Biography
Bobby Lee Williams was a young Black man who, during the Plainfield, New Jersey rebellion, was shot and seriously wounded by police officer John V. Gleason Jr. on July 16, 1967; the crowd that witnessed the shooting then beat Gleason to death. After recovering from his wounds, Williams was himself charged in connection with Gleason's death — accused of inciting the crowd, along with assault — and was defended by movement attorneys William Kunstler and George Mutnick. He was one of the three "Plainfield's Black Hostages," alongside Gail Madden and George Merritt Jr., around whom a defense campaign was organized.
