Greensboro Justice Fund newsletter [March, 1981]

              Greensboro Justice Fund
Newsletter
Feb. - Mar. 1981    Co - Directors:
Drs. Neil Prose & Marty Nathan
Greensboro Case:
Fighting for Our Civil Liberties
Government repression around the Greensboro Case continues
through the Blitz Amendment which will be introduced in the new 97th
Congress. It would deny federal employment or job training to "anyone who publicly advocates the violent overthrow of the government."
It almost passed at the end of the 96th Congress. It was aimed at
Dori and Allen Blitz, 2 of the Greensboro 6(the anti-Klan demonstrators arrested on Nov. 3, 1979). The Blitzs have been receiving job
training under the CETA program.
Then there is the Greensboro 8 case. At night, after the Nov.
17th Klan-Nazi acquittals, police spotted a car in an area where
several fires had been reported. They arrested 5 young Blacks in it
and 2 weeks later, arrested 3 others including Willena Cannon, the
car owner and a CWP supporter. Contrasted to the government dropping all conspiracy charges over the Nov. 3rd killings, D.A. Schlosser has publicly stated that he will pursue vigorous prosecution of
the Greensboro 8 on various charges of firebombing, conspiracy to
firebomb, and accessory to firebombing.  (see p. 4 for more info)
Beyond the Greensboro Case, there are other examples of our
civil liberties being attacked. One is the civil suit of the Socio-
list Workers Party which charges the government with spying on and
harassing SWP members. The suit will go to trial on March 16, 1981.
It's significance lies in the government's position that the issue
is not whether the SWP or anybody else are guilty of a crime, but
that "the government has a right to keep itself informed of the activities of groups that openly advocate revolutionary change in the
structure and leadership of the government of the U.S. even if such
advocacy might be within the letter of the law."
Black residents in Harlem, New York City, have filed a $91.8
million punitive damage suit against the FBI and the New York Police
for raiding their apartments without a warrant and terrorizing the
occupants while searching for escaped Black activist Assata Shakur.
There are also a number of legislative attempts to undercut our
basic freedoms. One is the Intelligence Identification and Protection Act which narrowly failed to become law in the 96th Congress.
The bill will be reintroduced and it forbids anyone from disclosing
information leading to the identification of a US intelligence agent.
Another legislative attack has come from CIA director,Wil1iam Casey,
and influential congressional leaders who advocate that the CIA and
FBI be exempted from the Freedom of Information Act.