Former Geronimo Pratt died of a heart attack in Tanzania Thursday at the age of 63. Born Elmer Pratt the man who would be known as “Geronimo” and later Geronimo ji-Jaga was a Vietnam vet and became a high ranking member of the Black Panther Party member as their secretary of defense and Tupac’s Godfather. As a victim of J. Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO, Pratt spent 27 years in prison (eight in solitary confinement) after being wrongfully convicted of the kidnap and murder of Caroline Olsen in 1972 even though her husband present at the time identified another man as the killer. Having always maintained his innocence on June 10, 1997 with the late Johnny Cochran as his lawyer, Pratt’s conviction was vacated on the grounds that the prosecution had concealed evidence that might have exonerated him and received $4.5 million as settlement for false imprisonment. After his release Pratt like many former Panther’s continued his fight against police brutality and those wrongfully imprisoned such as another former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal whose death sentence for murder was vacated in April. Rest in Peace Brother Geronimo bus is still behind bars. - ICE
Friday, June 3, 2011
