The pretrial examination of 14 street people for dynamite conspiracy has been marked by the incredible legal buffoonery of Judge Thomas Poindexter. the assault of a defendant by a bailiff. and the testimony of a freek turned stool pigeon.
The fourteen are charged with con-spring to dynamite several police stations, a draft board, the CIA office in Ann Arbor and several other sites in the Detroit area.
All of the defendants are out on bond with the exception of Dave Valler who is still being held on $25.000 bond. Poindexter said he not he bound by the normal rules of procedure” and has allowed hearsay testimony and ruled continuously against defense counsel motions.
At one point after an objection from Valler’s attorney. James Jackson, Poindexter said. “This court is going to rule that a conspiracy exists, that not all of the members are in custody. and that Mr. Valler is a member:-
Tile other attorneys questioned how the judge could determine this before the witness was cross-examined and other witnesses heard. They also asked that he disqualify himself from hearing the case because of this premature decision on his part. Poindexter refused.
The prosecution’s star witness is Ronald Tullman, known as Osley in the Warren Forest area and a known dope dealer.
Turnstall was busted just prior to the bombing arrests and charged with sales and possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana and possession of firearms. Reliable word has it that a deal was made between him and the prosecutor that he would he processed as a juvenile if he would agree to testify against his friends. If tried as an adult he could have received over thirty years in prison for the charges pending against him. Following a recess. Attorney James Lafferty. charged that his client Ben Parks. had been thrown to the ground by a cop after asking if he could go to the restroom.
Poindexter instructed the police to lay off, but said that his officers did not like being called pigs by the defendants and that he had heard himself referred to as a “fat pig.”
A defense committee for the accused people has been formed and will act to present both a legal and political defense.
A spokesman for the committee told this paper. “We are concerned that each defendant is provided adequate legal defense, hut more important is the nature of the crime they are charged with.
“These people are not accused of committing a concrete illegal act but rather with talking about doing it. The police have no evidence to prove these people planted any explosives.” he continued. “If they do why don’t they charge them with it?
“Instead they use a police-state law that has always been used against political dissidents when a crime couldn’t he found to pin on them, It encourages the use of perjury. informers, and deals. This law is a threat to all of us,” he concluded.
A benefit for the legal defense fund is being planned for December 7, at St. Joseph’s Church. Woodward and King, 8:00 pm. It will consist of a series of dramatic and comedy skits. A donation will be asked.
Also a dance concert benefit at the Grande is planned for the end of December. Watch this paper for details. Any contributions for the defense fund may be sent care of the Fifth Estate office.