Editing Assata Shakur (section)

===Bronx bank robbery mistrial===
In December 1973, Shakur was tried for a September 29, 1972, $3,700 robbery of the [[Manufacturer's Hanover Trust Company]] in the Bronx, along with co-defendant Kamau Sadiki (born Fred Hilton).<ref name="p81"/><ref name="awaited"/> In light of the pending murder prosecution against Shakur in New Jersey state court, her lawyers requested that the trial be postponed for six months to permit further preparation. Judge [[Lee P. Gagliardi]] denied a postponement, and the Second Circuit denied Shakur's petition for [[mandamus]].<ref>Chesimard v. Gagliardi, 489 F.2d 271 (2d Cir. 1973) (per curiam).</ref> In protest, the lawyers stayed mute, and Shakur and Sadiki conducted their own defense.<ref name="p81">Perkins, 2000, p. 81.</ref><ref name="awaited">''The New York Times'' (December 14, 1973). "Chesimard Verdict Still Awaited Here", p. 31.</ref> Seven other BLA members were indicted by District Attorney Eugene Gold in connection with the series of holdups and shootings on the same day,<ref>''Los Angeles Times'' (August 23, 1973). "9 'Black Liberation' Suspects Indicted", p. 2.</ref> who—according to Gold—represented the "top echelon" of the BLA as determined by a year-long investigation.<ref>Butler, Vincent (August 24, 1973). "Black Liberation leaders indicted". ''Chicago Tribune'', p. A16.</ref>

The prosecution's case rested largely on the testimony of two men who had pleaded guilty to participating in the holdup.<ref>''The New York Times'' (December 30, 1973), "Chesimard Acquitted", p. 104.</ref> The prosecution called four witnesses: Avon White and John Rivers (both of whom had already pled guilty to the robbery) and the manager and teller of the bank.<ref name="prial">Prial, Frank J. (December 12, 1973). "Prosecution Rests Case on Chesimard Robbery Trial; Defendant Ejected", ''The New York Times'', p. 54.</ref> White and Rivers, although having pled guilty, had not yet been sentenced for the robbery and were promised that the charges would be dropped in exchange for their testimony.<ref name="prial"/> White and Rivers testified that Shakur had guarded one of the doors with a [[.357 magnum]] pistol and that Sadiki had served as a lookout and drove the getaway truck during the robbery; neither White nor Rivers was cross-examined due to the defense attorney's refusal to participate in the trial.<ref name="prial"/> Shakur's aunt and lawyer, Evelyn Williams, was cited for [[contempt of court]] after walking out of the courtroom after many of her attempted motions were denied.<ref name="p81"/> The trial was delayed for a few days after Shakur was diagnosed with [[pleurisy]].<ref>''The New York Times'' (December 7, 1973), "Miss Chesimard Ill; Trial Here Delayed", p. 55.</ref>

During the trial, the defendants were escorted to a "holding pen" outside the courtroom several times after shouting complaints and epithets at Judge Gagliardi.<ref name="NYT_1973-12-06">Lichtenstein, Grace. December 6, 1973. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/06/archives/new-outbursts-mark-chesimard-trial-lawyers-warned-door-blocked.html New Outbursts Mark Chesimard Trial]", ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.</ref> While in the holding pen, they listened to the proceedings over loudspeakers.<ref name="NYT_1974-01-27">Dugan, George. January 27, 1974. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/mrs-chesimard-expects-a-child-lawyer-believes-pregnancy-will-delay.html Mrs. Chesimard Expects a Child]". ''The New York Times''. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.</ref> Both defendants were repeatedly cited for contempt of court and eventually barred from the courtroom, where the trial continued in their absence.<ref name="p81"/> A contemporary ''[[New York Times]]'' editorial criticized Williams for failing to maintain courtroom "decorum," comparing her actions to [[William Kunstler]]'s recent contempt conviction for his actions during the "[[Chicago Seven]]" trial.<ref>''The New York Times'' (December 8, 1973). "Order in Court", p. 34.</ref>

Sadiki's lawyer, Robert Bloom, attempted to have the trial dismissed and then postponed due to new "revelations" regarding the credibility of White, a former co-defendant by then working for the prosecution.<ref name="licht">Lichtenstein, Grace (December 11, 1973). "Judge and Defendants Clash Again as Chesimard Jury Is Chosen", ''The New York Times'', p. 31.</ref> Bloom had been assigned to defend Sadiki/Hilton over the summer, but White was not disclosed as a government witness until right before the trial.<ref name="prial2">Prial, Frank J. (December 15, 1973). "Mistrial Declared in Chesimard Case as Jury Splits 11-1", ''The New York Times'', p. 28.</ref> Judge Gagliardi instructed both the prosecution and the defense not to bring up Shakur or Sadiki's connections to the BLA, saying they were "not relevant".<ref name="licht"/> Gagliardi denied requests by the jurors to pose questions to the witnesses—either directly or through him—and declined to provide the jury with information they requested about how long the defense had been given to prepare, saying it was "none of their concern".<ref>Prial, Frank J. (December 13, 1973), "Chesimard Trial Goes To The Jury", ''The New York Times'', p. 42.</ref> This trial resulted in a [[hung jury]] and then a mistrial, when the jury reported to Gagliardi that they were hopelessly deadlocked for the fourth time.<ref name="prial2"/>