Biography
Frank Norris Shuford was a 22-year-old Black community organizer in Santa Ana, California. Prosecutors charged him after a nonfatal 1972 shooting that occurred while he was at home with family and friends. His first trial ended with a hung jury. An all-white jury convicted him at a second trial in 1974 of assault with intent to commit murder, and he received a 30-year prison sentence. Supporters argued that the prosecution was retaliation for his community organizing and that the evidence did not establish his guilt. His exact admission and release dates remain unresolved.
