PBS is airing American Justice on Trial: People v Newton, an interesting documentary on the Huey Newton trial in Oakland. My last year in Berkeley the bigoted security apparatus had me go down to the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland and spend three days listening to county residents express their opinions on marijuana laws, the Oakland PD, and all manner of other things in some supposed jury selection process. It ended with a kind European immigrant from Livermore expressing her complete bemusement with the US system of criminalizing nonviolent drug addiction rather than emphasizing treatment. The entire courtroom erupted in cheers and even the judge seemed amused.
The entire time I had a strong sense of deja vu, the likes which I had never experienced, even though I had never been there before. I finally realized that the courthouse had been the site of Huey's trial and was in the background of every black and white documentary I had seen growing up showing the Panthers marching and chanting "Free Huey!" on the courthouse steps.
Of course, some people like Ronald Demos Lee prefer to live in redlined enclaves and make a mockery of the sacrifices made by the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense to promote civil liberties and social justice. Ron and Huey were the same age and yet, despite his immense character flaws, Huey Newton is viewed as an American hero whereas Genocide Ron is properly excoriated as a traitorous villain.
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