MOVE: An Oral History

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/move_an_oral_history/page1

For years, the hostility between the city and the radical West Philly group MOVE had escalated. But nobody was prepared for the horrific way the fight would end one May afternoon in 1985. Now, 25 years later, the people who were there that day tell the still-unbelievable story

By Victor Fiorillo

IT WAS A standoff years in the making at 6221 Osage Avenue  the headquarters of a group called MOVE. The neighbors were fed up. The cops had warrants. And the members of the extremist back-to-nature organization had barricaded themselves inside. Their demand? Justice for nine MOVE members incarcerated  wrongly, some say  for the 1978 murder of Officer James Ramp. On May 13, 1985, shots rang out. Bystanders  including a young Michael Nutter  took cover. And then, as the sun began to set, a police helicopter flew in and released a bag filled with explosives onto the headquarters, making ours the only American city ever to drop a bomb on its own citizens. At the end of the day, 61 houses blazed, and 11 people  five of them children  died, the nightmarish images forever burned into Philadelphia’s consciousness. Next month marks the 25th anniversary of that day. Here, the people who lived through it tell the extraordinary story of the MOVE bombing.

Ramona Africa, MOVE spokesperson and the sole adult survivor of the 1985 fire: MOVE was formed in 1972 by John Africa. He gave us one common belief, in the all-importance of life. We had peaceful demonstrations: the Zoo, the circus, furriers, Dow, du Pont, and unsafe boarding homes for the elderly.

Andino R. Ward, father of Birdie Africa (now Michael Moses Ward), the sole child survivor of the 1985 fire: One day in the early ’70s, my wife Rhonda had a friend who was telling her about this group, MOVE. At this point, Rhonda and I were separated. Not long thereafter, I went to her mom’s house to pick up Mike. Her mom said they no longer lived there, she’s with MOVE. I went to the Powelton MOVE house, almost went to blows with John Africa. Then a guy came with a hatchet, so I got out of there. Later, Rhonda told me that her new family was MOVE, that John Africa was Mike’s father, that I could forget any involvement.

Michael Nutter, current mayor: In the late ’70s, there were various public activities involving MOVE. I was studying at Penn, and really only generally aware of them.

James Berghaier, retired Philly police officer: I’d see them acting up in the courtroom, but I didn’t give them any credibility.

Ramona Africa: The cops would come out and tell us we had to break down and go away. MOVE would not accept that.

Tigre Hill, director of The Barrel of a Gun, a forthcoming film about Mumia Abu-Jamal: John Africa came to be at a time of all the cults. Tim Leary. Jim Jones. John Africa wanted to blow up capitals. They were anti-cop, anti-government, anti-technology.

Sam Katz, three-time mayoral candidate: These folks made life in the neighborhood intolerable  they were disruptive of civil life to the extreme.

Angel Ortiz, former City Councilman: This was an intolerant time. If you were different, you were pursued. The MOVE members fit into that pattern. They were loud. But I don’t believe they were plotting subversive action against the state.

Ramona Africa: The government couldn’t explain their position, didn’t want to hear us. That’s when the beatings and unjust jailings started. MOVE men and women  pregnant women  were beat.

James Berghaier: And then there was the guns-on-the-porch incident.

Ramona Africa: We are not a violent people. We are uncompromisingly opposed to violence. But we do believe in self-defense. You’re violent if you don’t defend, because then you’re endorsing violence.

Andino Ward: In the mid-’70s, I went to the Powelton house. I tried to initiate conversation, and somebody shot at me. I took off running. I wouldn’t see my son for another 10 years.

Tigre Hill: Today you have this revisionist history of this peaceful group in West Philly. They were not peaceful.

Ramona Africa: In May of ’77, we took a stand after MOVE people were beat bloody. You come at us? We’re coming back at you. We took to a platform built in front of our house, and we displayed weapons.

James Berghaier: We got called in. The commissioner said, “I don’t want any crazy shootings. Find good positions. If shooting starts, do you have a problem taking them out?” I said no.

Charles “Tommy” Mellor, retired Philly police officer: I never heard of MOVE until ’77. When I saw them brandishing their weapons, I was taken aback. Them standing out there with automatic weapons, and no one was doing anything about it.

James Berghaier: From 1977 to 1978, 24 hours a day, we sat outside and listened to the rhetoric. If they came out, we were to apprehend.

Ramona Africa: Our main demand was that the members in jail for riot and weapons be released. Mayor Rizzo said he didn’t negotiate with terrorists, so we stood our ground.

Frank Rizzo Jr., son of then-mayor Frank Rizzo: My father made the decision to evict them with a court order.

Ramona Africa: They turned off our water, didn’t pick up our trash. Then on August 1st, the city said they wanted every MOVE person out, we had to give up our home, and we said no. It wasn’t about the house. They wanted to get rid of  to murder ­ MOVE.

William Richmond, former Philadelphia fire commissioner: In ’78, I was deputy chief in charge of research and planning, and we were involved in the planning process for that episode. I went on-site and looked at the geography, saw what problems we might encounter.

Tigre Hill: In 1978, I was 10. My mom and I drove to the compound to stop and look. There were TV trucks. Police barricades. The next day was the shoot-out.

Ramona Africa: In the middle of the night, hundreds of cops marched out with the fire department. Not to arrest, but to kill.

James Berghaier: Bullshit. I didn’t go out there to kill. I went in to put in my eight hours. I was there to call their bluff.

William Richmond: We set up deluge guns to knock down the wooden slats they had over the windows.

Ramona Africa: They pumped almost six feet of water into that basement, knowing there were men and women and babies and dogs in there.

James Berghaier: After Monsignor Devlin wasn’t able to talk them into coming out, the fire department started the deluge gun. I thought they were going to come out, I really did. I didn’t think they were that devoted. The worst thing you can do is underestimate your adversary.

Tommy Mellor: We broke down the fence surrounding the house. I was the third person through the front door. We eventually got to the basement with the tear gas.

James Berghaier: Pretty soon, gunfire erupts. I fired two or three rounds.

Tommy Mellor: Bullets were flying, hitting pipes. We were in water up to our waist, and there were rats and feces. It was a bad place to be.

William Richmond: When the shooting started, our firefighters were in the wrong place. We had a number hit. Whatever plan was in place didn’t flow.

Tommy Mellor: I couldn’t tell what was going on.

James Berghaier: I can’t say I saw a MOVE member shoot, and I can’t tell you I saw a cop shoot. But I did see the result of it. Officer Ramp was dead. After the shooting, the women came out with the kids. That was the end of it. They knocked the house down.

Ramona Africa: The cops emptied their guns and then emptied them again. James Ramp was on street level facing MOVE, and he was shot by a bullet traveling downward. Obviously, somebody above him killed him.

Tigre Hill: From all of the documentation I’ve seen, it’s clear that Ramp was killed by MOVE.

Angel Ortiz: Did the MOVE members shoot Ramp? This has never been fully answered. The MOVE compound was razed without proper forensic analysis.

Ramona Africa: A team came to demolish MOVE headquarters. They were accusing my family of killing a cop. That makes it the scene of a crime. Why destroy the evidence?

Frank Rizzo Jr.: A lot of people feel there was a police cover-up. Friendly fire. The person who killed Ramp was in the basement of that house. And the person who killed him, those people are in jail.

On August 4, 1981, nine MOVE members were sent to prison for the murder of Officer Ramp. In the years that followed, during which time MOVE supporter Mumia Abu-Jamal was sentenced to death for the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner, MOVE relocated its headquarters to 6221 Osage Avenue, and continued to fight for the MOVE 9, becoming even more of a thorn in the side of the neighbors, the city, and the new mayor, Wilson Goode.


Seth Williams, current district attorney: In the early ’80s, I was in high school at Central. MOVE bought a home on Osage. My house was just around the corner. I played basketball with the MOVE guys. There was no political talk. Just the trash-talking that goes on at pickup games in West Philly.

Angel Ortiz: When I joined Council in 1984, MOVE was still having problems. Neighbors complained about hygiene and loud music.

Charles Diamond, former priest at St. Carthage: The church was a half-block from Osage. They were constantly blaring messages. My congregants were hearing people running over their roofs at night.

Ramona Africa: We had met with Wilson Goode when he was managing director. But when Wilson became mayor, we couldn’t get near him. He wasn’t going to do anything for us. So we set up our microphone and started boarding up our home.

Theodore Price, former resident of neighboring 6250 Pine Street: I didn’t have too much confrontation with them. I worked nights. But I knew people who had lots of problems with them.

Ed Rendell, current governor and then--district attorney of Philadelphia: The neighbors were complaining about everything from loud noise to a horrible smell. All sorts of nuisance complaints.

Seth Williams: By the spring of ’85, they’re on bullhorns shouting obscenities all the time. People were fed up. The public forced the hand of the managing director [Leo Brooks] and police to do something.

Ramona Africa: The cops claimed we were bad neighbors. Since when has this government shown any interest in black people complaining about black people?

Ed Rendell: The police came to me and said, “What do we got here?” And I said, “You might advise the neighbors to come file a private criminal complaint.” But there were no felonies, probably nothing to get an arrest warrant on.

Angel Ortiz: You could see it developing if you had any sense. It was a police state. But I thought it could be handled.

James Berghaier: With Goode being the mayor, I thought the chances of negotiations would be greater. I thought it would get resolved.

Ed Rendell: Then weapons were brandished, I believe. And tied with the threats  it became actionable. Not major, but actionable.

Frank Powell, retired police lieutenant: Late April of ’85, we got word that the city wanted them out, to come up with a plan. I was the head of the bomb squad back then. So we got together  the bomb squad, the firearms training unit and the tactical -division. The plan was to go to the homes adjacent to the house  remember, this was a rowhouse  and blow small holes in the wall using a charge and inject tear gas.

Ed Rendell: I guess maybe 10 days before the fire, I went out there and talked to one or two members over the fence. I said, “Look, guys, you can’t go on like this. No good can come of this. Why don’t you just surrender?” They were very respectful, but they basically said no. And I didn’t have any further contact.

Frank Powell: MOVE had built a bunker on the roof of the house, and it was clearly a problem. It covered any operations on Osage. Police Commissioner Sambor asked me if I could get up on the roof and put a charge on the bunker. But I couldn’t. I’d be exposed to shooters in the bunker.

Bob Brady, current Congressman and then-deputy mayor for labor: I was in Goode’s office. There were a lot of people there. Richmond. Sambor. All these military men giving advice. I thought it would be a good idea if we got a boom crane to knock that bunker off. But somebody above my pay scale decided against it.

Ed Rendell: The police came to me in Goode’s office and showed me aerial photographs. There were weapons and big cans of oil on the roof. I authorized arrest and search warrants.

Wilson Goode, in testimony before the MOVE Commission, October 15, 1985: I directed [police commissioner Gregore Sambor] to be in charge of [a] … plan that would enable us to make arrests of such MOVE members as the D.A. was able to provide warrants for … the protection of police officers and firefighters and occupants of the house was paramount. … We did not want persons involved who may have a hot temper, who may emotionally have been attached to 1978. … What I said to him was … “I’m the mayor, and I must rely upon you to go and do a proper kind of plan.”

Gregore Sambor, former police commissioner, in testimony to the MOVE Commission, October 17, 1985: We had lessons from sad experience. In the spring of 1977, we had hoped that armed threats would disappear if pacified. By the fall of that year, we had thought that an indefinite state of siege would starve MOVE into submission. By August of 1978, we hoped that an overpowering police presence … would intimidate MOVE to peaceful surrender. The plan for May 13th was the most conservative, controlled, disciplined and safe operation that we could devise based upon these lessons. 

William Richmond: Late Friday, I get a call that there was a meeting at the police administration building on Saturday morning. At the meeting, we were told that Sambor would make a pronouncement by bullhorn for MOVE to exit the house. If they didn’t exit, we’d start the squirts and throw water at quite a volume to neutralize the bunkers. Then the police would get the tear gas in. But we hadn’t been out there. The planning was terrible.

James Berghaier: We were going to breach walls in the basement and second floors and use tear gas, leaving the first floor as an escape for MOVE people. And I think, I’m okay with this.

Theodore Price: On Sunday, May 12th, 1985, the police told us that we had to go somewhere and stay. I went to a hotel on Baltimore Avenue.

Ramona Africa: We knew something big was about to happen. Police told people to go out and visit family, that they could come back the next night. Boy, were they wrong.

Michael Nutter: In 1985, I was Councilman Ortiz’s chief of staff. He asked me to look into the situation that Sunday. There were police barricades, news vans, and a general sense of tension in the air. I talked through a screen door with Ramona Africa. She expressed that the family was upset about the members locked up, and they were prepared to take whatever actions necessary to try to make their release happen. Soon, there was increasing presence by the police, specialized officers, SWAT teams. I was out there most of the night.

Tommy Mellor: We get out to the house at 4 or 5 a.m on Monday. It was very quiet. Dark. Eerie. I was carrying a tear gas machine.

William Richmond: I rode out on the squirt truck. This was the first time I had seen the bunker or Osage. We positioned on 62nd Street. That’s when we saw the trees in our way, and I thought, The squirts aren’t going to reach.

Michael Nutter: Police presence significantly increased again. The power had been turned off. And then the commissioner made an announcement that the folks should come out of the house.

William Richmond: I’ll never forget it. “This is America …” he started.

Ramona Africa: He said, “Attention, MOVE. This is America. You have to abide by the laws and rules of America.”

Frank Powell: Then one of them gets on the loudspeaker and calls the commissioner a motherfucker.

Michael Nutter: At some point, what sounded like gunfire broke out. People were running for cover.

William Richmond: Once the shooting started, we turned on the squirts, but they were too far. We couldn’t neutralize those bunkers.

Tommy Mellor: What major city lets people build a bunker on their roof? You try to build a fence and L&I will shut you down.

William Richmond: The bunkers were critical. They overlooked everything. High ground, in military parlance.

Ramona Africa: Firefighters are sworn to protect life, but they were the first phase of the attack. The water was pouring into the house, and then we heard that the police were going to try to use tear gas.

James Berghaier: We used the charge in the wall next door, and Tommy Mellor started to put the pipe through but hit something.

Tommy Mellor: We didn’t realize how well-fortified the house was. I could barely make a dent in it to get the tear gas in.

James Berghaier: They had walls inside of walls. But we did get through and get gas on for a bit.

Marc Lamont Hill, Columbia University professor and former Fox News correspondent: I was only seven, living in Germantown. During the day, as things developed, the teachers were talking about it. I remember one was crying. They were upset.

Michael Moses Ward, formerly Birdie Africa, in 1985 testimony before the MOVE Commission: We was in the cellar for a while …  and tear gas started coming in and we got the blankets. And they was wet. And then we put them over our heads and started laying down.

Ramona Africa: They were shooting. They knew there was children. They had arrest warrants, yes, but we hadn’t been convicted of anything. And what they claimed to be arresting us for was not capital offenses. They had artillery of war. M16s. Sidearms. Sniper rifles with silencers  the weapon of an assassin.

James Berghaier: The bomb guys were using some sort of charge to try to breach the wall. We attempted to get back into the [neighboring] house, but the way it was explained to me, MOVE violated the integrity of the house by knocking down joists. The first floor of the house we had been in collapsed.

Frank Rizzo Jr.: My father never had much respect for Sambor. People thought my dad was excessive. But Sambor ran around in fatigues. Dad heard that they were planning to drop an explosive.

Frank Powell: Around 4 or 5 p.m., they call me into a meeting. Sambor asks if we could use a helicopter to blow the bunker off. I don’t know, I say. I never dropped a bomb out of a helicopter. What happens if they shoot the helicopter down and it lands on a house? What happens if I miss?

James Berghaier: We hear that a helicopter is going to drop a bomb. We’re supposed to take a defensive position. I blew it off: You’re not going to drop a bomb.

Tommy Mellor: They had pulled us out of the house, so I went to Cobbs Creek Parkway. Ducking bullets all day tires you out. I went to sleep in the dirt. Somebody woke me up, and I heard they were going to throw a device to knock the bunker off. Of all the strange things going on then, it didn’t seem strange.

Gregore Sambor, in testimony: The use of the device itself gives me the least pause. It was selected as a conservative and safe approach to what I perceived as a tactical necessity. I was assured that the device would not harm the occupants. What has imprinted that device on the mind of the city is, in fact, the method of delivery. If it had been carried or thrown into position or if it had been dropped from a crane, the perception of that action would be quite different.

William Richmond: So the decision was made to take a helicopter, and use a satchel charge  that’s the term for explosives in a gym bag. The helicopter made two or three passes with Frank Powell strapped in.

Frank Rizzo Jr.: I’ll never forget it. My father was in the family room, watching it all on TV. When he saw the state police helicopter, all the intelligence he had started coming together, and he said, “Son, they’re going to drop a bomb on this headquarters.”

Frank Powell: As soon as I dropped the satchel, the pilot got the hell out. The rotor wash blew it across the roof. I said, “Oh shit!” And then it went off. There was a football-shaped hole. It missed the bunker.

Michael Ward, in testimony: That is when the big bomb went off. It shook the whole house up.

William Richmond: Frank dropped it, which took a lot of moxie. The concussion knocked out windows of nearby homes. Debris went everywhere. Minutes later, someone said to me there was a fire on the roof. These things start small and build up over time.

Ed Rendell: When I heard that they used an incendiary device on the roof, I was amazed, because you could clearly see drums of oil up there. And it would seem to me to have been lunacy under those circumstances to drop an incendiary device. But they did. And as the afternoon rolled on and the fire started, it became almost a holocaust.

Frank Rizzo Jr.: When my father saw the fire department shut the water off, he couldn’t believe that anyone in the U.S. would use fire to force people from a building.

William Richmond: Originally, the police wanted to access the property via the hole in the roof. We couldn’t leave the squirts on, because we’d wash off police attempting to breach. And the squirts caused a tremendous amount of smoke  the fear was that MOVE members would exit shooting from different locations. There was a managing director’s directive in place. One commander in place: the police commissioner. We were under authority of police.



James Berghaier: There’s so much fire and smoke. We can’t tell what’s gunshots and what’s windows popping. And we hear over the radio that someone is coming out.

Tommy Mellor: And then Ramona comes out, surrounded by smoke. And Birdie comes out next.

James Berghaier: It was like fantasy. Like he came out of fire. He was barefoot. Ramona tried to pick him up but lost her grip. He landed on his head … I scooped him up. And Tommy took Ramona into custody.

Tommy Mellor: By this time, the fire had already spread to other houses.

Angel Ortiz: I was coming out the back of the Art Museum with Ed Rendell and my wife. We saw the plume of smoke, and Ed and I looked at each other. It was one hell of a fire.

Ed Rendell: Later that night was the spring Democratic dinner over at the Franklin Plaza, and we watched the houses in flames on one of the little TVs in the bar.

Seth Williams: My friends and I watched the fire in disbelief. It went from a minor tragedy to a catastrophic event. Eleven of my classmates lost their homes.

Tigre Hill: I came home from Archbishop Carroll. I lived  and still live  in Wynnefield. It was on TV, and from my house, which is a distance away, I could see the smoke. My mother and I, we were just so stunned.

Theodore Price: We had no idea what was going on, so we checked out of our hotel on Monday. When we got to the street, there was a whole lot of action. And after they dropped it, the fire starts trickling to each house. Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sam Katz: I was landing in an airplane in South Philly, and the sky was bright orange. I had no idea what it was. But it was a remarkable scene from up there. Then I was on the ground in my car, with KYW on. The whole thing just careened completely out of control.

Theodore Price: It burnt 61 houses. It looked like a war zone. My house was completely destroyed. I had just put in new siding and picture windows. I lived in that house since 1957. It was bought and paid for.

Wilson Goode, in a press conference that night: I stand fully accountable for the action that took place tonight. I will not try to place any blame on any one of my subordinates. I was aware of what was going on, and therefore, I support them in terms of their decisions. And therefore, the people of the city will have to judge the mayor, in fact, of what happened.



Gregore Sambor, in testimony: I remain convinced that any approach on May 13th would have presented an immediate and deadly danger. … It remains a fact that if MOVE members had simply come out of the building, they would be alive today. But they announced that morning that they would never surrender and that they would kill as many of us as they could.

Marc Lamont Hill: I’ve talked to Goode. He regrets his actions. I would argue that it’s the biggest regret he has in his life. It haunts him. I wouldn’t be surprised if his move to the clergy was prompted by his deep sense of regret and guilt.

Sam Katz: I don’t want to point the finger at who should be punished, but there was a moral breakdown here, both in the act and the aftermath. I think it affected Goode profoundly.

Wilson Goode, in a 2004 interview with Philadelphia magazine: In the whole scheme of things, MOVE was a bad day. It was a really bad day.

On March 6, 1986, the 11-member Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission  or MOVE Commission  issued a report condemning city officials, stating: “Dropping a bomb on an occupied rowhouse was unconscionable.” No criminal charges were filed against anyone in city government. Wilson Goode was reelected to a second term.

A burned Ramona Africa served seven years in prison for charges relating to the May 13th confrontation. Following her 1992 release, she won a civil case against the city for $500,000. Michael Ward was reunited with his father, Andino Ward, and later won a $1.5 million judgment against the city.

The 250 residents who lost their homes had yet another saga to endure: rebuilding, a process plagued by patronage, politics and incompetence. It continues, to some extent, to this day.

Many of the police officers involved were profoundly affected by their experience. James Berghaier quickly left the force due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Another officer committed suicide.

Mumia's Tribute to Paul Robeson

A special belated birthday treat for our honored ancestor, Bro. Paul Robeson, please check out this brief but very powerful 5 min. video clip of our Bro. speaking and then Mumia paying tribute to him. Thanks to Bro. Lumumba Bandele for posting this to Facebook and please freely share!

CELEBRATION OF THE LIVES OF DENNIS BRUTUS AND HOWARD ZINN

Sunday, April 18, 2010, 1-3pm
Clapp Hall, 4249 5th Ave.
Across from Cathedral of Learning and Heinz Chapel
Pittsburgh, PA

Friends,

So many of us in Pittsburgh have had the great fortune to know, learn from and stand together with Dennis Brutus and Howard Zinn on many issues and in many struggles. Through their writings, films and examples they can still inspire young people to take action and help seasoned activists to keep on working for social justice and peace for the rest of our lives.

Please join us at this tribute to our wonderful teachers, friends and fellow activists.

The program will include speakers, who were their dear friends and collaborators, including Staughton Lynd, "The People Speak" co-producer Lisa Smith, Celeste Taylor, Paul LeBlanc and Marcus Rediker, Chair of the Pitt History Department. In addition, Howard and Dennis will be present through videos.

We'll have an open mike for people to speak out or share a favorite poem or excerpt.

Their books will be on sale. Spread the word widely and help make this an afternoon of celebration and inspiration. For more info 412-241-6087.

25th Anniversary of Bombing of MOVE

05/12: 25th Anniversary of Bombing of MOVE! STOP POLICE TERROR!

IT’S TIME TO STOP POLICE TERRORISM!!!!!

This year marks 25 YEARS since the bombing of our FAMILY!  MOVE is delivering
MURDER complaints to Seth Williams (Philadelphia’s First Black District
Attorney) at 9:00am on May 12th, CHARGING officials with the VICIOUS MURDER of
11 INNOCENT MOVE family members!

There will be a 10:00 am press conference at the AFSC, located at 15th & Cherry
Sts., about the MURDER COMPLAINTS.

There will also be a 6:00 pm program at the African-American Museum, located at
7th & Arch Sts., which includes the screening of 2 Films On MOVE.

Following, on Sunday, May 16th, there will be a CHILDREN’S PLAY performed by
the MOVE children at The Rotunda, located at 40th& Walnut Sts., directly behind
the Bridge Movie Theatre.

For more INFO please contact:
MOVE
P.O. BOX 19709
PHILA., PA. 19143
onamovellja@aol.com or call (215) 387-4107

UPDATE ON CASE OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

Speakers: Dr Suzanne Ross - (Co-Chair Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition)
Sundiata Sadiq - (Former Pres. of NAACP Ossining NY Chapter, Now in 5th year of suspension)

Join us for an update on the case of Political Prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. The court system has closed its doors to the possibility of a new trial for Mumia and has left only two alternatives for him: execution or life in prison without parole. We demand the Department of Justice conduct a civil rights investigation into the outrageous frame-up of Mumia. Come get all the facts as we prepare for a demonstration in front of the Department of Justice Monday, April 26, two days after Mumia's 56th birthday.

Sat. April 17th 4:30PM @ St Stephens Church - 1525 Newton ST NW Washington, DC 20010

Organized By: Black Is Back Coalition & Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)

Writers for Mumia Event on April 24, Mumia's Birthday, Build Up for April 26 in DC

Readings and Testimonials
by poets, playwrights, journalists,
book authors, wordsmiths, & activists

List in formation
Loretta Campbell
David Lindorff
Susan E. Davis
Sister Lupe
Shelley Ettinger
Edwuare X. Osayande
Jose Angel Figueroa Ndigo
Robert Gibbons
Louis Reyes Rivera
Rashidah Ismaili
Yusef Salaam
Atiba Kwabena
Nana Soul

Saturday, April 24
2:30 - 6:00 pm
Program starts promptly at 3

St. Mary's Church
512 West 126th Street
(between Old Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.)

Mumia Abu-Jamal now faces a most critical moment in his decades-long struggle to be granted a new trial based on solid, incontrovertible evidence of prosecutorial misconduct during the criminal court trial that led to his conviction on charges of killing a Philadelphia police officer. This past January, the Supreme Court overturned the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' 2008 decision to set aside the death penalty based on improper instructions given to the jurors. Instead, the high court has instructed the circuit court to "reconsider" its earlier decision, particularly reinstitution of the death penalty.

To celebrate Mumia's birthdate (April 24, 1954), the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the National Writers Union (NWU/New York Chapter) are organizing Writers for Mumia, an afternoon of readings and testimonials in Harlem. The event immediately precedes a rally scheduled for Monday, April 26, in front of the Justice Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. to demand a civil rights investigation of Mumia's case.

For more information contact Writers for Mumia through the International Action Center, 212-633-6646; or the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, 212-330-8029.

4/3 Live from Death Row: Mumia at the Crossroads in the Age of Obama

Saturday, April 3, 2010
7:00pm - 10:00pm 
The Diana Center - Barnard College, Columbia University



Conference registration website link:
MumiaCrossroadsEvent.tumblr.com

Reserve free tickets to the event at:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/8079505

Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist, humanist, advocate for social justice, and “Voice of the Voiceless” who has been wrongfully imprisoned on Pennsylvania’s death row for the last 28 years. A recent Supreme Court decision has made Mumia vulnerable to execution.

Mumia is at a crossroads, as are many in this “age of Obama.” Join us as we ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass incarceration in America, and of U.S. Human Rights violations nationally and internationally, which still have such grave consequences for peace, the world economy, gender relations, and the environment.

Location: The Event Oval at the Diana Center
3009 Broadway at 117th St
Off the 116th St Station on the 1 Train

Guest Speakers: 7-10 pm

--CORNEL WEST, Professor of Religion, Princeton University
--VIJAY PRASHAD, Historian, Trinity College
--JAMAL JOSEPH, Chair of Film Division, Columbia University School of Arts

We Will also be hosting educational and organizing workshops on Mumia's Case from 1-3 pm and 3-5 pm at Kent Hall, Columbia Campus.

Register for workshops here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFViaG56N2doMFVKN1dMci03ZFl1NGc6MA

Letter from Yuri Kochiyama for Mumia's Birthday

From Sis. Killu:

Greetings All:

This letter was written by Yuri Kochiyama who has asked us to spread this letter far and wide. Please do :).

Kiilu


March 1, 2010

Dear Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal:

Mumia’s birthday is April 24 and we would like to celebrate the whole month of April with a gigantic Freedom Birthday Remembrance for Mumia Abu Jamal.

Please join Pam and Ramona Africa and all who love and admire Mumia by avalanching him through the month of April with Freedom Birthday wishes. And, to those who can afford to, please send a few dollars through postal money orders. This would be helpful when he is released.

Mail cards to:

Mumia Abu Jamal AM 8335
SCI Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370-8090

Tell your family members, friends, fellow workers, neighbors, classmates, etc. Also, notify progressive radio stations, newspapers and organizations. Please do so immediately as April is almost upon us. Remember what Mumia has endured at the hands of the U.S. government and the Pennsylvania criminal justice system. Mumia has already done 32 years and is still on death row because of prosecutorial misconduct. Yet he is innocent! Act now before it is too late.

Don’t let Mumia become another victim of a government’s destructive history. Mumia’s life is in peril and must be saved. He is needed to teach us how to fight for a better world for all. If ever Mumia was needed, it is now!

Join us in celebrating Mumia’s birthday throughout April and let it be a celebration for Mumia’s freedom!

Remember we need him more than he needs us. We need him, not only for today, but for all the tomorrows coming. Join us. Write to Mumia now.

From Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal

Boondocks strip mentioning Mumia

From Sis. Kiilu!

Rep. Ellison considers resolution in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal

Go to the site to see the video of Dhoruba and Ellison at the meeting: http://minnesotaindependent.com/56451/ellison-considers-resolution-in-support-of-mumia-abu-jamal

Ellison considers resolution in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Jon Collins 3/17/10 11:54 AM

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

He was bold enough to show up at a speaking event of former Black Panther Dhoruba Bin Wahad at Walker Church in South Minneapolis late last month. And after he was called on by Wahad, Ellison went toe-to-toe with the former political prisoner, eventually promising the crowd he’d consider a congressional resolution questioning the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal — who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia policeman in 1982, although supporters say he didn’t receive a fair trial.

It was an often contentious half-hour dialog that spanned topics from the occupation of Palestine to Jim Crow laws.

After urgings from the sometimes restless crowd, Ellison said he hadn’t previously considered a congressional resolution in support of Abu-Jamal.

“You asked me about Mumia Abu-Jamal. You put something on my mind tonight,” Ellison told the crowd. “You want something done on Mumia Abu-Jamal: Let’s begin that conversation.”

After a long appeal process, the Supreme Court ruled that Abu-Jamal’s conviction could stand last year.

But the main thrust of the debate between Ellison and Wahad revolved around the best method to create social change. Wahad argued that social change comes from actively confronting oppression instead of working in the system.

“Is working to change the system with good intentions futile — yes,” Wahad said during the debate. “I don’t like tyrants, I don’t like oppressors — that’s why I spent 19 years in prison.”

Ellison said people fighting for social change need to get comfortable with acquiring some power.

“You correctly identify American foreign policy as a very dangerous thing for people all over the world — I think you’re right about that,” Ellison told Wahad. “You want to promote cynicism and I’m trying to promote positive social change and economic change for people.”

Ellison said there’s a broad dissatisfaction across racial lines in the United States and that Wahad’s rhetoric created barriers to real social change.

“[It's not productive] to argue there’s some impenetrable barrier between people of different racial groups,” Ellison told the crowd. “The fact is that there’s always been, I think you would agree, a number of interracial collections of people fighting oppression.”

Wahad’s speech was titled, “Political repression and state violence from Minneapolis to Palestine.” He was released from prison after an appeal found prosecutors withheld evidence.

According to the introduction, the event was sponsored by Communities United Against Police Brutality and the RNC8 Defense Committee, which supports eight Minneapolis activists who are facing felony conspiracy charges from their arrests before the Republican National Convention in 2008.

“I’ll get word back to you” on the possible Abu-Jamal resolution, Ellison told the crowd.

A Call from Pam Africa for Mumia!

From Mumia NYC:

WE NEED YOUR HELP … AGAIN … FOR JUSTICE FOR MUMIA!

March 19, 2010

Dear Friends and Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal

The time has come to ante up for Mumia. We are writing to invite you to join our Civil Rights Investigation Campaign (CRIC) on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal with your checkbooks and credit cards. As many of you know, the campaign is urging the Justice Department to open an investigation into the decades-long violations of Mumia's civil rights. As you also know, Mumia recently suffered a setback when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the Philadelphia district attorney, vacating earlier rulings that had overturned the death penalty and granted a new sentencing-phase trial. Now, the Third Circuit Court will decide whether or not to execute Mumia without having a new sentencing trial. It's no exaggeration to say that Mumia's life is in grave danger … more than ever.

We believe that this campaign, which has already won national and international support and generated tens of thousands of letters and petitions to Attorney General Eric Holder, can positively change Mumia's fate. The campaign's supporters include the NAACP, the Riverside Church Prison Ministry, dozens of international unions, WESPAC; actress Ruby Dee; former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Professors Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, and Henry Louis Gates; U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel; and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (for current lists of national and international organizations and individuals who support the campaign, see our Web site under Join the Campaign and scroll to the bottom).

But the campaign can't move forward to fulfill its promise and possibilities without material support. We must produce more palms cards, fliers, petitions, and buttons; make banners; rent buses Washington; pay for use of the Press Club. We pay for our meeting space, invest in video supplies, overnight mail documents to Mumia to assure delivery, copy materials and, even prepare to host some of the scheduled international visitors and participants in the meeting with the Department of Justice. Now is the time to do everything we can to fight for Mumia's life.

We will return to Washington, DC, on April 26 (two days after Mumia's 56th birthday) with busloads of supporters and boxloads of petitions in Phase 2 of the CRIC. (Phase 1 ended on November 12, 2009, when we delivered thousands of petitions to the Justice Department chief of the Civil Rights Division.) This time we hope to meet with officials to make our case in person.

We can't control the courts. But we can invest in an alternative strategy that may very likely have results leading to a new trial. And exoneration.

Here's how you can help. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) by going to our Web site,www.freemumia.com, and clicking on "Please donate to the struggle for Mumia's freedom" at the right. PayPal takes it from there. Or you can send a check made out to "IFCO/Free Mumia Coalition" to the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC), P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030. All monies will be shared by the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC). We also hope you can be with us in Washington, DC on Monday, April 26.

We understand that the fight for freedom is not free. It takes some money. Many of you have come forward in the past and contributed to this critical fight. We hope you can help us help Mumia again this time.

Free Mumia and All Political Prisoners! Ona Move!

Pam Africa
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

ALL OUT FOR MUMIA April 26 in Washington, DC!

Two days after Mumia Abu-Jamal's 56th birthday, join us to demand tha the US Department of Justice launch a civil rights investigation of Mumia's case.

Following a press conference, we will march to the DOJ for a rally. A meeting is also scheduled with the DOJ.

With the over 20,000 members of0 the civil rights campaign, demand justice for Mumia -- his life is in greater danger now than ever.

Buses will leave from NYC and Philadelphia and cars and vans from other cities.

For all info, including bus tickets, call: 215-476-8812 (Philadelphia) 212-330-8029 (NYC)

www.freemumia.com

New Book on Mumia and the Media

The Media Rhetoric of Law and Order: How ABC Framed the Mumia Abu-Jamal Story
by Thomas N. Gardner

This work presents a case study of journalism as persuasion through a triangulated examination of ABC 20/20's story "Hollywood's Unlikely Hero" (December 1998), which reports on the death penalty case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. The methodology includes rhetorical analysis, experimental design, and focus group audience research. It also examines the impact of a media literacy intervention on news reception by showing the video "Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal" and measuring its effects on audience perceptions of the 20/20 story.

Each book includes a DVD copy of the Framing an Execution: the Media and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Reviews

"Thomas Gardner's account of the media coverage of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case is a welcome addition to our scholarship. It points to several vexing problems with our news media and in American society.  The single most important point, buttressed powerfully by Gardner's critique, is the marginalization of dissent in mainstream media. How ironic is it that a press system, born in a revolution against tyranny, that rhetorically embraces its independence from the state and its willingness to be tough-minded toward those in power, restricts its "toughness," for the most part," to ignoring, ridiculing, distorting or trivializing dissident political opinion. It has turned the old aphorism of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable on its head.

Gardner very wisely understands the political implications of his research, as he points to the need for structural change. The starting point is what he calls media literacy, teaching students to understand how media work, and how they affect us. There is little doubt that media literacy is a cornerstone of the media reform agenda. This study makes a valuable contribution to media literacy literature."
– Prof. Robert W. McChesney,   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
". . . provides very useful data on the role and potential of media literacy (and, in particular, of using video to deconstruct mainstream media). The idea of looking at the impact of a `problematic' media text and a critique of that text — separately and combined — is both interesting and fruitful."
– Prof. Justin Lewis, Cardiff University

"Gardner's synthesis of perspectives drawn from Cultural Studies, Rhetoric, and the `propaganda model' of news media, and his efforts to channel these insights into a object-lesson for Media Education purposes are thorough and effective. The book is also very engagingly written, carrying the reader through the details and sequences of events with great clarity, and never making the conceptual discussions turgid. Gardner's years as a college instructor and his prior experience as a working journalist are put to very good use."
– Prof. John Downing, Southern Illinois University

"What is perhaps most impressive about this piece is its skillful blending of the theoretical frameworks of rhetorical analysis, cultural studies, cultivation, and media framing. This study is not entirely any of these but is simultaneously informed by all of these. Gardner thus shows how a truly multitheoretical approach to media culture is the most effective strategy for critical analysis of the complexities inherent in our media saturated environments. True to the open spirit of the original cultural studies approach while challenging rigid models of qualitative versus quantitative research, this is truly an innovative and challenging work that should be read by all who are concerned about the abuse of corporate and state power and the dark side of modern day capitalist democracies."
– Prof. Bill Yousman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

A Message from Ramona Africa

The Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition urges people to join this year's activities. 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEADLY ASSAULT AND BOMBING OF MOVE! LET'S ALL STAND UP TO POLICE TERRORISM TOGETHER! SHARE YOUR STOIRES AND BECOME PART OF THE PLANNED PROGRAM!

MESSAGE FROM RAMONA BELOW:

ONA MOVE, Everybody! Sorry for the long delay in our next meeting but I've been traveling and am just getting caught up on things here at home. Anyway, the next meeting is Sunday, March 21st at 6.00pm in the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA) I'll have some updated news on the where things are at so try to make the meeting. Take care----Ramona
------

This is a note to inform/remind folks that the May program is a stand up against police terrorism/murder event. I'm calling on you to encourage any family members or friends of victims of police terrorism/murder to contact me so that they can become part of our program. This is extremely important because MOVE is not about doing "programs" just to do "programs". We are about activity and solution so we want to work with people that have lost loved ones or have been victimized themselves by police terrorism. Thanks for your support on this issue-----Ramona
------
(http://www.onamove.com)

Mumia Abu-Jamal Tribute to Sis. Safiya Bukhari/Book Parties

Stirring video tribute at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHMfQcjAV7A&feature=player_embedded

SUPPORT THE BOOK PARTIES FOR THE WAR BEFORE (Sis. Safiya's book) and honor this Warrior Sista!

CHICAGO, IL:
Saturday, March 13th 2-4 pm Book Party! at Afri-Ware Books, 266 W. Lake, Oak Park

JERSEY CITY, NJ:
Saturday evening, April 3 Black Waxx Studios (280 1st Street, 2nd Floor), Laura Whitehorn, with musical artists Melanie Dyer and others. A Scientific Soul Session on “womyn and revolution.”


NEW YORK CITY:

Saturday, Sunday, March 20-21 at the Left Forum, Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, Manhattan – workshop with Cleo Silvers, Vikki Law, Asha Bandele and Susie Day, date/time TBD (http://leftforum.org/node/63)

Sunday, March 28, 2010 5-8 pm
St. Mary's Church, 521 West 126th St. (just east of Broadway)
Sponsored by the New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (with Wonda Jones, Laura Whitehorn, Pam, Ramona and Mike Africa; Sally O'Brien, Masai Ehehosi, Imam Al Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Zayid Muhammad, Suzanne Ross, Sundiata Sadiq, Esperanza Martell, and others

SAN FRANCISCO, CA:

Thursday, March 11 with Yuri Kochiyama, Billy X Jennings, Claude Marks and others; at Freedom Archives, 513 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Friday, March 12, 7:00 pm with Vikki Law at The Green Arcade bookstore, 1680 Market Street @ Gough, San Francisco CA 94102

Saturday/Sunday, March 13-14 with Vikki Law at the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair, SF County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park (all day; time of panel TBD) http://sfbookfair.wordpress. com/schedule/

PHILADELPHIA, PA:

Friday, March 5th, Evening TBA Philagraphika art opening with Just Seeds, A-Space, 47th and Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA (with Laura Whitehorn)

Saturday, March 6th, 2 Events
Afternoon in West Philadelphia, Details TBA
7 pm at Taller Puertorriqueño, 2557 N. 5th St., with Ricardo Jimenez (former political prisoner from the Puerto Rican Independence Movement) and Laura Whitehorn

OAKLAND, CA:
Saturday, March 13 Yuri Kochiyama, Jewelle Gomez, Susan Rosenberg, Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, others, at Sparks Fly! benefit for political prisoner Marilyn Buck

TORONTO, CANADA:
Thursday, Feb 25th 8:30 pm This Ain't the Rosedale Library, 86 Nassau Street, Kensington Market

This list of events will be updated, and is available online at http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/profiles/warbefore_ events.php

March 28 NYC: Tribute to Safiya Bukhari, Lioness for Liberation

Pam Africa on Ebony Magazine Article

3/3/10

Sis. Pam Africa to Jam Donaldson
(In response to: http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167)

There is a lot of things I can say but it should be clear by now that you made a serious mistake when you pretend that you have the right to do wrong, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG.  I invite you to check out these sites -- google LINN WASHINGTON JR., he is a Professor of Journalism at Temple in Phila. He was also a Law clerk for SUPREME JUSTICE ROBERT Nix.  He is an author of a book on BLACK JUDGES and knows this case.

I really hope you take time and view his web site, especially since you are a attorney.  Educators for Mumia is another site by Professor Mark Taylor from PRINCETON University, New Jersey. Journalists For MUMIA is another site, please visit their site, they sponsored an ad in the New York Times with several hundred Academics from around the World and also sponsored several teach-ins and conferences on the case of Mumia, and is sponsoring one at Columbia University in New York this April 3rd.

FREE MUMIA NOW is another site sponsored by the NEW YORK COALITION TO FREE MUMIA which is now sharing the site with International Concerned Family And Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a must-see web site for detailed national and international info from the New York based Free Mumia movement.  This is the site of two chairpeople, Pam Africa (Phila.) and DR.SUZANNE Ross (New York) where you will get detailed info on the CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGN to Attorney General of the United States Holder. 

Mumia is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole or a death sentence, which neither is acceptable to a lot of people around the world and across this country.  In the Country of France in
the capital Paris they supported this poor black political revolutionary prisoner on deathrow who happens to be also articulate, a great journalist, author of several best selling books on the social injustices to all life. That government investigated his case for several years by sending fact finding experts to get the truth, which led to their out spoken support in France thru massive demonstrations in the street with several thousand people of all walks of life including the former first LADY OF FRANCE Madame Daniell Mitterand whose husband banned the death penalty in France. 

In the city of Paris Mumia is an Honorary Citizen and in the city of ST.Denis in France there is a street named in his honor, why? Because they did what was necessary to bring to the attention of the world that this government has framed a man, that Mumia did not have anything resembling a fair trial, that
evidence also supported his innocence and they also have a web site and email.  You can also check out the Millions for Mumia web site and the Mobilization to Free Mumia website.  Did you know that at the 100th anniversary of the NAACP Convention in New York a resolution was passed calling for a Civil Rights Investigation in Mumia's case?

Did you know that the Black Congressional Caucus, all of them, stated they investigated the case of Mumia and said that Mumia did not receive a fair trial and that evidence points to the fact that he is possibly innocent?  I could go on much longer with this but you understand. So when you say (did i call you out) I say yes, you called out a lot of people, I hope you can deal with it. 

My phone number is 215 476 8812.

Remember when this goverment murdered Malcolm X, Rev. Martin L. King, we did not know the plot and we did not know the plan or the folks involved, but now we do know the plot, the why, we know the plan. Help stop the murder of this innocent man, arm yourself with the facts, NOW YOU DEAL WITH IT and thanks for the call-out, the platform to awaken people to the truth in this case.  Remember we must teach the children the truth. 

To quote JOHN AFRICA: "NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG".

NOTE: Ebony Magazine contact info:
Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com

Ebony Magazine Article Criminalizes Mumia Abu-Jamal

From Sis. Marpessa:

Sis. Fatirah and myself have raised our voices against Jam Donaldson's recent column which appeared in Ebony Magazine's February 2010 issue (viewable at http://www.conversateisnotaword.com/?p=167).  Please read our letters and let your voice be heard as well! -- Sis. Marpessa.
------------------- 

Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com

Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com

To whom it may concern,

I'm writing in response to the 'article' in Ebony magazine by Hot ghetto mess Jam Donaldson.  As I read it, I thought 'uh oh; here is another self hating young Black person, who thinks they are designated to point out our faults and present our failures to the world (ala hotghettomess.com), all the while appearing just a little bit better than the rest of us.   I have seen the messes in various emails and while they bring a shake of the head, I wonder why someone would go to the trouble of exploiting the worst in our community instead of high-lighting the best?

Then I come to the last paragraph where Ms Mess states that "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.'  And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it." 

Of course you're 'not afraid to write about it',  you are aware that there is an  audience for just such words:  The FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) for one will probably use your words in some of their propaganda and I'm sure that will make you proud.

Self-serving pseudo journalism at it's worst.

If you ever choose to be a responsible journalist, you will find that there is much information about Mumia Abu-Jamal's case, done by upstanding reporters who have DONE THEIR HOMEWORK, and are not looking for a pithy little ending. 

Mumia's life is on the line, and for you to be so cavalier about it shows either your naivete, or your deliberate attempt to ingratiate yourself with those who are seeking to murder an innocent man.

If you find yourself looking for some excellent articles from a man whose body has been locked down for years, but whose mind and heart are as free as the wind, you can follow any of the links below for more information.   I doubt you will, there's nothing 'sexy' about the truth.

Fatirah Aziz

http://www.freemumia.com/
www.prisonradio.org

http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311


Jam Donaldson
jam@jamdonaldson.com
www.jamdonaldson.com
www.hotghettomess.com

Terry Glover, Managing Editor
Ebony Magazine
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
312-322-9200
tglover@ebony.com

The Ebony Magazine February 2010 article entitled: "Sisterspeak - Did I just CALL YOU OUT?  YEP. I did. Deal with it.  One writer tells the truth," by Jam Donaldson concludes by proclaiming, "One day I'm like, 'Free Mumia' and other days I'm like, 'That n***** probably did it.'  And I'm not afraid to admit it, and I'm not afraid to write about it." 

You succeeded in ending your article with controversy but was the pay-off worth carelessly toying with a man's life? This isn't a Gen-X'er spreading your wings in defiance of the status quo or clowning somebody for having their behind hanging out and rainbow-colored weave as you regularly do on the web, you made a flippant and highly irresponsible condemnation purely for shock value!

"Free Mumia" is not a catchprase to be spouted according to your mood swings and supposings, nor a litmus test by which you should make reckless statements as a way to poke out your chest and feel special.  To believe that Mumia should be free is to fight to uncover the truth that has been smothered by the courts for 28+ years.  It's not about a gimmick for your self-promotion by using Mumia's name for flava, hype or to raise your google-ability -- this is a demand for a constitutionally guaranteed fair trial before a jury of ones peers instead of a hate-filled feeding frenzy of racism, coerced testimony, fabricated, distorted and hidden evidence.  It's about trying to get justice in a court where an entire police union (FOP) carries picket signs in protest and packs hearings with t-shirts emblazoned with "Fry Mumia" over their highly visible guns -- before a judge who himself is a lifetime FOP member!  It's about an outrageous frame-up of a Black man who the COINTELPRO targeted as early as his teenage years.

This zinger with which you ended your article crosses the line from an attempt at being clever to an outright attack. The slightest bit of research would have shown you that at this very critical juncture in history Mumia is in the midst of extremely intensified court pressures and the campaign to release him is in the midst of a knockdown, drag-out battle to stop his legalized lynching!  Unfortunately your witless assertion now carries weight because it has been so incredibly elevated by Ebony magazine, of all places!  The appalling way in which you chose to end your piece may have given you a smirk of personal satisfaction but the only people you have impressed are those who are salivating at the prospect of murdering Mumia, or don't you get that?

As for Ebony magazine, has your more than half-century of publishing come down to this, such a desperate yearning to attract young readership that you showcase an article that debases a Black man fighting for his life on death row as a "NIGGER" (why bother with the asterisks at all?)! Is that really where it's at with Ebony nowadays? Freedom of expression is one thing, but gross negligence is quite another!  As one of the most well-respected Black publications in the US and world, surely you must realize that much of Black America views the case against Mumia with a healthy amount of skepticism, not to mention his being an internationally recognized author, scholar and champion of human rights.  Someone with maturity should have pointed out to this "blogger and cultural commentator" that this was an extremely reckless and slanderous statement to make regarding anyone at all, let alone a colleague and fellow practicing journalist!

Right now there is a major campaign to urge Attorney General Eric Holder to open a civil rights investigation into the frame-up of Mumia.  Ebony Magazine should agree to maintain at least the appearance of fairness and give space to the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal to provide balance to this smear against Mumia which you printed in your publication.  They must, at the very least, be given the opportunity to discuss the current state of the campaign to free Mumia and be able to point your readers toward resources to reach their own opinions regarding his case as soon as possible to refute Ms. Donaldson's commentary.

Marpessa Kupendua

Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resources:
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal: www.freemumia.com
Academics for Mumia: http://www.emajonline.com/index.php?action=4&content_id=311
Information and Analysis: http://abu-jamal-news.com/
Some of Mumia's journalism: http://www.prisonradio.org/mumia.htm

LIVE ON DEATH ROW: MUMIA AT THE CROSSROADSIN THE AGE OF OBAMA

From Mumia NYC:

HOLD THE DATE:

Saturday, April 3, 2010
Teacher's College
Columbia University

Speakers:
--Vijay Prashad, Celebrated social critic and author of Everybody Was Kong Fu Fighting, and Darker Nations: A People¹s History of the Third World

--Tentatively scheduled: Kathleen Cleaver, Yale Law professor and former Black Panther

Mumia Abu Jamal is a former Black Panther and the most famous death row inmate in the world today. He is the brilliant, humane, and prolific writer and advocate for social justice who has become known as the Voice of the Voiceless. A recent Supreme Court decision has once again, made Abu-Jamal vulnerable to execution. The time to act is now!

At the April 3 event we will attempt to advance the ongoing efforts to meet with Eric Holder to discuss the possibility of a civil rights investigation into Mumia's case. We will also foreground some of the best speakers from university and college life who clarify what is at stake, for all of us, in Mumia's case.

The many violations in the Abu-Jamal case and appeals process, decried the world over by such organizations as Amnesty International (including judicial misconduct, discrimination in jury selection, and police corruption and tampering with evidence to obtain a conviction), account for the
exponential and disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and Latinos in the United States over the last 30 years, making the issue of incarceration one of the gravest civil rights problems of our time.

In this moment of media-fascination with empty "race talk," we want to ignite a real conversation about the racialized character of mass and wrongful incarceration in America.

For more information and to help organize this event, email johanna.fernandez@baruch.cuny.edu or mark.taylor@ptsem.edu.

Sincerely,

Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal (EMAJ)

--Prof. Johanna Fernandez, Baruch College (CUNY)
--Prof. Mark L. Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary
--Prof. Tameka Cage, Pittsburgh, PA

Leonard Peltier Solidarity Statement with Mumia Abu-Jamal

From Freedom Archives:

Greetings brothers and sisters, and thank you for attending this event to listen, learn, teach, and organize. I am Leonard Peltier, a proud Lakota and Anishinabe American Indian activist, organizer, and patriot. I am likewise, unfortunately, a fellow political prisoner in this 'land of the free.'

I, along with my family, my supporters, and American Indians everywhere, know full well what the justice system of the United States can mean to the brown man, the black man, and any man or woman who dares to think or talk truth to power.

That we have been made targets in our own country should outrage every single man and woman everywhere, no matter the color, background or political leaning. That this country continues the barbaric practices of executions should be opposed by all people of conscience.

Whether or not you approve of capital punishment is irrelevant as long as minorities are executed with alarming disparities. Whether you approve or not is of secondary concern when people like Mumia Abu Jamal, myself and many others are convicted and sentenced to die with evidence that would exonerate most any white man. As such, every single progressive organization should oppose the death penalty as we now know it.

This has not been a case of justice or the law, it has been politics, racism, and control, and we should confront these issues long before we decide who to execute. As long as we have these inequities in our midst, we will continue to convict and execute innocents. Execute - let's call it what it really is - state sanctioned murder! Why does America allow this brand of 'justice' to exist?

That is a question that must haunt the soul of every true American patriot. For as long as it does, America can never be the bastion of freedom it has claimed to be, the light in the darkness it wants to be, nor the high ground of morality it hopes to be.

Pay attention to the names this government uses when it is opposed. The American government has called other countries 'evil empire' and 'axis of evil.' The rest of the world hears this and scoffs!

Why? Because they see this country convicting, imprisoning, and executing innocent minorities and political liabilities while claiming to be a free society - because they see corporate personhood allowing the rape of the Earth and desecration of the sacred - because they see this country waging illegal war while claiming to love peace - and because they see this country propping up murderous dictators while giving lip service to human rights. The rest of the world sees all of this and wonders, is not America the real evil empire?

I, like Mumia, have been called a terrorist by my own government. Well, I never knew a terrorist who advocated the rule of law as we have. Some people need to find a new dictionary!

There may be other parts of the world which are breeding grounds for terrorism, but this government makes sure they have fertile ground to harvest. We are not the terrorists! I love my country. Progressive thinking people love this country. It is thusly our patriotic duty to respond to such government with righteous indignation! It is only when we allow a corrupt government to corrupt our very minds that a patriot becomes a terrorist!

As long as you are willing to work for justice, all political prisoners can still hope for freedom. Real power starts from the bottom and goes up, not the other way around. Free Mumia!

In solidarity,
Leonard Peltier
2-13-2010

Flood the D of J phones demanding a civil rts investigation, & sign petitions

Tomorrow is call-in day to the Department of Justice Day. We've actually decided to do it once a week between now and April 26 when we are going to Washington. Every Thursday will be call-in day, and we will remind you. Leave a message on the Department of Justice Hotline: 202-353-1555. If the line is busy or does not respond, call 202-514-2000 and tell them what you're calling about.

Demand a Civil Rights Investigation into the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Sound logical and knowledgeable. Tell them you know the Department of Justice has jurisdiction to conduct a civil rights investigation when egregious violations of civil rights occur. Also, explain that Mumia never got a fair trial, and that there is extensive evidence of police, prosecutorial, and judicial misconduct as well as exentsive evidence of Mumia's innocence that was systematically excluded by the courts from the record.

Keep those letter/petitions going as well. You can sign online, www.freemumia.com, or have a hard copy e-mailed to you if you request that. Get others to sign too. We need all this pressure to fight this uphill battle for justice for Mumia. Free Mumia! Free 'em All!

Save Monday, April 26, to be with us in Washington, DC!

Letter to Eric Holder for Civil Rights Investigation of the Case of MUMIA!

From Sis. Pam Africa:


Campaign for a Civil Rights Investigation of the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
Website: www.freemumia.com


February 19, 2010

Contacts:
Pam Africa, 215-476-8812
Dr. Suzanne Ross, 917-584-2135


Attorney General Eric Holder
Cc: Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

We write to you about the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. We are sure you know quite a bit about this case and about the person behind the “case.” As you probably have heard, we are asking the Department of Justice to review the extensive history of civil rights violations in this case, dating back to even before there was any issue of a crime involved, to the present day. We are eager to meet with you to discuss these violations. An international delegation will be available to meet with you on Monday, April 26. We certainly hope that it will be possible for you to arrange to see us at that time. By the beginning of April, we will provide you with a legal brief addressing the issues involved.

This letter, and the request we are submitting for a meeting, is our second approach to the Department of Justice in the past few months. Last November 12, we delivered approximately 20,000 letters (online and in hard copy) to the Department of Justice after holding a press conference at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, Charles Rangel, Ruby Dee, Angela Davis, and Alice Walker were among the signers. We delivered the letters to the Department of Justice spokesperson, Alejandro Mijar. We explained to Mr. Mijar why we are calling for a civil rights investigation into Mumia’s case and also conveyed to him that we hoped to meet with you when we next came to the Department of Justice. This exchange with an official from the department was arranged by telephone by Dr. Suzanne Ross in conversation with the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas E. Perez, through his secretary, Nathaniel Gamble.

We wish to return in April with many of us listed below as well as other national and international leaders representing unions, anti-death penalty groups, religious, legal, and human rights organizations. On April 26 we will explain the police, prosecutorial, and judicial patterns in this 28 year legal case that could hardly be said to represent the law but rather the lack of law. Clearly this is a very political and highly charged case. As such, the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal cries out for a review of the decades-long history of lawlessness and injustice.

We hope to hear from you in the very near future and very much look forward to sharing ideas about how a civil rights investigation might contribute to establishing fairness and justice in a case where an innocent man, a rather remarkable intellectual leader and visionary, is being railroaded to execution.

We are attaching a number of documents to give you a picture of the issues involved, the work we’ve done to educate people about a civil rights investigation, the support we’ve gotten, and some of the activities we’ve conducted. These are not legal documents. We will submit those in advance of our meeting with you.

Yours for justice,

National Conference of Black Lawyers
The Riverside Church Prison Ministry
Pam Africa, Chair, International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Sion Assidon, member of Moroccan Association of Human Rights, former political prisoner
Alan Benjamin, San Francisco Labor Council Executive Board member; International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples
Patrick Braouezec, former Mayor of Saint-Denis, France; current member of the French Parliament
Dr. Marvin Cheatham, NAACP, Baltimore City, President
Sister Empress Phile Chionesu, Founder and President General of the Original Million Woman March and Universal Movement, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Coard, Esq., Philadelphia, PA
Martha Conley, Esq., Pittsburgh, PA
Mireille Fanon-Mendes France, Chairperson, Frantz Fanon Foundation, Member of International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Larry Hales, Students and Youth for Mumia
Leslie Jones, Esq., Ithaca, NY
Jeff Mackler, Director, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal (San Francisco)
Nada Khader, WESPAC Foundation
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congressional Representative, Atlanta, GA
Suryea Peterson, Westchester Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute for Non-Violence, Board member
Dr. Suzanne Ross, Co-chair, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sundiata Sadiq, Ossining NAACP, former President
Fignole St. Cyr, Autonomous Unions of Haiti, President
Dr. Michael Schiffman, English Department, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Professor Mark Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary, Educators for Mumia
Leon Williams, Esq., Philadelphia, PA


List of Attachments

Mass Grassroots Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Congressional Black Caucus Letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, June 30, 1995
Statement by Martin Luther King, III 1999
Article by Hans Bennett, San Francisco Bay View
Article by Linn Washington, This Is No Victory, March 2008
NAACP Press Conference, July 2009
Julian Bond Statement on Democracy Now!, June 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Wrongs in Civil Rights Underlying Abu-Jamal Conviction, August 11, 2009
Final Call Article by Saeed Shabazz, October 30, 2009
November 12, 2009, Press Conference in Washington, DC
Final Call Article by Askia Muhammad, November 2009
Article by Linn Washington, Cracks in Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Case, December 10, 2009
Article by Linn Washington, The Mumia Exception, February 11, 2010

CALLING ALL EDUCATORS! JOIN EDUCATORS FOR MUMIA!

THINK * DECIDE * ACTJoin Educators for Mumia (EMAJ)

at www.emajonline.com for

Introductions to Mumia's Case: Urgent Updates
Perspectives on Mumia by Teachers and Published Scholars
The Educators List of 1,000 Teachers Supporting Mumia
Selected Columns by Mumia: Links to additional Mumia Sites

Complete the form below and send to EMAJ, c/o Mark Taylor, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, or by email to mark.taylor@ptsem.edu.

Your name
Organization
Email address
Regular address
Phone number

*EMAJ - one way to participate in the broader movements for Mumia Abu-Jamal

Videos: Feb. 13, 2010 Int'l teach-in says: FREE MUMIA

From Hans Bennett:
Check out this excellent video report from the Feb. 13 event for Mumia in Philadelphia.

Special thanks to Peoples Video Network for all the time and energy put into this.

Link here to watch all the videos:

http://www.iacenter.org/prisoners/mumia/majphiliconf-videos021610/

JR victory, victory for all of us! All charges dropped!

Fantastic News, our victories are few and far between!
From editor@sfbayview.com:

Join POCC Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and Pam and Ramona Africa for a Power to the People Victory Celebration tonight, Monday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., Black Dot Cafe, 1195 Pine St., West Oakland - YOU are invited!

El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz - Malcolm X - taught us, "Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression." Though Malcolm was taken from us physically 45 years and a day ago, his spirit lives on ... in the people, in YOU, who have kept the faith in a young freedom fighter.

Today at the Alameda County Courthouse, made famous by the "Free Huey!" rallies held on the steps by the Black Panther Party, all charges were dismissed against POCC Minister of Information JR Valrey, producer of the film "Operation Small Axe" about the movement for justice for Oscar Grant and of Block Report Radio and associate editor of the SF Bay View newspaper. The crowd that packed the courtroom included Prisoners of Conscience Committee Fred Hampton Jr., Pam Africa of the Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and Ramona Africa of the MOVE organization and a host of Bay Area activists.

This victory belongs to the people, all of you who attended endless hearings over the past 13 months; donated to his legal defense fund and to send his team earlier this month to Haiti and to help him support his family as the camera he used to earn a living languished in the Oakland Police Department property room - it's still there; recorded rap songs to keep the issues alive on the streets; and wrote and relayed a million messages through cyberspace. Special thanks and the greatest respect is due Marlon Monroe, the young Black lawyer who has provided JR with a brilliant defense.

Minister of Information JR is the critic the Oakland PD most fears; for years he has covered their war against the Black community as other media cowered in silence. On Jan. 7, 2009, as JR was covering the first Oakland Rebellion following the New Year's execution of Oscar Grant, the police grabbed the chance to put him away for a long time. He'd just left an impromptu press conference at the door of City Hall, where Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums sought refuge from reporters' questions - the most pointed coming from JR.

As he walked away from City Hall reviewing the photos he'd just taken on his camera viewer, he was suddenly tackled by cops who nearly broke his leg. Two National Lawyers Guild legal observers, who happened to be nearby, saw that the charge the police pulled out of thin air - felony arson of a trash can - was ridiculous, as he had no matches, no lighter or any other means of setting anything on fire.

Nevertheless, he was the only one of the dozens of journalists covering the rebellion who was arrested and one of only three of the 105 people arrested to be charged with a felony. Currently, only one other defendant, punk rock artist Holly Works, still faces charges. Her trial is set for March 1. Readers are urged to pack the courtroom so that her charges, too, will be dismissed.

It is the people's refusal to abandon or forget about JR's case that must have convinced the Oakland PD and DA that prosecuting him was - instead of demonizing him - making him a rallying point. They must have realized that imprisoning him would not silence him any more than death row has silenced Mumia, who, before he was framed for killing a cop, was beloved on the streets of Philly the way JR is beloved on the streets of Oakland as the "voice of the voiceless."

"Wednesday, just hours before JR was arrested, his Block Report interview with Donald Wiggins, a cousin of Oscar Grant, was broadcast on KPFA's Hard Knock Radio," I wrote shortly after JR's arrest to give readers a taste of his everyday work. "As always, the interview reveals facts and perspectives never voiced to mainstream journalists, who are not trusted by the Black community because, unlike JR, they don't come from the Black community.

"'He (Oscar) lay there (on the BART platform) for about 30 to 45 minutes,' said Oscar's cousin, describing the immediate aftermath of the shooting. 'So it was really inevitable for him not to be revived at the hospital.' 'They let him stay on the platform of the BART for 30 to 45 minutes?' asked JR. 'Yes,' responded Oscar's cousin, 'while they tried to confiscate phones and video and every other thing to cover it up.'" Listen to this and other riveting interviews on JR's website, www.blockreportradio.com.

When for a week following Oscar Grant's execution and still that night of Jan. 7, Mayor Dellums refused to join the people's demand that killer cop Johannes Mehserle be arrested and charged with murder or to make a statement of any kind, rage turned a rally into a rebellion. An explosion of young people of all races and classes confronting cops in riot gear nose to nose, jumping on a police car and breaking a few downtown store windows - yet hurting no one and stealing nothing - blared across TV screens around the country.

"JR adds," I wrote following his first phone call to the Bay View after his arrest, "that it's the consensus on the streets that all the police on the Fruitvale BART platform at 2 a.m. New Year's are responsible, at least as accomplices, in taking the life of Oscar Grant. All of them should be charged and tried. He also urges readers to hold the BART board and Mayor Dellums to their promises to compensate businesses for damage inflicted on their property Wednesday."

Those remain goals we all need to unite and fight for. Our work is far from over. Killer copy Mehserle's trial begins in Los Angeles June 7, and the crowds at the courthouse must grow exponentially to ensure his conviction. JR is planning right now to return to Haiti as soon as possible with an even larger team to bring help and hope as our U.S. government deliberately starves and denies shelter and medical care to hundreds of thousands of Haitians in the rainy season that's turning their world to inedible, disease-ridden mud.

So to summon the courage to strengthen the struggle and mow down the obstacles in our way, let's celebrate at the Black Dot tonight. Today the power of the people prevailed. Let's keep the victories rolling.

Mary Ratcliff, editor

To reach the Bay View, email editor@sfbayview.com or call (415) 671-0789.

Tribute to Safiya Bukhari: March 28th in Harlem


SAVE THIS DATE: March 28th 5pm

Harlem`s St. Mary's Church
521 West 126th Street

Special Women's History Month event


TRIBUTE TO A LIONESS FOR LIBERATION:
Safiya Bukhari, founder of the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition

Come out to hear and read the reflections of a true warrior. 

THE WAR BEFORE:
The True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Prison, and Fighting for Those Left Behind
a new book edited by Laura Whitehorm.

Join the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) on
Friday, March 28th
for this International Women's Month Event at
St. Mary's Church on 126th Street
between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway


SAFIYA BUKHARI:
Woman, Mother, Grandmother, Soldier, Black Panther and Combatant in the Black Liberation Army, Muslim Women, Thinker, Activist and Organizer.

Join Pam, Ramona, and Mike Africa; Masai Ehehosi, one of Safiya's Co-Defendants, Imam Al Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, Zayid Muhammad, Sally O'Brien, Suzanne Ross, Sundiata Sadiq, Esperanza Martell… and others.

All Women Musician Performances

Special Guest Participants:
Laura Whitehorn, Editor of The War Before and former political prisoner
Wonda Jones, daughter of Safiya Bukhari, who saved and contributed her mother's writings for this powerful book

For more information go to www.freemumia.com
Call 212-330-8029

Solidarity Message from Germany for Mumia

From NYC Jericho:

We received the following solidarity message from Michael Schiffman in Germany for the February 13, 2010 Mumia Teach-In in Philadelphia:

Dear sisters and brothers in the struggle to free Mumia and bring the political prisoners home, I send you the warmest greetings from Germany.

The last year and particularly the last months have seen an enormous new groundswell in the support for Mumia. The realization that the American imperial state is not only planning to incarcerate Mumia forever but is actually planning to take his life has not only shocked many previous activists for Mumia back into action but also drawn many new sources and forces into the struggle.

We have moved from a situation where activism for Mumia was constrained to a handful of individuals basically in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, and Heidelberg to a state where there are Mumia activities in about 20 German cities. New committees were formed in important cities such as Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hanover, Kiel, and Oldenburg.

In December, there were small demonstrations in several cities, and since October several city councils have passed resolutions in various forms either against the death penalty and with the demand that Mumia not be executed or demanding both that and a new and fair trial for Mumia. The German parliament, the Bundestag, is deliberating about yet another resolution affirming its opposition to the death penalty, in particular mentioning the egregious case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

I should also mention that Germany has had its share in supporting the all important petition to Eric Holder to start a civil rights investigation into the case of Mumia, the new petition to president Obama to take a stance against the death penalty, and a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court last year demanding a new trial for Mumia.

Returning to direct action in the streets, just two weeks ago, we had a demonstration here in Heidelberg, organized not by our local Mumia group but a group of young antifascists under the motto "Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners." It was a strong showing with 250 people attending, very large and colorful banners and the literally hundreds of cops being unable to prevent the demonstration from gaining the attention and interest of the onlookers.

At a meeting of activists from Southern Germany, the plan was taken to engage in a variety of decentralized actions on the occasion of Mumia's birthday on April 24 and to try to make a year long spurt to organize a really big event in Berlin in December 2010 modeled a bit on the hugely successful event for Mumia at the Madison Square Garden in New York ten years ago, accompanied by a huge concert later on featuring bands both popular and supportive of Mumia.

There was another meeting of activists in Northern Germany a week ago, and from that, we also expect a fresh input of ideas able to boost the struggle for Mumia's liberation in a year that might well prove decisive for his fate.

Let me finish by quoting from the words of scientist and activist Manning Marable about Mumia, spoken in the year 2000 when the movement for Mumia was at its climax and which were already part of the final speech at the Mumia demonstration here in Heidelberg two weeks ago:

Sisters and brothers and comrades – without struggle there can be no progress. […] Power concedes nothing without a demand, it never did and it never will. With these words the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass tells us that the oppressed must liberate themselves, in the pursuit of justice. […]

We stand for Mumia, because our brother never received a fair trial, was tried by a racist judge, in a racist court, in a racist city, in a racist state, in a racist capitalist country.

[…] We stand for Mumia, because we know ethically and morally, that the death penalty is wrong, that it cannot be justified, and that it must be abolished. […]

We stand for Mumia, because […] more than 40 percent of all people on death row now are people of African descent, and because one third of all young black males in their twenties are in jail, on probation, parole and awaiting trial.

The Black Radical Congress stands for and embraces Mumia, because we share his vision of a just society. Our vision of justice is a court system where the death penalty does not exist. Our vision of democracy is where black people have the right to self-determination, and where the wealth is shared by all those who produce it. Our vision of community is where there is no police brutality, no hunger and homelessness, no poverty and unemployment.

The Black Radical Congress says stop state terrorism and police brutality now. Stop all the executions now. Free all political prisoners now. We demand a new trial now. The Black Radical Congress says: Free Mumia Now!

Whatever happened to the Black Radical Congress, Manning Marable was right in 2000, and he continues to be right in 2010. The struggle to free Mumia and all the political prisoners and the fight to end the death penalty once and for all will go on till victory

Ona move and in solidarity -

Michael from Heidelberg, Germany
for the German Network to Free Mumia and to End the Death Penalty

Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction

Excellent Video on Mumia by Nana Soul of Blackwaxx

From NYC Jericho:

Due to a combination of technical difficulties and time constraints, this excellent video was not seen in its entirety at the Feb. 13 Mumia Teach-In in Philadelphia.

Take the time to watch it because the information and orientation as to what media activists can do is excellent.

http://www.mumiatv.com

The 'Mumia Exception' - Explaining Injustice

February 11, 2010
By Linn Washington Jr.

Two inmates on Pennsylvania's death row raise the same issue on appeal – blatant misconduct by prosecutors and police – yet Pa's Supreme Court issues different rulings in these respective cases.

The Pa Supreme Court released Jay C. Smith directly from his death row cell, ruling the misconduct by prosecutors and police so "egregious" that retrying Smith for murdering a school teacher and her two children would violate fair trial protections in Pa's state Constitution.

However, in appeals from convicted Philadelphia cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, Pa's highest court repeatedly rejects solid evidence of wrongdoing by prosecutors and police despite that misconduct being more extensive than misconduct in Smith's case.
Why, people wonder worldwide, does Mumia Abu-Jamal remain imprisoned when mounds of evidence unearthed since his 1982 trial undermine all aspects of the controversial conviction that sent this acclaimed journalist to death row?

The answer to this justice denying/logic defying question is simple: "The Mumia Exception."

This "Mumia Exception" is the phrase devised to describe the practice repeatedly employed by state and federal courts to strip Abu-Jamal of the same legal relief those courts extend to other inmates raising the same legal issue when challenging violations of their legal rights.

Jurists bending and/or breaking the bedrock American legal principal of equal justice under the law is the driving dynamic of "The Mumia Exception."

This "Exception" explains how Pa's Supreme Court in the Smith case castigated authorities for illegally withholding evidence crucial to the high school principal's defense while that court constantly refuses to criticize any of the misconduct that crippled Abu-Jamal's defense.

The fact that courts – including the U.S. Supreme Court – have consistently upheld the conviction of the world's most recognized death row denizen is a key argument advanced by persons backing Abu-Jamal's execution when countering claims of his innocence.
Execution advocates reject "The Mumia Exception" as the reason why courts uphold Abu-Jamal's conviction despite the fact that dismissing the role of the "Exception" requires embracing scenarios that defy statistics and common sense.

For example, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania appellate courts overturned 86 Philadelphia death penalty convictions between Abu-Jamal's December 1981 arrest and October 2009 after finding various errors by prosecutors, police, defense attorneys and even judges – including the judge at Abu-Jamal's trial.

Yet, those same courts declare that not a single error – evidentiary or procedural – exists anywhere in the contentious Abu-Jamal case – a statistically improbable circumstance.

Pa and federal courts have even brushed aside credible evidence that on the eve of Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial the presiding judge, Albert Sabo, declared he would help prosecutors "fry the Nigger" – an odious admission oozing racial bigotry and lack of impartiality clearly violating Abu-Jamal's constitutionally guaranteed fair trial rights.

The twin pillars of this "Mumia Exception" are: courts refusing to apply their established legal rulings (precedent) to Abu-Jamal's appeals; and/or courts creating new legal standards to sabotage Abu-Jamal's appeals.

One easily understood example of the failure-to-follow-precedent prong of "The Mumia Exception" involves state and federal appellate courts in Pennsylvania dismissing 22 death sentences because of failures by defense lawyers to present any mitigating evidence for their clients during death penalty hearings.

Yet, Pa state and federal courts repeatedly found no violation in the failure of Abu-Jamal's trial lawyer to present any kind of mitigating evidence during the penalty hearing producing Abu-Jamal's death sentence.

It's important to note that courts uphold procedural rights in death penalty cases – like the mitigating evidence requirement – without challenging evidence of guilt.

The most recent example of the "Exception's" create-new-law prong is the 2008 ruling by the federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals upholding Abu-Jamal's conviction where it created a new standard for challenging racist jury selection practices by prosecutors.

That newly invented 3rd Circuit standard exceeded both the jury bias proof precedent that appeals court used six previous times in faulting discriminatory practices by prosecutors. Further, that new standard was more stringent than U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

But, when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Abu-Jamal's appeal in April 2009, it exhibited "The Mumia Exception" by allowing the 3rd Circuit's precedent-contradicting standard to stand thus keeping Abu-Jamal sitting in a death row cell.

Examples of the "Mumia Exception" abound…even in court rulings involving defendants convicted of killing police officers.
Three years before Abu-Jamal's December 9, 1981 arrest for fatally shooting Philadelphia Policeman Daniel Faulkner the Pa Supreme Court granted a new trial to a Pittsburgh, Pa man sentenced to death for the ambush slaying of a police officer.

The Pa Supreme Court, in that 1978 ruling, condemned a judge for allowing prosecutors to introduce "irrelevant and prejudicial" evidence that improperly inflamed the jury.

But eleven years later the Pa Supreme Court rejected Abu-Jamal's appeal claim that his trial judge allowed prosecutors to improperly taint jurors with their inflammatory yet unsubstantiated assertion that Abu-Jamal's teenaged membership in the Black Panther Party spurred his killing a cop.

Abu-Jamal, an award-winning journalist who voluntarily left the BPP in 1970, had no record of violence or other criminal conduct.
In 1999, the Pa Supreme Court released two reputed gangsters convicted of a high-profile mob murder in Philadelphia, declaring that pair was denied a fair trial due to "extensive and flagrant prosecutorial misconduct."

That ruling releasing the mobsters from prison came one year after the Pa Supreme Court rejected all allegations of fair trial violations when upholding Abu-Jamal's conviction for the second time.

That October 1998 ruling rejected voluminous evidence presented during Abu-Jamal's mid-1990s post-conviction appeal proceedings documenting official misconduct. That evidence included prosecutorial misconduct of improperly withholding evidence of innocence, discriminatory jury selection practices and intimidating defense witnesses.

The pro-prosecution bias of Judge Albert Sabo during Abu-Jamal's 1995 post-conviction appeal hearing was so pronounced that it drew intense criticism from local and national news media normally hostile to Abu-Jamal.

While editorials, commentaries and news coverage assailed Sabo's improprieties, including fining and jailing Abu-Jamal's defense lawyers, the Pa Supreme Court proclaimed the "opinions of a handful of journalists" did not convince it that Sabo acted improperly.

One 1995 rights demolishing action completely ignored by state and federal courts was then PA Governor Tom Ridge issuing a death warrant on the eve of Abu-Jamal's lawyers filing their post-conviction appeal.

Ridge's office knew when lawyers planned to file that appeal because Pa prison authorities were illegally intercepting mail from Abu-Jamal's lawyers and forwarding copies of that correspondence containing legal strategy to the Governor's office.

That death warrant, violating Abu-Jamal's appeal right, cast a disruptive cloud, allowing Sabo to rush the appeal hearing citing the urgency of that death warrant.

Shamelessly, the Pa Supreme Court allowed Sabo to handle that appeal hearing despite his bias during the 1982 trial being one of the appeal issues.

The enormous attention given to the `whodunit' aspects underlying Abu-Jamal's conviction easily obscures critical context regarding systemic violations like that legally indefensible interference by then Gov. Ridge who later served as Homeland Security czar for President George W. Bush.

Assertions by Abu-Jamal's opponents that his obvious guilt negates any need for judges to apply fair trial protections and/or employ equal justice principles contradict decades of court rulings -- precedent.

The Pa Supreme Court declared in a 1959 ruling that defendants are entitled "to all the safeguards of a fair trial…even if the evidence of guilt piles as high as Mt. Everest."

That fair trial right exists irrespective of whether judges or prosecutors are convinced of a defendant's guilt, Pa's highest court stated in that ruling issued when Abu-Jamal was four-years-old.

That 1959 ruling arose from a Philadelphia murder case where the defendant pled guilty. Abu-Jamal has consistently proclaimed his innocence in the fatal shooting of Officer Faulkner before, during and after his trial.

The U.S. Supreme Court first employed "The Mumia Exception" during rulings in the early 1990s granting relief to a white racist prison gang member and a devil worshipper who'd raised the same appeal issue as Abu-Jamal.

Each defendant claimed prosecutors violated their First Amendment free association rights with references to respective prison gang, devil worshipping and BPP memberships.

The Supreme Court faulted prosecutorial references to the then current organizational affiliations of that gang member and devil worshipper while it twice found no fault in prosecutors exploiting Abu-Jamal's past BPP membership.

Equal protection of laws seemingly should have provided an ex-Black Panther with the same Constitutional protections extended to the racist gang member and devil worshipper.

Incredibly "The Mumia Exception" is the least scrutinized aspect of this heavily examined case.

Jurists never admit employing "The Mumia Exception" because that improper procedure violates their sworn duty to uphold the legal principles of equal justice and adherence to precedent.

Failure to factor the endemic impact of "The Mumia Exception" elevates the credibility of fallacious claims about Abu-Jamal's 'open-&-shut' guilt.

Linn Washington Jr. is a columnist for The Philadelphia Tribune who's followed the Abu-Jamal case since December 1981. Washington, a graduate of the Yale Law Journalism Fellowship, coined "The Mumia Exception" phrase.

©2005 - Educators