Albert Woodfox Freed!

Albert Woodfox being queried at his release 2/19.
Photo credit: Reuters.

Friday, Feb. 19, Albert "Shaka Cinque" Woodfox, the remaining member of Angola 3, was released from prison after nearly 44 years in solitary confinement. His release ended the longest documented time spent in solitary confinement by any prisoner in US history.

Footage of Woodfox's release from Feliciana Parish Detention Center shows him walking with his brother Michael Mabel's arm around his shoulder, then in the car fielding questions about his release, thoughts about solitary confinement, Angola State Prison, and freedom. As his brother announced, "I am taking him away now," Woodfox stated that he wanted to visit his mother's grave site. He was not allowed to attend her funeral when she died.

Saturday, February 20

In a phone conversation with Robert King (A3) this morning, he described the wait at the Feliciana Parish Detention Center in St. Francisville, La., yesterday as "hot, but worth it."  Standing outside the prison reminded King, he said, of his release 15 years ago, also in February, February 15, from Angola State Prison located in the same parish up the road a bit.  King said the crowd wasn't huge yesterday, but it was mighty (smile).  It's a great day for justice today and Woodfox's release (on his 69 birthday), "gives others hope."

Earlier that month Ashé Cultural Arts Center had scheduled a screening of the film Panther: Vanguard of the Revolution, dir. Stanley Nelson, at 5:30 p.m. to celebrate Albert Woodfox's birthday that day. The panel assembled that evening included: Theodore Quant, Malik Rahim and Parnell Herbert. When the news of Woodfox's release that day was announced to the audience and that newly released comrade would come by later that evening, people stayed after the screening and discussion.

The evening turned into an actual birthday party for Woodfox whose entrance was greeted with tears of joy, shouts, foot stomping and much joy. At Ashé were Woodfox's comrades in the struggle for liberation, human rights, dignity and freedom. The party was as much his as theirs and for that reason that much sweeter. 'Cause NOLA folks know how to throw down (smile)-- the felicitations continue for Woodfox this afternoon with another party hosted by King's family with barbecue and more birthday cake.


Friday, February 19
As we drove down to Chowchilla to visit with incarcerated women at the Central California Women's Facility, the largest women's prison in the state, I called King to see if he expected Woodfox to walk out free that day. He was cautiously optimistic at 6 a.m. PT, so the big smile in the text he sent me after the court released Woodfox (several hours later) was celebrated that afternoon by the California Coalition for Women' Prisoner's visiting team as we debriefed over a late lunch (4 p.m.).

Freedom is a Constant Struggle

Michael Mabel with his big brother, Albert Woodfox, 2/19.
Photo credit: Billy Sothern

Yet, Woodfox's release was not without stipulations, the main one was to not contest the murder conviction (Brent Miller) which had a 42 year sentence. His release gives him credit for "time spent." It is the same with Robert H. King who put his right (not left) hand on the bible when he agreed to the false terms offered, so he would as Albert did, walk free.

The compromise or last judicial word, is not the last word, because Albert Woodfox, Robert King and Herman Wallace's trials, sentencing, confinement, and the context of their release (Herman just two days before his death), shows without a doubt how immoral the American judicial system is. Justice is not a part of its system nor is truth.  Punishment, often cruel and unusual punishment, not human dignity and rehabilitation are implicit goals of incarceration -- Therefore, the conclusion of this chapter of the A3 story is proof that the entire system needs dismantling.

Woodfox's victory is all of our victory. Without a doubt, Woodfox's freedom from physical bondage is the kind of shift in the wind which should lift our sails and increase our resolve to continue the fight until All of Us (those in minimum and maximum incarceration) are freed from such tyranny. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing said we are at war, that the systemic killing and incarceration of black men and boys is central to a strategic battle being waged by a white supremacist system looking to continue racial dominance.

For coverage see: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawyer-last-of-angola-three-inmates-to-be-released-after-more-than-four-decades/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/us/angola-3-albert-woodfox-released/

Albert Woodfox is Freed TODAY on his 69th Birthday!!

Take a deep breath everyone, Just moments ago, Albert Woodfox, the last remaining member of the Angola 3 still behind bars, was released from prison 43 years and 10 months after he was first put in a 6x9 foot solitary cell for a crime he did not commit. After decades of costly litigation, Louisiana State officials have at last acted in the interest of justice and reached an agreement that brings a long overdue end to this nightmare. Albert has maintained his innocence at every step, and today, on his 69th birthday, he will finally begin a new phase of his life as a free man. In anticipation of his release this morning, Albert thanked his many supporters and added: "Although I was looking forward to proving my innocence at a new trial, concerns about my health and my age have caused me to resolve this case now and obtain my release with this no-contest plea to lesser charges.  I hope the events of today will bring closure to many." Over the course of the past four decades, Albert's conviction was overturned three separate times for a host of constitutional violations including prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate defense, racial discrimination in the selection of the grand jury foreperson, and suppression of exculpatory evidence. On June 8th, 2015, Federal Judge James Brady ordered Albert's immediate release and barred the State from retrying Albert, an extraordinary ruling that he called "the only just remedy." A divided panel of the 5th Circuit Court of appeals reversed that order in November with the dissenting Judge arguing that "If ever a case justifiably could be considered to present 'exceptional circumstances' barring re-prosecution, this is that case." That ruling was on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court when news of his release broke. On behalf of the Angola 3 - Albert Woodfox, Robert King, and in memory of Herman Wallace - we would like to sincerely thank all the organizations, activists, artists, legal experts, and other individuals who have so graciously given their time and talent to the Angola 3's extraordinary struggle for justice. This victory belongs to all of us and should motivate us to stand up and demand even more fervently that long-term solitary confinement be abolished, and all the innocent and wrongfully incarcerated be freed. For more information about the Angola 3, visit angola3.org. STATEMENT FROM THE LAWYERS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 19, 2016 Contact: Laura Burstein, laura.burstein@squirepb.com,  202-626-6868 (o); 202-669-3411 (c) Albert Woodfox, Longest-Serving Solitary Confinement Prisoner, to be Freed from Prison After Four Decades Statements from Albert Woodfox - One of the 'Angola 3' - and Attorneys George Kendall and Katherine Kimpel February 19, 2016, West Feliciana, LA -- Albert Woodfox, who spent more time in solitary confinement than any prisoner in U.S. history, will be released this afternoon from custody after more than four decades in the Louisiana prison system. Mr. Woodfox, who turned 69 today, continues to maintain his innocence for the murder that sent him to solitary confinement for more than four decades. He pled no contest to two lesser crimes before being set free. "I want to thank my brother Michel for sticking with me all these years, and Robert King, who wrongly spent nearly 30 years in solitary.  I could not have survived without their courageous support, along with the support of my dear friend Herman Wallace, who passed away in 2013," said Mr. Woodfox.  "I also wish to thank the many members of the International Coalition to Free the Angola 3, Amnesty International, and the Roddick Foundation, all of whom supported me through this long struggle.   Lastly, I thank William Sothern, Rob McDuff and my lawyers at Squire Patton Boggs and Sanford Heisler Kimpel for never giving up.  Although I was looking forward to proving my innocence at a new trial, concerns about my health and my age have caused me to resolve this case now and obtain my release with this no-contest plea to lesser charges.  I hope the events of today will bring closure to many." The extreme and cruel solitary confinement endured by Mr. Woodfox and his fellow prisoners, Herman Wallace and Robert King, known as the "Angola 3," drew international condemnation.  The unnecessary and inhumane use of solitary confinement was particularly stark in light of Mr. Woodfox's exemplary conduct record for decades.  In fact, in the midst of litigation, the Wardens of both institutions where Mr. Woodfox was held in solitary confinement admitted that he had exemplary conduct records. "Although we are overjoyed that Albert Woodfox is finally free, it is indefensible he was forced to endure decade after decade in harsh solitary confinement conditions, longer than any prisoner in the history of the United States," stated George Kendall, attorney with Squire Patton Boggs, LLP.  "Albert survived the extreme and cruel punishment of 40 plus years in solitary confinement only because of his extraordinary strength and character.  These inhumane practices must stop. We hope the Louisiana Department of Corrections will reform and greatly limit its use of solitary confinement as have an increasing number of jurisdictions around the country." Mr. Woodfox and Mr. King, along with Mr. Wallace, brought a civil lawsuit in 2000, challenging the constitutionality of the State of Louisiana's use of indefinite solitary confinement.  Mr. Woodfox and Mr. King confirmed that a primary goal of the ongoing litigation is to help bring light to the fact that there is no penological justification for how the State of Louisiana currently uses solitary confinement and to create incentives for reform.  As Mr. Woodfox explained, "I can now direct all my efforts to ending the barbarous use of solitary confinement and will continue my work on that issue here in the free world." Their case, which is pending, is supported by extensive reports from two nationally-recognized corrections experts.  Those most recent experts' reports, from 2015, are publicly available and include extensive detail about the State system's failings (http://bit.ly/1PUqjiG;http://bit.ly/1oNAfUv).  As a federal judge wrote, the extreme length of Mr. Wallace's and Mr. Woodfox's solitary confinement was "so far beyond the pale that this Court has not found anything even remotely comparable in the annals of American jurisprudence."  See Wilkerson v. Stalder, No. 00-304 (M.D. La. Feb. 1, 2005) (Doc. No. 105 at 21). "It is past time for our nation to leave behind its shameful legacy of being one of the only developed countries in the world that still relies so heavily on the outdated and ineffective corrections practice of indefinite solitary confinement," commented Katherine Kimpel, partner at Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP. "That Albert Woodfox served over four decades in solitary confinement shocks the conscience and is a national embarrassment.  We should take advantage of the growing national consensus regarding corrections reform to ensure that, if our society were to be judged by entering our prisons, we would not be found lacking." Attorneys for Mr. Woodfox said he will now be able to receive the medical attention he desperately needs. If you would like to speak with attorneys for Mr. Woodfox or leading experts on solitary confinement conditions and reform, please contact Laura Burstein or Jamie Moss at Laura.Burstein@Squirepb.com, 202-626-6868 (o), 202-669-3411 (c); or jamie@newspros.com, 201-788-0142. 'Angola 3' Case Background In 1972, Brent Miller, a young, white guard at Angola prison, was killed. At a time when Angola prison was highly racially polarized, investigators eventually honed in on four suspects who were politically active Black Panthers.  Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace were two of those men.  No forensic or physical evidence linked Mr. Woodfox or Mr. Wallace to the crime, the fingerprints found at the scene, or the bloody knife found nearby. Several alibi witnesses placed both men in different parts of the prison and away from the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. Mr. Woodfox was originally convicted in 1973 of the murder solely on the testimony of three inmate witnesses. However, as Mr. Woodfox learned decades after his original trial, these inmates were provided attractive incentives by the prison officials for their testimony, including promises of improved housing and a pardon.  State officials also suppressed inconsistent statements by these witnesses. Eventually, Mr. Woodfox's 1973 conviction was overturned because of discrimination in the selection of the grand jury that indicted him.  He was retried in 1998.  Despite the fact that two of the State's three inmate witnesses had died, and despite the fact that they never were adequately cross-examined because of evidence hidden by prison officials, their transcripts from the prior trial were admitted into evidence and Mr. Woodfox was again convicted. After many years of appeals, his 1998 conviction was set aside in later 2014 and he was recharged in 2015.  His lawyers waged a vigorous campaign to exclude from any new trial the prior testimony of the deceased witnesses who never were adequately cross-examined.  However, both the trial judge and the First Circuit Court of Appeal in Louisiana denied those motions, meaning that the prior statements would again be used against Mr. Woodfox at a new trial. Although Mr. Woodfox and his legal team remained optimistic about the possibility for an acquittal at a new trial, concerns about Mr. Woodfox's health mounted as he approached his 69th birthday. Mr. Woodfox decided to bring the case to a conclusion with today's action. His plea of "nolo contendere" or "no contest" to two lesser charges is not an admission of guilt. It means simply that he does not contest that the State would present evidence at a new trial from witnesses who said he committed this crime. Mr. Woodfox continues, as he always has, to maintain his innocence. ###