Interview with Eldridge Cleaver

Bobby Hutton didn’t get wounded during the shootout, but they murdered him after we were in custody. That is why I am sitting here today because the police officers to whom we surrendered — when I came back from my exile and was going to court on those charges. I was facing charges that would give me 82 years in prison. This police officer came to court one day, and the district attorney said, “Eldridge, there is somebody that wants to meet you. Would you mind talking to him?” I said, “well, I will meet anybody, Ben. Bring them on. Who is it?” He said, “it’s Lieutenant Hilliard .” I knew his name from the grand jury transcript. This was the guy that we surrendered to. He told me — he said, “Eldridge, remember that night? Remember when you came out of the building and you looked up and there was a police officer in the window and you had a pistol in your face about three feet from your face?” I said, “I sure do remember that.” He said, “you know I was already squeezing the trigger. I was going to blow your head off because three officers had gotten wounded. All that shooting had everybody on edge.

So I was pulling the trigger to blow your head off, and something told me not to do it.” I said, “praise the Lord.” He said, “praise the Lord.” He told me, “I am no longer a police officer.” He said, “I have my own private security firm now.” He said, “the reason that they have not been rushing you to court is because of my testimony and the testimony of 13 other police officers who were that night who do not agree with what the police did in the way they killed Bobby Hutton.” He said, “they murdered Bobby. They murdered my prisoner.” That’s what he said. Then he went on to describe — he said, “the police have the responsibility of enforcing the law, the guardians of the law. But what they did that night was worse than what you did.” He said, “if you are going to court, I am going to testify against you because what you did was wrong. But I’m also going to testify against them because what they did was worse. There is no statute of limitation on murder. What they did was first degree murder.” This is w hat he said.

They just took Bobby and pushed him. They pushed him, and he only went about five feet. He was stumbling and almost falling. They shot him 12 times, man. Murdered him right there on the spot. He fell down.

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