March 23, 1995
To the campus community, students, faculty and staff:
I, Jason "Quddus" Archie, was kidnapped and taken to San Quentin State Prison in shackles and leg irons on Feb. 21. Ironically, this occurred during the month of celebration of African people, and on the day recognizing the death of one of our leaders, Malcolm X, a man who advanced our struggle for civil rights into the larger forum of human rights, and died for it.
On this very same day my basic human rights were violated. So, once again they have killed Malcolm, and have attempted to kill me. No criminal charges were filed, because none exist. But because an "informational statement," and informational only, was filed, I am charged with threatening another and disturbing the peace.
Supporting Evidence
Charges 1 & 2
On Thursday, Feb. 16, 1995, a professor was instructing a class at the university when a student walked into the classroom late. The class was in the process of a silent writing assignment when the student stated in a "loud" voice, "What are we doing?", disrupting the class.
That is not true.
I quietly asked, "What are we doing?"
The professor instructed the student to have a seat until the end of the assignment. The student then became verbally abusive, yelling, "Don't treat me like a schoolboy," and claimed that he could ask anything he wanted. The professor felt that this behavior was inappropriate and that he (the student) displayed a confrontational and intimidating demeanor.
That is not true.
The professor stood up and in a loud and humiliating way told me to sit down and shut up. I then stated, "Don't talk to me like a child just because I asked a question."
Later, during the class, several other students arrived in the classroom late. The professor spoke to the entire class regarding their responsibility to arrive to class on time and future conduct of this nature would not be tolerated in her class. At this time, the student stood up at his desk, yelling at the professor that she was threatening him. The student continued his verbal attack walking up to the desk, placing his face inches away from the professor.
That is not true.
The speech was directed at me, because she looked at me while saying that it was just common courtesy when you walk into a classroom to sit down and shut up.
So I said, you need to be more sensitive to the culture of others. Then she stood up, yelling that she was going to call the police. At which point I stood up and told her that she was a racist and that was a racist statement.
"Call the police for what?" I asked. "I haven't said or done anything to you. What are you going to call the police for? Because I'm black!"
The professor instructed the student to sit down and they would discuss it at a later date. The student responded by yelling they "would talk about it right now." After several more exchanges, the student finally sat down.
That is not true.
I asked to talk about it now because I felt she had made a racist statement and had attempted to humiliate me in front of the entire class.
Although the professor did not request police action, the professor felt "threatened" by the student's presence.
The professor's statements were taken word-for-word from the "informational" sheet of supporting evidence filed with the SF State Department of Public Safety, information she supplied to the detective on Thursday, Feb. 16, 1995.
In this letter, I have attempted to refute the statements that were made against me and prove my innocence.
Not once did I use -- nor did the professor say that I used -- profanity or vulgar language during our conversation. And not once did I directly or indirectly threaten the professor. Clearly neither my actual statements nor those the professor said that I made can be construed as verbal abuse. I'm a victim not a verbal abuser. Now I'm a "criminal" behind bars until I can prove my innocence. Surely, I have suffered unjust and inhumane treatment.
My hearing will be on Thursday, March 23, 1995.
P.S.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been dead for more than 25 years. Still, society has not succeeded in implementing his words, those which I offer today: "To be judged by the content of my character, not the color of my skin."
Editors note: This letter was submitted by the Pan-Afrikan Student Union.