It was June 4, 1972 and former University of California philosophy professor turned Black militant Angela Davis was acquitted on charges of conspiracy, murder, and kidnapping by an all-white jury in San Jose, California.
Two years prior, Davis was arrested for her connection with a shooting that occured in a San Raphael, California courtroom. Jonathan Jackson, had planned to burst into the courtroom and take hostages to exchange with his brother George, who was serving time in San Quentin. Davis was accused of providing Jackson with the gun that he used that ultimately caused his death and the lives of Superior Court Judge Harold Haley and two inmates.
She was added to the FBI’s most wanted list, when she was apprehended in New York City two months later. Her trial began in March 1972 and 37-years ago today, she was acquitted of all charges.-WLW