Biography
Andrew Austin was a Black Panther Party newspaper-distribution organizer. In 1971 he and Ellis White were arrested while arranging memorial services for circulation manager Samuel Napier. They were imprisoned, later obtained bail, and received one-to-three-year sentences on weapons-possession charges. Their prosecution became part of the party’s campaign against interference with distribution of its newspaper.
The November 6, 1971 report explicitly places Andrew Austin and Ellis White at Sing Sing State Prison after their weapons-possession convictions. It describes their earlier arrest while arranging Samuel Napier’s memorial services, a period out on bail and later return to confinement. The imposed one-to-three-year terms are not treated as completed time served, and no exact readmission or discharge day is supplied.
The Black Panther, November 6, 1971, PDF page 4.
