Malcolm X assassin granted parole in New York

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. -- One of three men convicted of killing Malcolm X 45 years ago has been granted release from weekends in prison in his 17th appearance before a state parole board.

The State Division of Parole says 69-year-old Thomas Hagan appeared before a parole panel March 3 and was granted release effective April 28.

Until then, he'll remain at the Lincoln Correctional Facility in New York City, where he has been locked up two days a week for 22 years. The other five days, he's been allowed to work and live with his family.

Hagan was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison in April 1966 for shooting the civil rights leader at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. Two other convicted gunmen were previously paroled.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/19/AR2010031902605.html

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The NY Times' "City Room" blog has some more detail: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/killer-of-malcolm-x-granted-parole/?partner=rss&emc=rss

[dana_b]

1. I wonder if there will be any protests over this

only weekends in lock up for 22 years? Not a a bad deal for him. Unfortunatey Malcolm's family still won't get him back.

[salguine]

2. What the hell kind of prison sentence is showing up for jail two days a week!? And

spending the rest of the time at home? For murdering somebody? (Granted, I know that Malcolm X was a thorn in the side for a lot of people in government and law enforcement, and they were probably overjoyed that man they most likely considered and "uppity n-----" got killed.)

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. He served 23 years in prison. Then, he went to the two days a week for 22 years

This shit happened 45 years ago.

Enough.

[depakid]

6. What a bizarre sentence

They processed this guy in and out 52 weeks a year for 22 years?

[JonLP24]

8. Work release

I've actually worked on jobs with people in the work release program. They don't have guards over their shoulder or anything like that and they were good workers too. I think it's quite common.

Edited to add-It's usually granted to those who show good behavior and help those who adjust who may re-enter civilian life. There was one that I knew where he stayed at a halfway home Monday-Friday and reported into prison on the weekends.

Off topic but from reading this guy just paroled is the only one of the 3 that admits. The other 2 released 20 years continued to deny it.

[roguevalley]

7. murder isn't some shit long ago. that family has paid a price for this

that keeps on going. Didn't one of them, the daughter end up in trouble and didn't her son kill her mom, Betty Shabazz, his wife by burning her to death? that isn't small stuff, enough. It seems an inconvenience to have been in jail eight days a month for a sentencing when anyone else would do full time. I don't understand this sentence.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. He did 23 years in before the work release program started

Full time, 23 years.

[roguevalley]

16. ah, thanks. that was a weird thing, weekends.

[Regret My New Name]

11. I have a hard time forgiving murderers...

This was a political assassination that was plotted out. It's not like it was someone who 'snapped' in a moment of rage or had something like that... Those cases are different, I think. Ennh. He ended a life and now he's able to continue on... Also, to be clear, this opinion isn't just because he's the person who killed Malcolm X either... I was bothered when some person was released for murdering some cops back in the 60's...

I guess I'm a bit cold and heartless when it comes to people like this. I dunno.

[devilgrrl]

12. Guess Sirhan Sirhan should be let out too...

:eyes:

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. Yes, he probably should

:shrug:

If he's not mentally ill, then 40 years is more than enough.

[devilgrrl]

14. How about Leslie Van Houten?

:popcorn:

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. I'm already on record here saying that Van Houten should be released

There are specific cases, however, where life is probably the correct sentence, and I think Patricia Krenwinkle falls into that category.

:shrug:

[samsingh]

18. not enough. murder is forever. bring back the victim then it will be enough.

how does time make a murder okay?

[Renew Deal]

17. It's fairly common in NY

Especially in the old days. I remember a guy that worked with my dad that had this setup. Pretty crazy!

[PufPuf23]

3. This is nauseating.

Insert angry words here.

[VanW]

5. The Ballot Or The Bullet

"Although I'm still a Muslim, I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion. I'm not here to try and change your religion. I'm not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it's time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you're a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you're going to catch hell just like I am. We're all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man. All of us have suffered here, in this country, political oppression at the hands of the white man, economic exploitation at the hands of the white man, and social degradation at the hands of the white man.

Now in speaking like this, it doesn't mean that we're anti-white, but it does mean we're anti-exploitation, we're anti-degradation, we're anti-oppression. And if the white man doesn't want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man. If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other.

If we don't do something real soon, I think you'll have to agree that we're going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It's one or the other in 1964. It isn't that time is running out—time has run out!"

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/065.html

[mikita]

10. thanks for the link n/t