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October 14, 2013

Hundreds Honor Angola 3 Member Herman Wallace at Funeral 
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Hundreds gathered Saturday in New Orleans to remember Angola 3 member
Herman Wallace as he was laid to rest. Wallace spent nearly 42 years in
solitary confinement before he was released on October 1st, and died
three days later, a free man, after a judge overturned his conviction on
constitutional grounds. This is fellow Angola 3 member Robert King,
released in 2001, speaking at Wallace's funeral.

Robert King: "It is often said that I was the only freed member of the
Angola 3, and that is true. But if someone would also say Herman was the
second freed member of the Angola 3, I would agree with that. And even
though it was short lived, Herman died with a clean slate. Yes, he died
with a clean slate."

Wallace would have turned 72 on Sunday. He and fellow Angola 3 member
Albert Woodfox were convicted of the 1972 murder of a prison guard
without any physical evidence. A fingerprint found at the scene was not
theirs. A group of lawmakers led by Rep. John Conyers introduced a
tribute to Wallace in the Congressional Record, saying: "Because of Mr.
Wallace's work, those of us in Congress who have called for his freedom
will dedicate our future efforts to ensuring that no one anywhere in the
United States is subjected to the unjust and inhumane treatment that he
has endured." Amnesty International has now launched a campaign calling
for Woodfox's release. The final imprisoned member of the Angola 3 has
had his conviction overturned three times, but he remains in solitary
confinement at the David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, Louisiana,
where he is subjected to strip searches and anal cavity searches as many
as six times a day.

 

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