The FREE BEY IV PROJECT
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About Yusuf Bey Project
We are a team of activists and community members inspired by the story surrounding Yusuf’s case. Yusuf and His family have deep roots in the State of California, the Bay Area in particular. For over 3 decades, the Bey family has served its community and helped to bring about positive change, offering second chances to the formerly incarcerated as well as employment and housing to those in need. Because of the society we live in such positive change isn’t always welcomed by the powers that be. As a result, Yusuf Bey IV became a target to be neutralized. He has now been unjustly incarcerated for over 15 years. It’s time that He be FREED from this wrongful conviction. The Free Bey IV PROJECT aims to raise awareness of Yusuf’s case and to present evidence of His innocence. Thank you for checking out our website and for your support. God Bless.
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ABOUT THE CASE
ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT Case# 160939A, B. This case involves the murder of Oakland Post journalist Chauncey Bailey on Aug 2, 2007, as well as the murders of two other men, Odel Roberson on July 8th, 2007, and Michael Wills four days later, July 12th, 2007. Yusuf Bey IV and former Bakery employee Antoine Mackey were charged with all three murders (Pen. Code 187).
In a joint single trial, Mackey was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder (those of Bailey and Wills), and Bey was convicted of all 3 first-degree murders, with special circumstances findings of multiple murders on each of the murder convictions for both defendants. (S 190.2, sub. (a) (3) ). Mackey was sentenced to 2 life terms without parole. Yusuf was sentenced to three life terms without the possibility of parole.
Devaughndre Broussard who was also an employee at Your Black Muslim Bakery (YBMB) turned the state’s witness in exchange for a sentence of 25 years, avoiding two life terms without parole. According to court documents and trial as well as Grand Jury testimony, Broussard admitted to 2 of the 3 murders, that of Bailey and Roberson, claiming he did so on the “Orders” of Bey IV. According to court documents Broussard had a criminal history before going to work at the bakery. He testified at length, for some 6 days, and it was only through his testimony that the Prosecution was able to convict both Bey and Mackey.
Bey IV and Mackey were both convicted by a trial jury on June 9, 2011, in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland after almost two weeks of deliberation. Both men are in the process of appealing their convictions as of 2023.
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Why this petition matters
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Yusuf Bey IV is a political prisoner wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at the age of 21. Yusuf is an innocent man wrongfully convicted of crimes he did not commit, who has been a victim of the unfairness of the current justice system in America. It has been 15 long, unjust years and the time is now for justice to be served. Yusuf’s arrest, trial, and conviction were politically motivated and riddled with religious bias, prosecutorial misconduct, and police corruption
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First, Yusuf’s hired attorney Lorna Brown was suddenly and unfairly removed from the case just one year before the trial was set to begin. Because of this, Yusuf was given a court-appointed attorney who did not have his best interest at heart. Furthermore, there was a direct conflict of interest with his newly appointed lawyer, who had previously represented the man convicted of murdering Yusuf’s older brother 17 years earlier. Yusuf’s trial attorney did not have adequate time to prepare for trial. He did not call any character witnesses on Yusuf’s behalf and only called one actual witness at trial when there were many who were willing to testify for Yusuf’s defense. It was clear from the beginning of the trial that Yusuf and his trial attorney didn’t get along which is why at one point Bey requested to be his own attorney, not because he wanted to, but because he felt he was not being properly represented.
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Second, being that Yusuf’s trial was considered “the most widely covered trial in the Bay Area’s history,” it is ludicrous that the defense’s motion to have a change of venue was denied. It was imperative that Yusuf’s trial take place somewhere with an unbiased population who were not subjected to the media’s public crucifixion of Yusuf. During the time leading up to and during his trial, a total of 1536 articles portraying Yusuf in a negative light were published over a period of 2 1/2 years. This undoubtedly played a role in Yusuf’s conviction.
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Most importantly, the prosecution’s entire case was based upon the sole testimony of one witness. This witness, who admitted to shooting 2 of the 3 victims, reporter Chauncey Bailey, and homeless man Odell Roberson (though he was, in fact, guilty of all three), claimed he was “ordered” to murder both men at the request of Yusuf. This witness of the prosecution has proved to be an unreliable and biased witness, as he has changed his account of the events multiple times and made contradictory statements in regard to his involvement. For 2 years after his arrest and up until his trial, he attested to the fact that he acted alone in the murders, only to suddenly change his story immediately before his trial was to begin, after seeing that accusing Yusuf of ordering the murders was his only way out. In return for his testimony, the prosecution’s witness, who himself was facing multiple life sentences received a reduced sentence of 25 years, making him eligible for parole in just a few years. The prosecution’s witness, Devaughndre Broussard’s story does not corroborate with those who knew both men that would testify to the fact that the two did not have a close relationship, negating his story that he was “following Yusuf’s orders” to commit murder. No other physical evidence, eyewitness testimony, witness statements, DNA, or other corroborating evidence incriminating Yusuf were presented at trial by the prosecution, as they do not exist. Had Yusuf been properly represented at trial, a strong case would have been made that Yusuf would never have confided in Broussard about anything, let alone murder.
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Before his arrest, Yusuf was a vocal activist for social justice in his community before being wrongfully tried and convicted. Yusuf and his family provided second chances to former convicts, hiring them at their businesses and providing opportunities for them to rebuild, become self-reliant, and achieve economic independence. In addition, Yusuf advocated for speaking out against police brutality, which unfortunately made him a target to those that disagreed with his activism, namely the Oakland Police Department and D.A.’s office, who had a long-standing vendetta against the families organization, dating back to when his father, Yusuf Bey Sr. first established the business in the late 1960s. His son Yusuf Bey IV’s attempt to carry on that legacy of black empowerment and self-reliant activism in the community did not sit well with the police and local government. These entities did not like how Yusuf was affecting change in the community ever since he took over as the CEO of the family business, Your Black Muslim Bakery, at age 19 after the untimely death of his older brother Antar. Because of this, the corrupt Oakland Police Dept. & D.A.’s office jumped at the opportunity to cut a deal with admitted shooter Devaughndre by framing Yusuf and his co-defendant Antoine Mackey and therefore putting an end to his efforts to uplift and advance the black community.
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The main factor to keep in mind is that Yusuf is INNOCENT!! He has adamantly maintained his innocence since his arrest. More importantly, valuable time is being taken away from his children who are suffering just as much as he is. Yusuf has unjustly lost valuable years of his life, he has missed countless birthdays, holidays, and milestones. Most importantly he was deprived of being able to raise his children and was forced to watch them grow up behind bars. The defamatory assassination of his character can likely never be undone but can be partly made up for in return for his immediate release to his family.
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In June 2019, we filed an appeal with the Appellate Court to have Yusuf released which is currently pending. At the very least, we demand that Yusuf be granted a new trial where he can be properly represented by a competent lawyer, in an unbiased location, with a fair and adequate defense team. Yusuf has been in prison for 15 years now, he was sentenced to life before his life even really got started. We hope you join us in signing this petition to speak out and stand up against this incredible injustice and assist us in helping to free a man truly innocent and set up by the police and local government.
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During his incarceration, Yusuf has been a model inmate who has been consistently respectful to both fellow prisoners and staff. He spends his time reading, mentoring, speaking, and promoting conflict resolution. He was also chosen to lead classes twice a week. Yusuf has many goals he plans on accomplishing upon his release and will truly make a substantial positive contribution to society. Upon his release, Yusuf plans to create a non-profit organization to benefit and mentor underprivileged and at-risk youth and foster children in the community. In addition, he plans to alleviate the flaws of the corrupt criminal justice system, police brutality, and mass incarceration. Yusuf is a giving, selfless, inspirational leader and activist, who thrives on giving back to the community and who has the potential to change the entire future of the next generation for the better. Yusuf has never claimed to be perfect; he has acknowledged the mistakes that he has made and has even taken responsibility for such crimes to have occurred on his watch by a business employee. Though wrongfully convicted, he is not bitter. He has used this time to learn, grow, and mature so that he may be of greater service than before. Yusuf is the kind of man that once released will not turn his back on fellow oppressed prisoners. He will use his experience to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances. Yusuf has said that he needed to go through this experience to make him the man he is today, which is why he holds no ill will toward those responsible for his unjust incarceration. He is now an improved version of himself and plans to return to society a productive, morally, ethically, and spiritually intact man.
Videos
CBS 60 Minutes News anchor Anderson Cooper’s piece on Yusuf’s case and Your Black Muslim Bakery. In this piece it was revealed by Oakland Post Owner and Boss of the victim in Yusuf’s case, that Chauncey Bailey was not only working on a story about the Bakery before his death, he was also working on a story about Police Corruption. Why has this been covered up by the Mainstream media? Why was it kept secret that the raid on Your Black Muslim Bakery was ORIGINALLY set for AUGUST 1st 2007, but then POSTPONED until AUGUST 3rd, leaving a 24-hour window for CHAUNCEY BAILEY to be killed on AUGUST 2nd? Why has it been kept quiet that the govt? had YBMB and its leadership under surveillance as far back as the late 1990s until the arrest of Yusuf Bey IV? Up until this very day the article Bailey wrote about the bakery HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED OR REVEALED TO THE PUBLIC. Could this be because the article he wrote regarding the Bakery wasn’t worth being murdered over while on the other hand, the article written about Corruption within the OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS??? We will expose this injustice and we will not rest until Yusuf Bey IV and Antoine Mackey are FREE. Once again thank you all for your support!
Footage from Our Yusuf Bey IV Freedom Rally May 13th, 2021 outside Alameda County Courthouse. THANK YOU so much to everyone who came out to support us ‼️ A special thank you to Leia Schenk of Empact for doing an amazing job speaking and for putting together a wonderful event ‼️ Thank you to everyone who had the courage to speak on Yusuf’s behalf🙌🏽 Thank you especially to the Bey family for coming out in strength and numbers✊🏾❣️ We would like to also thank The Nation of Islam for coming out to support as well. Also a big thank you to Amin Cooley, nephew of Chauncey Bailey for speaking out against Yusuf’s wrongful conviction & incarceration. We won’t stop until Yusuf is free‼️✊🏾✊🏾
Join us in the #FreeBeyIV movement and demand that Yusuf be released immediately, or at the very least be given a new and fair trial!!
To make a donation towards Yusuf’s legal defense
fund please click on the following link
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