Persecuted Black Panther Geronimo Pratt Dies  Geronimo Pratt,
the former Black Panther and FBI target who spent 27 years in
prison before his murder conviction was vacated, has died at his
home in Tanzania the age of 63.  Pratt was a Vietnam war
veteran. He joined the Panthers in L.A. after returning from the
war, and became the chapter's "Minister of Defense." His
pregnant wife was murdered as a result of an internal power
struggle in the group. Soon, Pratt was targeted by evil FBI
radical-smearing program COINTELPRO, in an effort to destroy his
credibility. He was charged with a 1968 murder, defended by
Johnnie Cochran, convicted, and spent 27 years in jail while
always maintaining his innocence. From the LAT:  The case was
overturned in 1997 by an Orange County Superior Court judge who
ruled that prosecutors at Pratt's murder trial had concealed
evidence that could have led to his acquittal.  A federal judge
later approved a $4.5 million settlement in Pratt's false-
imprisonment and civil rights lawsuit.  N