Herman Wallace shouldn't have to die behind bars. Herman is 71 years old and has advanced liver cancer. He and fellow prisoner Albert Woodfox have been held in solitary confinement longer than anyone else in modern U.S. history. The men have spent the past 41 years of their lives alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, deprived of any meaningful human interaction.
No human being deserves to live like this. Herman Wallace should not die alone.
Why wouldn't Louisiana officials simply release an elderly prisoner with advanced cancer on humanitarian grounds? Evidence suggests that it is in part because Herman, Albert, and King, 3 black panthers dared to organize and speak out against inhumane treatment and racial segregation inside one of United States' most brutal prisons, Angola.
Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox are the two imprisoned members of the ‘Angola 3', three young black men who were thrown in solitary confinement after working against continued segregation, systematic corruption, and grave abuses in the infamous Angola prison. Originally imprisoned for unrelated cases of armed robbery, Herman and Albert were later convicted for the murder of a prison guard in 1972. However, no physical evidence links either man to the murder. In fact, King was 150 miles away in another prison when the murder happened.
In the decades since Herman and Albert's conviction, numerous legal concerns have risen to the surface from the racially charged underbelly of the U.S. prison system. These are just a few glaring flaws we documented in our report ‘100 Years in Solitary: The 'Angola 3' and their Fight for Justice' :
- DNA evidence that might have established the men's innocence was somehow "lost"
- Outcomes were based on questionable inmate testimony
- Prison officials bribed the main eyewitness
- One witness later retracted his testimony
- The prison guards widow is convinced these men were set up and her husbands murderers were never identify. She as well has worked for years for their release.
Video here from msnbc just days ago (sorry I could not embed it)
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/46979745/vp/52407812#52407812
To quote from this clip filmed in New Orleans with Herman’s attorney
Herman Wallace, one of the remaining two imprisoned members of the Angola 3, has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Wallace’s attorney believes it is time for him to be let out of solitary confinement and more importantly receive a compassionate release.
Attorney Nick Trenticosta detailed his client’s condition on Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry. “He’s lost about 55 pounds in four months, and he is being treated completely negligently. I would say he’s being killed through intentional neglect.”
Currently 71 years old, Wallace has been in solitary confinement for more than 41 years for his 1972 conviction in the murder of prison guard Brent Miller. It is a conviction that he and the other members of the Angola 3 have fought because they have maintained their innocence in the brutal stabbing.
Given his critical diagnosis, his lawyers and organizations like Amnesty International are pushing for a compassionate release.
Asked whether he thought there was any chance that Wallace would receive a compassionate release, Trenticosta’s response was telling. “I don’t think so, and part of the reason is the state of Louisiana in the past six years has spent $6 million dollars in lawyer fees to keep a 71-year-old man in solitary confinement.”
PBS recently premiered “Herman’s House” about the relationship between Herman Wallace and artist Jackie Surell who learned about Herman from a class on solitary confinement where Robert King, the only release member of the Angola 3 was lecturing. Ironically, it was not premiered in north Louisiana with the rest of the country. You can stream this documentary here.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/hermanshouse/...p#.UdyJuW2tqJY
Here is the trailer
Buddy Caldwell, the attorney general involved in this case has stated he will not release Herman and Albert because, “If he releases these men, he will have to release the others” but in the same breath states they were never in solitary confinement.
Please help us contact the governor of Louisiana and ask him to release Herman on compassionate release. He doesn’t have much time left. You can use this form to do it.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/sit...ce=W0000ACFACE
Or write to Jindal via the Louisiana state website
http://www.gov.la.gov/index.cfm?md=f...email_governor
We also need to follow this link and join the movement here
http://hermanshouse.org/get-involved/
http://www.nrcat.org/torture-in-us-p...tary-statement
Another documentary that tells the complete story to date on the Angola 3 is
"In the Land of the Free" narrated by Samual Jackson. The trailer is here
http://youtu.be/Zkr03dYtlQQ
And Attorney General Caldwell is correct. If Albert and Herman are released from long term solitary confinement in Louisiana, it could set a precedent and hundreds of others in solitary will be released.
More information
One of the most comprehensive Angola 3 sites on the web
http://www.angola3.org/
Kings personal website
http://www.kingsfreelines.com/
In addition to concern for Herman Wallace, the worsening conditions of confinement for Albert Woodfox in David Wade Correctional Center, near the town of Homer in Louisiana.
For approximately two months, Woodfox has been subjected to additional punitive measures, including strip-searches each time he leaves or enters his cell, being escorted in ankle and wrist restraints, restricted phone access, and being limited to non-contact visits through a perforated metal screen. Temperatures in the cells are reportedly extremely high, regularly reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius, a serious health risk for inmates confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day. These risks are even greater in the case of the elderly or infirm, as their bodies are unable to adjust to the heat as quickly as those of healthy, younger adults.
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