Black Liberators
Encyclopedia
The Black Liberators was a militant civil-rights organization formed in St. Louis, Missouri
in the spring of 1968. The Liberators were led through most of their short existence by Charles Koen
, who went on to organize a nationally noted civil-rights campaign in Cairo, Illinois
.
Charles Koen, a founder of the Black Liberators in E. St. Louis, Illinois, was convicted and sentenced on May 21, 1991, to 12 years imprisonment, ordered to pay over $636,000 in restitution, and $5,000 in penalties. His sentence stems from a conviction on charges of embezzlement, misapplication of Federal Program Funds, theft of public money, false statements, arson and mail fraud. He was ordered to make restitution to the City of Cairo, Illinois, for the disability payments to a fireman who was injured while extinguishing the fire for which Koen was convicted. The 1985 arson destroyed the building which housed th UFI (United Front) a social service agency founded by Koen in the late 1960s. The defense contended that the blaze could have been ignited by a firebomb thrown by the Ku Klux Klan. The jury accepted the government's claim that the fire was an act in a scheme to collect $550,000 from an insurance policy and a means by which Koen attempted to conceal his alleged theft of government grant funds over Koen's claim that he used the proceeds to rebuild the United Front building. U.S. v Koen (S.D. Illinois)
Another leader of the Black Liberators, Sam Petty, was arrested in New York on October 16, 1971 along with Rap Brown who had been "Minister of Justice" of the organization. Along with Petty and Brown were Arthur Lee Petty, and Levi Valentine, both members of the Black Liberators. They had attempted an armed robbery of the Red Carpet lounge, a predominantly black club. Brown wounded a police officer before being wounded and captured. Brown had been a fugitive since April 1970, when he failed to appear in court in Ellicott City, Md., to stand trial on charges of inciting to riot and arson. He was on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted" list.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in the spring of 1968. The Liberators were led through most of their short existence by Charles Koen
Charles Koen
Charles Koen , also known as Chuck Koen, is a civil rights activist. Koen worked with organizations in Southern Illinois during the mid- and late 1960s. He founded the Black Liberators in St. Louis, Missouri in 1968; he later went on to lead nationally noted campaigns in Cairo, Illinois...
, who went on to organize a nationally noted civil-rights campaign in Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
.
Charles Koen, a founder of the Black Liberators in E. St. Louis, Illinois, was convicted and sentenced on May 21, 1991, to 12 years imprisonment, ordered to pay over $636,000 in restitution, and $5,000 in penalties. His sentence stems from a conviction on charges of embezzlement, misapplication of Federal Program Funds, theft of public money, false statements, arson and mail fraud. He was ordered to make restitution to the City of Cairo, Illinois, for the disability payments to a fireman who was injured while extinguishing the fire for which Koen was convicted. The 1985 arson destroyed the building which housed th UFI (United Front) a social service agency founded by Koen in the late 1960s. The defense contended that the blaze could have been ignited by a firebomb thrown by the Ku Klux Klan. The jury accepted the government's claim that the fire was an act in a scheme to collect $550,000 from an insurance policy and a means by which Koen attempted to conceal his alleged theft of government grant funds over Koen's claim that he used the proceeds to rebuild the United Front building. U.S. v Koen (S.D. Illinois)
Another leader of the Black Liberators, Sam Petty, was arrested in New York on October 16, 1971 along with Rap Brown who had been "Minister of Justice" of the organization. Along with Petty and Brown were Arthur Lee Petty, and Levi Valentine, both members of the Black Liberators. They had attempted an armed robbery of the Red Carpet lounge, a predominantly black club. Brown wounded a police officer before being wounded and captured. Brown had been a fugitive since April 1970, when he failed to appear in court in Ellicott City, Md., to stand trial on charges of inciting to riot and arson. He was on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted" list.