Herman Wallace's August 1, 2007 update:

All Power to the People. I'm Herman Wallace talking to you from solitary confinement, here at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. On February the 8th, 2001, the whole world witnessed how the Louisiana Judiciary treats political prisoners. Robert King was innocent of murder and all the present facts are proof of his innocence. Still, fearing a lawsuit against them, the state government offered him a deal that presented no choice. They said, “Plead guilty to a lesser offense and walk free or chance a new trial and face a life sentence.” When King returned from the court that day, he was placed down the hall.

Well, King and I were on the same unit at the time and he came to my cell and he explained the situation that the District Attorney put before him. Albert, King and myself … we always fought together. King told me that he and his lawyer, his name was Christopher Abler, had put up a good fight and come close to his freedom. I asked him what he was talking about and he explained that if he had accepted the deal it would have cast a shadow of doubt on his innocence. He said he was turning down the offer because it opposed the principles we had held throughout our long years of solitary confinement.

Now, I understood his position and I also understood the state's strategy and King and I discussed the matter a whole lot further than what I'm talking about right now. This was not a decision King could make on his own, as being a member of the Angola 3, that's a life-time commitment for all three of us. Our objective is freedom and to achieve it we must take it one step at a time. We decided to put the matter to a vote, that was between King and I because we had somewhat of a difference of opinion about the matter and so we sent a note to Albert and Zulu, they were on different units and Zulu is another comrade of ours, you'll probably read more about him on the MySpace site that we have set up right now. At any rate, a note came back with three words, “Go Home, Moja.” Reluctantly, he did just that.

He is a soldier with a cause and though he says owes much to the Angola 3, many of you out there know that it is the Angola 3 that really owes him. All of you have read and learned the facts of this case, born out of a government conspiracy to execute Albert and I in April of 1972. Had it not been for the US Supreme Court ruling in Fermer v Georgia, the death penalty at that time was unconstitutional. Had it not been for that case, we would be [a] stinking corpse today.

Since that time, with your support, we have managed to embarrass the government and the Louisiana Judiciary, as we have uncovered volumes of exculpatory evidence and some real proof regarding the actual killer of the murdered prison guard. A close look at the newly discovered facts indicates clearly that the state did, in fact, know who the killer was. But they used the guard's murder to frame Albert and myself because of our challenge to their corrupt system.  

The conspiracy was not limited to the Department of Corrections officials, not those only in high places. It crept through the 20th judicial district court in St. Francis there, to the 19th judicial district court in Baton Rouge and it expanded, all the way to the criminal judicial court in New Orleans, all because they illegally gave rewards to prisoners for helping the state frame Albert and I.

We've acquired several affidavits from the state's witnesses, recanting their testimony in '73 and '74 and for the first time admitting that they lied and that they were offered deals for all the lies they told. Michael Irving, the sitting judge in my case, had been holding on to this evidence for the past 17 years, refusing to properly rule. On June 10th, 2004, our attorneys filed a writ of enforcement with the court and so this totally infuriated the judge. It infuriated him to the point that he denied my post-conviction without even responding to any of the new evidence or affidavits that were filed.  For those of you who have been closely following this case, you know on November the 7th, 2006, the Court's commissioner recommended that my conviction be overturned. From that date, pursuant with Louisiana revised statute 137207, Judge Irving had 30 days, only 30 days to rule. The man is 7 months and 3 weeks overdue for ruling, which could illustrate the personal negative interest this judge has in my case.

I'm not on my knees asking for favors. I'm on my feet, with eyes locked and demanding justice. Free Mumia! Free the Move 9! Free Marilyn Buck! Free Leonard Peltier and free all political prisoners!!

Sstill defiant… Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox

To listen to more radio commentaries by the Angola 3, go to www.prisonradio.org/HermanWallace.htm

To read more on this case, click here!