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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 23:39:43 -0400
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Subject: Two Canadian articles on Mumia Abu-Jamal
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From: zodiac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi there.
Two articles about Mumia. You can get picture versions of these at
http://www.interlog.com/eye/News/Eyenet/EyeNet.html .
Ken.
P.S. If you have not written a letter of complaint to the Penn gov, you
have not read the details of this case. I have never seen a more blatant
attempt to eliminate a police critic and revolutionary. Please be
concerned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eye WEEKLY June 15 1995
Toronto's arts newspaper .....free every Thursday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eye.NET eye.NET
A MATTER OF LIFE AND NET
Supporters fight to prevent execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal
by
K.K. CAMPBELL
3:52 a.m. -- the cop is down. Shot three times. Several feet away on
the sidewalk, two black men (brothers) are also down -- one's shot in
the torso. He was carrying his own (registered) handgun. As a graveyard
shift cabbie, he carried it for safety.
Witnesses stand around, aghast. A couple of hookers, a cabbie, a
resident...
Cops screech in. Statements are taken. Four witnesses say they saw the
shooter running away in the same direction. The cab driver says the
shooter was over 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds.
An hour later, the officer, Daniel Faulkner, 25, dies from bullets in
the back, chest and face.
The city: Philadelphia. The date: Dec. 9, 1981.
Despite the witnesses to that "third man," Philly authorities never
investigate that lead. Instead, they target the man they love to hate,
who is down with a gunshot wound of his own. It turns out one of the
black men on the ground is a local activist/radio journalist well-known
to the police. In conjunction with the FBI, Philly cops have been
spying on him for a dozen years. He's a political writer, a
revolutionary, a radio personality ("the voice of the voiceless") and
one relentless cop critic -- Mumia Abu-Jamal.
6-foot-1 and 175 pounds Jamal is charged with murder. Cop killer.
And, on July 2, 1982, in a trial criticized by numerous lawyers, Jamal
is found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
And, on June 2, 1995, newly-elected Republican Governor Thomas Ridge
signs Jamal's death warrant -- execution slated for Aug. 17. But those
who think Jamal was set up by the cops are drumming up international
support to stop the killing. And they're using the net.
THE $150 DEFENCE
The American Civil Liberties Union says Jamal's death sentence should
be reversed because the three-week trial contains many improper
prosecutorial procedures, leaving "great doubts" about Jamal's
conviction and his sentence.
The trial presented two very different pictures of Jamal: the
prosecution's wild-eyed black cop killer screaming while dragged into
the cop shop: "I shot the motherfucker! And I hope he dies!" (which
Jamal denies ever doing); contrasted with the articulate and
award-winning radio journalist voted one of 1981's "People to Watch" by
Philadelphia Magazine.
The judge, Albert Sabo, who put more people on death row than any other
judge in the U.S., allocated Jamal a total of $150 pretrial for use
preparing his defence. The prosecution, on the other hand, interviewed
125 witnesses.
In mid-June, 1982, the judge ordered Jamal removed as his own counsel
for being "too disruptive" and appointed a lawyer -- who repeatedly
asked to be relieved of the case because he was not prepared and he
simply didn't want it. The judge refused. (The lawyer was later
disbarred for unrelated actions.)
The prosecution used 11 of 15 "preemptive challenges" in jury selection
to exclude blacks. Meanwhile, Jamal's bumbling, court-appointed lawyer
actually allowed a juror whose best friend was a former Philly cop on
disability after being shot while on duty.
A witness (a prostitute) later claimed she'd been offered "immunity" by
the authorities if she could identify Jamal as the shooter.
No test was ever conducted to see if Jamal's gun had been fired -- not
even picking it up to smell for gunpowder. Nor were Jamal's hands
tested for signs of firing a gun.
In demanding the death penalty, prosecutor Joseph McGill told the jury
(11 whites, one black) there'd be "appeal after appeal and perhaps
there could be a reversal of the case, or whatever, so that may not be
final" -- implying they shouldn't worry too much if they gave Jamal
death. The U.S. Supreme Court has since specifically condemned such a
statement. (When McGill used it in another case since, a Pennsylvania
court overturned the death sentence because of it. Why not in Jamal's
case?)
McGill also told the jury Jamal's Panther past proved he'd longed to
kill a cop "all the way back then." His politics and speech were used
as evidence he should be executed.
The mainstream U.S. media are toeing the party line: cop killer. Case
closed. Recently, the Washington Post, CBS news and Entertainment
Tonight ran a story about a "violent criminal" making money from his
book -- Jamal's recently released <I>Live From Death Row</I>. They
didn't mention the L.A.P.D.'s Stacey Koon, of Rodney King-beating
infamy, is a convicted criminal with his own book -- not to mention an
estimated $4.6 million U.S. in donations to the Koon Defense Fund.
And the police are determined to see Jamal executed before his trial
can be re- examined. On May 14, the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of
Police (FOP) invited President Bill Clinton to appear at a national
gathering alongside Maureen Faulkner, the slain officer's widow. Last
year, FOP pressured the U.S. National Public Radio to kill Jamal's
radio commentaries. When talking to the media, the FOP continually
assert Jamal turned to the officer's widow and smiled when the dead
officer's bloody T-shirt was displayed. Court transcripts indicate
Jamal was not in the courtroom during that testimony.
USING THE NET
There is also a WWW page in the Netherlands --
http://huizen.dds.nl:80/~tank/mumia002.htm . It's a high-quality site
dealing with political prisoners around the world, designed by the
Solidariteitsgroep Politieke Gevangenen (Solidaritygroup Political
Prisoners) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). Also try New York-based Refuse & Resist!
at http://www.calyx.com/~refuse/ .
With the net helping to coordinate economically, Jamal protests are
being conducted worldwide. Days after the death warrant was signed,
demonstrations erupted in Germany, Italy, England, Holland, the U.S.,
Canada and Japan. More are planned.
More than 40,000 people have signed petitions or sent individual
letters demanding Jamal not be executed. Among Jamal's supporters are
Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, William Kunstler, Alice Walker, Ed
Asner, Mike Farrell, British MPs and many trade unions.
Contact Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Ridge, Main Capitol Building, Room
225 Harrisburg, PA 17120 -- fax: 717-783-3369; voice: 717-783-1198.
Committee to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal, P.O. Box 163, Amsterdam Ave. #115,
New York, NY 10023-5001.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eye WEEKLY June 22 1995
Toronto's arts newspaper .....free every Thursday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eye.NET eye.NET
CAGED PANTHER
by
K.K. CAMPBELL
Last week, we looked at the legal case of Mumia Abu-Jamal,
Philadelphia's revolutionary, award-winning black journalist being
rushed to execution for supposedly killing a cop. The case is so
riddled with prosectorial errors, no unbiased person could consign him
to death.
But die he will, Aug. 17 -- unless there's enough international
protest, such as being organized through the Internet.
In May, Jamal's book, Live From Death Row (Addison-Wesley $25.95) was
released. For this collection of articles, Addison-Wesley reportedly
paid $30,000 to Jamal's defense fund, which sent Philly cops into a
lobbying frenzy to fry a person they detest and think should already be
dead.
In the finest tradition of Kafkaesque humor, two days after prison
officials served Jamal his Death Warrant, they served him a "Misconduct
Report" for "engaging in a business or profession" -- i.e., continuing
to be a journalist and releasing a book. (In 1980, he was prez of the
Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Black Journalists.)
On June 7, Jamal's comments on the Misconduct Report were uploaded to
newsgroup misc.activism.progressive: "Clearly, what the gov't wants is
not just Death -- but silence.... As you read this, know that I am
being 'punished' by the gov't for writing Live From Death Row, and
these very words. Indeed, I've been 'punished' by the gov't for my
writings since I was 15 years of age; but, I've kept right on writing.
You keep right on reading!"
He doesn't exagerrate. The US has been spying on Jamal since 1969 --
when he was just a cock-sure 15-year-old kid from Philly named Wesley
Cook.
DEAD BLACK REVOLUTIONARIES
In 1968, Cook and three teen friends crashed a presidential campaign
rally of Dixiecrat segregationist George Wallace -- who ran as an
independent against Republicrats Nixon and Humphrey.
"If Wallace would dare to run for president in Philadelphia, we...
would dare to protest," Jamal recalls. "We strolled into the stadium,
four lanky dark string beans in a pot full of white, steaming limas.
The band played 'Dixie.' We shouted, 'Black power, Ungowa, black
power!' They shouted, 'Wallace for president! White power!' and 'Send
those niggers back to Africa!' We shouted, 'Black power, Ungowa!'
(Don't ask what 'Ungowa' means. We didn't know. All we knew was that it
had a helluva ring to it.) 'Black power!' They hissed and booed. We
stood up in our seats and proudly gave the black power salute. In
answer, we received dubious gifts of spittle from those seated above.
Patriots tore American flags from their standards and hurled the bare
sticks at us."
Wallace replied from the podium: "When I become president, these dirty,
unwashed radicals will have to move to the Soviet Union! You know, all
throughout this campaign these radicals have been demonstrating against
George Corley Wallace. Well, I hope they have the guts to lay down in
front of my car. I'll drive right over 'em!"
The crowd roared approval and helmeted cops escorted the boys out.
Waiting at the bus stop to go home, they were surrounded by 8-10 white
men. "I was grabbed by two of them, one kicking my skull while the
other kicked me in the balls," Jamal writes. "Then I looked up and saw
the two-toned, gold-trimmed pant leg of a Philly cop. Without thinking,
and reacting from years of brainwashing, I yelled, 'Help, police!' The
cop saw me on the ground being beaten to a pulp, marched over briskly
-- and kicked me in the face. I have been thankful to that faceless cop
ever since, for he kicked me straight into the Black Panther Party
[BPP]."
On May 1 1969, young Wesley attended a demo demanding the release of
imprisoned BPP leader Huey Newton. The FBI christened the event by
opening a file on the boy.
And what a file it is: 700 pages -- albeit loaded with black-outs and
withheld documents -- recently released through Jamal's freedom of
information requests. It details a deep collusion between the FBI and
the Philly cops, sometimes involving the Naval Investigative Service
Office, Military Intelligence, Office of Special Investigation and the
Secret Service.
The young Panther became entangled in one of the most sinister US
government spy operations in history: the FBI's Counter-Intelligence
Program (COINTELPRO). COINTELPRO, in seeking to destroy radical
organizations, instructed agents: "it is immaterial whether facts exist
to substantiate the charge." Knowing of J Edgar Hoover's prejudices,
it's not surprising COINTELPRO obsessed over the Black Panthers --
young, black, revolutionary and known to carry weapons ("niggers with
guns"). There were 233 secret COINTELPRO operations against the BPP.
Hoover pledged: "The Negro youth and moderate must be made to
understand that if they succumb to revolutionary teachings, they will
be dead revolutionaries."
On Oct 24 1969, the FBI concluded the boy was a threat to the United
State of America: "In spite of the subject's age (15 years),
Philadelphia feels that his continued participation in BPP activities
[and] position in the Philadelphia Branch of the BPP, and his past
inclination to appear and speak at public gatherings, the subject
should be included on the Security Index" -- a list of citizens
considered threats to "national security." Reports on the kid were now
filed weekly.
On Dec 9 1971, FBI put Jamal on the Administrative Index -- a list of
citizens to be rounded up in a "national emergency".
In '72, cops tried to put Jamal away on a weapons charge -- possession
of an Exacto blade he used at work. In '73, US feds tried to link him
to the assassination of Bermuda's governor -- though he'd never been to
Bermuda.
The FBI labelled Jamal "Armed and Dangerous," though their own reports
state he "has not displayed a propensity for violence." Why? He's a
talented writer/speaker who "made the BPP look good because his
approach was very positive." Armed and Dangerous with intelligence...
As proof FBI hatred is eternal, a 1991 report straightfacedly suggests
a visit to Jamal by a German human rights activist might be linked to a
"machine gun attack" on the American Embassy in Bonn -- evil Jamal
pulling the strings of world revolution from his 6' x 10' death row
cell.
NEXT WEEK! Thwart US email spies and COINTELPRO creeps with an
absolutely free anti-spy software that so frightens US Feds they're
<B>threatening to prosecute</B> the man who authored it: meet Phil
Zimmerman and his modestly named "Pretty Good Privacy" program.
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--
Michael Golden
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Biology
Grossmont College
8800 Grossmont College Drive
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-465-1700 x332
