Biography
Ray Edmerson was a Black Panther Party newspaper seller in Richmond, California. The Party newspaper reports that police arrested him on January 7, 1970 while he was selling papers, citing identification, smoking and littering. Officers took him into the police station, fingerprinted him and released him. The report alleges mistreatment and political harassment. His detention length and any final court disposition remain unverified.
The newspaper reports a separate Richmond, California arrest on April 9, 1970, after Edmerson and Joe Cuba approached police near Seventh and Bissell to investigate harassment. It alleges officers beat and handcuffed him before placing him in a vehicle. His release and complete custody duration are not reported. The Black Panther, April 18, 1970, vol IV no20, original PDF page 9. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/black-panther/04%20no%2020%201-20%20apr%2018%201970.pdf#page=9
Richmond newspaper-selling detention
Ray Edmerson was a Black Panther Party newspaper seller in Richmond, California. The Party newspaper reports that police arrested him on January 7, 1970 while he was selling papers, citing identification, smoking and littering. Officers took him into the police station, fingerprinted him and released him. The report alleges mistreatment and political harassment. His detention length and any final court disposition remain unverified.
This source documents an arrest and police-station detention. It does not establish a prison sentence, time spent in a cell or a precise physical release date. Its allegations of rough handling and politically motivated harassment are the Party’s account. Richmond here is the California city, distinct from the Richmond, Virginia Five prosecution.
