Geronimo Pratt
Elmer G. "Geronimo" Pratt (born September 13, 1947 in Morgan City , † June 2, 2011 in Tanzania ), also known as Geronimo ji-Jaga , was a leading member of the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles. After the assassination of Bunchy Carter on January 17, 1969, he was named Secretary of Defense for the organization. Pratt was expelled from the party by Huey Newton in August 1970 in connection with the confrontation with Eldridge Cleaver .
youth
Pratt grew up in Louisiana . He joined the army at the age of 17 and served in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1966 . He later came to Los Angeles via the GI Bill, where he enrolled at the university.
The murder of Caroline Olson
In late 1970, Pratt was arrested and charged with the murder and kidnapping of Caroline Olson . The elementary school teacher was shot dead on December 18, 1968 during a robbery on a tennis court in Santa Monica . Olson's husband survived the shooting and first identified another man as the perpetrator. Julio Butler, a Black Panther and police informant, pointed to Geronimo Pratt as the killer. It is now recognized that Pratt's imprisonment was orchestrated by the FBI and part of the COINTELPRO conspiracy program against the Black Power movement.
Pratt never made a confession. During his imprisonment, he studied law and worked on his defense. With attorneys Stuart Hanlon and Johnnie L. Cochran at his side, the charges were eventually dropped on June 10, 1997. The judge attested that he had received an unfair trial. He was released in 1997. In April 2000, he reached a settlement awarding him $ 4.5 million in compensation.
Pratt most recently worked for inmates and alongside his work for the Kuji Foundation Inc.
literature
- Editorial collective: Black Power. Interviews with (ex) prisoners from the militant black resistance in the USA. Interviews on the history of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army . ID-Verlag , Berlin 1993 ISBN 3894080310 (including interview with Geronimo Pratt) full texts
- Jack Olson: Last Man Standing: The Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo Pratt. 2001, ISBN 0-385-49368-1
Web links
- Interview with Pratt at the maximum security prison in Tehachape Prison, California, October 1992
- World Socialist Web Site: Pratt Freed
- Kuji Foundation Inc.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pratt, Geronimo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Geronimo ji-Jaga |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician, member of the Black Panther Party |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 13, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Morgan City |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 2, 2011 |
| Place of death | Tanzania |