Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Mumia Supporters Confront Philadelphia City Council on False Statements

On September 21, 2006 a group of activists representing the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) came to the City Council of Philadelphia to demand that Council members rescind a resolution they passed last May. That resolution denounced the naming of a street in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal on April 29, 2006 in Saint-Denis, France and included false and prejudicial material about Jamal.
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Thursday, September 21, 2006

Activists Demand Philly City Council Rescind Resolution

Mumia supporters are travelling to Philadelphia today to demand that the City Council Rescind its May 25 Resolution.

On May 25, 2006 the City Council of Philadelphia unanimously passed a resolution supporting US HouseCongressional Resolution 407 which denounced the naming of a street in Mumia's honor in Saint-Denis, France, called for rescinding the name, and demanded that the French Government force Saint-Denis to withdraw the name rue Mumia Abu-Jamal if it refused to do so on its own.

Additionally, the Philadelphia resolution presented several lies without any challenge, fully prejudicing the public's view of Mumia's, presenting him as a cold-blooded murderer who has exhausted all his constitutional rights to appeal, and is now legally supposed to be executed.

-- the scenario the House Resolution presents of how Mumia shot Officer Faulkner in the back four times with his gun has never before been presented and is a newly concocted version meant to create a vicious image of Mumia.

-- the House Resolution states that Mumia was convicted and sentenced by a jury of his peers, a statement that contradicts Amnesty International's view (and the view of many other human rights and legal organizations) that Mumia was denied the right to have proportional representation of African-Americans on his jury by systematic and illegal exclusion of Black jurors, a practice that has been ruled by the US Supreme Court a basis for a new trial (the Batson ruling). In fact, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, on December 5, 2006 granted Mumia the right to appeal the issue of racial bias in jury selection, and that issue is now the center of Mumia's appeal.

-- the Philadelphia City Council's assertion that Mumia has "exhausted all legal appeals" flies in the face of the reality that the case is currently being appealed before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and three issues have been granted by that court for appeal.

Neither ignorance nor prejudice justifies the outrageous falsehoods asserted in a a resolution, that though ridiculous in challenging another government's sovereignty, does harm to public support for Mumia's right to have a new and fair trial. The House of Representatives, the City Council of Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Senate Resolution all contain serious distortions of the reality of Mumia Abu-Jamal's case and embody reckless language and practice by elected legislators. They are meant to deny internationally honored political prisoner and death row inmate, Mumia Abu-Jamal, his right, based on well-documented denial of his rights by US Constitution and International Law, to a new and fair trial.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A Quarter Century Stolen - Mumia Must Be Free!

This December 9th will mark 25 years since the Philadelphia police shot and brutally beat Mumia nearly to death. For the last quarter century he has been on death row for a crime he did not commit. Now, the struggle for his life is at a more critical point than ever. On December 9, 2006, at 12:00 noon, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal will hold a national rally at Philadelphia's City Hall. Mark your calendars now, get the word out about this important date. Make plans to be in Philadelphia on December 9th. (Download the flyer HERE.)

Thursday, September 07, 2006

A message from Mumia about Prison Radio

Ona MOVE!

A few words in support of the efforts of Prison Radio and Noelle Hanrahan its executive director, to raise funds to keep the wolf from the door. If you are a long time listener to my commentaries you have prison radio to thank for them. In 1992 Prison Radio began recordings from the state dungeon at Huntingdon Pennsylvania. If you walked in on us you would have thought you were in the control booth of a funky radio station. We did good work together, so good that NPR asked us to share our work with them, until they got scared off. But prison radio has done far more than pass me the mic, it has given us the haunted voices of jail juveniles, incarcerated kids, those who are truly rarely heard. It has also told the story of women behind bars, for example AIDS patients and survivors at the women’s dungeon in Chowchilla California. In short Prison Radio has brought you the voices of those behind the walls, the fastest growing public housing development in America. For this and its other works it deserves your generous financial support.

Thanks,

for Prison Radio;
this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.

To donate, to to www.prisonradio.org

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Catch Mumia update on Democracy Now Thursday 9/7

Members of the French delegation which traveled to Philadelphia today to meet with Mayor Street and to hold a major Town Hall Meeting will appear tomorrow on the award-winning national radio program Democracy Now. The delegation included Julia Wright, daughter of legendary writer Richard Wright and leading spokesperson for Mumia in France; Patrick Braouezec, Representative for Saint Denis in the National Assembly of France and former Mayor of Saint Denis; and Raphael Barontini, Coordinator of the Mumia Committee in Saint-Denis and Coordinator of the ceremony naming a Saint Denis street for Mumia, Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Monday, September 04, 2006

URGENT MESSAGE FROM International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal!

TOWN HALL MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
AFSC, 15th and CHERRY STREET, PHILADELPHIA


This event is critical towards beating back an F.O.P. inspired attack on Mumia that is designed to lead to his legalized, sanitized murder, which is most serious and escalating by the day!!

At this critically urgent stage in the fight for Mumia's life the Fraternal Order of Police have been waging a vicious campaign to try to kill him. When the city of Saint-Denis, France named a street in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal the FOP went crazy. Racist, conservative politicians introduced resolutions laced with dangerous lies in Philadelphia City Council, The House and Senate aiming to bully the French government to change the name of the street. "

Old news? Hell no! The aforementioned bullying now includes blatant lies that are falsifying documents to get Mumia executed, AND a statement that Mumia hit Officer Daniel Faulkner several times before allegedly shooting him. They are COUNTING on us to SLEEP on this and it's OUTRAGEOUS!! Hold up... As if that weren't enough.... this
blood-thirsty lynch mob is also stating that Mumia has exhausted all appeals, when he in fact has a handful of appeals left, therefore misleading many to believe that he is going to be executed anyway, so why not aquiesce to the F.O.P.'s demands!! TRICKNOLOGY IS IN FULL EFFECT, STRUGGLE PEOPLE!!!!

CHECK IT: This bullying has also included attacks on French Mumia supporters, including Sis. Julia Wright, whose HOME suffered an attempted break-in and frightening unidentified surveillors sitting outside of her home. Further intimidation has included men dressed as police officers tearing down the street signs honoring Mumia and vandalizing sites designated by the French activists in support of Mumia!!

FURTHERMORE, H. Con. Res. 407 is being purported as being in the "people's" name ... and we MUST let them know before they resume session on SEPTEMBER 15 that they are not speaking for ANY of us, they are speaking for the F.O.P.!!!! BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15!!!

The ICCFMAJ needs YOU to be at the very important meeting on SEPTEMBER 6 IN PHILADELPHIA. Don't worry about food, cuz food and refreshments will be provided for FREE! Just show up, bring whoever! There will even be free documentary DVD's given away on the case of Mumia.

WE NEED YOU to be ready to fight back against the mounting offensive against
Mumia and his supporters WORLD-WIDE. The French Delegation is EMERGENTLY flying back here to obtain much-needed support and WE GOTTA BE ON POINT. YOUR support is needed to beat back the F.O.P. attempts at anti-Mumia legislation!!

Join us, Wednesday, September 6th at the AFSC at 15th and Cherry in Center City Philly. Stand in solidarity with the delegation who will fly into Philly from France in order to put pressure on US officials and to clear the air about the lies surrounding the street naming for Mumia. Come at 5:30 pm to view The Framing of an Execution - a documentary on Mumia featuring Danny Glover and Angela Davis. Then at 6:30 join us for a work oriented town meeting to strengthen the international struggle for Mumia and all political prisoners.

The Delegation from France includes: Patrick Braouezec, Representative of the French National Assembly, Julia Wright, ICFFMAJ spokesperson in France and daughter of acclaimed author Richard Wright and Rafael Barontini, Coordinator of the Mumia Committe of Saint-Denis. Speakers will include the above as well as Death Row exonoree Harold Wilson,
Attorney Michael Coard, Tonya McCleary and others.

CHAKA FATAH, WHERE ARE YOU NOW? YOU SUPPORTED MUMIA BEFORE!!! WE NEED YOU TO SPEAK OUT NOW !!!!

Support Mumia and greet the French Delegation for their courage in confronting the U.S. Government's determination to execute Mumia!

As soon as the Third Circuit Court of Appeals granted Mumia the right to appeal on issues that could lead to a new trial, the Fraternal Order of Police and its allies began waging a vicious campaign on the internet and in the media to prevent the possibility of a new trial.

They made up a new version of what happened on December 9, 1981; they insisted that Mumia's case is closed and that no further appeals are possible, despite the recent ruling of the Third Circuit which clearly stated that the case was NOT closed; and they presented Mumia as a cold-blooded cop-killer. They then introduced resolutions in the City Council of Philadelphia, the Senate of Pennsylvania, and the US Congress denouncing Saint-Denis and France for naming a street after Mumia, insisting that the name be withdrawn, and threatening sanctions. (The resolutions were passed both in the City Council and the State Senate). Let us stand with the French, united for justice and refusing to be intimidated by the bullying of the FOP and their elected cronies and media hacks.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
AFSC, 15TH AND CHERRY STREET, PHILADELPHIA

5:30pm-6:30pm
Framing an Execution
-a documentary on Mumia featuring Danny Glover and Angela Davis

6:30pm-8:30pm
Town Meeting
- to strengthen the international work and efforts to free Mumia

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Braouezec, representative to the French National Assembly,
Julia Wright, Paris ICCFMAJ/Mumia spokesperson in France,
Rafael Barontini, Coordinator of Mumia Committee of Saint-Denis

PLUS - Harold Wilson; Attorney Michael Coard; Tonya McCleary, AFSC;
and others!

For more information please contact the:
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
(215) 476-8812 - www.mumia.org

Download the flyer at:
http://www.freemumia.com/pdfs/sep6.pdf