Provocations make Curtis case smell still fouler
International Viewpoint #151 • November 14, 1988
USA
T HE FRONT PAGE of the
Moines Register carried a story on October 20 prociaiming, 'A cross was burned Wednes day into the lawn of the home of a teenage girl who was sexually abused by Socialist Workers Party member Mark
"The girl's father, Keith Morris, didn't see the culprits but he said that he suspects some connection to Curtis' supporters."
Cross burning is a traditional method of the racist Klu-Klux Klan to intimidate Blacks. The Morris family is Biack. The Socialist Workers' Party, however, has a 50 year history of fighting racism. In fact, the SWP and Curtis's defense committee have been winning considerable Black and Hispanic support by arguing that the charges against the young activist were cooked up by racist policemen.
Curtis was badly beaten at the time of his arrest, and charges that the police taunted him as a "Mexican lover" and someone who loves "coloreds." The arresting police had accused him of assaulting them, but these accusations were dropped.
Letters of support for Curtis
Ironically, only a few months ago, in July, a scandal broke about policemen disguising themselves as Klansmen in order to intimidate a Black colleague.
Shortly after Curtis's arrest, a leading Black congressman and chair of the House Sub-committee on Criminal Justice, wrote a letter to the Des Moines police chief saying, "Insofar as I understand the situation, Mark Curtis is an active and outspoken member of Local 431 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, particularly in the struggle for healthy working conditions and fair wages. I also understand that shortly before his arrest, he was present at a union meeting to show support for a number of his co-workers. These facts appear, in my mind, to raise some questions about the possible nature of the arrest."
Coleman Young, the Black mayor of Detroit, also expressed concern in a letter August 18, 1988, "that Mr. Curtis may be being harassed for his political beliefs rather than fairly investigated 28 and brought to trial for actual criminal activity. The circumstances surround-
WITH PROTESTS growing against the conviction of
Socialist Workers Party activist Mark Curtis on Incredible charges of attempted rape and burglary (which he is supposed to have committed between two political meetings), a still more bizarre charge has been raised against against Curtis's supporters.
### GERRY FOLEY ing the arrest and the allegations of police brutality are quite disturbing to anyone who believes in fair play...'
The Detroit City Council also denounced the charges against Curtis in a formal resolution on July 6, noting, among other things: "Nationally respected lawyers and legal organizations such as John Brittain and the National Lawyers Guild have reviewed Mark Curtis's case and agree that there is no evidence to support the charges against him."
The activity in which Curtis was involved at the time of his arrest was a protest against US Immigration Service harassment of Mexican workers in his plant. He was well known as a fighter against racism. The hallmarks of a crude provocation
In these circumstances, there could hardly be a more unlikely story than the claim that Curtis supporters were involved in an act of racist intimidation. In fact, this claim bears all the hallmarks of a crude provocation.
It is not the first. On July 15, the father of the alleged victim attacked the bookstore where the defense committee has its headquarters and smashed all the windows. The police ignored it. But plainclothes cops were sent to attend one of his defense meetings. In fact, Curtis was convicted on the testimony of the arresting police. The teenager who claimed that he tried to rape her was not a credible witness, and the defense showed that there was no physical evidence to show that Curtis had any contact with her. Moreover, it showed that at the time the alleged victim claimed to have been attacked Curtis was in the Los Compadres bar with dozens of co-workers.
Although the testimony of the police was the basis for the conviction, the judge prohibited the defense from introducing evidence that Curtis had been beaten by the cops and of the accusing cop's record of lying and brutality. Moreover, the one Hispanic on the jury was removed by the judge before the verdict deliberations.
Solidarity is urgent as new trial opens
On the grounds of many such decisions by the judge, the defense is filing a motion for a new trial that will be heard on November 10. If it is turned down, Curtis faces an indefinite period in prison at best. lowa state law prohibits bail to persons convinced on these charges. The law also carries a mandatory sentence of 25 years for the burglary charge and ten years for the thirddegree sexual assault charge on which Curtis was convicted.
The judge can only decide whether the two sentences run concurrently or not, thus the minimum sentence would be 25 years and the maximum 35. In many countries this minimum sentence is longer than those generally served by first-degree murderers. It is virtually a life sentence, on nothing more than a policeman's word. This would be exceptional even in the most repressive countries.
Protests continue to grow both in the United States and internationally. But it is urgent now to send Statements against the persecution of Curtis to Polk County Attorney James Smith, Room 408 Courthouse, 500 Mulberry, Des Moines, IA 50309, Tel. 515-286-3737.
Copies should be sent to the Mark Curtis Defense Committee, PO Box 1048, Des Moines, lowa 50311. Letters of encouragement to Mark can also be sent via the committee.*