May the spirit of humanity and the pillars of solidarity bring firmness against injustice and oppression, a struggle for justice and a voice for the voiceless night and day.
Since the case was lodged against me by the State of Indiana and by the alleged victim's brother, being a State Senator at the time and now the Lake County Commissioner and Chairman of the Democratic Party in Lake County as well, my struggle for redress and justice has been unbalanced.
The arresting officer, the trial judge, and the Attorney General of Indiana have each admitted and conceded on the record that my arrest in February, 1976, was illegal, without probable cause or an arrest warrant. Thus, my conviction is illegal and against the guarantees of the Constitution. Still, the Indiana Supreme Court has me languishing in prison as so many other poor and oppressed people without representation and without means to roll back the tide of injustice.
The Petition for Rehearing ... was denied and now I'm in Federal Court on a Writ of Habeas Corpus with a volunteer attorney who took interest in my mistreatment and the political repression against me.
This year, I will have served twenty years and am eligible for parole in December.
In Solidarity
Lorenzo I. Stone-BeyNOTE: Lorenzo Stone-Bey was released in 1999.