By Steve Stallone

 

            A court date for the Charleston Five trial and a date for the International Day of Action—Tuesday, Nov. 13—has finally been set, although attorneys for the Five are still trying to have all the charges dismissed before a jury is selected.

            The Charleston Five, four black longshore workers from ILA Local 1422 and one white clerk from ILA Local 1771 in Charleston, South Carolina, are facing several felony rioting counts that carry sentences of up to five years in prison. The charges stem from an incident Jan. 20, 2000 when the Charleston locals went to picket a non-union operation in their port. They were met by 600 riot clad state police with armored vehicles and on horses with paddy wagons waiting. Helicopters circled overhead and patrol boats cruised the waterside of the terminal. Police lines blocked the longshore workers from setting up their picket line and a scuffle ensued. The rightwing South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon then got a grand jury to indict the five longshore workers on rioting charges.

            For the last 19 months the Charleston Five, Elijah Ford, Peter Washington, Kenneth Jefferson, Rich Simmons and John Edgerton, have been under house arrest, restricted to their homes between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. unless they are at work or a union meeting. Essentially they are being punished without ever being tried or convicted of anything.

            The case has become a national and international cause. The AFL-CIO has taken a leading role in the campaign, rallying support for the Five and the Charleston locals throughout the American labor movement and calling for a day of action in their support on the first day of the trial. Unions around the country have pledged support for the Charleston workers right to picket without police interference and raising funds for the legal defense work. International dockers unions have also come to the aid of the Five and all the unions participating in the ILWU International Dockers Solidarity Conference held last summer have pledged to take part in an International Day of Action on the first day of the trial.

            Other political support has been mounting over the year and a half this case has dragged on, especially in the Charleston area. The Mayor of Charleston and the city council are prepared to pass a resolution calling for all the charges against the Five to be dropped. The Charleston City Attorney and the Charleston Police Department, which was not involved in the incident, have also requested that the state Attorney General drop the charges.

            After many months of delays a court date has been set. A jury will be selected on Monday, Nov. and 12 and the trial should begin the next day, Tuesday, Nov. 13. That day, Nov. 13 has been designated to be the International Day of Action in support of the Charleston Five and demonstrations and other actions at ports and major cities across the U.S. and around the world are being planned.

            At the same time the attorneys for the Five plan to make several motions at a pre-trial hearing set for Oct. 11 trying to have all the charges dismissed. If they are successful the Five will never have to face a jury. If not, the attorneys are confident that with the high-powered team they have assembled and the strong defense they have developed will win in court.