2. Wilmington Ten

Photo: SEATED (L to R) – Margaret Jacobs, mother of deceased Wilmington Ten member Jerry Jacobs; Marvin Patrick of the Wilmington Ten; Mary Alice Jervay, NNPA Board member and publisher of The Wilmington Journal; Fran Farrar, publisher of the County4You News; James McKoy, Wilmington Ten member; Willie Earl Vereen, Wilmington Ten member; Connie Tindall, Wilmington Ten member. STANDING (L to R) – Pastor John Thatch and his daughter Shawn Thatch from the Wilmington Journal; Dorothy Leavell, NNPA Board member and publisher of the Chicago Crusader; Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Wilmington Ten member; unknown female; Rev. Kojo Nantambu, president of the Charlotte NAACP; Cloves Campbell, Jr., chairman of the NNPA, and publisher of the Arizona Informant; John B. Smith, NNPA member and publisher of Atlanta Inquirer; Jan Perry and Judy Mack, daughters of deceased Wilmington Ten member Anne Shepard; LAST ROW STANDING (L to R) – Unknown male; attorneys Irving Joyner and James Ferguson; Peter Grear, publisher of Greater Diversity News; and Willie Moore, brother of Wilmington Ten member Wayne Moore, who could not attend. Photo by: John Davis/Wilmington Journal
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Part Two-The Wilimington Ten Continued

October 17, 1972—Chavis and the "Wilmington
9" convicted on charges of conspiracy to
assault emergency personnel and burning with
an incendiary device. Anne Shepard convicted
on charges of "accessory before the fact" of firebombing.

Her original charges had been reduced sometime after the mistrial was declared. Chavis was sentenced to 25-29
years for arson, and 4-5 years for conspiracy to assault emergency personnel.

The sentences are to run concurrently and
therefore total 29 years. Other sentences
were: Marvin Patrick and Connie Tyndall, 22-
26 years for fire bombing and 4-5 years for
conspiracy to assault emergency personnel;
Jerry Jacobs, 22-26 years for arson and 3-5
for conspiracy to assault emergency
personnel; Willie E. Vereen, Reginald Epps,
James McCoy, Joe Wright and Wayne Moore 20-
24 years for arson and 3-5 for conspiracy to
assault emergency personnel; Anne Shepard,
7-10 years. Bonds for the defendants were:
Ms. Shepard, $20,000; all others except Rev.
Chavis, $40,000-$45,000; Rev. Chavis,
$50,000.

Dec. 1972-UCC Executive Council, complying
with promise to support staff arrested in
the line of duty, post $50,000 bond for
Chavis.

June 17, 1973, Angela Davis holds rally at
Antioch Church Of God In Christ in support
of the Wilmington 10

June 1973- UCC General Synod votes to borrow
$350,000 bail to free the nine defendants
still in prison
December 1974. North Carolina Court of
Appeals affirms the convictions.

May 1975. North Carolina Supreme Court
refuses to hear the case.

November 17, !975- The Hon. Charles B.
Rangel enters the Wilmington 10 case into
the Congressional Record
January 1976 - U.S. Supreme Court refuses
to hear the case. Wilmington 10 are jailed,
without bail.

August 1976. Witness Hall admits he lied in
implicating the 10.

January 1977. A second prosecution witness
admits he lied, accusing the 10 in exchange
for a mini-bike and job from the prosecutor.

February 1977. The third and only other
prosecution witness with knowledge of the
crimes indicates serious irregularities in
his testimony.

May 9,1977 Civil Rights Activist Angela
Davis and U.S Rep. Don Edwards, express
support for the Wilmington 10 standing on
the Pender County Courthouse steps at Post
Conviction
hearing.

May 20, 1977- Activist trial lawyer William
Kunster says he sees the 10 case as part of
a federal conspiracy launched by the Nixon
administration.

May 1977. Despite the recantation of all
three key prosecution witnesses, new defense
testimony, and the contention of more than
2,000 legal irregularities in the original
trial, Superior Court Judge George Fountain
finds “no denial” of the constitutional
rights of the Ten and denies them a new
trial and bail.

January 1978- After a year-long personal
review of the case, North Carolina Governor
James B. Hunt refuses to pardon or free the
10 and reduces sentences of 20-25 years to
13-17 years. Anne Sheppard had been paroled
by that time. The other nine remained in
prison.
February 1978 - 55 congressmen sign a
petition urging U.S. Attorney General
Griffin Bell to direct the Justice
Department to intervene in Federal Court on
behalf of the Wilmington 10

May 3,1978 - Congressional delegation
including John Conyers, Ron Dellums and Don
Edwards, visit members of the Wilmington Ten
in prison.

July 15, 1978- Speaking in Paris, France,
U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young says there are
“hundreds, perhaps thousands” of political
prisoners in the United States.

July 17, 1978- Gary Indiana Mayor Richard
Hatcher supports Young’s position, saying
Young was “telling the truth” and that the
presence of political prisoners in U.S. is a
“known fact”, citing the Wilmington 10 case
and the case of Reuben “Hurricane” Carter as
examples.
July 31, 1978 - The Wilmington Ten are the
first group of prison inmates in the United
States of America to be officially declared
“political prisoners” by Amnesty
International in 1978. This conclusion
by Amnesty International was published and
distributed worldwide
November 15, 1978 - U.S Justice Department
files a petition in Federal Court stating
that it had uncovered evidence that
indicates the Wilmington 10 were denied a
fair trial in 1972.

It petitioned the court
to either throw out the state convictions or
hold a hearing on the government’s findings.

December 4, 1980 - U.S. 4th Circuit Court of
Appeals overturned the convictions of the
Wilmington Ten, citing gross misconduct on the part of the prosecution in obtaining
convictions.

Source: http://ftpcontent4.worldnow.com/.../W-10%20TIMELINE.pdf