Yippie! ReduxMeet legendary defense attorney Leonard Weinglass at a town hall meeting and discussion on US-Cuba relations on Tuesday, June 24. He is currently representing the Cuban Five, who are being unjustly held in US prisons.
I first became aware of Weinglass in 1969, when he and William Kunstler defended the Chicago Seven. They brought defense witness Norman Mailer to the stand, who testified that "left-wingers are incapable of conspiracy because they're all egomaniacs." Another witness, Abbie Hoffman, declared, "Conspiracy? Hell, we couldn't even agree on lunch!" Black Panther Bobby Seale was bound and gagged in the courtroom. And deliberations had no sooner begun when the judge sentenced all of the defendants – and Kunstler and Weinglass – to lengthy prison terms on 159 specifications for criminal contempt.
More recently, Weinglass defended political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
At the town hall meeting, Weinglass will be joined by the Rev. Lucius Walker, founder of IFCO/Pastors for Peace; Jose Pertierra, a Cuban-American immigration rights lawyer; and a representative of the Cuban Interests Section, the official diplomatic office of Cuba in the U.S.
The purpose of the forum is to gain a better understanding of US policy toward Cuba and the impact the Bush regime has had on it, the legal case of the Cuban Five, and the effect of the blockade on Cuban Americans and other U.S. citizens. It will be held Tuesday, June 24, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the All Saints Church, on the corner of Harvard and 16th Streets NW. This event may be aired live on Pacifica radio, 89.3 FM. For more information, contact the No War On Cuba Movement by phone at 202/722-1307, via e-mail, or online at this website.
