Hilliard's Bond Set and $30,000 

Chicago Tribune 4dec1969

San Francisco, December 3 (UPI) -- David Hilliard, Black Panther leader, was arrested today in charge with threatening to life of President Nixon during an anti-war rally November 15.

Hilliard, 27, was seized by Secret Service agents in San Francisco. He was immediately arraigned before United States District Court Judge Stanley Weigle who set bail at $30,000.

At the moratorium day rally in Golden Gate Park, Hilliard told an audience of 100,000: "we will kill Richard Nixon."

The arrest was made on a federal grand jury indictment charging the Panther leader with "willfully and knowingly" making a public threat on the President.

Hilliard was jailed after the arraignment.

His attorney Charles Garry, said he would not be able to make the "exorbitant ransom" demanded as bail. The hearing for a plea was set for December 17. Garry said the Panther leader was anxious to defend his remarks at the rally.

According to the indictment Hilliard blamed Nixon for being "the man that's responsible for all the attacks upon the black Panther party nationally."

With the title of Chief of Staff, Hilliard had been a top national leader of the militant Black Panther Party still free. Bobby Seale, chairman, is in jail awaiting trial on several charges.

Other speakers at the Golden Gate Park rally included former Sen. Wayne Morse, (D., Ore.) and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, chairman of The Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Hilliard was an activist on the San Francisco State College campus during student turmoil there.

He has an arrest record dating from 1962. The charges ranged from traffic violations to assault with intent to commit murder.