“Sostre vs. The State”

Submitted By James Coughlin

On Monday, September 23rd, at 6PM, community members will gather at 1412 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, to read and discuss several of Martin Sostre’s writings.

“Sostre vs. The State” is being organized by the Justice for Geraldine and Martin Campaign, the Progressive Book Club 716, and Prisoners are People Too, Inc., 1412 Jefferson Avenue marks the site of Sostre’s former Afro Asian Book Shop, and where Sostre and Geraldine (Robinson) Pointer were wrongfully arrested on July 15th, 1967. “Sostre vs. The State” continues the Justice for Geraldine and Martin’s push to call upon Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane (D) to review and vacate Pointer and Sostre’s convictions.

Participants will discuss Sostre’s “Letters from Prison” and “Martin Sostre in Court” which detail Sostre and Pointer’s frame ups, incarcerations, and trials. Copies are available at Zawadi Books, located at 1382 Jefferson Avenue, and Burning Books, located at 420 Connecticut St. These texts are also available online by contacting James Coughlin at: coug7044@gmail.com or through the Martin Sostre Institute’s website.

The Progressive Book Club 716’s mission “serves as a group for bookworms and aspiring activists.” Their promotion of “open discussions based on relevant readings on topics such as racism, immigration, native land rights, climate change, political figures, and beyond,” seeking to “create community through books” illustrates an outgrowth of Sostre and Pointer’s contributions to Buffalo’s history.

As book bans continue to be legislated through the United States, Sostre’s and Pointer’s arrests highlight a historical attack on freedom of speech and thought. Pointer and Sostre’s arrests came three weeks following Buffalo’s rebellion of June 27 - July 1, where Black Buffalonians revolted against police brutality, segregated housing, and racialized inequality. Since opening in 1965, Sostre’s Afro Asian Book Shop at 1412 Jefferson Avenue served as an empowering and liberating space for Black Buffalonians, and a refuge for those seeking safety from police brutality throughout the rebellion. Pointer managed another revolutionary bookstore at 289 High Street. Due to the bookstores’ growing prominence and contributions to the radical Black political consciousness in Buffalo, Sostre and Pointer were targeted by local law enforcement.

Sostre was charged with illegal sale and possession of narcotics, inciting a riot, arson, resisting arrest, and assault. Pointer, who was working with him at the Afro Asian Book Shop, was charged with selling narcotics and interfering with an arrest. Authorities accused Sostre of conducting $15,000 in weekly drug sales and using his basement to manufacture and distribute Molotov cocktails. Narcotics Assistant Chief of Detectives Michael Amico claimed to have motion picture evidence of drug sales and portrayed Sostre as a violent drug trafficker distributing “bombs to hoodlums.” By the time of Sostre’s trial the following year, the arson and riot charges were dropped, the motion picture footage could not be found, and the drug charges were reduced to a single $15 bag of heroin supplied by a police informant who later recanted his testimony. Sostre was sentenced to 31-41 years by an all-white jury, and Pointer to 7-15 years. She lost custody of her five children before being reunited with them after two and half years of imprisonment. Following nine years of incarceration, Sostre was granted executive clemency on December 24, 1975 and released on February 9, 1976.

Reflecting on July 14th and August 15th events, Ms. Geraldine Pointer noted community members’ enthusiasm for her and Martin Sostre’s exonerations. “It has meant a lot because we have had a lot of people to know what has happened, to keep what is going on. I feel good that I haven’t been forgotten after all this time.” Remarking on the September 23rd, “Sostre vs. the State” Ms. Pointer feels her role in history is instructive to “make people aware of what happened so it won’t happen again” and encourages folks to acknowledge “all the publicity we got” and “will continue to get.”

Educator, storyteller, and founder of Prisoners are People Too, Inc. Ms. Karima Amin, sees her work as an outgrowth of Martin Sostre’s book shops. “I remember Martin Sostre very well and spent a lot of time at the Afro Asian Book Store. Being Congressmn James Clyburn, Dr. Eva M. Doyle and Congressman Tim Kennedy. ~ Criterion Photo in his presence was always inspiring and exhilarating. I always learned something new about my Black self. Having the book store in my life was right on time. It was one of my homes away from home.” Ms. Amin, who participated in both the July 14th and August 15th events enthusiastically remarked “I’m glad that Martin’s life and work is getting the attention it deserves.”

“Sostre vs. The State” seeks to bring attention to 1412 Jefferson Avenue’s current status, an unused lot, owned by the City of Buffalo with an assessed value of $10,000. Through utilizing this space, the Justice for Geraldine and Martin campaign actively continues the Afro Asian Book Shop’s legacy and honors this space’s history, which served as a catalyst for Black radical thought and movement building in 1967 Buffalo. Prior to the Afro Asian Book Shop, 1412 Jefferson Avenue served as the location of the Nation of Islam’s Muslim Mosque No. 23, which was founded with Malcolm X’s assistance. Furthermore, it serves as an opportunity to engage with community members to determine what may be built in its stead, serve the needs of neighborhood residents, and call attention to local government’s role in fostering and upholding, rather than repairing, racialized segregation.

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