Biography
One of the 'Attica Brothers' charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment for allegedly taking hostages in the 1971 Attica rebellion; The Black Panther Vol. 14 no.12 (1975) reports New York State dropped the charges for lack of evidence.
The March 1973 Attica News roster prints Alphonso Ross among the uprising prisoner defendants, linked to indictment 7, 8, 30, 32: kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, coercion and assault; kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and coercion; contraband; weapon possession and contraband. The table lists maximum statutory exposure, not sentences actually imposed or time served; no custody dates or duration are inferred. The cover and continuation on physical page 3 quote his arraignment objection to kidnapping and unlawful-imprisonment accusations and describe his ghetto background and criticism of unequal justice. This is his defense statement, not a final verdict. Source: https://freedomarchives.org/Documents/Finder/DOC510_scans/Attica/510.Prisons.AtticaNewsVol1No1.pdf#page=6
The Black Panther’s December 6, 1975 report individually names Alfonso Ross among four Attica defendants whose kidnapping and unlawful-imprisonment charges had been dismissed during the preceding week. Prosecutors sought dismissal after Raymond Sumter demanded an immediate trial, saying that they no longer had sufficient evidence for conviction.
The Black Panther, December 6, 1975, volume XIV no.12, PDF page 7; The Black Panther, December 6, 1975, volume XIV no.12, PDF page 24.
