The State : Free Pratt, Newton Says

Former Black Panther Huey Newton told state prison officials that he will not leave San Quentin Prison, where he has been serving time for a parole violation, unless fellow inmate and former Panther Elmer (Geronimo) Pratt is also released. Pratt, a former deputy defense minister of the militant group, lost his eighth bid for parole two weeks ago after a state parole officials panel called him a “danger to the public.” Pratt, whose supporters contend is a victim of police efforts to jail Panther leaders in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, was convicted in 1972 and is serving a life term for murdering a Santa Monica woman during a $30 robbery. Newton, who is scheduled to complete his parole Feb. 8, was ordered jailed for 60 days at San Quentin for parole violations that included failure to submit to drug testing and failure to advise his parole officer that he had been arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.