The Nation - News from Aug. 17, 1988
The Rev. Al Sharpton, adviser to Tawana Brawley, said the black teen-ager will testify before the grand jury investigating her alleged abduction and rape last November only if prosecutors agree to arrest whomever she names as her assailants. But the state attorney general’s office, which has been urging the 16-year-old girl to come forward voluntarily, said it could not make such a commitment. The racially charged case has drawn national attention, with Brawley’s advisers charging an official cover-up but offering no proof. The latest exchange came after a report in the New York Times that the special grand jury convened by Atty. Gen. Robert Abrams in Poughkeepsie has voted to subpoena Brawley and force her to testify.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.