William Kunstler speaks (Episode 4 of 12); United front against fascism conference

Tonight I was asked to talk about the right. To self defense from a legal point of view. And because I'm not wholly a lawyer in the nonpolitical sense. I want to talk about it from two points of view. Legal and political. The law is simple. The law is that every man has the right in every state to defend his home his life his person. And the lives and persons of those he loves or has a duty to protect from any molestation by any person. Whether he's wearing a uniform or nah. That's the law. To simple laws. It's an existence in the state of California and the state of New York and all the states in between and out to Hawaii. And up to Alaska. Now from the political point of view. The black communities around the

United States. Have learned. And hopefully many more will learn. That this is a political weapon. As well as a legal weapon. It does no good to hear a lawyer tell you you have the right to self-defense. To not understand politically. What self-defense is. One community in the United States. Learned this lesson well. And I think to talk about it. Is to talk about Oakland. Harlem Bedford Stuyvesant and Watts. And so on. That community has Plainfield New Jersey. If you will remember. During the Newark rebellions. In Plainfield New Jersey. Some 40 garage and M1 rifles. Were

found missing from the armory. The governor of New Jersey Richard Hughes. Ordered the police to search every home in the central wards of Plainfield. The black ghetto of Plainfield. To find those missing Duran rifles. 300 police state police city place. Broke into every black home in the central wards. To try to find those guns. I'm happy to say. That not a single gun was found. In his. Ear. What happened after that was with the exception of one more episode which I'll tell you about in a moment. The

police structure in Plainfield. Has not molested the black community. That has not been a white policeman. In the central boards of Plainfield. Since July of 1967. Now the other episode in Plainfield. Which made it certain that this would be so. Occurred some weeks. After the fact of the gun was. One white policeman. By the name of John Gleason. Moved into the central wards. Of Plainfield on a Saturday afternoon. He marched down a street leading under a railroad underpass.

And then he shot. Ah a black. Man by the name of Bobby Lee Williams. Through the stomach. Bobby Lee Williams. Fell to the ground at this intersection near the railroad underpass. Gleason began to retreat. Out of the ghetto. He was followed up. By a crowd of black men and women. And a block and a half past the intersection. He was stomped to death. Because. In my opinion. He deserved that death. Now these are words which I might never have said several years ago till I'd

lived a little longer. And spent a little more time watching what happens. In the black ghettos. Of the metropolitan areas of this country. Leeson signed his death warrant. When he shot Bobby Lee Williams. And unarmed black man through the stomach. The crowd justifiably. Without the necessity of a trial. And in the most dramatic way possible. Stomped him to death. The reason. Was one that comes back. From 400 years. From the pillaging and marauding of black communities throughout the United States and the world. By white power structures. That have preyed. Upon the ghetto. The way vultures prey on meat.

This is the sad story of the control of the black community. The right to self defense legally. Is tied up intimately. With the right of self protection. Of the black ghetto. Without that self protection. The black ghetto is at the mercy. Of whatever power structure happens to sit. In the city halls throughout this country. The policeman. With the modern armory which he possesses. With is immunity. Essentially. To prosecution for whatever he does. Can only be stopped in one way. If he knows. That he might for no likely Leeson. If he violates. The rights of black men women

and children in the ghetto areas of the United States. There's only one way to let him know that. And that is. To be in a position. To retaliate. If the community is invaded. You have a perfect right. Legally. To possess certain weapons. I won't go into the nature of each one. You know it as well as I do. But in most states. A weapon. That cannot be hidden on the person. With the exception of certain automatic. Rifles. Can be legally maintained. By you. That goes for semi automatic rifles. Semi automatic carbines.

Ordinary rifles. Of whatever caliber. If the power structure knows that you are determined. To use that piece. If your community is invaded. If people you love or respect or who are merely your sisters and brothers. Are Being. Unjustly persecuted. Victimized and destroyed. By police. You have a right to use whatever force is necessary. To prevent. That. Depredation of human rights. It's hard for a lawyer sometimes like myself to come out of the middle class who come out of an environment. Which is one in which language such as I'm using tonight.

Was not what we learned. But life teaches many lessons. As most of you know. And after you've lived a while and after you've seen what happens. In ghetto after ghetto. Then you begin to understand sometimes. That. Fear. Of retaliation. Is possibly until we reach the millennium. The only fear. That prevents. Those who pray. I'm the oppressed. From going too far. It won't stop them entirely. That would be asking too much. But it will slow them down and in Plainfield. It did stop them. It cost a grievous bullet wound. And Bobby Lee Williams to make. It cost a conviction for murder. Of a man and a woman.

Who are convicted for the murder of John Gleason. And whose appeals are pending. Bobby Lee Williams. Because he refused to testify for the state. At those trials has just been indicted. For an attempt to murder John Gleason. Although it's hard to realize how you can attempt to murder somebody. When you're lying on the ground with a 38 caliber bullet in your gut. Which is exactly what the position of Bobby Lee Williams was. That case goes to trial this September. I would just like to add a few words. Before I quit. On this subject of self defense. The Black Panther Party as you all know is named the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. One of the cardinal principles. Which I have learned to regard

as one of the most important. Because it is most important to secure your community. Sometimes it's difficult to march ahead. When you have a fear ridden community. That winces every time a siren goes down the street. Sometimes it's difficult to operate. As human beings when every knock on the door might bring the pig inside. Often it's almost impossible to live. Knowing. That you are almost an outlaw in the Old English sense where every man could take your life without penalty. Or fear. It's difficult to live that way. And yet as most of you know much better than I. That is the way life in the ghetto runs. In this day and age in America 1969. If you

have the power to defend yourselves. Buy weapons. That are legal. Then you have the power to start to rid the ghetto of the overriding fear of invasion. That paralyzes so much action. You have the power. Ah to put an end to one of the chief drawbacks of all black communities. The control of the black community. So I say to you. And I'm speaking both as a lawyer. And as a human being. That what I am advocating here is perfectly legal. It's perfectly in the American tradition. It's in the tradition of all men who respect themselves. And their families and their friends and those who share their common needs and

desires. That you must stand ready. Until a better age arrives. To Protech yourself your community. Your friends. Your lives your property. And the very things. That give life meaning. You must be able. To stand as a man and a woman. And if you have to. It is better. Where it's necessary to retaliate. Then to bend the head shake or bare the back for one more minute. One more minute of back bending. One more minute. Of scraping. To the voice of white authority. Is one minute too much. You cannot afford.

To spend that minute. You must stand ready. To defend yourselves. And if you are ready. I hope that you won't have to. But don't shrink. If you have to. It is almost worse. To be ready. And able. To defend yourselves. And to freeze on the trigger when the time comes. Because then. You will have told the power structure. That they need not fear you. And you open up the whole sad trail of misery and depredation that has characterized life on this continent for so many is. Power to the people. The old.