Table Of Content“Albert Woodfox, HermAn WAllAce
and Robert Wilkerson are worth my efforts and the efforts of all
who believe that you must fight injustice where you find it.”
dAme AnitA roddick Co-founder of The Body Shop and
human rights activist
“tHe relentless prosecution of tHe
Angola 3 in the infamous Penitentiary at Angola…is another in
a long line of cases in this country involving egregious prosecuto-
rial misconduct. The interests of justice can only be served by
ending the prosecution and dropping the charges against them,
and setting them free.”
rAmsey clArk Former U.S. Attorney General
“friendsHips Are forged in strAnge
places. My friendship with Robert King, and the other two
Angola 3 men Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, is based
on respect. These men, as Robert reveals in this stunning account
of his life, have fought tirelessly to redress injustice, not only for
themselves, but for others. Since his release in 2001 Robert has
been engaged in the fight to rescue these men from a cruel and
repressive administration that colludes in deliberate lying and
obfuscation to keep them locked up. This is a battle Robert is
determined to win, and we are determined to help him.”
gordon roddick Co-founder of The Body Shop and
human rights activist
“tHis book is A seAring indictment of
the contemporary USA, a rich and commanding nation, which
still crushes the hopes and aspirations of so many poor black
Americans and criminalizes their young. Robert Hillary King’s
account of his horrifying 29 years in prison for a crime he did not
commit should shame all of us who believe that justice has to be
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at the heart of any democracy worthy of that name.”
(bAroness) HelenA kennedy Qc Member of the House of Lords, Chair
of Justice, UK
“WHen tHere is A trAin Wreck, tHere is
a public inquiry, to try to avoid it recurring. Robert King’s con-
viction was a train wreck, and this book is perhaps the only way
the world will get to understand why. There are more than 3,000
people serving life without the possibility of parole in Angola
today, some as young as 14 when they were sent there, and many
of them innocent but without the lawyer to prove it. We owe it
to them, and others in a similar plight around the world, to read
this book. And Robert King wears a mighty fine hat!”
clive stAfford smitH Director, Reprieve
“As A brusH WitH deAtH sHArpens life,
a lifetime of confinement can broaden the vision…”
Austin AmericAn stAtesmAn
“…disturbed by evidence suggesting
that their long term isolation may have been based, at least in part,
on their past activism and association with the Black Panther
Party…the prisoners’ prolonged isolation breached international
treaties which the USA has ratified…The relevant treaties have
found that prolonged solitary confinement can amount to torture
or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
Amnesty internAtionAl on "The Angola 3” 2007
“tHeir AdHerence to tHe blAck pAntHer
ideology has given them the strength, courage and spirit to fight
the prison system.”
dAvid HilliArd Former Black Panther Party Chief of Staff
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“…tHere is poWerful evidence tHAt
they were framed…despite the compelling evidence of a terrible
miscarriage of justice, Woodfox and Wallace remain locked
up….”
independent television neWs uk
“tHey endured And survived over
all these years with very little help from the outside. They are
the kind of unsung heroes who we must come forward to help
because they never asked for anything from us in exchange for
what they have suffered.”
geronimo Ji JAgA Former Minister of Defense Black Panther Party
and former U.S. political prisoner
“fAced WitH life WitHout pArole in
solitary, it is past time for us to organize for their lives to be lived
in freedom. They are political prisoners of the highest caliber
who deserve your support.”
mumiA Abu-JAmAl Former Black Panther, and U.S. Political Prisoner
on Death Row
“tHese kinds of WArriors must never
be forgotten. They have been at the front line of the struggle,
fighting against the worst kind of brutalities and humiliations.”
yuri kocHiyAmA Human Rights Activist
“i recently becAme AWAre of evidence
that suggests these men were wrongly convicted. I urge a swift
and just resolution of the matter.”
JoHn conyers U.S. Ranking Congressmen and Chairman of the U.S.
House Judiciary Committee
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“We knoW from guAntánAmo bAy And
other notorious prisons that keeping detainees in solitary confine-
ment for extended periods of time can be extremely damaging
and it is truly shocking that the Louisiana state authorities saw
fit to inflict decades of solitary on ‘The Angola 3.’ Robert King’s
book is a timely expose of past injustice as well as a call to action.
It deserves to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in
the United States, justice and human rights.”
kAte Allen Amnesty International UK director
“to lose ones freedom is A terrible
punishment in itself. To be innocent and incarcerated for 29
years is almost beyond belief. Robert King survived this expe-
rience with his dignity intact and with a renewed passion for
justice. An amazing story”.
terry WAite CBE
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FROM THE
BOTTOM
OF THE
HEAP
The Autobiography of Black Panther
R o b e r t H i l l a r y K i n g
pm press
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RobertKing_Interior.indd 6 8/25/08 10:31:07 PM
FROM THE
BOTTOM
OF THE
HEAP
The AutOBiogrAphy oF blAck Panther
R o b e r t H i Ł l a r y K i n G
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FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP:
THE AuTOBiOgRAPHy OF BlAck PAnTHER ROBERT HillARy king
By Robert HiŁlary King
Copyright © 2009 Robert Hillary King
This edition copyright © 2009 PM Press
All Rights Reserved
Published by:
PM Press
PO Box 23912
Oakland, CA 94623
www.pmpress.org
Cover photograph by Ann Harkness
Angola 3 illustration by Rigo 23
Robert King illustration by Emory Douglas
Designed by Courtney Utt
ISBN: 978-1-60486-039-9
Library Of Congress Control Number: 2008931839
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the USA on recycled paper.
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dedicated to
Anita Roddick: activist, humanitarian,
benefactor, and friend; 1942-2007.
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Description:In 1970, a jury convicted Robert Hillary King of a crime he did not commit and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. He became a member of the Black Panther Party while in Angola State Penitentiary, successfully organizing prisoners to improve conditions. In return, prison authorities beat him, starv
