publisher or the.landlord ' /7 P (sometines I paid an overdue billwith the Tent mopey/on vice Vorsa), and my shelves were mever fully stocked)pbusd:did anage " to. stay. open., Slowly but surely, the A fan ‘Bookshop Was bacoming the mecoa for politically mobivatedilooal youth, Also, people came from Rochester, ‘Syracur , Erie and foronto to obtain 1iterature vhioh ves'ungbtajpatls. in ose clties, I By the oareful blending of revolitionary literature, protest novels, traditional Negro historiod,.paintings by lgoal’ artists, Africsn carvings, tikis and 1ith . jazz and. rhythn ‘blues records, earrings, eto., andndigenous soul- athosphere was created and projeoted whichwhsteo'oompletely in Gune with the conscicusness and soul of the’Afroiyouth that they instinetively identified themselves Withiit. Even 8o, I found that there ¥es @ further réquirement..I"bave seen ‘that, & person not in tune with.the mentality of:the street yonth: Geh Greate a’ gulf between him and thes andisutralize the‘soull olimate, This situation arose when I allowed's k ‘friend tovopernt the shop for a few weeks, Although a politically soj \vxu‘;;:hi' Black nationaliat. with pienty of revolutions e antagonized the youths with his r.mé% het ey and inflexible, He was driving avay, t Sasmpen 1%,/on the mimeo’ ¥ Although the stfect of the indige fully menifested itself in May 1967, oi: Be from taking advantage of i, I put a {for the commnity newspaper) in May, every week quring Way ‘and June, Which p able financial strain, When I had just fnll the riremen‘s hosing caussd me extensiveiyal eeks later I vas fromed by the police. ‘- of tho thousands of titles whish Bt oPALRS.R'. <, another paseed on v And Off of By shelves, mfi,&fifi-gmgmh ‘the Afro_youth more than all the YiHa2 ooTmix: HnetheRzat’ was his autobiography, his speeches, the pamphlersiand magaziine articles about him, his-L,P, records, his-was’the’ Loal' which made ‘them respond, His books would sell so fast that I hed & hard time keeping my shelves stocked with his words, Eis books -- particularly his pamphlets which, selling for only 25¢ or 35¢ were within the fimanoial reach. of everyone -- s o e S eusbony samiais, 1nto Feverusion- ary thought, the only philosophy which will free us from our & o ——_ Brother Malools becauss he was one of them, he talked their language -~ the language of the ghetto street where the Black youth are freely able to express themselves —- relieve their frustrations -» tell 1t like it is -~ without biting their ‘tongue: the Black youth are in tuns with. After reading and absorbing Malooln's pam- pilete, they then becass receptive o the writing of other politioal thinkers 1ike Rob Willisms, -Nirumah, they were therefore sasily peroeive that their struggle for fresdon lies squarely within the framework of the world 11beration strugel The sua of the above iz thisi In order to command the alle~ glance of the Affo-Americen youth, militant Black leaders must orgsnize, in their totality, 11 of the indig- nous oultural foroes that have meaning for and give substance to the outlook of the Afro youth, Through sheer necessity and trial and error, I gained enough experience 1in my two years of developins the Afro-Asian Bookshop to bs able to sstablish a bookshop similar to mine for about $600 and make it pay for itaelr, Now I know how, ut gaining the knowledge took the better part - of two years My only regret 1s that arter so many sacrifices and being 80 Glose to Teaching my goal, I was opped by the police, Although my Defense Comittee is working hard to Taise the bail monsy (I am being held under §25,000 which requires $1,000 sash plua ooliateral to cover the $25,000), they may not be able to do so, Should I be freed on tail, I jmow I shall susceed in helping to orgsuize the Black youth, Bverything is in readiness awaiting xy return: the East- West Bo 767 Jotforson Avenue (being managed by my Bate and so-defendant, Miss Geraldine Robinson) whers the re nants of the Afro-Asian Bookshop were moved, the Gestetner mimeo machine for the publishing of the Afro Preedom Fighter, snd a sizable following of youths from the Bookshop. 19 I feel helpless sitting idle here in jail, for if 1 were out on bail I oould, in addition to organizing, get my o1d job back at. Bethlehem Steel, Since I still belong to the Stealworkers' Union, they would get me the job and take the pressure off my frienda in the Defense Comalttel But should I not be freed and should our enemies 4 in putting me away for thirty years, if T knew that this report has ontributed in any degree toward & knowledge of how to organize the Black youth of this country. The burden of & long sentence would .be lightened by the satisfaction of inowing that the mission set out for me, that of helping my pecple free themselves from the Oppressor, 18 being aooome Pliched. Thanking you, I am your Afro Fresdom Pighter, Brother Martin Erie County Jail Buffalo, New York ot 3, 1567 Martin Sostre ko of Mt Sostr sa young o by Jery Ross (piner) "I greet you from prison and thank all of you who are supporting me in my defense against the frame-up designed to destroy me and the book- shop which some of you are familiar with which they, the power structure, say is inflammatory and Marxist, etc. My position is that, although the literature may be objectionable to some, and I have had threats to cease the sale of this type of lit- erature, I have the constitutional right to sell all literature which promotes freedom of thought and dis- closes facts which are hidden from us by the controlled news media. If this is a crime, then I must al- ways be a criminal because as a book- seller who believes in freedom of thought in this so-called democracy, I feel that it is my duty to always bring this literature, not only to my own people who need it the most, but also to you students of the white commu- nity and to all people who are seeking knowledge and other opinions, other than those projected by the controlled press." -- August 1, 1967 Letter Fros Jail To My Student Supporters And Frisnds z ! Mugust 1, 2967 Those of you who case to the Afro-Asien Bookshop to pick up your sopy of the LIBERATOR or the PECTND REVIDW.or the PARTIOAN ‘or Ghairoan Mao Zae. Tung (until 7 fong Kong and denied ay. application to release thes), know that maay of the books, aagatines aad paaphlets o0 our shelvas vgre not cbtainable oa Nain: Btrest or et your own student and caspus bookshops. The purpose of ay. bookahop. £rom ite husble origin two years ago. when sl T had was Zorty bookn on my shelves and five empty racks vhich T had made -~ vas two-folds 1. to provide the Afro cosmunity (vhich was without a bookshop) with our first bookshop whers books about our history, culture and the writing of all our Black free- dom fighters and thickers could be purchased, and 2. to make available to the Black and white communities (in addition to the aforesaid books) the. so-called sontro- versial or leftist literature: the voice of protest and the other side of the hop, I.had.two vieitors vhe after some carsl browsing, oam to the counber; idsatified thes- ves:as FBI agents and asked ue if I.was. the propristor..’ Upon get- “ing an acfiraative, they same right to the pointi the giet of it being < vas I affiliated with any Socialist or Comsunist group and why Vas I selling that type of literature? My answer was that 1-was not affiliated with any group and that as owner of the bookshop, I ned what bocks were sold in my shop -- that this right ent to the Conatitution. They obriously didn't like my reply , but they left without any further cos- zent. Two months later, two city detectives from the Subvers: Squad vieited my shop. They wers not.as polite as:the federal ageit Thy identified themselves and one of them said, "Nice place you got: here, Marty. You'rs doiug alright for yourself since you got out of prison. Vhat are you doing:now behind this bookstors. front?" I told his this vas no front, that I was working at Bethlehem Steel and oper- ‘bookahop, that 1 paid my debt to socisty for' the mistakes I w 1iving the 1ife of a law-abiding citisen ' law-abiding citizen dossn't in hate 1iterature and comminist propaganda.” I then repeated what 1 told the federal agents regarding my constitutional right to sell Litarature of my choice. One of thea replied, “O. K., Marty, have it our way. Last month, as 411 of you knowy the polics invaded and ked the Afro-Asian . They accused Geraldine Robinson and e reons Tiot, possession and sale of narcotice snd aseasie: i i 3 ¢k that we are was foroed to leave town and testify to the truth, Another witness was bea wore jailed and int: intend to make the yoars - the amount ¥nile under ayrest Back to_the Bookshop and stole everything the trial by jury - makes 1t virtually impossible to overaoms by myself the' oombined weight of all the poverful foroes mobil- 1200 against me. Only with your massive support will Geraldine and I be able to overoome, Today, when vital lasues ani palioles affesting our and other people’s 1ives are being arbitrarily resclved amd ime plenented without our consent and against our wishes by.those motivated sclely by greed and profit, when we are being asked to sacrifics our 1ives and to destroy other pecple’s 1ives in a war which we imow 1s not just - when we are being asked to aoquiesoe in the contimed oppression of the Afro-Amerioan - to name omly two vital lssues - must we go to slaughter 1ike mheop? Must we e oun whon the rogzen of oppressins and BratAlifing other humans, Those dissenters who read this know as I do that dissent - carries risks, but the risks of silence or assent are even groater - for'it is your own lives that will be sacfificed, Even Theep 107 out 4n oshsional “baat in protest wpon teing 1ed v 80 16t us not be intimidated into spineless silemve; 2st'a close ranks amd combine our voloes of protest until the Tising volume overwhelms those who would uss us for their own selfish ends, As for me, far from being oowed by the vioious ‘beating inflioted on me by the police, you have my assuramce that upen getting out on bail, I shall strive to make my book- thep the min 11brary of dissént snd protest litersture in Butfalo, I an desply grateful for your genercus moral and finanotal support without which we would most certainly be orushed, I thank you, Martin Sostre + The Prison Letters of Martin Sostre:Documents of Resistance Warren L .Schaich, Diane S.Hope Joumal of Black Studies, Volume 7, Issue 3 (Mar.,1977), 281- 300. http:iiwww.freedomrchives.org/Documents/Finder/Black%2 OLiberation%20Disk/Black%20Powerl/SugahData/Essays/Schaic h.S.pdf Beil ang Witnesses 23 Auguat 30, 1967 T I povesaper L TGN o L izl e pustine e G A e B, etild S ot the shop when the alleged =ale was e goourred. Everyday that chances:6f proving my 1nnoos rush the hearing evem withou oquld have hidt the hearing, all my witnes: stified, all ‘the ones S tetnag; oL 5 nbotihe ot B et o W ey them, we have lost key witnesses, Although Kr, Pahringer was ‘upposed to apply for . Tedustion in BA1l, he has not.yet done so. I oantt understand this delay, I wrobe him.about b, Could you see him and have nim ake: the @pplication as soon 88 possitle? The $25,000 1 TEILL unreasonably Migh (Bail was originally set at $30,000. Ed.) ‘trying . - Hartin Sostre has opened up-a new fora of strusgle in the fignt against injustice by Tefusing to be sold out by those lawyers and “public defendera* who are more interssted 1n their ovn positions and advanoement than 'in defending liberation fighters, As he says 1n n letter, “Though thers are those Tew who {are oourageous -and have Sontimued to fight itor ‘the oppressed, one should be very wary of putting one's 1ife in the hands of & pro- Cosatopal Who has agreed to: be, sa Jexyers have o, on, tfficer of the pourt:® utionaries, unlike most lawyers, are not en- [langred of tne bourgeois. aysten of law whtch has orushed seversl generations of ailitant [ifaghtera in this country, Wartin has made his " frame-up very expensive, time-consuming and ‘telling for the recist establishment, and his battle ta far from over. These exoerpts tell, ohronologioally, the story of the first eight months of his struggle Ea, Ootober 3, 1967 27 I have been in jail now for thres months which is %00 long to 81t idle while the palice prepars to lynoh me. The finanoial buiden which the Blood-susking lawyers have imposed is %oo mioh, espeoially if we have to pay them that fantastic amount %o 8811 he out, through their inactivity 8o that the white rulers can Sucosed in putting me away for thirty yesrs, ALl this time and they haven't even gotten me a reduction in bail which is Disinly 111egally gzcessivs. The money We gave them oould better Fave been applied for my bail. This is & political lynohing which was oonoeived, plan- ned_and exeouted by high political ciroles for the purpose of con- Gealing the true chuse of the Tebellion - which far from being caused by "outeide agitators® or "lack Pover fanatios” - the two stook phrases of white bigots, both Northern and Southern, who to hear them tell 1t, think oppressed Black pecple are happy and Gom- tented Ty the troatment acoorded them in the ghetto by the white power struoture and were 1t not for these "outsids agitators® and Efanatios*, everything would be just lovely - was oaused by the acoumilation of injustices and unredressed grievances endured by B omrenned peopls for mich oo long, Vhen Folice ommissioner Follcotta told those lies in Washington, he sounded 1ike a sheriff from Burfalo, Mississippl. 1 an facing years in prison and the white op- prosucrs who are doternined to give me & legal Jymohing - North orm style = Will not hesitate to give Geraldine fifteen years any more than they hesitate in pouring death and destrustion upon the innocent people of Vietnam and in killing and oppressing my Black ‘rothers. in sountry, 1 an sending & copy of this letter to County Court with the enclosed motion for & speedy trial. The bigots in judges' Fobes are holding me in jail under an illegal, exceasive bail higher than snyone else oharged with a similar orime, in order to ‘suppress ne, They camnot also deny me a spesdy triali Xoze on the Sell-out catober 5, 1967 1 recetved a letter from Attorney Fahringer today in- forming me of his having informed the Sourt of his Tesiguing from e oasa Soosuss ¥o wers unatle co meet *the very minimus fiman- oia Tequirenente" fized for the haniling of uy case, Eo said that the momies Teceived were used to compensate for the sppear- ances made in oourt for me, (The Nartin Sostre Defense Committes had, up until the case was'dropped in October 1967, paid the law firn §550 toward the $2500 fee which it had agreed to have paid in full, ty the end of December 1967, The Grievance Committes of the Erte County Bar Assoolation foud that total oourtroom tise devoted to Martin Sostre’s case was approximately 4 hours!i Fd,) 7 Jump up o Schach, Warren L (March 177). “The Pison Lelers of Marti Sosire: Documents of Resistance” (P0F). w: ooments (POF. Jourmal of Bisck Stuctes. The Tight for Reasonable Basl s October 11, 1967 A8 you saw, the racial bigot Latons had to tersinate the hearing on the reduction of bail applioation by avoiding the itire esus and usiag ay previous record, partioularly & warreat dssued for my arrest in 1951 -~ sixteen years ago -- whem I aid not appear in court because of my lawyer's failure to notify me when my cRBe cams up for u hearing. Although from the very begimning in July the District Attorney made my entire record available to Latona, ho How acted as if it was new information and used it as 4 basis to 1 wan not surprised bocause the hearing 80 Well in my favor when I prosented to him twelve cases far more serious than mine whose bail was such lower. Some of the defend. 23t in those oases were second and third falomy offenders. More- over, I told him that of 270 inmates in Erie Gounty Jail, T was the only one with such excessive bail for the clase of orime charged. Siace the D.A. could not refute any of this evidence, the judge —- had T boen gotting an ispartial hearing -- would have had to grant 36 & reduction of bail. However, you and I know he coulda't ds this 60 on the pretext of having the D.A. check on the list of Dames and asounts of bail whioh I submitied, he adjourned the hear- ing until Vednoaday. No doudt during this. tise his boss, bin to stop ae and silence bail hearing toward & aif 1 3 ded this off, he then tried to got mo in hia chambers to have a secret hearing bo silence me. I refused his offer. Then finally, he used the fiimsy excus: of &y record of sixdeen years ago to arbitrarily deny ny application. T really had two District Attorneys to contend with: the Judge -~ inatead of at least pretending to play the role of 4 Judge and similating impartiality -- opposed me even more than the actual D.A.! Semplatat £o the Brie Oousty Bar Assccistion Octover 24, 1967 Dear M. Gage, In further support of my complaint to you dated October 1, 1967, here is additional information which proves heyond any doubt 1ot only that the firm of Lipeits, ot al, abandoned the case a0d miahandled it, but that they used duplioity in order to Keep the fas which they stole from me. 1.) Mr. Blumberg, a member of the fira, stat: £14avit to County Court dated August 7, 1967 that: ponent was not aware until Monday, July 3 OF Lipsits. . -had boen retained fo repre and. - .on July 31, 1967 bafors your depor Fetenticn, deponent reportdd to the City Gourt ent the defendant Sostre." . that ay case was grossly mishandl ‘Svare that his law fira vas Teprevent laused snother one of the series of ad- o ny being deprived of the preliminary learly shows that the from July 18, 1967 wntil v Vhen I vas indioted, e 14ga) repressntation during that perfo The law firs had asple u-* trom July 18, 1967 to July 31, 1967 1967 that the law graph (A13) reveals, in that Blumberg wasn't eve (vesore the case was submi{ted to the Grand Jury) to condust th preliminary hearing bad it|been ailigent and properly safeguarding &y inter Now, my key|witneas, vho vas then villing to testify, s been intimidated by the police and left town. Flease raqusst from Mr. Lipeits a copy of |Mr. Blusberg's affidavit, eince no in- Vestigation of the facts by your Association can be complete and lpartiel without it. | 2L 20 Gouty Goupt's recerd vill revesd that after 1 way indicted on August 8, 1967 no further motions or any other attempt Yo dafend the case vas madp by Lipsits's lax firs. They completely abandoned the case. Nor did the attorneys interview say of the Wit~ Mesaos aor did they come th interview me. Ask Mr. Lipsits vhat move was made by his firs ko prosecuts the case during the two onthe froa August 8, 1967 to Octobbr 2, 1967 when they wrote me Saformiag me of thei discharging themselves from ay case. cher, Mr. Gage, is the duplicity em- Floyed by the Lipsits law[fira to cover up the fact that it sold Zi7ut by subaitving to te political pressure applied by the o Tabiishmant. Request coplies of the following letters from Mr. Lip- sits as part of your investigation and have hi vergent 8 abirin Sotover 2, 1967 gave the following reason for withdraving from the “An you aay kagw by now, those interestad in your ase T onte) CoTuoet the'very inimws fissncial Tequir Hemtathet we Had fixed for the haadling of your case. pisrances Dads ia court for you A pariioniarly the Grand Jury investigation wkich vas Doniucted 3 Bris County Court. 1 have on this At netitied fho Brie County Court that ve Bave & st gy nd suggost to the Court that otber Soungel be. to you. « " Yt two days later, Mr. Lipeits gave the Chairsan of my Defense Gonattves, Mr. Gerald Grops, a 4iffersnt story, for by letter dated October b, 1967, Mrl Lipsits said thati 1 am writing ko you to infora you that Mr. Fahringer . 3ump up t:+* *How One iniats Crengeq The Prison Sysiem From The nside”. NPR org. Retived 2017-04-15. - Yinds: it impossible to represent Mr..Sostre. His iavelve- ment 4n other. matters which will preempt his. time complete- 1y has foroed hin'to coms to this-decision. MHr. Fahringer and T would both 1ike you to know that.we regret his having to make this-decision, but it is iapos Mr. Sostre further.” Although I have more . . . the facts ficient to raiss serious question aubaitted to the courts if I cannot get justice fro the Bar Asso- ciation. The many ssall pacple who contributed 50¢ or §1.00 and the ollegs students at U. B. who gave shows, time and money for my de- Tanse will not tolerate being robbed like that. Two hours repr tation by Fahringor on August 8, 1967 is not worth §550 particularly after they bungled the cage and then abandoned it. I may sven have grounds for o daaage uit. Plaats infora se of your asever te soon a8 posstvle. . . Martin Sostre (Bd. note. -~ On April 12, 1968, the Erie County Bar Association finaly got around to ruling on Martin's complaint. They ruled, as might have been sxpeoted, against Mertin and in favor of the lav firm.) The Lavyers' Duplicity October 26, 1967 When_you compare Pabringer's letter of October 2, 1967 with Lipsit'a lotter of October h, 1967, the duplicity employed by then to concesl the fact that they had abandoned the case becuas of tical prossure is clearly evident. As a.matter of fact, the rd of Gounty Gourt further reveals that they had abandoned the vo months befors they officially discharged themselves from the case on October 2, 1967. The records show that from August 8, 1967 Vhen Tahringer poiled the Grand Jury until Octobor 2, 1967, the date of his latter, they d4id abeolutely nothing, not a single motion, no attempt to defend the case, no application for reduction of bail -- Rothing at all. To all intents and purposss, they abandoned the ‘These are the things I pointed out to the Bar Association in nt letter to thes dated October 24. he Witaesses October 28, 1967 It this wers a case where I had had a hearing and the testiaony of my witnasses (as well as thé D. A.'s witnesses) was lready on Tecord, and my lewysre were in touch with the witnes: nd had prepared the cass for trial, then I could relex, luowing that even & wait of five or aix montha would mot alter the testimomy of the witn or aubstantially effect the case. But this is not Tn the first place, because of the many adjournsents of 28 Ootober 29, 1967 I to1d Abtorney Green (the public defender) that I was going to either appeal Julge Latona's denial or put in & Habeas Corpus or applioation for reduction of bail to either the Pederal or State Supreme Court, I asked him which judge would be the best to apply to, He said he would approach a few and their Teacticn, Evidently He told Latona of my intentions and ZLatona told him that he would reduce it on the oondition that I Temain silent and let Attorney Green argue my case for mel B otober 29, 1967 A for, the peorle who represent SHCC in Bufalo, 1 nking s although their relutance to ot involved may stem from their considering us too revolution- ary or tdo far 1eft for them, This was their objection (as well from et with sy reaction- oall themselves - except possibly in the Tole of a Trojen Horse, Lemal Aotions November 8, 1967 Meanwhile, I am not idle, I mailed an spplioation for a Writ of Habeas Corpus to New York Supreme Court of Erie County on the 30th of last month, I am seeking a_further reduction of Dail, The application is enbitled NARTIN SOSTRE v, TUTUSKA, I also mailed an application to Pederal Court for an order of show cause against the U,S, Postmaster for his refusal to send me the tracers I requested. But faced With a court action, he got the message and decided to Send them, So this sction 13 moot, suticin) Prefuttee Hovemser 13, 1967 2 ] £n regard to the court, T sm a0t too outcome. The crack he (Judge Tisher) made money and other statements against ptimistic about the bout the Viet Cong send- Viet Cong, in addition the court below would ads me to believe that I will not g iy preparing my papers for appeal just in In sany cases, they have already decidsd in advance (as aoon s you submit the application) what they are going to do, but 0 and go through the formality of a hearing and argusent @ to make everyone believe that the case was decided on tha basie of the arguaents -- while in reality, it was do- cided before the hearing. S0 let's not depend on gotting any justice from Fisher. 1 don't know what kind of 4 man he is personally or how he thinks -- perhaps you know more about him than I do -- but as I said, I'a not optintstic. W should procesd just.as if mothing had happened and of any favorable publicity given the hearing. Noveaber 25, 1967 Aved denial from Judge Fisher. He avoided isaus as to excessive bail and discrinination in imposing excessive bail complete- 1y. He denied me on the grounds that "Two similar applications have been made by petition and both have resulted in a reduotion. The potitioner never appaaled from the previous dscisions to lower the Bail. A further reduction is not varranted at this tise." (Ed. note - Of couras, what they did was set bail so high in the first place, that they could reduce it two or thre tin jailed. Comoerning the ruling by Judge Fi: Court ~- Pourth Judicial District at Rochaster, New York: Hartin had. alresdy been rushed to trial by Judge Prederiok N, Harahall. Judge Marshall began the "trisld in full knowledge of the Appellate Court!s reverasl of Judge Fisher's denial for further reduction in badlt) " Like a Vit Cong Novesber 25, 1967 I want you and the others to know that regardless of the presmares, abus ‘any other physical or mental force that ‘eneay’ empl. %o make me submit to their frase-up rges or cooperate wAth the legal lynohing they are trying to give 2e, that T will never subait The employnent of the massive and ate is not enou a Black Viet Cong, 1ike a Viet Cong Inttmigation Re: the trial -- they are trying t mo. T notdced last time I veat to court they Gourt attendants in addition to three white ones saking a total of Tive - an sxoessive nuaber -- vho eurrounded me in an intizidating sanaer while I wvas in court. I noted aldo that not one word of {hat procesding appearsd in the newspapers. Dvidently, there are ordera fron above to silence s and impose & news blackout. I an Tamiliar vith the pattern. I believe the next step s fo try to hug" me: the court will qugation my sanity (secause I am refuaing to cooparate vith sy legal lynching) and ordsr a peychiatric exa- mination o deteraine vhether I an capable of understanding the Gharges againat sa Sonetimes the state-appointed psychiatrist frames you With an adverse report and the court commits you to a state hos- pital as legally insane whers they sitber kill you or destroy your Banity through mind-destroying drugs, or they keep you there for years until they finally declare you sane enough to stand trial at Vhich time they return you to court to face the original charges. Poychiatrists, doctors, hospitals and insane asyluss have alvays sors to intinidate, remove and d who, apart fros now being intinidated by his pro 15 another ex- beaten up by the police, officer who has scheduld a peychiatric examinatio asple. Another device aleo employed to create the grounds for bugging you is to provoke you into defending yourself -- by having one of their goons strike you or roughly menhandle you forcing yoi %o restst — then they will say that you went" The nova- papers will play the story up big, stating how it %o subdus you and that you fought "savagely’ eto. to this is the old stand-by "trying-to-escape" frame. @ plott to esoape. Havi 4n prison for many years 0en many foul things which the iverage person never hears about, I have personally talked to victiss of the kinds of frame-up described above. I jkmow what these people will do if they think they can get away with it. (4. note - & few hours after this letter was written, Martin Momorial Hospital in Buffalo, New York by r to undergo peychiatric obeervation,just as he predictedt) tre Ostrustion of Jaid Visttors 3) Deceaber 15, 1967 e o The et ime Geraldine or you ave given & hard tiae: et Todlhiil}, T take that foker to court, but I WALl personally shesec- tee bia that the shameful jail condiiions whish v Publicly exposed will again be exposed £oroe and in an eleotion year. I don't believe he knows wers ho e {oing, Perkape he had better consult with the failer whe Lo in’ aiiter touch with things in the on relatively passive and oPerstive insofar as the jail is concerned, confining my attasks to 0d Gourta, with'the exception of the Jail strike of raer susser. Perhaps I shall have to sscalate the struggle. The “Comnmitment" at Meyer Memorial Hospital De ber 25, 1967 Joyable holiday. I was re- Larned, from the Dospital on the 2lat; had to refuss drege in peyenc A4 4bich they trisd to glve me Lo dope me up and have e welbiae around &n drugged stupor like the other patients: there. My serfur Jlack Power, Vietnan, American racisa and oppresion to the eene, t1oats vere not appreciated by the peyohiatriats and hospteer . TheY Were £lad to get rid of me. However, I planted a few god o before I 1att. Hope you and fasily had an Bevebtatric Inti January 5, 1968 I hope that you and your loved ones had an enjoyable boliday, As you know, I spent part of the holiday s Jeyohiatrlc vard of Weyer Memorial Hospital where the ractss Jusge Yarehall bad me committed to cosrce and intisidate me and diseremst 87 stand on Black Power and againet the illegal war in Vietoe 471 how that I have overcome that ordesl, I an meking iham pay by exposing, s you probubly read in the pagere, not omie the vicious methods which the bigoted judge employed in his efterie to eubdue and lynch me -~ which they have baen trying £o do o ance Pelicetta's racist Gestapos ratded and destroyed ous emiy Black Power bookshop -- but the illegal and unsonstitutional meshods 4nd procedures employed by state peyohiatrists to slicit infommetinn fron drugged defendants in the paychiatric vards, te3pt 0 subdue me by using opened t) Nitnsesse sad Bail 2z January 31, 1968 1¢ the four key witnssses (not to be confused With the three who were in the shop at the tims of the raid and saw the de- teotive take the dope from his pocket and say, "This is what we're locklg for.s - after thetr senrch of the shcy turmed up sotisg) are not found by the 198, Will have to redu osive batl to ailow se - vho kmov thes by elght slace they have been 4n. the shop seversl times and I have oh Jefferson Avenus -~ to go ot ana Sosate. s Ayae1r. Toe D. Ar canaoh have 1t voth vy cannot insist that I go to trial deprived of fy witnesses because of exceasive bail and at the sane tine pretend that this legal-lynching has any approxisation to a fair trial. This denial of the opportu- nity to locate and interview witnesees in my behalf, coupled with the oppressive delay in bringing my court case to trial conatitute auch serfous deniale of fundamental constitutional rights as to T quire aiseissal of the indictsent. T an not going ta sit on my hands veiting 'ti) Febraary 190; I an eacalating the loghl and political pressure and I am now Vorking on a couple of other legal actions challenging the oppressors’ \ncons¢4tutional sonduct. Bcooutag porebatrde Int on February 6, 1968 1 an particulsrly looking forward to the procesdings * againat Judge Harshall and the peychiatric report. e really messsd up and I've got him. I am really going to sock it to them and pull the edures and the judicial ty- ranny being employed by the intimidate and sonstines sliminate thase who Sppose thes. Tiis expomu Dartioularly tuportent now, when the pover structure - beset on all Tiden vy opposttion to their filegal var and their oppression of the Hlack sasnes in the ghettos - are desperately spcalating their smployoest of soercion, intiaidation, frameupe, Jaiiings and vie- lonce 4a & futile effort to suppress the rising tide of opposition %o their fasciat policies s The employnent of the "bug houss", peychiatrists and mind- Ehan the blackiack, Jail or the bullet, is not new been employed to destroy or intisidate sany persons. But becauss of its insidious nature and the legal and msdical trappings with which it is insulated, it ha ot yet besn recognised as & weapon of oppression by the mase ¥i11'do ay utmost to fully exposs them in the courtroom. . Malcolm McLaughlin (2014): Storefront revolutionary: Martin Sostre's Afro-Asian Bookshop, black liberation culture, and the NewLen.lemfi The Sixties: A Joumnal of History, Politics and Culture, DOI: Lega) Actions 33 February 6, 1968 Brclosed with this letter, I am sending you a copy of the complaint I'satled today to Judge. Henderson at the U. 8. District Court under the Givil Rights Act seeking an order.r Sheriff and his sgente:fron denyingme the.right:fo receive and read a mewspaper. As aleo making arrangsments to lodge complaint with inapectors about the illegal obatruction of mail, harassment of Visitors and other viclations of law. Maid Qbetruction February 11, 1968 I have writtan the U. . Postal Iaspeotor at 1200 Wilitam Straet a debters” T aa putting dn ne co.the obebrection of v mbii: e thin ia 3. S0 T vant you ector sbout the Lavter the Sinebine sithough I mailed then ten daya spart and sbout your fail- R 276768, sto T thay obatract the writ 5 sudes Henaera L Taal trouble. If ve don't sheck taia oy, ey wiil get bodder:. Bg watil ve g3t the P O Tnspector (or U, Attorney) to straighten these violations of .postal laws out, Shis de the theme T WAL hars on in every letier T write and n every Spearance T aik in sourt: Latter %o Postal Ingpector I an hereby making a formal complaint to.your dep against the Sheriff of Erie Gounty and his agents and servants who have been and are now obstrucking =y outgoing as vell as my incoming Bail in violation of U. 8. postal lavs by refusing to mail my letters %o their destinations without sither informing me of this obstruction oF returning the letters -- which were in envelopss with U. 5. pos- tage stanps affixad thereto -- and refusing to give me the incoming mafl or returning sase to the sender. I know the diffe: Jadd officiale have for purpos 1iberate obetruction of mail for the purpo Tight to prosecute my case. So I aa requesting aa interview with a postal inspector so that I msy file a forasl complaint and/or the appropriate post office department forms for such & complaint., The Hearing on Peychiatric Intimidation 3¢ February 19, 1968 Although I wrote you on February 169, today's events require this letter to thank you and all thoas uho spent valuable e Lraved sub-tresaing waather, defied the intisidating pre: those dosenh of goons to let the racist-militarists know mot only Shat T have the support of many people in Buffalo, but that this aupport ie steadily increasing. Although you already were familiar with Warshall's dic- tatorial tactica, the desperation with which he fended off all ay afforts to dealing vith bis misconduct, racism, o STeeiia,"ote: made him reveal his true self. Now you can sse Why defendiats, a8 well as some lawyers, have given him the nick- o o Mad Dog Marshall". He bulldozes lawyers in the same san- A you saw, he euppressed the Tesl issue of the hearing \vhich vas that: he had me committed to the peyohiatric vard to wake my passing of & peychiatric examination a precondition to ay e mtiiubionsd right fo act s my own counsel, and that he cosmitt 2o % the mat ward to coerce Geraldine, my co-defondant, and me Tate aceepting court-appointed couns: ‘Wiso arbitrarily tersi- e od the hearing and ovrtified the peyohistric report without al- Joving me o question the two other peychiatrists who had examined e at the hospital. Since T knew that Narahall vas determined to block all I concentrated on bringing out the facts that: 1. Mo tests were given -to me in the psychiatric ex- amtnation. 2. The paychiatric disgnosis that I had a paranoid ersonality vas a subjective determination mot based on any seientific dat. 3. Paranoid personality is a normal state if on fact, surfounded by hostile elements or is persecuted. The fact that I am a member of the pe: minority living in a bostils, recist ot taken into consideration in evalur ality, and Tasues of personsl o 3¢ such behavior runa counter to the mdards, Lt will provoke hostile resction Wiioh Gould produce peraoid pereonality because the Bos- ity is real, In other vords poyohiatric diagnosis subjective, but the I 27 being labeled a parancid vas because of @y stand on Vietnam and racis The fesring on Peychiatric Intimidation 35 Pebruary 22, 1968 Although 4t was a foregons conclusion that Judge Marshall would blook the real i nomely bl me to & pay- chiatric test as a precondition right to vaiva counsel and to cosr me into accepting court-appointed counsel. osed to public sorutiny and though several important fects asons Vhich vere: That anyons who actively opposss war and ract could be classed & "paranoid" personality because his conduct is hostile to those norma established by the power strusture. That Lt ia possible for a person to be comsitted to the peychiatric vard by an unscrupulous judge for reasons other than that of testing the person sanity or ability to conduct his-own defense, and 3. That the payehiatric diagnosis of "parauoid persca- Ly L e eubsuctive etormination of an inds- ViGue1 paychistrist based on characteristics which Tead to'a ditferent datersination if ovaluated by a'ditrerant peychiatrist, In other words, state Deychiatrists can put any kind of label on anyone TVo discredit their stand on an asue) or even clary then insans on the prejudiced hasis of their va subjective deterkination: pik Sresery Mareh 4, 1968 The national attention fooused on this case by Dick Gregory's appearance in the court room frightened Judge Marshall into postponing the hearing. The avoidance of the isaue and the fear of additional publicity forced him. to again postponé the hear- ing-on February 298, We definitely have them on the defensi Elack Traitore and Infiltratio Mareh 4, 1968 Although I started this letter yesterday, I am now con- tinuing it after Baving. returned from the farcial, one-gided trial being conducted by the "Mad Dog" to cover up his inability to ex- lain to the peaple of Buffalo why I am being held in jail under exorbitant and why T Teing prevented from getting the Witnesses Yy for s fair trial, The very fast that Marshall had to re ed order to have the D. A. show cause or give the batl should not be redu hovs that there is no legitimate reason they can give for refusing me reasonable bail. My refusal to co- operate in the legal lynching has placed Marshall in the position of sresiding over a trial of smpty gesturs It's amasing how, even after eight months to rehears haven't got their stories synchronised. The State Trooper from Bochester' is a typical example of the Elack traitor of his people’s trugsle against oppression. If you check the minutes of the pro- dings had in City Court on July 27, 1967, it will réveal that ted a postponenent because the State Trooper was on specisl assigasent in an undercover capacity relating to the Tebellion in Rochester. He infiltrated, framed and sent to jail neveral militants in Rochester. The Black paid informer is just a plein stoolpigeon who would testify to anything the vops told hin to just to get robbary and grand larceny charges off bis. There are so many like these two Black traitors working for the pover struoture all over the country infiltrating Black groups and setting up militants. The samé tactics are aleo employed against white liberal, activist and mtlitant groups and individuals opposing racisa, oppression and militariem of the fascist power structure. So be alert at all tises. the D. A. regs A Varatng Nareh 4, 1968 Guard yourself, for you ape what they have done to me! The Sentensing March 9, 1968 . Although one month is the usual time beteen convistion and sentencing, oaly ons wesk was alloved in my case. Bven the pro- bation officer who interviewsd me Yesterday.cosmented on the specd and stated that Marshall wanted the report by 10.A. M., Nonday. They sure vant = out of Buffalo and in Attica Prison fast. I shall be ready for them by Monday just in cas: The Futurs ad Yilltess' Idea About the Lexal Machine I aa very optisistic about the futurs and there is no doubt in my mind that victory will be ours. s R eusgests, ve will make trame-ups and kangaroois the power structurs that it vill be Iike the last one, and they vill be through! expesaive to Sostre fo Remaln S § fa e w.n.w &__ = 3 -] 3 §f Em R R @ B2 o g mw.m.:_mm”_m_mmm_. sl A = m..w. s3ag geEd wS mnt i3 uu“u 2 8 _.E it i g mmm.:, r .mu haw &' [l _: LT m 59 ity _M it ML £3 “_m_w stz - <8 il m.fiw & & il .mz._r_ 38 ipglitnia ' MARTIN ~ SOSTRE & in Court Prosecution Rests . In Sostre Trial Black Liberation k2 Afro Freedon Pighter July 30, 1967 Last Pridey I was glad to learn that my bail was reduced to §25,000, I sure will be glad to get out on:bail and take agvantage' of the present developments, for the time has never been riper for helping my people than it is now. This the 1deal time to begin publishing the edon Bianter - the paper which I vas planaing ~ nt organ ‘youth in the Afro community. I know it will be & suce oess because I have already consulted with my many youns friends and, even before I bought the Gestetner, they were all snxious to get it started - many wanting to contribute arti- cles and help publish and distribute it, The back room of the East-West Bookshop 1 ideal - when 1% 15 fixed up a 11ttle - for publishing the newspaper. August 8, 1967 A fow days before the police reld on the Bookshop 3, tnd fimaahed pevadnce on & vost Gentatmer mlzeceiurh sivive ¥ith which T intended to print the AFE), Eiiitant Bunck mevepaner viisien et ABTaR N RE (ATE) of the comaunity themssives and sxpressing their om views in Gheir own words, It Will, at the same time, ba a Rilitant Erass-roots newapaper iniependsnt of the treditional Negro Teaders - who are utterly rejected as leaders and oalleq Unole Toms by the grasa-roots segaant of the Black community beoause of their willingneas o Acoomiodate themselves o white intere and sell out the Black comminity. We will start out as a four-shest mimeograph news paper and work our way up to tabloid sige,-Ours will be a dynamio, sooialist-oriented Black nationaiist waekly, pub~ 1ished by the youth themselves, I had already reoruited & couple of high school girla who volunteered to type out the stenoila; a writer who wrote for ons of the establishment Black newspapers but quit because the editor considered his articles too militant and sought to editorialize thems @ photo- grapher and & reporter) and many other youns people who would help - from turning the crank of the mimeo to selling the news. paper. I was looking for a cartoonist, With the launching of the AP and other political activities, the vacuun in leader- ship which exists in the Black communify will be filled. The Rebellion August 1, 1967 The boss-pan now knows that we will fight, that we Wil not turn the other chesk like 8pineless cowards but rather W11l "fight to death® like Stokely Carmichael, one of our out- 4z standing nilitant leaders recently proclaimed, Yos tro the white press, radio and TV hed a f1e1d day telling sverybody how bad I am and what bad 1iterature I s0la (1ts & wonder they didn't plant pornographio literature along with the dope to say that 1 was selling 1t to ohildren to Sorrupt them), But when they coversd the o-oAlled Tiot they 414 not tell how the police shot tear gas into a bus Tilled With our ohildren, how they shot at Black pecple Who were in- nocently walking or atanding in the street. How they beat and brutalized our youth for no reason at all, How they shot tear gas inside of public places filled with cur people, No, this police brutality and ssvagery they did not report. But'sll of Us know this because We saw 1t With our own eyes, This happened %o us in our commmnity, Every man, woman and ohild in our community saw those white goons cole into our neighborhood by the carloads armed to the teeth With helmets on their heads, We saw the Viclous dogs that they used on us and we felt the burning in our eyevalls from the gas which they shot indiscriminately at us. No, 81l of you know that it wasn't Brother Martin or any other &Toup of indlviduals who started the revolt in June; it was_the acoupulation of unredressed grievances, injustices and brutality by our white oppre which finally boiled o Since the white oppressor has done nothing since June to give us justice and has, in faot, rTetaliated by destroying our Black bookshop and framing me and other brothers, it will Tequire a Detroit and Newark revolt here in Buffalo for him to got the message. Uncle Toms August 8, 1967 The so-oalled Negro leaders are one of the major factofs in the Buffalo revolt of June-July 1967, for, by play- ing dows and refusing to articulate in plain and unequivooal language the real wants and needa of the Black oommunity they prevented all oommunication bstween the white and Black'politi- cal snd oivic leadership which oould have led o a solution. But by concealing from the white political and oivic leade: the long-suppressed. hatred and frustration festering in the Black community (engendered by the long scoumilation of injus- tioes heaped upon us) in order to ourry politicsl fayors and patronage, these Uncle Tom leaders lulled the white leaders into Delieving thet everything was alright in the Blaok comminity and so left them totally unprepared for the violent revolt whioh shook Buffalo last June. Bage and_Cla: November 29, 1967 I know how easy 1t 18 to fall into a racial bag and miss the entire politioal olasa strugsle (beoause of the srronscus conoept that the struggle is solely one of race) 61611y when, although sincere, one is young and politically il 43 9n Death Merch 15, 1968 Being & revolutionary Black militant, the only way that T would hate to die is like & hog - as described by our . ilitant Blaok poet, Claude Mokay, in his poem, "If We Must Dic", His poem sets for us the standard for dying - if we msti IP VE WUSP DIE - LST IT NOT B8 LIKE HOGS HUNTED AND PENNED IN AN UNGLORIOUS SPOT, WHILE ROUND US BARK THE.MAD AND HUNGRY DOGS, MAKING THEIR MOCK AT OUR ACCURSED LOT. IF WE MUST DIE - OH, LET US NOBLY DIE, 50 THAT CUR PRECIOUS BLOGD WAY NOT BE'SHED 1IN VAIN; THEN EVEN THE MONSTERS WE DEFY SHALL BE CONSTRAINED TO HONOR US THOUGH DEAD! O, KINSWEN! VE WUST NEET THE COMNON FOE; ‘THOUGH PAR OUTNUMBERED, LET US SHOW US BRAVE, AND FOR THETR THOUSAND BLOVS DEAL ONE DEKTH BLO! WHAT THOUGH BEFORE US LIES - THE OPEN GRAVE? LIKE MEN WE'LL PACE THE WURDEROUS, COWARDLY PACK, PRESSED TO THE WALL, DYING, BUT FIGHTING BACK! What I have demonstrated in the courtroom is the weskness of this fascist beast; I have demonstrated that with all his front of power and law and suthority he cannot control one militant Black brother When that brother is in rebellion. Threats of contempt of ocourt camnot control me for what the hell does 30 days contempt of court mean to one in rebellion and facing 30 years? His having me gagged was ineffective and made him look foolish because he had to take the gag off in order to hold the trial and as soon as he took it off - I talked the same thing. His having to employ goons to enforce his wishes by force is proof that I had broken down his author- aramatizing this for a1l the brothers in Buffalo and 1 am setting the example of total rebellion, even in the courtroom, against the oppression, frame-up and Kangarooism against me and my militant brothers all over the country, I am telling all the militants: "Look brothers, what 1 tn doing to the oppr-n:r.h}lr T can do it by myself, prect- ically alone n men's jail, imagine what 30 or 40 organized 3 BRI e tararde it Thoy shouad dafy white s T thocaert § an upastting his and setting an exauple which could have very serious consequence: adopted by other brothers all cver the country, Y An oppressor can rule the oppressed only so long as the oppressed sutmit to his lew volunta: In other words, e T saen ment somchon, o) thet ThbcaghiFear (a6 1n our o When he imposed his law upon our foreparents forcibly brough to this country in slavery) or trickery and deceit by employ- ing Unole Toms and sell-gut political and/or religious leade: %o £001 our people - to inducé the oppressed into ccepting and obeying his law - which is hia suthority. Law means author- ity. Once he accomplishes this, he has 1t mad oan control and ruls the oppressed with their oooperstiont This is a slick psychologioal trick, brothers and sisters, so I want you to dig Ehis very olose. I will make 1t clear by this known exampl How did England, Pranoe, Spain, Portugal and Belgium rule the vast continents of Africa, America, Asia and India for such a long time? Did they do it by brute foroe like the U.S, is using in Vietnemp Of oourse not! If they had to go through those changes with the millions’of. people of Asia, Africa and India, they never would have made it; it would not have been worth'1t. The cost in lives and money expended in pacifying every tom, hamlet, village and oity in the-entire continent would exoesd the fTult of their exploitation, What they did vas to inducs, via force or pay-offa, the native rulers o accept and obsy the oppressor's law, Onoe this was socomplished the European power had it made and they even used native troops to enforce Buropean, authority over the nativesi But eventually the natives woke up to this trick and rebelled. Even the native troops rebelled - againat their wHite oommanding officers - and Tefused to obey. the officers' orders to fire on their brothers, Instead, they killed the white officers, The Buro- peans were then forced to employ white troops against the Te- Bellious natives and wers foroed %o Eive it up When their "good thing" oame to an end, The Frenoh Tuled Vietnan that way until 1954 when the Vietnamese woke up and defeated them, Now the U5, and their Vietnamese sell-out leaders oan only rule by martial law, which means forcs, because the people are in rebellion against their oppressora, It's only a matter of time before the U.S. negotiates & oeasefire with the Viet Cong broth- ers or gets out of Vietnam; beoause when a people are collect- ively deterained to throw off the yoke of oppression, ng amount of force or troops that the oppressor musters can prevail agatnst the will to resis The Black Struggle December 15, 1967 Like the strugsle in Vietnan, the strugsle against us 1s one they cannot win, Our resolution &nd stesdfastmes: against oppression cannot be defeated. Viotary will be ours. solidarity March 15, 1968 The white militants are our allies in the overall struggle against the Tacist-fasoists just as the herolo Viet The Olive-Drab Rebels: i Military Organizing During The Vietnam Era “The morale, discipline, and battleworthiness of the U. S, Armed Forces are, with a few sallent exceptions, lower and worse than at any rime in this century and possibly in the history of the United States, By every conceivable indicator, our army that now remains in Vietnam is In a state approaching collapse, with individual units avoiding or having refused combal, murdering thetr offcers and non-commissioned offcers, drug-ridden, and dispiited where not near mutinous. Elsewhere than Vietnam, the situation is nearly as serious. Cong are our allies even though they are fighting the eneay 8t their front 8,000 miles avay, But they are weakening the Tacists and the ¥eaker the oppréssors get, the leas able they are to oppress us, They can't fight the Viet Cong and fight us too, They are barely holding on in Vietnam; whers will they got the millions of troops needsd to subdue us when full-fiedged guerilla warfare - Saigon and Rus style - breaks out in every oity in this country? The enlightened segment of the white commnity 18 another big provlem to the Tulsrs, so they are now trying to intinidate them by gestapo goon squads against the enti-var plokets and protesters and indicting their leaders. Although the struggle is & global one, each army must fight the enemy on its own front. The brothers in Africa - five were Tecently hanged by the raciats in Bhodesia - are fighting the common enemy on front; the Viet Cong are fighting on their front; the re fighting on their fronts the white militants of this country are fighting on Their front: and we must continue to broaden the fight on gur fromt. e Police State Pozoh 15, 1968 Now dig this carefully: you brothers could not help but notioe the many goons, armed troopers, detectives and court attendants that the frightened white power struoture had to produce on March Sth - the day they tried to intimidate the souls from coning to the courtroom by taking photographs. removing the last row of seats from the court gallery, filling up the gallery with their own so- they oould say that all the seats are filled” and prevent souls from ooming into the oourt- Toom, eto, Do you know how many goons they employed altogether? One of my guard informants (Who is Sympathetic to our cause) 5614 me that the Sheriff's Department alone supplied 40 men: he_stated that about 50 detectives were also on the soene as ¥el1 as an undeterained number of FBI agents, He said that about 25 oourt attendants were called for speoial duty, He got these figures from the Sheriff who he heard talking to Comsissioner Felicetta, Altogsther there were about 120 goons, The signifi- oance of that fact is this: If the white power structure felt the need of mustering that many goons and the need to adopt the police state taotics which they used, they were scared. U.S. Imperialism DAYS A MONTHS Cao Ngoc Phuong MUTINIES: VIETNAM The U. 5. Bombs Avay, Then Slinks Qut of Vistnay South Chicago ABC Zine Distro / £.0. Box 72 1 / Nosewood, I 60430 “Rmolst and imperialist America has no sane exouse to be in Vietnam, She has no more exouse to butcher the innooent and de: women and children of Vietna: than Hitler had to exterainte triose whou he so decep- tively portrayed as a threat to German survival." 77 “Now really, osn any person in the world today be naive enough to believe that Americanism is maiming, mirdering and plundering in Vietnsn in the cause of fresdon and democracy? Can any fairminded and sane raon in the World today be 80 neive s to believe & Amerioa herself 1s a land of fresdom and demooracy?" b e e e R S S Ry T L LR Sy T 5 0 s S G, s o . “Nore and moi'e U.S, oamnonfodder 1s being sent to Vietnaw, More and more underprivileged and oppressed Elack beys are being pressgangsd to fight the racis White man‘s lost imperialist cause, It 1s unoivilized nd tragic for any human being to be pawned off and xpended as cannonfodder in & war fought for & doomed status quo, but the most despicable crime that oan be committed against the husan race s to force or coerce the slave into defending the tottering system of slavery.* -- Rob Williems “The'1ie of the U.S. government's interess in the froedon of the oppressed 1s shown clearly by the example of the Union of South Africa where 13,000,000 Black Africans suffer under apartheid. The only real interest the 0.5, governnent has is 1ts brofits and supporti the brutaily racist government needed to insure these prorits.” + == E4 Oquendo The Strugsle Against American Imperialism 4g The Defense of Preedom Pighters November 3, 1967 One of the first things that I am going to do (when I am fres) 16 establish a Defense Pund for freedom fighters in this area, A\Pund for both Black and white activists who are framed-up or Jailed by the power struoture for their activities or atand against Tacial oppression 8t home and abrosd. Ve mist protect our own, partiowlarly now that the rising tide of protest and dissent Against racial oppression, the unjust war In Viotpaw. and the drafting of our,youth toimake:of them hired Ki116rs of innooent ;people - and to be Kkilled in wefirn - Dringing About SPeAteT. Tepressive measures from the’frightensd but: die-hard power -straoture, We wmist make sure.Sthat:no-freedon fighter be“foroed to lay in Jail for months 1ike.me beoayss bail couldn't be met. December 10, 1967 Since the anti-var demonstrations.and the strugele against the oppression of my pecple is the same strusgle sgainst the' 1dsntioal enemy - the Taclat-militarist'eppressor - the Jeast. I'oan do inoe T tn hora ds sombat beoause I sold anti Vlotnan Var and Black 1iberation 1iteraturs, ‘is help:those who are fortunate enough to be able to confront!the enemy, gat.out. on bail, I feel like & traitor to the‘cause, ‘itting hersiin 3811 with a1l that’sction going on outside,: T ‘shouldibe out: there in the strugele either distributing literature ahd 1ishing the newspaper to educate the ‘and/or partioivating in the demonstrations. A few letters ago I menbioned Setting up a Pund'when I get'out to ball out activists, Well, beosuse of the esoalation in.our strugsle, We better sYATt now with my Defense Fund. December 11, 1967 Now that orders have gons out from the administration in Weshington to break the back of the anti-war movement through ailings, police brutality, intimidation, draftings and'employ- ing pro-var goons, e can ill afford to have any funds lying 1dle which oan be employed to SUPOTt GUF Oun CAUSG: We MUST Jook out for our own and let the militarist oppressors know that our ranks are like & brick wall - each brick supporting the others, 1If I were out there deponstrating and was arTested on those bogus _charges placed on Jerry and the others, not only would I g0 to trisl and invoke the *Doctrine of Legitimaoy of Purpose" snd the "preferred” constitutional right td frer speoch, assembly and petition, Iut, should they find me guilty, 1 would appeal all the way to the U.8, Supreme Court &nd foro them to Tule on the constitutional isaue as to whether a state say use 468 police powers to prevent & citizen from exeroising hin oonsbitutional right to apesoh, assembly und petition when tha oitisen s potitioning an agunty of the govervaens (ine induction oenter or draft bourd) for & redreas of srisvances when ouch goverasent, asitag sontrazy to the Constltution { n wax withous the oonsent of Goneress), s about to subgeot the oitizen to 1oss of 1ife and liberty (by drafting hin) and no other meaus is available by Which the oitizen may obtatn redre: 9 81ncs sventusily thers will be hundreds of anti-wir domonstrators arrested -in this ares, the ocongeated oourts will have o dlamiss the charges against'most of them when they o that everyons is plesding mot guilty and demanding trial and appealing their comviobions, A8 & WALLOT of Principle, no amti- war demonstrator oén be gulity for exsroising his constitutional Tight to protest the illegal war, On Demonstrations December 9, 1967 Dear Jorry, G, and others told e of your arrest by the police goons and of the oourage you and others displayed in the face of the power structure's gestapo and their oivilian olaque, They will find that Sheir repres: tar from suppreasing the strugsle Against ony will intensify and escal- Their axrest of you and the falo and &ll over the oountry and the frame with those bogus sharges in violation of your constitutional Tights helps to dramatize our strus- g6 and provides exauples of oour- 458 aguinas overdhelzing odds ant iatintdation for other activists to eomilate, Now that the oity raling clique 1s using oity ordin- ances and palive power to dsprive us of our legal Tighte, we mst be propared o defend these Fights And resist the illega inter- ferene of them with physioal interposition, Obherwise, it sucseed in cowing and intimidating us into ilence, nob ouly WLl %o Tn led to slaughter in Vietnas and other Flaces where the mile Ltarists wish to s people, but bhe meo-Nazie will take over the oomplete cambrol of the governwent. Tom and I and every act- vist know What that will mean for us 4nd Rillions of others - inoineration in the ovens. Severs) wesks ago I saw in Tize Hagazine & photogra of Tapaness amSLorer demomsirators Slashing wieh pelics ih Toise in & desonstration n front of the U,S, Eabass atrators oame well-prepared and gave a good They wore Grash and foottall helnets in addition to Bossles and some type of gauze mask over their noses to keep Ehettear Gas out of their eyes and lungs, They also had their iens and’piacards tacked to long stout poles which becams T i%e Dlube vhen the heineted porice attacked thed. SO Demonstrations, there have Feached a high degree of Sophisti ' result of the many oracked heads, bru faces nd infland syes and noses inflicted upon their rank fhe polioe goon sqliada. Our ranks also will have to adopt these ina biher seif-defense tactics gainst the sscalating sadism being heaped upon us on orders from Washington, The Tulers Deeing chat the spreading wave of anti-var demonstrations will foroe thom to get out of Vietnam, are dstermined to bresk the back of ‘the anti-wer movement at all costs. Since the var in Vietnam is unconstitutionsl - it was not declared by Congress s provided by ertiole 1, section B of the U.8, Constitution - and the Aduinistration, despite nation-wide pleas, is determined to wage this 1llegal war snd . Ys employing 811 the powers and brenches of government to blook a)1 challenges o it, no political or judicial means is svail- able by which we can legally obtain redress. Therefors, under the “Dootrine of Legitimmoy of Purpose® (expounded, I believe, by Pederal Judge Kaufpen in New York about'ten years ago'ina Riling involving & case where persons deliverately violatsd Taw of oourt injupotion in order to obtain redress to a viola- tion of their constitutional Tights) the refussl to obey a. Pottos officer+s order to oease exeroising your conatitutional Flent of freedom of spesch, Assembly and petition and the phy- Sioal resistance to his attempt to prevent you by foroe from xercising these "preferred” Tights is justifiable ‘§inoe no Sther means is available to stop the 1llegal war'in Vietnam mnd prevent your being drafted illegally and being subjected to loss of 1ife and liderty. I wish T could be out there with you fighting the common foe wWho has framed me on the bogus charges precisely because T sold and distributed anti-Vietnam War, Black and 1iberation 1iterature, However, since the anti-war strug- le and the strugsle of Afro-American pecple Sgainst oppression o precisely one and the same strugsle, I hersby suthorize you, Jerty, as chairman of my Defense Comniites, to use any and all Tunds'of my Committee for the purpose of bailing out any demonstrators working with you. Inpertalist Violenoe January 24, 1968 You can Test assured that they do means - even though they are spplying the power of the state - to subdue me, The oppre: Perhaps this spring when they find themselves fighting an scalated war in Vietnan, Laos, Cambodis, Thailand, Nalsya and (orea 1n addition to the escalited domesbio strugsle against those refusing to go and die in the unjust, undeolared war and those refusing to be oppressed in the nAtiOn's ghettos - that tneir repressive measires only produce greater resistance from the people, that esoalation of viclence bresds escalation of te gainst the viclense, <) o inst t Pebruary 16, 1968 The swelling wave of dissent gainst the war has the racist-militarists so frighbened that the consequences of their indioting Spock and the others have not yet gotten home to them. Instead of Stopping or even slowing down the anti- ar movement, the latest Tepressive measures have done the opposite - they have drapatized the struggle even more and oupplied us With free news media and the sdditionsl forum of ‘he courtroom to bring to the the issues in their sharp t repressive measures have gotten us HBors allies and sympathizers, Par from coercing and cowtng us into abandoning our strugsle, they have made us more determined than ever to not only continue our struggle but to escalate 1t to matoh the enemy's esoalation of Tepressive measure S0 you see, the fasolst oppressors are in & holl of & situation here, similar to their predicament in Vietnam Sheir escalation of the War has been matohed by the oounter- escalation of the Vietnamese people during the last three Weeks (the weeks of the Tet Offensive), They may not be aware of At but escalation of the war in Vietnan and the repressive Beasures against the activists of the Black libderation move- ment and the ant: movenent is hastening their defeat, ALl cists are doing s spoeding up the timetabie by bringing these issuss to a showdown more quickly, ALL we have %o do 48 contimue socking it to them harder and faster, The cumulative effeots of the blows of millions of people fighting against war, racism and oppression will defeat them soon. Defeating the Oppressor Pebruary 17, 1968 The racist-militarist power structure will find that their recent esoalstion of repressive measures against the anti-var and Black liberation movements is counter-pro- duotive, Like the Tecent military consequences of their escal- ation of the Vietnamese War, their stepped-up repressive mes- surea will only hasten their defeat. Far from stopping the Snti-war movement and coercing the rank and file and leadership into silence and non-activity, the Tecent indiotments not only have galvanized our anti-war activity but have provided our position with measive news coverage which otherwise would not have been available to us. o riesng tide of militons of persons who no longer will submit to oppression and who no longer will meekly aoqui- 8so0e to being shipped 8,000 miles to & foreign land to murder and oppress its population and, in turn, to be killed and etk it crobvrein avd pecd dove Fova gomerSih sy EIITaraEta and Topiase.theb w1t Aoadans TE o e 2t Banra Sz By challenging and exposing for public sorutiny gvery unlawful and underhanded act of oppression employed by rulers, I an alerting everyone to these methods and raising Tious questions which Will' have serious legal, Political And moral implications. I have found this to be the most effective method of fighting the opprossor, By challenging every umlaw.. ful act you force him to commit other ovart sots in order o gover up his original orime. He will then be foroed into & defensive stance and wil) oompound the original crime into two, Mo crimes are more aiffioult to conoeal than one so he ia then Bore vulnerable, Now you have two Acta to attack and expose, Shereby foroing him to commit further crimes in order to contime his deception, This ia the pattern in my case, What started out as another frans-up - one of the many being émployed to silenoe those opposing the racist-militarist power structurs - turned out to be & long, drawn out, smbarrasaing straggle when the Yictin, instead of cooperating in his legal lynohing, ohose inatead to fight and challenge every unlawful act, thereby foroing the Would-be lynchers to the defensive, This 1s the same situation the U.8, now finds itself in in Vietnam, What started out to be a lagsic takeover of & amell oountry by the U.5, in 1956, turned out to be an embarrasaing, prestige-losing defeat for this country's military might by the resolubenss of the Vietnamese people, The tablea have turned and the U.5, nsive, ‘desperately trying ta extrioate THE AFRO-AMERICAN, JULY 6, 1968 . EETRSE g Sl thiol e ge: possestion “ne wirdens and_siate s el EREEE aReRi R e Geisms ELEEN i BT e L iy b i g b S s SO iR 2 i B mEeit 28 v Fhob S : avlber, New York prkm, g deen &l F HE qmm SEEE4 R mmmhhm mmmm R it mwm =z mmm = m m..n m.mmmm mn =2 mmmm:m.w.m mw,mm muw m umummmm %_ mh Mmmmmmwmm munmmum%mm“ w m.wm mum L TR B HE R o BaedEzies [ et s e hflmfi ol s Ww .mmmw“wrm 3 mm fi e m zi i 4 B i ! m,mrfium H ._umnmm mmmwm wmw“ b IRt m chae mmm.m sk il £ e mmm mw mM. mmmw H et mmm Em;m ww%m e Hadatiils ’fiufiinngl!em@ lobe Newe Reprints available from the Martin Sostre Defense Committes sY Martin Ramirez Sostre (March 20, 1823 — August 12, 2015) was an ‘American activist known for his role in the prisoners' rights movement. Xy He served time in Attica prison during the early 1980s, where he ‘embraced doctrines as diverse as Black Muslimism, Black nationalism, Internationalism, and finally anarchism. In 1966 Sostre opened the first Afro-Asian Bookstore at 1412 Jefferson= in Buffalo, New York. For Its somewhat short existence, Sostre's bookstore was. a center for radical thought and education in the Buffalo gnetto. As. Sostre detalls: 1 taught continually - giving out pamphlets free to those who had no money. | let ther sit and read for hours in the store, Some would come back every day and read the same book unil they finished it. This was the opportunity | hed dreamed about - to be able to help my people by increasing the poitical awareness of the youth.« Sostre was arrested at his bookstore on July 14, 1967 for "narcotics, riot, arson, and assault" (charges later proven to be fabricated, part of a COINTELPRO program#). He was convicted and sentenced to serve forty-one years and thirly days. Sostre became a jallhouse lawyer, regularly acting as legal counsel to other inmates and winning two landmark legal cases Involving prisoner rights: Sostre v. Rockefeller and Sostre v. Otis. According to Sosre, these decisions constituted “a resounding defeat for the establishment who will now find It exceedingly difficult to torture with impunity the thousands of-captive black (and white) politcal prisoners Hegally heid in thelr concentration camps." In earler legal activity, Sostre secured religious rights for Black Muslim prisoners and also eiiminated (in the words of Federal Judge Constance Motley) some of the more *outrageously inhuman aspects of solitary confinement in some of the state prisons.” In December 1973 Amnesty Intemational put Sostre on its "prisoner of conscience" lst, stating: "We became convinced that Martin Sostre has been the victim of an intemational miscarriage of justice because of his political belefs .. not for his crimes *» In adcition to numerous defense committees in New York State, a Committee to Free Martin Sostre, made up of prominent citizens, joined in an effort to publicize Sostre's case and petition the New York Govemor Hugh Carey for his release. On December 7, 1975, Russian Nobel Peace Laureate Andrel Sakharov added his name to the clemency appeal. Governor Carey granted Sostre clemency on Christmas Eve of 1975; Sostre was released from prison in February 1976 Martin Sostre’s s Miss Joan Franklin Appeal Attorney A couple of wesks bafoe he was aesied n 1967, a ot eupled n Butlo. Low = / ‘enforcement targated Sostre 85 the instigetor of this disruption without providing any actual ‘evidence fof ther sccusation. Thase who knew Sostre were certaln thal the police were framing hi with trumped up charges. A defense comitee was established to help free im. He was supported by both the Young Lords and the Black Panthers. Soon afer his convictin, the only withess to his so-calied crime recantsd his testimony and said thal the polios had framed Sostre. Eventually on Decerber 24 1575, Martin Sosire was granted emency by the Governor of New York, Hugh Carey. He had spent 7 years behind bars for a cime that he had not committed. Martin Sostre as o young man Letters Prém Green Haven Prison £3:2 Vithin one-half hour after his sentencing, Martin Sostre was shipped off to Attica Prison near Batavia, N.Y., the site of his previous 12 year imprisomnent, He remained there only overnbght and then Was rushed by prison authorities €o Green Haven Prison in Storaville, N.Y. (outside of Poughieepsie), Desides desiTing to get Hartin as far away fron his Defense Oommlttee as possible, it seems likely that the authorities wished to prevent Wartin fron taking sdvantage of the relationships and Tespeot that he had developed during his previous tern at Attioa, It was Sostre who organized and led the legsl struggle at Attica which eventually resulted in a Suprems Court Tuling that Nuslim services vere to be allowed in the prison. And this was only one facet of & constant Tignt whioh Wartin had waged at,Abtica on behalf of his fellow inmates against the brutality and dehumanizing quelitiss of the American penal system. e followins are a few excerpts from Mertin's recent correspindence which show that cven ‘the three days in “the hole" when he first arrived at Green Eaven have not suc- cesded in breaking him, He 18 filled with hope'-- confident of the inevitable viotory of the foroes:of liberation over those who unrelentingly oppress the vast mas planet! of this ‘umanity, May 12,1968 I am glad that the Afro-AsianBookshop in Exile s des ‘the inoome 1t brings in for our legal shake & stick at, may 22, 1968 only by -8 comple of ‘what the:sntire struggle. isand what Tolo g, -azaly;. who is L e 15"t e wneay '8 Ao Shn WS’ SyAcoRefully A oppose thoss ATying b, oppress and oppoas for hoe about, to'deatzoy uB 18 & aure orry ‘uljexable andif e donis “tighten up!, ot only,willive be TriSked Zhroughtoss mieplecedi emotions, 't Ve axp. AUDIeCt tO Deing sed by the Exafty eneny ‘AgALNGL’our own comrades. Just Defoge my tr3el & now inzate was placed an my floox'in Erie County Jasl and he informed me that had ‘been spreacing Hhe rumor in the Afro community thatFe Wnev for a fast that 1 was selling dope! No doubt his "white masters" had him do inia bo alienate the Afro-American community from my cwuse and provent them fron coming to my aid. 9 ey 28, 1968 There 18 no doubt in my mind whatsosver that I will e out_soon, sither having ny appeal reversed in the courts or by being liberated by the universal forces of liberation. The fact that the militarists of this country are being defeated in Vietnen end are already engaged with an escalated rebellion home by the oppressed Afro-American people and their white allies are sure signs that the power structurs is on 1ts way Gut. They are now in their last days and soon they won't be able to oppress anybody because they themselves will be before the people’s courte to be punished for their crimes against hupanity as were the German war oriminals at Nuremberg. June 5, 1968 strce this 18 s peldtical case 1t mat be fobent on » politioal level and all the issues must be brought out. Othorwise, e Will be going along With the ruling class's proszan and acquissing in the lynohing. Of course, they would Tike ©o oatt the fact that they had the Afro-Asian Bookshop under surveillance and that I was originally charged with riot and araon; that they took books and personal doouments in the raid; that 1 was made the soapegoat for the June rebellion, Ste.'1f they oan suppress thess facts - the political aspects of éhe case - then Geraldine and I will emerge &s common dope Deadlers and our defense of the politically motivated frame-up Will be nullified, This is why the court struggled so hard to Yoy o force me 5o acoept the court-appointed attorneys (even having me committed to preseure me) knowing that the attomneys would abandon the political aspects and "fight the case" -\if 15 Gan be called "fighting’ - &coording to the oourt's program and rules, In the Spock case, by precluding the issue of the + the oourt haa effeotively deprived the Fondente of their defense sinoe the legality of the War ig s, It 16 1ike denying one who has killed an intruder in nis - in defense of his family - of the right to show thet the deceased was an intruder, and instead, limiting the defendent's defense to the sole iseue of Whether or not he K170 tne deceased, Yes, they are very vicious; but people re waling up, The frame-up of the RAW defendents whose trisl has atarbed 1n Queens County should further wake the people ip. Anewor Soon and let everyone kuow that I en "stAnding fira", June 2, 1968 ‘2 It looks like the reactionaries ave taking advanta of the Kennedy assassination to rem through laws ourtailing individual 1iberties of the people and inorsasing the power of the guardians of the status quo - the police and prossoutors. Under the guige of & "orims ochSrél” Bill, the polics now have legal sanction for invading one'a privaoy through wiretapping and using 11lejally obtained statemsnts (including those ex- trasted 14 polloe stations) as evidence againgt the viotim, in violation of thb 4t amendment constituvionsl guarante: against self-inorinination. Pear of the second phase of the present rebellion of militants - the armed phase to which things are now evolving - is motivating gun control legislation in a futile atbempt to Qisarm the people, But as With all other measures designed to stem the tide of change, 1t Will not suoceed, It will backfire and merely expand the biack market in guns created and nour ished by the profit-hungry foreign and domestic gun manufac- turers who want to capitalize on the increased self-defense needs-of the oppressed, The inorease stems, of course, from the vicious repressive measures being unleashed on militants by the more and more completely unfettered police goon squads, Taken together, thess new developments - "no-knock”, “stop- retaps, admission in eviderioe of police and identifications, “anti-orime’ and “gun 1115, Warren's resignation and Rockefeller's bid to 1: Right-wing takeover! pgeim-3 1925 1965 T e Bk oA P ¢/ THE BLACK PANTHER = ;*::.:‘;:;'"’"—'j ) Letters Frou Green Eaven to Attorney Josn Pramkiin b noy 22, 1968 With intelligent and capable persons such as you, your secretary and ¥ae assisting and guiding the Republia of New Africa in its first steps, 1ts rapid development and emer- gence’as @ potent world power is assured, Your assistance in the prosecution of my sppeal spells certain defeat for the fasoist powsr structure‘s determination o destroy me vis their framed-up legal lynching - & tactic being increasingly omployed by the alarmed power structure as & part of 1ts futile program to destroy and intimidate all Blaock militants who actively oppose the oppression of our people, But the world-wide struggle for national liberation - of whioh the Afro-American struggle 1s merely a part - having developed its. present momentus over a period of centuries of grinding slavery and oppression, will certainly not be stopped or sven lowed re- gardloss of What desperate means the oppresscre employ, . I oonsider myself fortunate in having you and Mae and the foroes of liberation Which you both represent, in my ocomer. You Iave my complete trust and oonfidence in this legal snd poiitical strussle, I.only regret that my limited kmowledge of law, confinement, liok of acoess to legal materials and factual data precludes me from aiding you as I.would 1like. How- ever, as I mentioned when you visited, I shall aid you to the best of ny ability. As soon as I cbtain the rest of the mimutes of trial I shall send them to you, I have already uade arrengements to have the Test of the papers - including the search warrant and underlying affidavit, informations, ets, - sent to you, On your next vislt I shall give you the records tn my possession whioh I proviously mentioned, Except for. confidential oommunioations - which I will reserve for your vielt - I'1L keep you informed: via 3all of all developuents, idess and fruits of my legal Te- search, eto, Give ny Tegards and thanks to Mae and my messags to Bob 18 to “stand firn", for the escalation of the struggle for the 11veration of our people proves the correotmess of hi stand, Regards also to Betty Shabazz and family) condolences to the fanily and oomrades of our brother Bobby Hutton of Oakland whose munder stall not be forgotten. . In closing, I reiterate my allegiance to the Republic of New Afrioa and support for the stand of 1ts Prime Minimter and Cabinet, My message to them ia-to sscalate the strugele for Dational 1iberation. The recist power struoture’is resling from the blows of the forces of liberation the world over, Let press harder than ever now and go "all the ¥ay" for viotory is oloser today than it was yesterday, June 10, 1968 . your letter of May 31 informing me of the 118t of lawyere in the Buffalo-BochesteruSyracuse area for iad, to haar about whe Ghisago oonven- fow Afrioa and plans to visit me t of legal oations, I didn't for Geraldine, Gereldine’s main problem ning an attorney, since she has boen Tesist- Antuent of counsel, Her problen is obtaining Kings or New York County wh ore she can Ampartial trial, The reason I was foroed to torneys that the Com- the Ditrict Attorney's office and the ‘are dotermined to oonvict us and ‘of us in oxder to berrorize and cosrce the 3 ! | 7 346, O0F) on grounds that & fair sud fapartial trial oamot be bad "Gopy for your Teview and suggostions, June 28, 1968 On June ”i I-;lnt a letter via lm%f)'iul mall to you_contatning bhres legal doousents + 1) a oopy of Tndsotaent #33508 ensitied PECPLE, ET0. V8, 'S0STHE AD ‘GRRALDINE o, 2) & motion for stay of trial pending a cation for removal entitled PECPLE, BTC, VS, MARTIN SOSTRE GERALDINE ROBINSCN and 3) an order of the Appellate Division ith Department dated March 7, 1968 entitled MARTIN SOSTEE VS, TUTUSEA, SHERIFP OP ERIE COUNTY, The next day, June 25, I was sumoned bo the Warden's office where he told me'that the motion for stay of trial pending application for removal would not be allowed to leave the prison, He further told me that I was preotising law wi out a lav degren by Bending you ‘the mobion with Geraldine' Hol insonts mame-on 4t, Although I pointed out to hin that notvomy a8 Kien Rovinson iy o dafertant ({nvolved in ay sape amipe 3t ou unavoldable mentioning her in-all x papers related and facts in the oase) but I Was sending those papers to yot, ny attorney - not Nias Robinson, Even if I had sent them %o her that 8t111 would nob, b & viclation of any penal law, rules.or Tegulations of the prison or the Uorrestion Law, The'Varden 8180.4p1d no that he would not g1¥e me your latest letter and that he would not allow you to Dring a secretary on your pext 4] e "segregation” (see Gorreotion 5. logal papers, law Dosks and T am now all o write to ia you, ' Only yesterday did I receive some of my legal papers and books baok but they are still withholding important doou- ments and notes which are essentisl to my doing research and prosecuting my appesl and other legal Motions. This obdtruotion of my mail to and from you, my attorney, and the dsliberate cbatruction and confiscation of . that important legal dooument is & violation of' my oonstitution. al and oivil rights and I will ohallenge this under the Oivil - Rights Aot inasmich as the Teason for the obstruotion was Lo conceal acts of racism and recial oppression being perpetrated upon me and our people, I would 1ike to ses you as #oon as possible so that I 7ay disouss this and other issuss with you and so that I may give you the mimutes of pre-trial proceedings and other doousents that I mentioned in my previous letters, Juy 9, 1968 I an at1) under the saze conditions dasoribed to fou in my 1octerdated Jume 28, 1563 = Tamoly, "veing oppresset Zoi subjsoted to wnnewal punishment wolely bageuse § BALled to you the legal documpnt. dealing with the political and Tacial opecta in my case which the Suthorities here 4id met want to Dedons Imown to you and ‘the NAAGP. Although I regeived a few days ago the order we'wers expeoting from the Appellate Division 4th Depsrtment allowing the appesl to bs prosscuted on Lypewritten briefs (five oapies) and directing the Erie County Clerk to send me & copy of the transoript of the trial and further providing that the appeal e placed on the Court Calendar only when the hriefs and record are filed, I an unable to send it to you for fear that it may - al80 be obstruoted and confisoated as was the legal doounent Whioh 1 sent to you attached to my lebter to you of June i, 1968, 1 w411 give 16 to you (ay well as the mimutes of the pre-tiisl proce T'aentloned 1n 7 previous Losters) whon ou cists =, : I an w180 being prevented from doing fesearch om my appeal becsuse these people are wi from me most of my 1aw books insluding issues of the Harvard Law Rewiew whioh I received 1ast month - legal papers, notes, ooples of legal doou- Benta pertaining to y ease; eto Iney are ven withhelding from me ny Websters Collegiate Dictionary, mecessary for my legal work, which I trought to prison from Erie County Jail, As I mentioned to you in my last letter, the Warden Would not give me the last letter you wrote to me, ALl these otions are motivated by raciem and wé oan prove it, No one striotions for the reason he 18 using to oppress me, namely: *practising law without & 1av degree®, I am oh&llenging this in court.as well as his in- terference with my appeal by withh ny legal materials and his subjecting me to unasual punishaent, I 'am being held in virtual incommunioado, I am not he’vanted me to kmow, No other immate s subjeoted to this treatuent, This oppression and Tacism must be challensed now and brought out in the open, When the obstructed dooument 18 subpoensed, the real reason for its obstruction will become manifest to all, July 11, 1968 Although I wrote you yesterday I am writing again today 80 as to enable you to follow the Sequence of events and which are forming a definite pattern too unmis-. fAktle to be dented and mubatantisting the proposed action Frovi Today, July 1ith, I vas inforsed by the Prinoipel Property they had withheld %0 and further charged s1ster*s name, My 5 18 Letioia Sostre, ard, proved woavatiing £00d time and had my an thus, no longer per- tematioally out off from 1n the prison, The Strugele Against Oppression 22 Mareh 1, 1968 succeeded -~ duspite the stremuous sfforts of WHad D ook 1t --'in pulling the legal and payohiatric Of the racist-nilitarist power etructure and Ployed by them'to frame-up, coerce, intimidate aad eliminate(via d assassination) those who oppose their fas- It 4s the duty of us activists who are fortunate envugh to be locked in combat with the fascists, not only to vigorously otrugsis against thea with every weapon at our dispossl, but to dramatise the struggle, the issues, our tactics, and the viciousness, cruclty. asd reactionary nature of the oppres Oaly by personal’example hope to reach, auakei and inspire the masses to action againet £ The insptration, example and hops which the herots struge 8le of the people of Vietnam gives to millions of 1ittle people like Ue"a1d ovar”the uorid best L1iustrates this poiat. Anotbue berois ciasrlevma thatef the thousanas of Rack Cheeten fisntons of bete Detrait, lavark, Butfuio, Rochestsr sad other sities saee horeh s Tought aiuiet the tanke. unlsssbed Spainet shee by rhe irisht- 504 ulerd atier thay daluated the conbined.Forees of thy sty mah Stato police goons. Fhe sati-var Sasonstration in Veshingtos oo . 1ast 012 and'the dencnatentora’ defiancs of the avesoss Siopiey ot Toras it Trightonsd top dogs to fend.off she saptssn g s SR Ir 1022 Mok wrehar soepiring 28 boeeie dramatization of the strugele vhich swakened aiilions of Seope thr ¥orld over.” 0n o enalier soals and dosad Level o bet squats o Bortant, Lispiring and harote - are.the. theveants of sebhi ehtimar pieket Linou'in hindrede of e1ties - 1iks the gnes by sur Groep-ece Daea i, e inge, snae Sebrton 430 intieldation of the peliso geon scaba, fascists dnd breias vashed footer With all the above heroic examples to guide and inspire me, how can I take a'different stand and Still consider myseif s fighter againet oppreseion and militaris? I was fighting the op- preasor outside. I am atill following the same tectics. Ae in the Gage of the bookehop, I am refusing to allow thess fasciat goons fo cosce and intiaidate me into giving up and cooperating in the legal lynching they bave besn struggling £o give me. The recent backfiring of their tactis of subjecting me fo payebiatric intimi- datibn 1s a case 4n point. A Sénge the ortcinal arrest vas & frame-up, the fantastic 150,000 ba11, Felicetta's and Amioore 1is o the Benete Imeoraes acts (contrived to protet the original frame-up) foundation. It is sasy to see, therefors, why acts becane untenable at the slightest challenge; the greater the challenge, the more hasty and ill-contrived defen- sss must the frightened oppressor put up to shore up his crusbling position and protect the original frame-up from exposure; but since every defenso he puts up 1o based on the rotten foundation, -each de. fense makes hisgpore vulnerable than o and hastens bis'sventual exposure and defeat. L7 The U. . faces a parallel dileass in Vietmas. It is being defeated by midget Vietnan because ite very reason for being 4n Vietnam in the first place ia unjustifisble. Therefore, regard- less of what the U. S. doss in Vietnam, it cannot defend its pre thera either militarily o politically -~ as svents a Each new shipment of U, 8. troops to Vietnam provides the V. C. to asbush; every U. 8. bas into & trap like Kh i ouch as our winning the var, and the bogus 1n Tonkin Gulf -- ia expo des and acts 4n the strects, faat the fasciat oppressor pe. Only by challenging and opposing their courtropm and battlefield will we Martn “It's terrible that the crooks are on the outside and the good people in the jails. Mae Mallory “Malooln X developed his ideclogy in jail. In jail you are faced with nothing but the bare facts of impri- Sonment, and this is exactly what the Black mase facing on the outside. I would say that the jails are of the Black masses." == Kathleen Cleaver "For Black militants, experience in jail parallels the experience of imprisonment which the Black masses have in the ghettos." - Bobby Seale A4 $1,000 Is Raised to Aid Negro Leader Jailed leh%? 000 Bail e Houme S B bz e . EERFES Felicetta Tells HCUA SERSTR Extreme Left Groups e Led Sostre Protest BITEEE venoot S T o e filets Say Sostre P Victim of Frame-Up Srviuia’ Judge Denies Sostre Motion For Trial in Another Court Camy e Fraenes 4 [Dregemiiggs it rom g e s e 4 8¢ BULLETIN SireanA 114 B W Mactn Sostre senvenced 203141 yoars. Hurried to s witin hoar of sen eacing . Clance M Tonay rotained o appasi . Iiimedintly, Stary hest ey reols alr, Butfolo Plice Conmis- Police to Skip City Court s H Fi3H i == "o must fight in the as we must fight in the N must make war on all fronts,* == "We can no longer afford to peace- ully oo-exist with raoist judic. 1nl tyranny snd kengarooism based on an insensate class and reotal oaate system, " R — sssuned the despotio posture of inetitutionalized lynoh mobs e Joying the sanctizonious seliol- lo of the state's rituslistic buffoonery, " == "Next to maked viclence and un- mitigated terror, racist America's Digoted court syatem is the oar- dinal soourge of the powerle: Elack and white ma The oon- stitutionsl myth about ‘trial by one's peers’ oardinal saori- lege against the sacredness of bruth,® Rob Williams == "And we haye heard stories where thgy bare Lymohed Black peopl Tight While they were lynoh- ing that Hlack man, you oould ses then getting their kicks, the thrill, while they do 1t." Haloolm X Martin’s Struggle Against ‘the Law’ in Buffalo, Mississippi CRUSADER NEWSLETTER _ ROBERT F. WILLIAMS, Publisher — IN EXILE — AN ATPEAL: SUPFORT FRAME-UP ViCTINS Foscet frees 1 the USA. cs now endeavorng fo e notonalsateof hyvacta. Conssquenly, many Ale-Arneicsn millass wha cefus o el out and wh canno be nmidated e boln tramd an mprsened. A vicous cumpaign 10 eing. aged to ez altective snd potenal ghedo Jeders. Chet. among these arét Mo Staniod, Huey Hevien, Rap Brown, Lerol Jones, Mactin Sesre and Horman ecgen. Mary athes are Irnd In Philaceghi, New Yock,Chicag, Newark, ‘Decul, Clevland, In the Saulh aad o0 the Wert Comt. s a matar of colllive aeuly al anifusit fores and pacs- 208 of futice ot sl theveives and give Hoanchl 4nd scive support 1o hess vieims o faest Kangroum nd ranay. Oppose he couet mab with iassvsrestane! U.S. Marines, he organized the first armed selr-defense gusrd of modern times in Nemroe, N.C, He fought in and out of the oourts for the right of Afro- Anericans to be fr Hounded from his omn oountry and arred from Europesn oountri because of U,S, government pres- now'resides in People's . He has announced his deternination to return to the . for a showdown vith his nentes, He is the suthor of “Negro 70 After Rob Villiams® hiteh in the With Guna® and the recently pub~ ished pamphlet, “Listen, Brotheri® 7! B AR R S A A T b Ly Feteti P o R e a it o T et e ms it B e L IR R On February 22, ¢ large Gmonstration vas hald autstde Nelson Rockefeller's africes in New tark Clty,desandtog fresden for Hartin. The Afrochstan Bookstars-to-Exfle, mamed by stadea sctivists 35 the tniver- T et Sk htine artin Siiisring ibeation Hisire, o Student FoHity, e Ao sk 4 the hvrsie o bttt st restution it g et iy, i Mo, Sovir and deardin irpanet mceria) TAETIItIes for his bookstare on the canps. e T e buftay, S har i Sebte - Fro oy Nt Doprs” h ity bty s tar e Freeh fvers e el £ 3 Erried: Comintcs tors Mve batn Tacetved frin 411 sva the B Tt et conrien 1 v gt nd e s 2 s o of anothe NS Wl - e e e R STt B 1 emcion iter. - § Hay 1989 gL E: O et 8. _tor ntte Comitss k. bl of Wt Setrs 5 artan W eotate wne. Dm-q-s o0 or befors . O mctonn oot of ST GL0E rurte by . rchy (sen 00¢ sachy or $3,50; 100 for $6.00) Ot enctose 3. pes of "LETTERS FRON PRISON (sn fnsight into mm-T\'n Bn_wm his highly articulate 76-page ot i i g g (stense print) W (e, M., Wiss) gyl smate u WARTIN SOSTRE DEFENSE COMMITTEE. 7.0, Box 32, Elcatt Sation Bitialo, e tork. ez Gerald 3, Gross, Chafraan Wrs, Jeanette Merrd1), Secretary X TWIS oRGAMUTION Mo LIVEER ENSTS Historical Importance of Martin Sostre 72 Sostre's politcal consciousness and legal activism opened the door for prisoners to have legal and human rights and the abilty to organize ata time of vl rights, Black Power, the New Let, and the Vietnam anti-war movements. Atone stage, 1970-1976, the prison movement became the central protest movement in America, especially after the August political assassination of George Jackson, and the September, 1971 Attica rebellion. The protest at Attica Was put down with a bloody massacre by prison and political officials but it opened the eyes of millons all over the world to American state violence and racism. A mass prison support movemeit arose almost overnight, which demanded human rights for prisoners. There is no doubt that the prior demands of Martin Sostr, i his writings and prisonersrights lawsuits, who had been imprisoned at Attica some years previous, played a role ideologically. Sostre's struggle inside as a political prisoner was clearly bound up with what became the Attica Rebellion. Contrary to prison officials accounts which now claim that the so-called Attica prison “rot” had taken place because of a "gang of criminais” who took guards hostage for no goad reason, the tuth is New York State offcals refused to listen to Sostre or even the federal courts ‘which over the years had ordered an end to brutality, racism, and mistreatment of the men inside. The prisoners took matters into their own hands, demanding human rights and an end to racist abuse with the 1971 rebellon, which shook America and the entire world. Martin Sostre and Me Tmet Martin Sostre at the Federal Detention Center in New York City in August/September, 1969. I had just been brought back to the USA from Beriin, Germany, for hiacking a plane to Cuba earler that year. He had sued prison offcals and been transferred to federal prison to await a hearing. I cicn't know who he was at the time, but someone said he was an “activist prisoner” and that I should talk to him. A scowiing, powerfully built Black man, he looked like a teacher, which in many ways he was, just a revolutionary teacher. So, I went up and introduced myself, and we started talking about prison generally, but he was interested in my case and how the CIA had captured me, and we started taling about that. He was concerned that [ could be sentenced to death by an all-white Southe jury. He knew it was a political case, and so we talked about what I could do about it Almost every day that | saw him, we would go over my case, and he would give me legal advice. Somewhere along the line, we started talking about revolutionary polfics generally, and he bounced a new word on me: “Ansrchist Soclallsm. had no ide what he was taking about a the time. Thad just come from Cubs, Czechoslovakia, and Eest Germany, which called themselves “soclalist republics,” so 1 thought I knew all about it. 1 was. wrong, He explained to e about “self-governing socialism,” which he 7 3 described as free of state bureaucracy, any kind of party or leader dictatorship, Almost every day he regaled me about “direct democracy.” *communitarianism” “radical autonomy,” general assemblies,’ and other stuff 1 knew nothing about. So 1 just listened for hours as. he schooled me. e inital idess for Black autonomy, within the overall Anarchist mm:mmmmmuulnnmmunmklx alienated from his community, and since much of the analysis about Black ‘oppression and Socialism was by white radicals, e had originally gravitated into Black nationalism. It was only later during his time in ‘prison that he gravitated into Anarchist Socialism. He told me endlessly that Socalism and Anarchism were for all people, not just Europeans. and ‘well-to-do intellectuals. It was universal. At first, I had serious doubts about all this, as it seemed just more white radical student ideology. They ‘were not sympathetic to the Black struggle, and they were not working class or poor. ‘Sostre’s ideas, however, were that Anarchists of color must build their ‘wing® of the Anarchist movement. He didr't call it Black Autonomy, but that is what it was. 1did not even consider myself at the time as an Anarchist, and did not fully understand what he told me. But I had seen fist-hand *Soviet Socialism® and was not impressed. It was elitist, authoritarian, and oppressive. | could say the same thing about “Mantist-Leninist Maoism", which helped to destroy the the 1960 New Left, and the rdical wing of the Black Power Movement, with cult of persanality, midde cass snobbery, ‘manipulation, and opportunism. Even before meeting Martin Sostre, 1 was efinitely already looking for something new, and willing to consider Anarchism. But only years later, Serving life in prison, is when I really started into Anarchist poiitical education, as Sostre suggested. I tarted reading Anarchist books and papers, and started corresponding with Anarchist figures and groups all over the world. ‘These discussions with Martin Sostre were invaluable in broadening my thinking about a radical political altemative. 1 also found out about many “unknown revolutions* in Africa, Russia, China, Spain and other parts of the world, as wel as early Anarchist labor/radical tendencies among Eastern European immigrants, especialyin the USA (1860's-1900'). Yet the stickleris that the Anarchist movement generally, had o ties or solidarity to the Black population in the USA, the UK, or the colonized the Third World.t was essentialy a white European Kl Like Sostre had said, we must manufacture our own Anarchist of Color school of thought and revolutionay practice. Nobody can trly speak for us ‘and fight in our name. Black Autonomy means independence. of thought, culture and action. We are not racial separatists, but we must be sure that we are strong enough to insist an our politic,leadership, and respect within any broader universal mavement. We have been sold out,left out, betrayed, and tricked too many times by internal racism inside majority white coalitions and movements. Black vgjices matter! That is why I wrote a small pamphlet in 1972, "Anarchism and the Black Revolution” while I was in prison in 1979. Conclusion Martin Sostre has been lost to-history because the White Left and Anarchist radical tendencies have had no regard for him or hs legacy. He. literall opened the doors for radical prisoners, Anarchist tendencies of color and ra praxis, yet not one institution or movement today is named after him. Thi s an outrage which must be recognized or corrected now. Groups of jailhouse lawyers should name themselves after the man who more than anyone, successfully fought for prisoners® democratic rights, was an activist who provided an example of a revolutionary political prisoner, and who prefigured the Black-led revolutionary prison movemen, including the Attica rebellion and prison labor and activist movements of the 1970'-80's. Ibecame an Anarchist, a jallvouse lawyer, and a prison activist during the 1970's because-of Martin Sostre. I fact it was a result of observing Martn’s nterational defense committee and seeing how he was able to put pressure on the govemmen, that encouraged me to create the “Free Lorenzo" movement, which resulted in my own freedom in 1984 from two lfe sentences. I owe him a tremendous personal debt. I spoke to him less then a month in a prison cell,but it changed my life. He had a similar impact on many others who never met him, but benefited from him standing up for theirrghts. We don't have him here today in the flesh, but we can at least honor his. memory and never let it diel Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin attributes his initial interest in anarchism to In 1974 Pacfic Street.Flims debuted a documentary film on Sostre called Frame-up! The Imprisonment of Martin Sostre. It detailed Sostre's case with extensive Interviews from prison. Martin Sostre photo of Martin Sostre asa young man by Jerry Ross (painter) In later life Sostre dived! in Manhattan with his wife Lizabeth Sostre, his son Mark who tragically-passed in his 20s and his other son Vincent. Sostre died in 2015 +Although to some the struggle of a Black high school dzop-out acting as his own attorney against the massive coercive power of this State may seem like a futile struggle, theze is no doubt in my mind of the Wltimate defeat of my oppressors, I am like the brave and re- solute people in Vietnam who are also scruggling against the common oppressor. As a matter of fact, Uconsider myself a Black Viet Cong. Black Power True Leap Press South Chicago ABG P.0. Box 408197 Zine Distro Chicago IL, 60640 P.O. Box 721 www. lrueleappress.com lomewood, IL 60430