San Francisco Black Film Festival 2008

One of the most influential criminal defense attorneys of the 20th century, Charles R. Garry (1909-1991) became a household name during the 1960s with his defense of a host of revolutionary political icons, including Huey Newton and Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party. "The People's Advocate: The Life & Times of Charles R. Garry" seeks to fill the gap Seale wrote about nearly thirty years ago in his autobiography Seize the Time: "We don't know every detail of Charles' life, but we can see that he is a man who is dedicated to the survival and the existence of the right to self-determination of human beings. We need a lot more history on Charles R. Garry so we can understand what motivates a man to be such a defender of the people's human rights." An outspoken advocate for the underdog, Garry's career came to an unexpected and tragic halt in 1978, when his client, the Reverend Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple, led over 900 of his followers in mass suicide at Jonestown. This documentary recounts Garry's life through the voices of those who knew him best—family, fellow attorneys and former clients. Interviewees include: Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale, Kathleen Cleaver, Ericka Huggins and David Hilliard; famed historian and civil rights activist Howard Zinn; and Jim Jones's son Stephan Jones

Co-presented with the National Lawyers Guild San Francisco Bay Area Chapter