December 22
Page 3
ruetec
ones
by Ododuai .
Three years ago, on Dec. 29,
1966, an artless mural depicting
black people as grosteque-looking
minstrels lined a wall of the in¬
famous St. Petersburg city hall.
It strod for everything that is
near and dear.to all whites of this
city...it was a rascist mural kept
on the wall to keep the white man's
image perpetuated and to remind
blacks of their inferior subserv¬
ient position in this colony.
Well as of this date one, artic¬
ulate, young black has spent 17
months in hell and is still living
an hour1; by hour hell because he
ripped this filthy artless rag
from the walls of city hall. Some¬
thing every black in St. Petersburg
wanted to do but didn't have the
nerve to do. They simply iowereu
their eyes when they looked at the
mural and moved on to dutifully pay
their water bill or visit the other
offices in the lily-white staffed
building.
Joseph Waller spent time in the
St. Petersburg city jail, the Clear- ,
water jail ana Raiford prison for
tearing down this trash. He h^s
been constantly intimidated by police
harrassed by racist judges and
every establishment figure in town...
because when he touched that picture
he tore away a little bit of their
life...and if city hall isn't safe
what else can be safe in lily white
town?
The torture at Raiford and the
torture of his life can never be
undone...but the amazing part of
this sordid story is that this fine
black brother has never "lost the
faith.11 He kept on fighting, he
recouped, salvaged black brothers
from the neighborhood, doushed them
in the living fire of black pride
and stamina that makes him the most
unusual black man in this area and
has spun a new philosophy in St.
Petersburg.
He's made blacks look at each'
other, talk to each other, love each
other, respect each other, fight for
each other, die for each other. He's
made them realize they are the
creators of everything that is
important and worthwhile in this
world. He's made St. Petersburg
blacks live for the first time.
December 29 is the third anni¬
versary of this mural ripping and
right now Brother Waller is visiting
for redemption from the U.S. Supreme
Court. They are deciding whether
Brother 7/aller was placed in double
jeapordy...they are deciding ulti¬
me tly if this man who gave and. is
giving his intellect, time and
sweat to black folks, can once
again be a free man.
The sentencing of Joseph Waller
in St. Petersourg was a rascist
sham...it was an illustration of
the lengths white judges, estab¬
lishment, pigs will go to keep
blacks in their places...his act
jshould not go unrecognized...
[Remember brothers December 29.
by Richard Arvedon—CLM. ^
On Monday December 15th Joseph
Waller went to court and the move¬
ment went to war versus Judge Charles
R. H(F)olly. We Won! H(F)olly had
long ago made the racist nature of his
court quite clear. On November 21,
1968, before sentencing J.O.M.O. mem¬
ber Andre Shellman to ten years In
jail for ten years in jail for ten do
dollars worth of groceries H(F)olly
told him, "And if I think you think
what Joe Waller thinks, you're going
to get absolutely everything I can
possibly give you.”
When Joe received a divorce in Octo¬
ber H(F)olly was the judge. The di¬
vorce agreement had been drawn up by
Joe's wife's lawyer and was agreeable
to all parties-all parties save
Charles R. H(F)olly. H(F)olly, with¬
out asking Joe if he was working or
how much money he was making or even
how much Joe could afford to pay in
the divorce agreement, H(F)olly or¬
dered Joe to get a job. H(F)olly
thought it would be a fine idea for
Joe to get a job on a garbage truck* .
If nothing was open in that line of
work H(F)olly ordered Joe to apply
to the Florida State Employment
Service and accept any job availiable.
Joe went to Florida and agreed to
except a job in the field of jour-
nalism-an occupation in which he had
been trained. Florida State Employ¬
ment could come up with no job in the
field of journalism and Joe refused
to except a job which would under¬
employ him.
At this point H(F)olly informed Joe
that he was in contempt of court for
refusing to accept the type of job
that H(F)olly had ordered Joe to ac¬
quire.
H(F)olly*8 motives were clear:
he would use the racist nature of his
court to repress the political acti¬
vity of Joe Waller and at the same
time make himself a hero to the racist
voters he will have to appeal to when
he runs for the State Supreme Court.
Or so H(F)olly thought*
Word of H(F)olly inpending action
spreaded quickly and the Bay Area Move¬
ment began to mobolize. A meeting was
held three days before the trial date
with representatives from Black youth
for peace and power , Bay Area Free
Press, Community Liberation Movement,
CLAM, JOMO and Tampa S.D.S. R-Y.M.'
It was decided at the out-set that
Joe Waller would not go to jail. That
we-the movement-would keep our brother
free. H(F)olly would not be allowed
to use his court of injustice for it's
repressive ends. When Joe went to
court on Monday, December 15th he did
not go alone. The court room was c
crowded with over a hundred of Joe's
brother and sisters - black and white
H(F)olly was up-tifeht-first he or¬
dered the hearing to be held in closed
chambers-then he ordered the heasing
to be held in open court-then he
changed his mind and ordered the hear¬
ing to be held in chambers again. The
Movement went outside to take the jus¬
tice of its position to the community
We began a long slow picket line a-
round the courthouse-all the time
talking to those who came by and let¬
ting them know why we were there and
what was going on inside. People be¬
gan to join us and the picket line
grew.
When Joe came out of the courthouse
we knew we had won a victory which
said loud and clear: No more injus¬
tice-in darkness no more will the
Charles R. H(F)ollys* of this nation
be allowed to inprison our brothers
and sisters for the ends of repressive
injustice-from this day forward we
are a movement which will negotiate
for nothing to save justice. And in
the end we will win. Right ON!
ItJlltAN BPND
non y
Letter to Judge Charles Holley, from
Julian Bond, Georgia State Represen¬
tative.
December IS, 1969
Sir:
It has come to my attention that
Joseph 7/aller is again a victim
of the Florida judicial system.
I cannot understand by what right
the judge stipulates that he must
take a job on St. Petersburg's
garbage trucks, as part of his di¬
vorce decree—especially when he
is in the process of negotiating
for a job in Louisville, Ky.
Is he to s erve as an example of
what happens to Black men who dare
to call their people to unite
against the oppressiveness of white
racism?
Repression against Black militants
has been used recently by certain
men in public life-in Florida, as
a means to further their political
ambitions. Is this happening a gain
with the jailing of Joseph Waller?
Men like Waller are this nation's
hopes, and its greatest patriots.
They should be honored—not jailed.
Sincerely,
Julian Bond
Georgia State Representative