California IN BRIEF : OAKLAND : Ex-Black Panther Leaders Gather

Former Black Panther Party leaders appeared together for the first time since the demise of the militant group to press for the release of convicted murderer Elmer (Geronimo) Pratt, once a member of the party hierarchy. All contended that Pratt, 43, was in Oakland attending a party meeting on Dec. 18, 1968, the day he allegedly killed a woman in Santa Monica. Pratt has served 21 years of a life sentence for the killing that occurred during a $30 robbery. The gathering this week at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, however, marked the first time the five former leaders appeared together to recount their stories. Kathleen Cleaver, a former member of the central committee, said the long silence was the result of an FBI plan that pitted party factions against each other.