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Tarik Shah Update, October, 2006

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It's been a long and beautiful summer and lovely autumn for most of us, but after 16 straight months, Harlem bassist Tarik Shah remains in solitary confinement in a small cage with the lights on 24 hours a day, still without trial, still without conviction, still without ever having harmed anyone, and without any previous prison record or criminal history in his whole life. (If you're not up on his case, please review the information at http://tariksfriends.faithweb.com.)

However, his new defense attorney has been hard at work and has filed several hundred pages of motions in the case on Tarik's behalf, and we hope that his dedicated efforts will turn things around for Tarik very soon now.

There will be two court proceedings coming up that will be open to the public. They are:

Monday, October 3Oth: argument on pre-trial motions, 9:3O a.m., and

Monday, November 13th: suppression hearing, 11 a.m.

Attending these proceedings is extraordinarily educational on a number of levels and should present little or no risk to you (spectators are not asked to show I.D.). But what's much more important is that your attendance is seen and felt by Tarik as emotional support and concern for him, and while you won't be permitted to speak, you can see one another and your spirits can meet. I know that right now this means the world to him. In addition, your presence is also seen and felt by the “justice" system as holding it accountable in public view. It's hard to lock someone up and throw away the key and expect him to be forgotten and abandoned when large numbers of people are watching.

These proceedings take place in the U.S. Courthouse, 5OO Pearl St. at Centre St. in Manhattan (3 blocks north of Chambers St. above the northeast corner of City Hall Park) on the 12th floor, Judge Loretta Preska presiding, 212-8O5-O5OO or -O3OO. You can take the # 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge / City Hall (for music lovers' directions, it's very near J&R Music World), or for door-to-door directions, go to the Web site www.trips123.com/trips123/plantrip_frame.html and click on the black-and-white arrow marked “continue to Transit Advisor," or you can call 718-33O-1234 for door-to-door directions.

You will have to go through airport-style Security procedures in the courthouse lobby, so don't bring anything you don't want to be caught with. Cell phones have to be left in the lobby in a set of baskets and picked up when you leave the courthouse, so if you don't like that idea, leave yours home. Please be sure to be at the courthouse early, because once the spectator seats are filled, you won't be allowed to enter the courtroom.

This time I will be out of town and unable to attend on either of these next two dates, so I'm putting out an appeal here for someone to write up what happens so I can send the report out to my list when I'm back in town. It's not simple to report these court proceedings, because only the Judge faces the spectators from quite some distance away, and she has a microphone, and then there's a bevy of attorneys and their teams for both defense and prosecution with their backs to the spectators and no microphones, and mostly they address their remarks to the Judge, and the defendants are off to the side, and then there are security guards and the court clerk, et al., so all in all, it's hard to hear what's being said and confusing in general. The task of writing this up requires an acute observer with clear and accurate writing skills, and if you've already attended one or more of these, that will help. If you think you can do a good job of this for these two hearing dates, please Email me at musicmargaret[at]earthlink.net right away. And press persons reading this: PLEASE do your job and cover this case!!

One more thing: I had another Email from Tarik's Mom, and she wrote:

“Tarik is doing pretty well under the circumstances. I spoke to him last week and I saw him two weeks ago. His brother who is a pianist has been visiting him and they have been playing music and having fun with imaginary instruments. Can you imagine that? That is a real musician and a lover of music. Tarik wrote some music and sent it to his brother to play on the piano... it's being creative and giving him an outlet."

If you don't feel that in your heart, somebody call a doctor.

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