Investigations claimed that the
attack was premeditated and the
mecting regarding having more
time for prayer was nothing more
than a ruse. The investigation fur-
ther claimed that the warden was
targeted because his policies alien-
ated Black Muslims and that he
“said ‘no’ to the Muslims once too
often.”

In June of 1976, Burton was
tried for the attack. Bowen, who
was tried separately and found
guilty of both killings and the as-
sault of the prison guard, testified
on behalf of Burton. He claimed in
his testimony that it was he who
had attacked the two prison offi-
cials and that Burton was an inno-
cent bystander. The prosecutor,
however, attempted to_discredit
Bowen by questioning him about
crimes for which he was never
found guilty. The jury found Bur-
ton guilty of one count of murder
of the second degree, which car-
ried a 10-to-20-year sentence.
ce the 1973 ident, Burton
was kept in solitary confinement.
In 1978 a judge ruled that Burton’s
long stay in solitary confinement
was “unconstitutional” because it
was cruel and unusual punishment
and order that he be retuned to the
‘general population. Around 1996,
Burton was again placed in soli-
tary confinement for refusing to
cut his hair. He remained in soli-
tary confinement until his layer

sued in 2002 to have him released
to the general population

Of the almost fifty years that
Burton has been in prison, thirty-
three years have been in @ maxi-
mum-security facility, with a
significant portion being in soli-
tary confinement. These condi-
tions have caused detrimental
harm to Burton’s physical and
mental health.

Burton has maintained his inno-
cence in the killing of the officer
at Cobb’s Creek in 1970 and the
subsequent attack on the warden
and deputy warden in 1973.

Mail Regulations

In 2018, the PA Dept of Correc-
tions instituted a restrictive mail
policy where all mail to prisoners
must be sent through a mail pro-
cessing facility in Florida where
all correspondence is scanned,
copied and then the copy is mailed
to the prisoner. There is an active
campaign to get Gov. Wolf to re-
peal the restrictive policy.

Fred

“Muhammad”

Burton

Black Liberation Army
Prisoner of War

Fred Burton is one of the “Philly
Five” a group of men accused of
an alleged attack on a police sta-
tion that left one officer killed. He
was sentenced o a life term for
murder. Burton has maintained his
innocence since his arrest.

Personal Background

In 1970, Fred Burton was twenty-
five years old, living in his home-
town of Philadelphia and working
a steady job at the phone company.
He and his wife were preparing to
have twins, his third and fourth
child.

At the time, Philadelphia was
witnessing the rising tide of black
activism and militancy. Sit-ins at
local colleges and high schools
called for black faculty and black
studies programs. Additional cam-
paigns focused on control of the
Philadelphia public school, result-
ing in actions against the Philadel-
phia Board of Education. One
action on November 17, 1967, re-

sulted in an attack by the night-
stick-wielding Philadelphia police.
Police raided homes of Black
Power activists and offices of or-
ganizations.

In 1968, the Black Panther Party
opened a chapter in Philadelphia
and within a few months, the or-
ganization grew to the point that
the Party needed to open a second
office in the city. The chapter
sponsored fice clothing, grocery,
and breakfast programs, a commu-
nity protection patrol to combat vi
olence and police brutality, a free
health clinic and political educa-
tion classes.

It was during this period when
Fred Burion joined a Philadelphia-
based organization, the Black
Unity Council, a small revolution-
ary group that organized around
Black Power politics and opposi-
tion to police brutality. The group
often met at the Black Panther of-
fices and would eventually merge
with the Party.

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603
By the time Burton joined the
ranks of the Panther Party, the US
government’s war against the or-
ganization was in full force. The
FBI's COINTELPRO operation
fostered intemal conflicts within
the ranks of the Black Panthers as
well as friction with other organi-
zations. Members across the coun-
try were facing charges on
trumped-up cases and several
members, such as Fred Hampton,
were assassinated by police agen-
cies in various cities throughout
the United States. The open war-
fare by the State against the Black
Panther Party caused many mem-
bers to engage in offensive cam-
paigns in retaliation. This would
eventually lead to the formation of
the Black Liberation Army,

On August 29, 1970, a coordi-
nated attack was orchestrated
against a Philadelphia Police De-
partment’s Cobb Creck Guard-
house. During the incident, one
police officer was injured, and an-
other was killed. One individual,
Hugh Williams, was arrested at the
scene, a short distance from a
handgun and a grenade. Williams
was brought into the police station
‘where he was chained to floor and
repeatedly beaten until he wrote a
confession. His pregnant wife,
Marie Williams, was brought in
and interrogated for 19 hours as
she heard her husband being tor-
tured in a nearby room,

Under duress and police pres-
sure, she told police that her hus-
band and five other men, all
members of the Black Unity
Council, met regularly in her base-
ment. She stated that the meetings
were initially peaceful discussions
of community issues but became
more violent in content. Some-
time about a week before the
shootings of the police officers,
the men talked about killing police
by blowing up a police station "to
get pressure off the blacks."

Burton (Left) and Bowen (Right)
Two other individuals, Robert
and Alvin Joyner, were arrested
the following day. Fred Burton
surrendered a month later after he
was reportedly wanted by the po-
lice for the attack. Russell Maroon
Shoatz was captured in January of
1972. A sixth man, Richard
Thomas, remained underground
until March of 1996. He was later
tried for the incident but was ac-
quitted of the charges.
Throughout 1972, the five men
who were currently in custody and

charged for the incident — known
at the time as the “Philly Five” —
were tried and convicted for the
killing of the police officer at
Cobb’s Creek. All were sentenced
to life imprisonment.

Burton’s trial was the final one
to take place. The District Attor-
ney admitted that the case against
him was weak. The only evidence
against Burton was the testimony
of Marie Williams, the wife of
Hugh Williams. After being com-
pelled by order of the court to tes-
tify, she stated that on one
occasion, Burton was present dur-
ing a meeting in her basement
when she heard someone say,
“Let’s off some pigs.” She did not
accuse Burton of making those
comments and had no additional
knowledge of the content of the
meeting.

Additionally, the Common-
wealth intentionally struck every
Aftican American from the active
jury. The all-white jury unani-
mously convicted Burton.

1973 Attack on the Warden
Upon being sentenced to prison
in 1972, Burton was automatically
a target for the prison guards due
to the racially charged atmosphere
and the nature of the conviction.
He was sent to Holmesburg prison
where conditions in the prison
were known to be severe. From
1951 until 1974 inmates were used

as test subjects for medical exper-
iments. The prison had been a
scene of recent rioting duc to the
overcrowding and conditions

While the inmate population was
estimated at 1,200, the prison itself
was built to hold no more than 700
inmates,

On May 31, 1973, Burton and
another Black Liberation Army
member, Joe-Joe Bowen, re-
quested a meeting with the warden
regarding concerns of Muslim
prisoners needing more time for
prayer. The request regarding the
recogition for the religious prac-
tices for Muslim prisoners fell on
deaf cars and the warden denied
the request.

According to court festimony by
Bowen, during the meeting, the
warden placed two make-shi
knives on his desk and threatened
to charge the men with pos
of the knives. In response to the
threat of trumped-up charges, the
warden was attacked and killed.
‘The deputy warden was also killed
when he attempted to interfere
with the attack. A guard was in-
jured when he and other guards
rushed in. Bowen received a rup-
tured spleen, a broken arm, and
possible concussion during the at-
tack. Burton was also attacked by
the guards and received head in-
juries, multiple bruises, cus, and
an am fracture during the attack
by the guards.

sion

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross

PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross

PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603