Veronza Bowers, Jr.
How You Can Help

After being approved for parole and given a release date numerous times, then having that date recinded at the last moment, the U.S. Parole Commission is once again promising to make yet another "final decision" on October 5, 2005 concerning Veronza's petition for Mandatory Parole.

Now is the time to make your voice heard!

Learn more about this latest travety of jusice.

Recommended Actions

It is imperative that this latest impropriety by the Commission be addressed immediately on three fronts:

First, in the pending proceedings before the National Appeals Board; second, through court action in the form of a writ of habeas corpus; and third, by confronting the Commission under the Freedom of Information Act with its refusal to comply with FOIA requests made by Veronza’s attorneys.

We will continue to press the U.S. Parole Commission and the National Appeals Board with our objections to its arbitrary and repeated denial of Veronza’s right to mandatory parole, most recently by granting the Attorney General a hearing in this matter at this late date. We also recommend that a writ of habeas corpus or other appropriate petition be filed with Judge Hodges as soon as possible, given the fact that there is no legal basis for the Commission to create, on its own initiative and without any statutory authority, the pending review by the National Appeals Board. It will be important to lay before this eminent jurist the Commission’s flagrant violation of his previous ruling in this matter.
T his most recent setback has not lessened our commitment to obtain Veronza’s release on parole at the earliest possible date. To accomplish this, however, we need the continuing involvement of his family, friends and supporters. In this regard, we recommend that you consider taking one or more of the following three actions:

(1) Stay involved: Write letters to the U.S. Parole Commission, the Attorney General and the National Appeals Board. It is very important to make your voice heard in this matter. Emphasize Veronza’s excellent record in prison and unquestionable legal entitlement to parole.

U.S. Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Boulevard, Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD 20815-7286
TEL.: (301) 492-5990 FAX: (301) 492-6694

Alberto Gonzales
U.S. Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
TEL.: (202) 353-1555 E-MAIL: AskJOJ@usdoj.gov

(2) Stay involved: Check Veronza’s web site for action bulletins and updates on his case.
http://veronza.org
Do whatever you can to help. You input, ideas and suggestions are welcome.

(3) Stay involved: Continue your generous financial support. A group of us is trying to raise money to pay the legal bills necessary to get Veronza the justice he deserves. Toward that end we have established the Veronza Bowers, Jr. Legal Defense Fund.


Sign by Eda Levenson (Age 14)

Can you help? If so, please contact:

Maynard Garfield
Treasurer
Veronza Bowers, Jr. Legal Defense Fund
mmgarfield@mmgarfield.com

An Appeal
from Garf on behalf of Veronza Bowers, Jr.

My friend Veronza Bowers Jr. is 62 years old. He has been in prison for over 35 years. He is being denied his rightful parole.

After several years of corresponding with him and visiting him in Coleman Federal Penitentiary, I can honestly say that he is a mature, intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate human being. I consider it a privilege and a pleasure to call him my friend.

When Veronza Bowers was 23 he was - like many his age - an impressionable young man. The late 1960's were a time of turmoil. College campuses across the country witnessed huge demonstrations. Many groups formed on and off campuses to raise awareness of the conditions suffered by minorities and the poor. Veronza Bowers listened to the protestors. One convinced him that becoming a member of the Black Panther Party would enable him to fix some of the many social ills in this country. He joined and he participated.

The Federal Government's reaction to the Black Panther movement across the country was swift and decisive. Its aim was to destabilize, then destroy, the Black Panthers. As a result, many members were arrested and jailed. Veronza Bowers was one of them. On purely circumstantial evidence, he was indicted, tried and convicted of killing a Park Ranger. His sentence: life.

Then - and now - Veronza swears he is innocent of the charges.

Over the years there have been a number of parole hearings. Veronza Bowers is still in prison.

I have pleaded with him. Just tell them: "I was young and did wrong. But I have found my way. I am a born-again Christian. I have found salvation."

Veronza Bowers is still in prison.

"Don't you understand," he replied to me with determination. "I have been here for 35 years. If the only way I can get out is to lie and say I am guilty, then my whole life is a sham. I will rot here in prison before I will do that."

And rot he may if we don't try to help him.

Does he have supporters? Plenty. For a hearing in 1993, one Congressman wrote to the parole board: "As much as we need to punish criminal behavior, especially violent crime, it seems equally true that at some point we should reward those who have changed their lives in prison. There appears to be no dispute that Mr. Bowers has become a model for what we hope other prisoners could achieve. He has served a lengthy term, 17 years beyond his initial parole eligibility."

Once again the parole board turned down Veronza Bower's petition. This time, however, the reason was different. Veronza Bowers would never be eligible for parole, the board said. The reason: a law passed in the 1990's stating that anyone convicted of killing a law enforcement officer would never be eligible for parole.

Is this possible? Yes, Veronza Bowers is still in jail.

Is it legal? No, say some lawyers we have consulted. The 1990's law cannot be retroactively applied to a conviction that predated the law. Fight the decision of the parole board, the lawyers advise, and seek to set Veronza Bowers free.

Any contributions would be greatly appreciated and applied directly toward Veronza's legal defense. No sum is too small.
I have never done anything like this, but then, I have never been so personally touched by anything like this.

Your opinions, ideas and suggestions are most welcome.

Garf