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Thread started 04/20/14 8:58am

HatrinaHaterwi
tz

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RIP Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

http://espn.go.com/boxing...er-dies-76

TORONTO -- Rubin "Hurricane'' Carter, the boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice, has died at 76.

John Artis, a longtime friend and caregiver, said Carter died in his sleep Sunday. Carter had been stricken with prostate cancer in Toronto, the New Jersey native's adopted home.

Carter spent 19 years in prison for three murders at a tavern in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1966. He was convicted alongside Artis in 1967 and again in a new trial in 1976.

Carter was freed in November 1985 when his convictions were set aside after years of appeals and public advocacy. His ordeal and the alleged racial motivations behind it were publicized in Bob Dylan's 1975 song "Hurricane,'' several books and a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, who received an Academy Award nomination for playing the boxer turned prisoner.

Carter's murder convictions abruptly ended the boxing career of a former petty criminal who became an undersized middleweight contender largely on ferocity and punching power.

Although never a world champion, Carter went 27-12-1 with 19 knockouts, memorably stopping two-division champ Emile Griffith in the first round in 1963. He also fought for a middleweight title in December 1964, losing a unanimous decision to Joey Giardello.

In June 1966, three white people were shot by two black men at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson. Carter and Artis were convicted by an all-white jury largely on the testimony of two thieves who later recanted their stories.

Carter was granted a new trial and briefly freed in 1976, but sent back for nine more years after being convicted in a second trial.

"I wouldn't give up,'' Carter said in an interview with PBS in 2011. "No matter that they sentenced me to three life terms in prison. I wouldn't give up. Just because a jury of 12 misinformed people ... found me guilty did not make me guilty. And because I was not guilty, I refused to act like a guilty person.''

Dylan became aware of Carter's plight after reading the boxer's autobiography. He met Carter and co-wrote "Hurricane,'' which he performed on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1975.

Muhammad Ali also spoke out on Carter's behalf, while advertising art director George Lois and other celebrities also worked toward Carter's release.

With a network of friends and volunteers also advocating for him, Carter eventually won his release from U.S. District Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who wrote that Carter's prosecution had been "predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure.''

sad

[Edited 4/20/14 8:59am]

I knew from the start that I loved you with all my heart.
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Reply #1 posted 04/20/14 9:17am

free2bfreeda

rose rip
I wish to thank Mr. Carter for bringing to light injustices done to him and other imprisoned due to an overtly unfair justice system.
“Transracial is a term that has long since been defined as the adoption of a child that is of a different race than the adoptive parents,” : https://thinkprogress.org...fb6e18544a
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Reply #2 posted 04/20/14 9:35am

Lammastide

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May he rest in power.

[Edited 4/20/14 13:13pm]

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
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Reply #3 posted 04/20/14 11:08am

babynoz

I just read this a minute ago....sad RIP

Prince, in you I found a kindred spirit...Rest In Paradise.
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Reply #4 posted 04/20/14 12:33pm

HuMpThAnG

rose

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Reply #5 posted 04/20/14 2:35pm

JoeTyler

They stole a 1/3 of his life

RIP Mr.Carter, you'll never be forgotten

tinkerbell
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Reply #6 posted 04/20/14 7:50pm

luv4u

Moderator

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moderator

RIP rose

canada

Ohh purple joy oh purple bliss oh purple rapture!
REAL MUSIC by REAL MUSICIANS - Prince
"I kind of wish there was a reason for Prince to make the site crash more" ~~ Ben
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Reply #7 posted 04/21/14 2:08am

samt

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An inspiration....R.I.P sad
Interviewer: What's it like to be the greatest guitarist in the world?
Clapton: I don't know, you'd better ask Prince
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Reply #8 posted 04/21/14 4:28pm

Timmy84

Rest in power.

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Reply #9 posted 04/22/14 11:42am

Boriqua1130

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======= Rest In Peace dove Mr. Carter======

www heavenlyflowerstoo net

I'll ♥️ "LemonDrop" 2DN 💋 your "Sugar"
Prince: TY! 🌹 🎶🎸🎶 💜 Rex @3/27/18 2D Media Let Prince R.I.P.
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Reply #10 posted 04/25/14 3:13pm

nursev

rose
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