How Many Honors Has Angela Davis Received?

Was the Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz complicit in the murder of Judge Harold Haley?

Judge Harold Haley with Angela Davis’s (soon to be) smoking gun taped to his neck

Almost a quarter of a century before O. J. Simpson, Doctor Angela Davis was acquitted of murder, too.

While a liberated O.J. retired to playing municipal golf courses (having been kicked out of Riviera Country Club), Angela has spent much of her life ever since giving speeches and collecting awards and honors.

I dunno, but that seems weird to me.

I can see the argument that the state didn’t prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt that she was complicit in the murder of Judge Harold Haley, whose head was blown off by a shotgun Dr. Davis had bought two days before. But I’ve also never heard anybody make a terribly plausible case that she was wholly morally innocent in this spectacular crime.

And yet lots of people keep giving her prizes and honorary degrees …

By way of comparison, I can recall playing golf in late 1995 at the Knollwood municipal course in Granada Hills, CA, where O.J. had been reported to be a frequent player since his acquittal a few months before. While my friend and I were waiting on the first tee for the other twosome to show up, we got to talking what we’d do if one of them turned out to be The Juice

O.J. had perhaps been the most famous guy in L.A. since 1967. On the other hand, no matter what the jury said, he’d obviously murdered those two people. We decided we’d walk off and not play. (But, in case you are hoping this anecdote has a fascinating conclusion, then two guys who weren’t O.J. showed up, so we played 18 holes.)

Was Angela Davis guilty in the August 7, 1970 kidnapping of a judge, a prosecutor, and three women jurors? The attack on the courtroom using her guns was carried out by her boyfriend George Jackson’s 17 year old brother Jonathan Jackson, who wanted to trade the hostages for George and the two other Soledad Brothers. During the hostage-taking, Judge Harold Haley’s head was blown off with a shotgun Davis had bought two days earlier.

Was Davis wholly unaware?

Paywall here.