Jalil Abdul Muntaqim | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Muntaqim in 2000 | |
| Born | Anthony Jalil Bottom (1951-10-18)October 18, 1951 (age 74) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Organization(s) | NAACP,Black Panther Party,Black Liberation Army,Citizen Action of New York Rochester Chapter |
Jalil Abdul Muntaqim (bornAnthony Jalil Bottom; October 18, 1951) is a political activist and former member of theBlack Panther Party (BPP) and theBlack Liberation Army (BLA) who served 49 years in prison for two counts of first-degree murder. In August 1971, he was arrested in California along withAlbert “Nuh” Washington andHerman Bell and charged with the killing of twoNYPD police officers, Waverly Jones and Joseph A. Piagentini, inNew York City on May 21. In 1975, he was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with possible parole after 22 years. Muntaqim had been the subject of attention for being repeatedly denied parole despite having been eligible since 1993. In June 2020, Muntaqim was reportedly sick withCOVID-19.[1] He was released from prison on October 7, 2020, after more than 49 years of incarceration and 11 parole denials.[2][3]
He was portrayed by actorRichard Brooks in the 1985 TV movieBadge of the Assassin.
Jalil Abdul Muntaqim was born Anthony Jalil Bottom inOakland, California and grew up inSan Francisco. Drawn to the civil rights activism during the 1960s, Muntaqim joined and began organizing for theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) during his teenage years. In high school he played an active role in theBlack Student Union and was often recruited to play the voice of and engage in “speak outs” on behalf of the organization. He was also involved in street protests againstpolice brutality.[4]
At the age of 18, he joined theBlack Panther Party after theassassination of Martin Luther King Jr. solidified Muntaqim's beliefs that armed resistance was necessary to combat racism and the oppression of Black individuals in society. While a member of the Black Panther Party, Muntaqim held beliefs which paralleled those of the underground organization theBlack Liberation Army, which focused on militant means of obtainingBlack national self-determination.[5][6] Its members served as experts in military strategy and were “the essential armed wing of the above-ground political apparatus.”[4]
Muntaqim and Albert “Nuh” Washington were arrested and charged with the May 21, 1971 killings of two NYPD officers, P.O. Joseph Piagentini and P.O. Waverly Jones. Muntaqim and Washington were arrested in San Francisco, with Jones' revolver in their possession.[7] Muntaqim later claimed that police alleged that Muntaqim and Washington had committed the act in retaliation for the killing ofGeorge Jackson despite Jackson's death taking place 3 months after the NYPD officers were killed.[8][better source needed] Brothers Francisco and Gabriel Torres were arrested after police were tipped that they had been in contact with Muntaqim and Washington soon after the murders. A few years later in 1973, Herman Bell was arrested for unrelated robberies, but NYPD linked him to a fingerprint reportedly found at the scene. The first trial of the men ended in a hung jury, with the second in 1975 resulting his conviction on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with possible parole after 22 years. Despite his claims to the contrary, Muntaqim was never a political prisoner because he was convicted for murder and not his political beliefs.
Muntaqim remained politically active throughout his incarceration, writing theoretical texts[5] as well as organizing with activists both inside and outside prison. While incarcerated, he met fellow Black revolutionariesJamil Al-Amin andMuhammad Ahmad, who inspired him to convert to Islam and take on the name Jalil Abdul Muntaqim.[9] The English translation of Muntaqim is "avenger." He never made a legal name change and is still known by the state of New York as Anthony Bottom. He was involved in the National Prisoners Afrikan Studies Project, an organization thateducates inmates on their rights.
In 1976, he founded theNational Prisoners Campaign to petition theUnited Nations to recognize the existence ofpolitical prisoners in the United States. During his 49 years of incarceration, Muntaqim and other Black Panthers imprisoned as part of Operation NEWKILL were widely described as political prisoners, including by theNational Conference of Black Lawyers,[10] theNational Lawyers Guild,[11] and theCenter for Constitutional Rights.[12]
In 1994, Muntaqim (representing himself) challenged thedisenfranchisement of felons in New York inMuntaqim v. Coombe, arguing that it disproportionately impacted African Americans and therefore violated Section 2 of theVoting Rights Act. The case was first dismissed by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York on the grounds that applying Section 2 (a federal law) to state felon-disenfranchisement law "would upset the sensitive relation between federal and state criminal jurisdiction."[13] They cited then-recent Court precedent[14] which required that laws which sought to change any balance between state and federal governments must explicitly say so in writing. In 2005 the case was argued again in front of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which agreed to rehear the case alongsideHayden v. Pataki via internal poll. The Second Circuit ruled that due to Muntaqim being initially incarcerated in California under different charges, and only later transferred to New York where he has never voted nor had the right to vote at any time, they lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case and must dismiss.[15]
In 1999 the investigation into the death of San Francisco police officer John V. Young was re-opened, costing the city over $2 million but eventually leading to charges being filed against eight former BLA members in 2007, including Muntaqim.[16] Members of theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors, who needed to approve the $2 million appropriation for the investigation and legal fees, requested that the charges be dropped against the remaining defendants, citingthe use of torture and denial ofright to counsel in order to obtain confessions.[17] The SF Police Officer Association president at the time, Gary P. Delagnes, responded by stating “Regardless of how this confession was obtained, these seven people murdered a police officer in 1971.” Charges were dropped against six of the eight accused between 2008 and 2011. Muntaqim and Bell offeredpleas in return for greatly reduced sentences (time served plus probation).[17][18]
Whileabolitionists and other left-wing organizations believed he should be paroled, others, mainly law enforcement, opposed his release. In 2002, former New York City mayorMike Bloomberg publicized his opposition to granting Muntaqim parole, stating, “Anthony Bottom's crime is unforgivable, and its consequences will remain forever with the families of the police officers, as well as the men and women of the New York City Police Department.”[19] CouncilmanCharles Barron, a self-described Black revolutionary, is one of Muntaqim's active advocates.[20]
Muntaqim had a hearing with the parole board on November 17, 2009, and was again denied parole and remained incarcerated.[21] He was transferred fromAttica Correctional Facility toSouthport Correctional Facility near Elmira, New York, in early January, 2017. In June 2020, Muntaqim was reported to be under treatment in a prison hospital forCoronavirus disease. He attempted to gain release based on public health guidance advising the release of medically vulnerable people, but New York state attorney generalLetitia James challenged the appeal, and the courts struck down a judge's order mandating his release.[1] Within a few months, however, theparole board finally approved him for release, and his supporters confirmed that he left prison on October 7, 2020.[2] Muntaqim was the last of the "New York Three" to leave prison. Herman Bell had already been paroled in 2018[22] and Albert “Nuh” Washington died ofliver cancer in April 2000 in New York State'sCoxsackie Correctional Facility.
The day after his release, Muntaqim filled out a voting registration form despitenot being eligible to vote due to his felony conviction. This registration form had been provided alongside other documents given to Muntaqim as part of his release from prison and re-integration into society. Then-county GOP ChairBill Napier alerted the Monroe County DA on the matter, deeming Muntaqim a "danger to society".[7] He was charged with two felony counts and the lesser offense of providing a false affidavit, but thegrand jury in the case refused to indict him.[23]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
