Stanley Ray Bond (October 30, 1944 – May 24, 1972) was a former convict who enrolled at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

. He was arrested for a bank robbery conducted to obtain funds for anti-Vietnam War efforts. Previously, he was a Private First Class in the United States Army and served in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. During the bank robbery, a Boston Police Department officer was shot and killed, with Bond and several accomplices captured following the robbery. Bond later died in prison awaiting trial when a bomb he built to use for an escape detonated prematurely.

Brandeis

In February 1970, Bond enrolled at Brandeis University as part of a government sponsored program for ex-convicts out on parole. There he became involved with the

National Student Strike Force National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. This organization advocated strikes across the country by students as a protest to the Vietnam War. It also supported the

Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, California ...

. While involved with the anti-war movement Bond met Susan Saxe and Katherine Ann Power, becoming involved with Power romantically.

Robbery and death

These three, along with ex-convicts William Gilday and Robert Valeri, made plans to rob a bank in order to finance the activities of the Black Panthers. First the group burglarized and torched a

Massachusetts National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the United States National Guard, National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts militia, Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the ...

armory on September 20, 1970, stealing ammunition. Then, on September 23, in order to finance their anti-war activities, the five robbed a

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as " ...

bank of $26,000. During the holdup, Gilday shot police officer Walter A. Schroeder in the back and killed him. Following the robbery, Bond declared the heist a success and said the stolen money will be donated to various left-wing groups. He subtracted $2,500 from the loot, which he declared would be their "payment" for pulling off the robbery, dividing it into $500 of spending money for each participant. Bond, Gilday, and Valeri were all captured soon after the robbery. Saxe remained at large until 1975 and Power until 1993. On May 24, 1972, Bond died at Walpole State Prison in an escape attempt making an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

, which backfired and killed him. His remains were interred at

Los Angeles National Cemetery The Los Angeles National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the Sawtelle, Los Angeles, Sawtelle unincorporated community of the West Los Angeles neighborhood in Los Angeles County, California. Geography The entrance to the cemeter ...

in California on July 2, 1972.. Anarchist Black Cross Federation. Originally retrieved on February 29, 2008.

References

External links

Harvard University: The Crimson: 10-5-1970Harvard University: The Crimson: 10-6-1970
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Stanley Ray 1944 births 1972 deaths American anti–Vietnam War activists American bank robbers Brandeis University alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Accidental deaths in Massachusetts Deaths by improvised explosive device in the United States American people who died in prison custody Criminals from Massachusetts Prisoners who died in Massachusetts detention United States Army soldiers