If we are not to give up on one another, on our country, on our future, we must now and again hear of someone who refuses to give up. This is the story of one man, Martin Sostre, who so refused, against all odds.

Martin's crime was his work for the benefit of his people, the black people of Buffalo, New York. They had very few who would speak for them in their poverty, their despair, the prejudice that worked against them tooth and nail, birth to grave. One man spoke for them. On their behalf, Martin Sostre opened a bookstore, a place where people were welcome to discuss, to organize, to speak their minds.

On July 14, 1967, an informer entered Martin's bookstore, planted heroin there. Shortly after, a dozen police stormed in, 'found' the heroin, arrested Sostre. He was tried by a white judge, convicted by a white jury, sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Still, Sostre refused to be silenced or broken.

(From a letter, from prison) "Being locked up in defense of my principles, when I am right, is not punishment, it is performance of duty . . . Even death evokes no fear; and I can really and truly say that I lost my fear of death years ago. Now this doesn't mean that I am suicidal or wish to die, for I want to live a long life."

Consider, as they say in law, the record since then.

In prison, Martin has fought for prisoners' rights to wear beards (a small matter, unless one happens to be a prisoner). He has fought for the right of prisoners to worship and to receive political literature. He has organized labor unions. He has led strikes against inhuman working conditions. He has fought for the right to send and receive uncensored, confidential mail to and from attorneys, judges and legislators. He has fought for prisoners' rights to receive legal assistance from fellow prisoners.

He has fought for the right to a due process hearing before a prisoner is subjected to punishment. Perhaps most important of all he has practically brought to an end the savage practice called 'rectal searches' on the bodies of prisoners.

A fellow prisoner, risking his own parole, swore in an affadavit to his concern "over the way guards plan and plot how best to kill Martin Sostre . . . "

Anyone hearing these horrors must indeed ask in his or her heart what is the cost of being human today. We might wish to ponder the following as a way of estimating that price;

☆ Arto Williams, the chief witness in the original trial of Martin for selling heroin, later recanted his testimony. He confessed that he was part of a frame up, that he brought the heroin to the bookstore and, under a pretext, passed marked bills to Sostre.

☆ A Buffalo police officer, Sgt. Gristmacher, who was Williams' mentor in the frame up, was indicted for the theft of $100,000 worth of heroin from the police evidence locker.

☆ Catch 22; in 1975, after being beaten by prison guards and appearing in court with the marks of assault on his body, Sostre was tried and convicted of 'assault of three of the prison guards.'

☆ Today, after over eight straight years' imprisonment, more than four of them passed in solitary confinement, the fate of Sostre is effectively locked into a labyrinthine of collusion, special interest and public apathy.

One course remains. At Christmas each year, the Governor of New York is empowered to release a number of prisoners, on recommendation of the State Clemency Board.

Injustice prolonged is the death of justice. We must seize the time, even though tardily. Amnesty International has declared Sostre "a prisoner of conscience". Now, thousands of Americans must stand with this prisoner whose innocence is a disgrace to our system, to our conscience.

Please write or telegram Governor Hugh Carey, State Capitol, Albany, New York 12224, asking that Martin Sostre be freed as of this Christmas, 1975.

The Committee to Free Martin Sostre
339 Lafayette St.
N.Y.C., 10012

Coordinator:

Paul Mayer

Co-Chairpeople:

Daniel Berrigan

Ossie Davis

Marie Runyon

SPONSORS

Rev. Ralph Abernathy

Joan Baez

Philip Berrigan

Julian Bond

Leonard B. Boudin

Haywood Burns Esq.

Rev. Robert Chapman

Charter Group for a
Pledge of Conscience

Noam Chomsky

Ramsey Clark

Angela Davis

Ruby Dee

Margaret Dowling,
Pres. N.Y. S.C.

Maxwell Geismar

Jean Genet

Allen Ginsberg

Rev. James Groppi

Nat Hentoff

Lennox S. Hinds

William Kunstler, Esq.

Conrad Lynn, Esq.

Inter-Community Center
for Justice and Peace

Elizabeth McAlister

David McReynolds

Jessica Mitford

Nat'l Conference of
Black Lawyers

Rev. Sean Nolan, Prov.

Grace Paley

P.E.N. American Center

Gert Peterson,
MP Denmark

Sr. Catherine Quin,
P.B.V.M., M. Sup.

David Rothenberg
Fortune Society

Jean Paul Sartre

Lorna Scheide

Benjamin Spock, M.D.

Paul Sweezy

Judge Bruce Wright

The Committee To Free Martin Sostre
339 Lafayette Street
New York, N.Y. 10012
(212) 673-4177

Name
Address
City
State
Zip

☐ Please put me on your mailing list.

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Checks payable to the Committee to Free Martin Sostre

CHRONOLOGY

1952 Sentenced 6-12 years at Attica, became jailhouse lawyer, joined Black Muslims.

1959- Five years solitary confinement for his religious beliefs and for previous challenge of all-white parole board.

1964 religious beliefs and for previous challenge of all-white parole board.

1965 Opened Afro-Asian Bookstore in Buffalo.

1967 July 14: arrested on charges of arson, inciting to riot (later dropped) and possession and sale of narcotics, based on the statement of Arto Williams, a drug addict in jail for burglary, who had acted as a police informer.

1968 Convicted and sentenced to 30-41 years for $15 heroin sale.

1970 Sostre v. Rockefeller, Judge Constance Baker Motley termed the conditions of Martin's confinement "cruel and unusual punishment", ruling that he was 'punished for his ideas and activities, for his Muslim beliefs and for his threat to file a law suit. He was awarded $13,000 (later reduced to $9,000) in damages, but never collected because the defendant, the warden of Greenhaven, died.

1972 Confined to solitary for 3 years for refusal to shave beard and submit to 'rectal searches'. Suffered 10 beatings.

1973 Arto Williams, chief prosecution witness, recanted his previous testimony, admitting that he had made a deal with the police for his release, which involved framing Sostre.

1973 May: before going to a court hearing in Buffalo, Martin was brutally beaten by 7 guards. He was subsequently charged with 2nd degree assault of 3 prison guards.

1973 December: "We became convinced that Martin Sostre has been the victim of an international miscarriage of justice because of his political beliefs." Amnesty Internat'l.

1974 Buffalo Federal Judge Curtin denies Sostre a new trial despite Williams' recanted testimony.

1975 February: tried and convicted by an all-white jury, sentenced 0-4 years (indeterminate sentence) on each count of assault charge. Judge Feinberg commented that the jury "worked like a charm."

1975 June: transferred to N.Y.C. in the care of Federal authorities as the courts have determined his life endangered by State officials. Martin is suing to "redress the violation of his constitutional rights and for money damages."