A packed court room full of community activists from across the city heard Denlow offer not even the pretence of objectivity. While referring to "evidence" which the state has yet to produce to the defense, let alone in court, he repeatedly left out the word "alleged."

Even when referring to the crimes that Patterson is accused of, Denlow didn't bother with the "alleged" word, preferring to flatly state that Patterson committed crimes even before a single witness has testified and before a single piece of physical evidence has been produced in open court.

To back up its case that Patterson represents a danger to the community, prosecution attorneys cited their own edited transcript of telephone calls Patterson allegedly participated in. An inadvertant indication of the quality of this "evidence" came when one of the prosecution attorneys quoted a passage in which Patterson allegedly claimed a gun scope was so powerful one could see the Burger King restaurant from his house. The only problem is that there is no such restaurant in the entire South Shore neighborhood where Patterson and his mother live.

Prosecution attorneys admitted that much of their "evidence" is based on anonymous informants, one of whom was paid $6000 for his services and is himself facing criminal charges. Turning up good "evidence" for the state presumably might make this informant's own criminal trial and sentencing go smoother.

Prosecution attorneys spent a lot of time emphasizing violent crimes Patterson committed almost 20 years ago in an attempt to prove that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community. Defense attorneys and character witnesses countered by noting extensive community involvement of Patterson since his release 1-1/2 years ago, evidenced by a diverse courtroom full of supporters.

Leading off the character witnesses for Patterson was long-time anti-police brutality activist and former mayoral candidate Rev. Paul Jakes, Jr. Jakes was joined on the stand by Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, a leader of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, and Fred Hampton, Jr., Chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and son of the late Chicago Black Panther leader who was murdered by police in a December 1969 raid on the Panthers' West Side headquarters. Noting Patterson's many good works since his January 2003 release, Hampton said "He does not represent a danger, he's an ASSET to the community."

Hampton and many other supporters noted the ridiculous "coincidence" that the day before Patterson was arrested, he won a huge victory in his multi-million dollar civil suit against the Chicago police. Last Wednesday former Police Commander Jon Burge, the cop who tortured Patterson almost 20 years ago and played the principal role in putting Patterson on death row, was finally ordered by a federal judge to testify regarding the crime. Burge is currently set to testify in Chicago on September 1st at an as-yet undisclosed time and location.

The father of a newborn, with another child on the way, and with a very strong, multi-million dollar civil suit pending, Patterson does not fit the profile of a potential flight risk.

One of Patterson's co-defendants, Mark Mannie, had bail tentatively set for $40,000, roughly the value of his mother's house, who will be asked to put it up as collateral in a further hearing next Tuesday. The other co-defendant, Isaiah Kitchen, is in ill health and did not appear in court today.

Patterson is being defended pro bono by Tommy Brewer, a long time civil rights attorney who has challenged Cook County States Attorney Dick Devine in previous runs for the office. As appointed counsel, Patterson had the good luck to draw Demetrius Evans, a passionate and energetic attorney previously associated with civil rights attorney Standish Willis.

At this time there is no word on when Patterson's next court date will be. He is being held in solitary confinement at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center, Clark Street & Van Buren Avenue, in downtown Chicago.