Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad
Encyclopedia
Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad (born Richard Moore, 1945) is an American writer and activist, who is a former prison
er, Black Panther Party
leader, and co-founder of the Black Liberation Army
.
district attorney
, were fired upon in a drive-by shooting, with a machine-gun. The officers survived, but were seriously injured, sustaining shots to the head, neck, chest, and abdomen.
The shootings took place during a period of intense violence between black activist organizations and the New York City police department. Two days later, NYPD officers Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini were shot and killed outside a housing project in Harlem
.
Wahad was arrested and initially charged with robbing a South Bronx
social club, and then was later charged with the attempted murders of Curry and Binetti.
The "Passin' It On" documentary by Jon Valadez on Dhoruba's case revealed, through FBI documents and eye witness accounts that The South Bronx Social Club was running and illegal drug ring and was
a known place where Police took bribes. Dhoruba and other BLA members attempted to stop the drugs being pushed into their neighborhood.
Wahad's first trial ended in a hung jury; his second in a mistrial. Two years later, in 1973, his third trial resulted in a guilty verdict; he was sentenced to twenty-five years to life.
. In December 1975 he filed a lawsuit against the F.B.I. and the police department of the City of New York.
As a direct result of his lawsuit, over the next fifteen years the F.B.I. released more than 300,000 pages of documents regarding COINTELPRO. The COINTELPRO documents were the basis on which Wahad appealed his conviction, and on March 15, 1990, Justice Peter J. McQuillan, a Supreme Court
justice in Manhattan, reversed it, ruling that the prosecution had failed to disclose evidence that could have helped Mr. Wahad's defense.
While Manhattan District Attorney
Robert M. Morgenthau
stated that he planned to appeal the ruling, and would obtain a retrial if his appeal failed, Wahad was freed and released without bail.
Morgenthau's attempt to appeal was rejected by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, and on January 20, 1995, the Manhattan district attorney's office stated there would be no retrial, indicating that the current condition of the evidence would make this impossible.
On December 4, 2000, Dhoruba's suit against the New York Police Department, seeking $15 million in damages was scheduled to begin. On December 8, 2000, the city of New York laid to rest a 25 year legal battle, and agreed to pay Wahad an additional $490,000 in damages.
, Ghana
where he organized on Pan-Africanism
and the prison system. Using the funds from his settlements for personal damages from the FBI and City of New York, he established the Campaign to Free Black and New African Political Prisoners (formerly the Campaign to Free Black Political Prisoners and Prisoners-of-War) and founded the Institute for the Development of Pan-African policy in Ghana.
He currently lives in New York City and continues his work.
"Framing the Panthers In Black and White", documentary on Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, by Chris Bratton and Annie Goldson
Documentary on Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, "FRAMING THE PANTHERS, In Black and White", by Chris Bratton, and Annie Goldson
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
er, Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
leader, and co-founder of the Black Liberation Army
Black Liberation Army
The Black Liberation Army was an underground, black nationalist-Marxist militant organization that operated in the United States from 1970 to 1981...
.
The shooting
On May 19, 1971, Thomas Curry and Nicholas Binetti, two NYPD officers who were guarding the home of Frank S. Hogan, the ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
, were fired upon in a drive-by shooting, with a machine-gun. The officers survived, but were seriously injured, sustaining shots to the head, neck, chest, and abdomen.
The shootings took place during a period of intense violence between black activist organizations and the New York City police department. Two days later, NYPD officers Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagentini were shot and killed outside a housing project in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
.
Wahad was arrested and initially charged with robbing a South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
social club, and then was later charged with the attempted murders of Curry and Binetti.
The "Passin' It On" documentary by Jon Valadez on Dhoruba's case revealed, through FBI documents and eye witness accounts that The South Bronx Social Club was running and illegal drug ring and was
a known place where Police took bribes. Dhoruba and other BLA members attempted to stop the drugs being pushed into their neighborhood.
Wahad's first trial ended in a hung jury; his second in a mistrial. Two years later, in 1973, his third trial resulted in a guilty verdict; he was sentenced to twenty-five years to life.
Prison and release
Wahad spent a total of nineteen years in prison. While incarcerated, he learned about Congressional hearings that disclosed the existence of a covert F.B.I. operation known as COINTELPROCOINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
. In December 1975 he filed a lawsuit against the F.B.I. and the police department of the City of New York.
As a direct result of his lawsuit, over the next fifteen years the F.B.I. released more than 300,000 pages of documents regarding COINTELPRO. The COINTELPRO documents were the basis on which Wahad appealed his conviction, and on March 15, 1990, Justice Peter J. McQuillan, a Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
justice in Manhattan, reversed it, ruling that the prosecution had failed to disclose evidence that could have helped Mr. Wahad's defense.
While Manhattan District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau is an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, the borough of Manhattan.-Early life:...
stated that he planned to appeal the ruling, and would obtain a retrial if his appeal failed, Wahad was freed and released without bail.
Morgenthau's attempt to appeal was rejected by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, and on January 20, 1995, the Manhattan district attorney's office stated there would be no retrial, indicating that the current condition of the evidence would make this impossible.
Lawsuits
In 1995, the F.B.I. settled with Wahad; the U.S. government paid him $400,000 dollars.On December 4, 2000, Dhoruba's suit against the New York Police Department, seeking $15 million in damages was scheduled to begin. On December 8, 2000, the city of New York laid to rest a 25 year legal battle, and agreed to pay Wahad an additional $490,000 in damages.
Aftermath
Wahad lived in AccraAccra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
where he organized on Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
and the prison system. Using the funds from his settlements for personal damages from the FBI and City of New York, he established the Campaign to Free Black and New African Political Prisoners (formerly the Campaign to Free Black Political Prisoners and Prisoners-of-War) and founded the Institute for the Development of Pan-African policy in Ghana.
He currently lives in New York City and continues his work.
Books
- Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad, Mumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
, and Assata ShakurAssata ShakurAssata Olugbala Shakur is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army...
, Still Black, Still Strong (1993) (ISBN 0-93-675674-8)
Essays
- The Siege of Fallujah, Iraq: Another Page in the West’s Long Running War with Islam (2004), Dhoruba al-Mujahid Bin-Wahad
- The Ethics Of Black Atonement In Racist America: The Execution Of Stanley Tookie Williams (2005), Dhoruba al-Mujahid Bin-Wahad.
Books
- Nelson Blackstock, Cointelpro: The FBI's Secret War on Political Freedom (1988) (ISBN 0-87348-877-6)
- Dhoruba al-Mujahid bin Wahad, Mumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
, and Assata ShakurAssata ShakurAssata Olugbala Shakur is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army...
, Still Black, Still Strong (1993) (ISBN 0-93-675674-8) - Joy James, Imprisoned Intellectuals: America's Political Prisoners Write on Life, Liberation, and Rebellion (2003) (ISBN 0-74-252027-7)
- T.J. English, "The Savage City: Race, Murder, And A Generation On The Edge" (2011) (ISBN 978-0-06-182455-5)
- Seestah Imahkus (One Africa): "ABABIO: A 21st Century Anthology Of African Diasporan Returnees To Ghana" (2011) (ISBN 9988-8089-3-3)
Magazines and newspapers
- New York Times, Ronald Sullivan (1990), After 17 Years, Panther Conviction Is Upset
- New York Times, Robert D. Mcfadden (1991), State Appeals Court Narrows Right to a New Trial When Evidence Is Withheld
- New York Times, Alan Feuer (2000), Defiant Ex-Black Panther Sues Defiant New York Police
- New York Times, Benjamin Weiser (2000), City Agrees to Settle Suit By Former Panther Leader
- Democracy Now, Amy Goodman (2000), Cointel Pro 25 Years Later: New York Settles with Former Black Panther who was Wrongly Imprisoned
Film
- Jon Valadez (1992) Passin' it On iMDB
"Framing the Panthers In Black and White", documentary on Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, by Chris Bratton and Annie Goldson
Music
- Resist and Exist (2001) Human, Earth, Animal Liberation (HEAL), features the track: Dhoruba bin Wahad
Documentary on Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, "FRAMING THE PANTHERS, In Black and White", by Chris Bratton, and Annie Goldson
External links
- An excerpt from Mr. Wahad's book, Still Black, Still Strong, Toward Rethinking Self-Defense in a Racist Culture: Black Survival in a United States in Transition
- Hip-Hop Fridays: COINTELPRO - The Untold American Story (Part 1)
- Hip-Hop Fridays: COINTELPRO - The Untold American Story (Part 2)