The Wilmington Ten - Continued
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 Wilmington 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 3-5for 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, 1975 - 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