Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson

Who is Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson?

Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson, known as Cathy Wilkerson, is an American radical who was a member of the 1970s radical group called the Weather Underground Organization. She came to the attention of the police when she was leaving the townhouse belonging to her father after it was destroyed by an explosion on March 6, 1970. Members of WUO had been constructing a nail bomb in the basement of the building, intending to use it in an attack on a non-commissioned officers dance at Fort Dix, New Jersey that night. Wilkerson, already free on bail for her involvement in the Chicago "Days of Rage" riots, avoided capture for 10 years. She surrendered in 1980 and pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of dynamite. She was sentenced to up to three years in prison and served 11 months.