[Freethe SF8] Update from SF8 hearing of Nov. 6

[SF-8 case]

At the November 6 court hearing in the SF 8 case, there were two items  
of business:
setting a date for the Preliminary Hearing and
the continued shackling of Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim.
Resolution of both items was put off until November 24.

Setting a date for the Preliminary Hearing

January will mark two years since the arrest of the San Francisco 8  
and the hearing to determine whether or not there is a basis for a  
trial is yet to take place.  Prosecution maneuvering regarding the  
tens of thousands of pages of discovery as well as scheduling  
conflicts of over a dozen attorneys continue to present a logistical  
quagmire.

As lawyers opened by presenting their respective schedules, filled  
with major trials in the next several months, Judge Moscone  
interrupted to state that he would not listen to scheduling problems  
and that he proposed starting the Preliminary Hearing on January 5  
regardless of conflicts. He said he wanted to conclude this case  
"while I'm still here."

However, the prosecution acknowledged that just this week they had  
given the defense some three thousand pages of new discovery material  
and added that they have another two thousand or more pages to prepare  
before disclosing. The judge allowed as to how he had to give the  
defense time to read the alleged "evidence" against their clients.

Under pressure from the judge, the Attorney General's office agreed to  
deliver the remaining discovery materials to the defense by next week.  
In turn, the defense attorneys agreed to look it over quickly to  
determine how much time might be needed to fully study it. A follow-up  
hearing was set for November 24 to make sure that everything has  
finally been turned over and to set a date for the Preliminary Hearing.

Shackling

Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim (aka Anthony Bottom) appeared in court  
in chains again, bringing the issue of shackling back to this  
hearing.  At the previous hearing, Judge Moscone had ordered the  
shackles removed, but the Sheriff’s Department made an appearance at  
this hearing to argue that his order did not apply to pre-trial  
hearings, only to appearances before a jury or witnesses.  Judge  
Moscone restated his order, and indicated that if the Sheriff’s  
Department wanted to dispute his order, they would have to file a  
motion to be heard, and not just take independent action. This issue  
also will be revisited on November 24

Next court date

November 24 at 9:30 in Judge Philip Moscone's courtroom, 850 Bryant  
Street at 7th Street.

---------------------------------- REMINDER – ACTION ITEMS  
----------------------------------

There are two important actions to take:

1) Letters of support for Harold Taylor

Please write letters addressed to the judge, asking for leniency in  
sentencing and for probation. Address your letters to Judge Richard  
Albritton, Bay County Superior Court, Panama City, Florida. Please DO  
NOT send your letters directly to the judge. If you have letterhead,  
please use it if you can.  Please personalize your letters and mention  
how you know Harold Taylor. Mail your letters to Harold’s attorney by  
November 25:

John Beroset
1622 N 9th Avenue
Pensacola, FL 32503

Helpful Talking Points (you need not include all of them as we want  
letters to be unique – not form letters)

     . Harold is devoted to his family
     . He is a torture survivor
     . He has no history of drug involvement
     . Harold has had no contact with the legal system for a lengthy  
period of time
     . He has mentored young people for years, inspiring countless  
numbers to reject gang and gun violence and instead aspire to become  
valuable contributors to their communities

2) And you can write to Harold Taylor (note the corrected zip code  
since our last message)
Harold Taylor
# 1005420
Bay County Jail Annex
5600 Nehi Road
Panama City, FL 32404-2049
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