Robert Hillary King
Encyclopedia
Robert Hillary King, also known as Robert King Wilkerson, is a former member of the Black Panther Party
who spent 32 years, 29 of them in solitary confinement, in Angola Prison, Louisiana. King first entered Angola at the age of 18 as the result of a robbery conviction. In his book, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Robert Hillary King, King admits to some non-violent burglaries in the period prior to this conviction but maintains his innocence with regard to that particular offense and goes further by denying any culpability in any later convictions. Granted parole in 1965, at the age of 22, he returned to New Orleans, got married, and began a brief semi-pro boxing career nicknamed “Speedy King.” Several weeks prior to the birth of his son, by wife Clara, King was arrested on charges of robbery. After being held in jail for over 11 months, King's friend pled guilty to a lesser charge and was released on time served. Simultaneously, the District Attorney
dropped the charges against King, but he was not released since his arrest, coupled with his friend’s guilty plea, was deemed a parole violation. King was sent back to Angola prison where he served 15 months and was released again in 1969.
Upon his release, King was again arrested on robbery charges, and was convicted, even though his co-defendant testified that he had only picked King out of a mug shot lineup after being tortured by police into making a false statement. King appealed, and while being held at New Orleans Parish Prison, he escaped, but was re-captured weeks later. Upon returning to Orleans Parish he met some of the New Orleans 12--BPP members arrested after a confrontation with police at a housing project. He was radicalized and worked with the Panthers organizing non-violent hunger strikes, and engaging in self-defense against violent attacks from prison authorities.
In 1972, King moved to Angola shortly after the death of prison guard Brent Miller. Upon arrival, on grounds that King “wanted to play lawyer for another inmate,” he was immediately put into solitary confinement: first in the “dungeon,” then the “Red Hat”, and finally to the Closed Correction Cell (CCR) unit, where he remained until his 2001 release. In 1973, King was accused of murdering another prisoner, and was convicted at a trial where he was bound and gagged. After years of maintaining his innocence and appealing, his conviction was overturned in 2001, after he reluctantly pled guilty to a lesser charge of “conspiracy to commit murder” and was released on time served.
King and the two co-founders of the Angola chapter of the Black Panther Party
who are still incarcerated (Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace), comprise what their supporters have dubbed the Angola 3
. Much has been written about these men and their controversial cases in the media world wide. Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace are the longest-held prisoners in solitary isolation (or closed cell restriction) in the United States
. Ranking U.S. Congressman
John Conyers
and Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond
have called for inquiries into their confinement. The Angola 3
have a civil suit pending (Wilkerson, Woodfox and Wallace vs The State of Louisiana et al.), a case which the Supreme Court of the United States
has ruled has merit to proceed, based on claims that their 'solitary isolation' is a violation of the Eighth Amendment of their rights against "cruel and unusual punishment" under the United States Constitution
. This civil suit will go to trial any month in Baton Rouge, at the U.S. Middle District Court.
Robert King has been featured in numerous print, media and film articles and interviews worldwide including: CNN
, National Public Radio, NBC
, BBC
and ITN as well as two films, Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation and Land of the Free, among others.
His autobiography, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of a Black Panther, was released by PM Press
in the fall of 2008. He won a PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for his book in 2009. King now makes a type of praline
s, which he calls freelines, to support his activism, which he does by selling them from his website. He made pralines in prison while in solitary confinement. He burned paper in soda cans to cook the candies and gathered ingredients from other prisoners and guards.The story of his candy making has become the most requested story that the Kitchen Sisters have ever produced for N.P.R. It is still played on stations all across the U.S. Following the destruction that beset the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
, King pitched in when Scott Crow
and Malik Rahim
began organizing the Common Ground Collective
.
He is an international speaker who speaks at college campuses and community centers across the U.S. and has spoken before the Parliaments in the Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal. On December 1, 2010 King spoke at TEDxAlcatraz in San Francisco delivering a talk entitled "Alone."
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
who spent 32 years, 29 of them in solitary confinement, in Angola Prison, Louisiana. King first entered Angola at the age of 18 as the result of a robbery conviction. In his book, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Robert Hillary King, King admits to some non-violent burglaries in the period prior to this conviction but maintains his innocence with regard to that particular offense and goes further by denying any culpability in any later convictions. Granted parole in 1965, at the age of 22, he returned to New Orleans, got married, and began a brief semi-pro boxing career nicknamed “Speedy King.” Several weeks prior to the birth of his son, by wife Clara, King was arrested on charges of robbery. After being held in jail for over 11 months, King's friend pled guilty to a lesser charge and was released on time served. Simultaneously, the District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
dropped the charges against King, but he was not released since his arrest, coupled with his friend’s guilty plea, was deemed a parole violation. King was sent back to Angola prison where he served 15 months and was released again in 1969.
Upon his release, King was again arrested on robbery charges, and was convicted, even though his co-defendant testified that he had only picked King out of a mug shot lineup after being tortured by police into making a false statement. King appealed, and while being held at New Orleans Parish Prison, he escaped, but was re-captured weeks later. Upon returning to Orleans Parish he met some of the New Orleans 12--BPP members arrested after a confrontation with police at a housing project. He was radicalized and worked with the Panthers organizing non-violent hunger strikes, and engaging in self-defense against violent attacks from prison authorities.
In 1972, King moved to Angola shortly after the death of prison guard Brent Miller. Upon arrival, on grounds that King “wanted to play lawyer for another inmate,” he was immediately put into solitary confinement: first in the “dungeon,” then the “Red Hat”, and finally to the Closed Correction Cell (CCR) unit, where he remained until his 2001 release. In 1973, King was accused of murdering another prisoner, and was convicted at a trial where he was bound and gagged. After years of maintaining his innocence and appealing, his conviction was overturned in 2001, after he reluctantly pled guilty to a lesser charge of “conspiracy to commit murder” and was released on time served.
King and the two co-founders of the Angola chapter of the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
who are still incarcerated (Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace), comprise what their supporters have dubbed the Angola 3
Angola 3
The Angola 3 are three men, Robert Hillary King , Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace, who were put in solitary confinement for decades in Angola Prison, Louisiana after the death of a prison guard....
. Much has been written about these men and their controversial cases in the media world wide. Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace are the longest-held prisoners in solitary isolation (or closed cell restriction) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ranking U.S. Congressman
John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
and Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond
Cedric Richmond
Cedric Levon Richmond is the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district, which includes most of New Orleans. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life and education:...
have called for inquiries into their confinement. The Angola 3
Angola 3
The Angola 3 are three men, Robert Hillary King , Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace, who were put in solitary confinement for decades in Angola Prison, Louisiana after the death of a prison guard....
have a civil suit pending (Wilkerson, Woodfox and Wallace vs The State of Louisiana et al.), a case which the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
has ruled has merit to proceed, based on claims that their 'solitary isolation' is a violation of the Eighth Amendment of their rights against "cruel and unusual punishment" under the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. This civil suit will go to trial any month in Baton Rouge, at the U.S. Middle District Court.
Robert King has been featured in numerous print, media and film articles and interviews worldwide including: CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, National Public Radio, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and ITN as well as two films, Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation and Land of the Free, among others.
His autobiography, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of a Black Panther, was released by PM Press
PM Press
PM Press is an independent publisher that specializes in radical, Marxist and anarchist literature, as well as crime fiction, graphic novels, music CDs, and political documentaries...
in the fall of 2008. He won a PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for his book in 2009. King now makes a type of praline
Praline
Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup.-Europe:As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist Marshal du Plessis-Praslin , early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar,...
s, which he calls freelines, to support his activism, which he does by selling them from his website. He made pralines in prison while in solitary confinement. He burned paper in soda cans to cook the candies and gathered ingredients from other prisoners and guards.The story of his candy making has become the most requested story that the Kitchen Sisters have ever produced for N.P.R. It is still played on stations all across the U.S. Following the destruction that beset the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, King pitched in when Scott Crow
Scott Crow
Scott Crow is an anarchist community organizer and writer based in Austin, Texas. He is one of the founders of Common Ground Collective or Common Ground Relief with Malik Rahim, Sharon Johnson, Lisa Fithian, Kerul Dyer, Suncere Shakur, and Emily Posner, an organization formed in the aftermath of...
and Malik Rahim
Malik Rahim
Malik Rahim is a former Black Panther, and a long-time housing and prison activist in the U.S. state of Louisiana. He gained publicity as a community organizer in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina....
began organizing the Common Ground Collective
Common Ground Collective
The Common Ground Collective is a decentralized network of non-profit organizations offering support to the residents of New Orleans. It was formed in the Algiers neighborhood of the city in the days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.-History:...
.
He is an international speaker who speaks at college campuses and community centers across the U.S. and has spoken before the Parliaments in the Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal. On December 1, 2010 King spoke at TEDxAlcatraz in San Francisco delivering a talk entitled "Alone."