After 33 hours of jury deliberations, controversial political activist Angela Davis was found not guilty of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy charges on June 4, 1972 in California. The all-white jury cleared the African-American intellectual and militant, then 28, on all charges after the former assistant professor at the University of California was connected to an August 1970 effort to free James McCain, a black convict accused of allegedly attempting to stab a police officer. In a courtroom at the Marin County Hall of Justice, Jonathan Jackson, the brother of imprisoned Black Panther leader George Jackson (Davis had been one of the black power icon’s biggest supporters), and two others disrupted McCain’s trial proceedings by drawing guns, including one registered in Davis’ name.
After a dramatic escape—which saw the prisoners take a judge, the prosecuting attorney and several jurors into a getaway van—Jackson and an accomplice were both shot and killed and judge Harold Haley died from an apparent gunshot wound. Davis instantly went underground and was placed on the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted” list. She was arrested on October 13, 1970 and spent two months in a maximum security California prison. Her case became a worldwide political cause as many critics deemed her incarceration inherently racist. A portion of Davis’ legal defense expenses was even paid for by the Presbyterian Church of the USA. After hearing from various witnesses, the jury found her not guilty and ruled that she had no responsibility in the plot. Today, Davis is viewed as a giant in the civil rights struggle, lecturing at schools like San Francisco State University, Stanford University and Howard University. The lauded social activist remains a voice against injustice everywhere.
home