Biography
Kent Ford co-founded the Portland, Oregon chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1969. Contemporary accounts distinguish his June 14 arrest and release on $5,000 bail that morning from his June 18 rearrest and later thirteen-day detention. The later bail was reduced from $40,000 to $20,000 and raised by supporters. His subsequent riot prosecution ended in acquittal. The two custody spells are recorded separately; the exact discharge day of the later confinement remains unverified.
The Spark and the Flame records Ford’s attendance at the April 3, 1975 inquest into the police killing of seventeen-year-old Ricky Charles Johnson. The Portland Black Panther chapter founder was admitted after a brief confrontation with a deputy. The jury found the shooting justified. This is evidence of Ford’s public advocacy and attendance, rather than another arrest or imprisonment. Source: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5665d770df40f3d958f69fd2/t/6362c37535b25e49dee88bf8/1667416949422/03.Thompson%2BElk%2BProtest%2BDraft-final.docx.pdf#page=11
In a July 21 interview published August 1, 1969, Kent Ford reported thirteen days in jail during the Portland prosecutions, including three days in isolation. The report says bail was reduced from $40,000 to $20,000 and raised to obtain his release. This later detention followed a separate June 14 arrest from which he had already obtained bail; the two spells must not be counted as continuous. The Militant, August 1, 1969, vol.33 no.31, original PDF page 12. Source: https://www.themilitant.com/1969/3331/MIL3331.pdf#page=12
The July 4 Militant describes Kent Ford’s June 14, 1969 arrest at Lidio’s drive-in in Portland after he offered to help young people comply with curfew. His lawyer obtained his release on $5,000 bail that same Saturday morning. It separately describes his later Wednesday rearrest after he tried to obtain bail for John Duehart. The first bailed detention is distinct from the later thirteen-day confinement. The Militant, July 4, 1969, vol.33 no.27, original PDF page 5. Source: https://www.themilitant.com/1969/3327/MIL3327.pdf#page=5
