Liebe Genossen_innen und Mumia-Freunde_innen,
Annabelle Parker aus den Niederlanden, Webmaster von Freezulu.org, und ich haben am 7. Mai 2013 Amy Goodman von Democracy Now! ersucht, unseren Freund Kenny Zulu Whitmore, der seit 1978 in Angola unschuldig in Isolierfolter inhaftiert ist, zu interviewen. Ich kopiere meinen Brief und mein Ersuchen, ihn dabei zu unterstützen, zu euerer näheren Information.
Ich habe heute einen Brief von Zulu bekommen, in dem er mir mitteilt, dass er große Hoffnung in dieses Interview setzt und hofft, dass Amy Goodman dieses vorgeschlagene Interview mit ihm durchführt. Er hat mir überdies mitgeteilt, dass er hofft, dass viele Menschen dbzgl Amy Goodman kontaktieren werden.
Ich möchte euch daher nochmals ersuchen, Amy Goodman via das angeführte Kontaktformular zu kontaktieren und ihr als „new story idea“ ein Interview mit Zulu vorzuschlagen. Das nimmt wirklich nicht viel Zeit in Anspruch und würde Zulu außerordentlich helfen, wenn viele seiner Freunde_innen dbzgl. Democracy Now! kontaktieren. Bitte informiert auch euere Freunde_innen darüber!
Herzlichen Dank für euere Hilfe!
Heinz
_____________________________________
Dear comrades and friends,
Find enclosed a letter of mine in support of my innocent comrade and friend Kenny Zulu Whitmore in Angola plantation. Zulu has spent longer in solitary than most other people incarcerated in the United States.
Please take into consideration to contact Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, and propose a new story idea on Zulu to her:
http://www.democracynow.org/contact
Solidarity Without Borders – Solidarité sans frontières – Solidaridad Sin Fronteras – Solidarität ohne Grenzen
Heinz
Democracy Now!
207 W. 25th St., Floor 11
New York, NY 10001
U.S.A.
Fax: 001 212 431-8858
Vienna, May 7th, 2013
Re: Interview with Kenny Zulu Whitmore in Angola prison; 40th anniversary of the murder of ex-mayor of Zachary, Louisiana, on August 15th, 1973
Dear Amy Goodman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am an Austrian citizen, retired official of the Federal Ministry of Labour as well as former representative of this organization in the Austrian Board of Paroles. I live in a country where thousands upon thousands women and men, among them also thousands of political prisoners, were murdered in the concentration camps in the times of Nazi-fascism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp_Mauthausen
I am a friend of Kenny Zulu Whitmore, an innocent African American man who has spent more than 38 years in prison. In January 1977 Zulu, a political prisoner at the LA state penitentiary at Angola, Louisiana, was tried for the August 15th--1973 arm robbery and second degree murder of the ex-mayor of Zachary, Louisiana, and found guilty. On March 14th, 1977, Zulu was sentenced to life on the murder charge, and 99 years on the armed robbery.
You will find a first-handaccount “Racism at its worst: The story of Kenny Zulu Whitmore“ by Zulu, published at SF Bay View on December 9th, 2012, at
http://sfbayview.com/2012/racism-at-its-worst-the-story-of-kenny-zulu-whitmore/
Recently, a supporter of Zulu from the Netherlands contacted the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
I feel free to enclose also a summary of information on my friend:
K. Zulu Whitmore was first arrested on laughable charges in December 1973 where he stayed in jail for two days before being released. Zulu was the target of another false charge in 1974 where he stayed in the downtown Baton Rouse LA jail for 8 days, where he met Herman Wallace who was on trial for the death of an Angola prison guard in 1972, and who is known as a Black Panther and one of the members of the Angola Three (A3).
Zulu was arrested again on February 19th, 1975, and charged with two counts of armed robbery. However, while being held over for an evidentiary hearing on the two armed robberies that stems from a single shoe store, and while being held on those charges he was also charged with the August 15th-1973 robbery and murder of the ex-mayor of Zachary, LA. But in June of 1975, the 2.ct of armed robberies against Zulu was dropped, with both victims of the shoe store robbery clearly stating that Zulu was not the man that robbed them.
Zulu has spent 35 years in Angola according to his files, he arrived there on March 14th, 1978, after spending three years in East Baton Rouse Parish prison. He was 23 on his arrival at Angola. He was immediately placed in solitary confinement where he spends a minimum of 23 hours a day in a six-by-nine-foot cell, but with only 5ft x 3ft of space to move around because of the toilet and bunk. He has also endured more than a year in the extremely cruel and restrictive Camp J, a punishment unit of despairing isolation.
K. Zulu Whitmore has languished for more than 31 years in solitary confinement.
He went into Angola prison when he was 23. This October 14th he will be 59.
Zulu has spent longer in solitary than most (he hasn’t spent as long as the A3 and there may be others…) other people incarcerated in the United States.
The only evidence used in Zulu’s trial was a tape that had been tampered with and a rusty bucket.
Zulu has been targeted for his activism and his affiliation with the Black Panther Party while in Angola prison.
All of Zulu’s appeals have been dismissed without justification.
Zulu is forced to wear shackles for the precious few hours a week he is outside his cell.
The majority of men in Angola prison – a former slave plantation – are black, and most will die there because of Louisiana’s harsh sentencing policies.
The prison covers 18,000 acres, houses more than 5.500 inmates, is a profitable business, and has an annual operating budget of around $100 million.
Incarceration rates for black males in the US today are nearly six times greater than in South Africa under Apartheid.
Freezulu.org
http://www.freezulu.co.uk/index.php
http://freezulu.blogspot.co.at/2009/08/interview-with-kenny-zulu-whitmore.html
http://thtc.co.uk/news/free-zulu-whitmore-collaboration-black-panthers
http://sfbayview.com/tag/kenny-zulu-whitmore/
Inaccordancewith Zulu I am asking you, dear Mrs Amy Goodman, to use the murder of ex-mayor of Zachary, Louisiana, on August 15th, 1973, as an opportunity to interview Zulu on this event 40 years ago, and to show solidarity with my innocent friend who has just filed a new appeal to be released from Angola plantation. Please contact my friend:
Kenny Zulu Whitmore 86468
D/HAWK – 4L
LA State Prison Angola
LA 70712
USA
Dear Amy Goodman, your interview would be a big help to arouse the general public in the U.S.A. and support the immediate release of my innocent friend. Thank you very much to take an interview into account with Kenny Zulu Whitmore!
I consider it a big honour to belookeduponas a friend by Zulu.
Free Zulu!
Solidarity Without Borders – Solidarität ohne Grenzen
Heinz Leitner
Vienna, Austria
Address, email addresses
______________________________________
Some additional information
(1) Freezulu.org
(2) “…On February 19, 1975 I was arrested again. This time charged with two counts of armed robbery of a Zachary shoe store. In June of 1975 all charges were dropped after both victims argued with the judge that I was not the person who did this crime. But I still couldn’t go free. While awaiting an evidentiary hearing on the two robbery charges I was also charged with a 1973 robbery and murder. In this case the district attorney Ossie Brown came to me with a prepared confession and said,
„You, Whitmore, were imprecated in the 1973 robbery and murder of Marshall Bond. And I know you didn’t do this, but I need a key witness against the guy who did this and you are going to help me to get this guy.“
He, the then D.A., gave me the confession to read and sign. The D.A. told me out right,
„You are going to take the stand against this guy and say what I have prepared in that confession for y’all. And I am going to give you five years. You will not go to Angola, and you will be out in two and a half years.“
I told him, „Man, I don’t have any idea of what you are talking about.“ He said,
„I am the district attorney and my word is three against yours. And I can do whatever I want to you. Now help me get this guy or I will send you to Angola for the rest of your life.“
I refused and they immediately started beating me with sticks.
On January 3-6, 1977 I was tried and found guilty of second-degree murder and armed robbery. The victim was a wealthy ex-Mayor, member of the KKK in Zachary, Louisiana, which is a small rural community in the northern part of East Baton Rouge Parish