Written by Emma Shaw Crane
Thursday, 25 September 2008
American activist Lori Berenson was pulled off a bus in Peru in November of 1995, detained by anti-terrorist police, and tried for treason against the Peruvian state by a hooded military tribunal. A gun was held to her head as she received her sentence: life in prison. Accused of being a leader of the MRTA (Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement), Lori was one of thousands of people kidnapped, tortured, disappeared, and/or imprisoned during then-president Alberto Fujimori's campaign to defeat rebel groups.
At the time of Lori's first "trial," Peru was emerging from over a decade of bloody civil war, fought between leftist guerillas and the Peruvian military. Two major armed movements fought the Peruvian government, the MRTA and Sendero Luminoso, the Maoist Shining Path. Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has estimated that approximately 70,000 people were killed between 1980 and 2000. Seventy–five percent of the victims were indigenous people, mostly Quechua, a number vastly out of proportion to their 16% share of the national population. The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds the government (through its military, police and intelligence apparatus along with paramilitary units) responsible for at least 45% of those deaths–compared to the MRTA who caused less than 2% of mortalities during the civil war. The Shining Path was deemed responsible for the majority – 53%.
This interview with Lori Berenson took place shortly before the first of a series of trials of Alberto Fujimori began in Lima. Last December, the former president was sentenced to six years in prison for abuse of authority, the first of three charges. His second trial, for human rights abuses including homicide and kidnapping, resumed July 14th, 2008. Ironically, if he is found guilty on all counts, Fujimori could serve up to 30 years in prison–just ten years more than Lori Berenson is currently serving. However, since Fujimori turns seventy this year, he is eligible under Peruvian law for a reduced sentence served under house arrest.
In this interview, Lori discusses how she maintains her hope while in prison, what she believes it takes to effect real and lasting social change, the emerging `New Left' in Latin America, and why women political prisoners are perceived as a threat to social stability.
What's the hardest thing for you about being in prison?
Frustration! You don't have control of your own life. People don't treat you like an adult. People are afraid to tell you that someone's sick. You are unable to deal with your own problems, either economic or otherwise. You feel sort of – in Spanish it would be impotencia – you can't do anything. The prison authorities beat someone up, you can't do anything. Someone's sick, you can't do anything. You need to write a letter to someone and you can't mail it. Frustration.
How do you maintain your hope and political conviction in a place as oppressive and confining and limiting as prison? What can you say about the prison system?
Each of the prisons I've lived in has provided a direct experience of why I think this prison system needs to change. Certainly, the first years I was in jail were very repressive years. Even in the last few years, you can still see the mistreatment of poor people. You can see it when they are presented before the judges, and you can see it in daily treatment. It's money: those who don't have money are not equal citizens. It's a very defined class differentiation.
What advice do you have for young people who want real and lasting change?
I think that today's young people have a really strong responsibility upon them. I'm no expert in any topic, but what I've heard about the environment is that there won't be much water in Peru in 20 years. Unless people start changing the way they live day to day, and unless people dedicate themselves to making superpowers change their environmentally destructive habits, then things will be hell on earth in 5 to 10 years. And that's just about the environment! Every war that superpowers like the U.S. wage mainly for economic interest is harmful on many levels – including mass killing of people. We're seeing a drastic situation, basically.
What do you think are the major components of a successful political movement?
At this point, I think there are two things. One is that you have to decide what "star" you are looking to follow. I think most of the left (i.e., "progressive people") have a lot of confusion as to where they are going right now. And that is not helpful. What I find very negative, and what I've certainly seen here and in El Salvador, is that when you have a very divided left and progressive circle you go nowhere. You just wind up with everyone in their own little cube doing nothing. At least for me, if you want to be in your little cube, just fight your own struggle, don't fight your struggle on the basis of saying, "Oh, so and so is worse." In the presidential campaign here in Peru, the most pathetic thing I've seen was one segment of the left criticizing other segments.
You've been outlining your first point about a successful social movement. What is your second point about?
On certain issues, it is important that there be unity among progressives and leftists. For example, in the U.S., what might be a principal point is to stop the war in Iraq immediately and not permit that there be another war like that. From what I hear on the radio, that's something that the left has in common with many from the Democratic Party. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. What issues are big enough? Protecting the environment! These are things that a lot of sectors can unite to do.
The other thing is that the left needs to look for where to go. I don't think we need to look for a guide, someone who is going to say, "Do this." We need to sit down and think: What was good about what used to be regarded as the standards of the left before the falling of the Soviet block? What things were good, what things were not? What things need to be changed, what things shouldn't exist? That kind of thing. We must learn from what was good and what was bad. But it's time to do it, because I think we're sitting around too long – myself included, by the way.
What lesson would you want to pass on to other activists, particularly young activists?
Go ahead with whatever you're doing. I admire and I'm proud of the fact that there are still people who think that there are streets in which other people roam, and that things are not really what the press says, and that it is necessary to look out farther than what you can see from the windowsill. This is in spite of the fact that I think there is a proliferating move throughout the world to create individuals that live in their own little cubes. You go, and you see, that the world isn't really what you think it is, and that it is that way maybe not for the reasons that the mainstream press says. It is necessary to think and to do – and not to sit and wait.
What is your hope for the future? Your future, and the future of movements you've been involved in?
I don't think the future is going to be better in the short term. I'm not that hopeful about the governments in power. Even the trend in this region doesn't give me much hope for solid structural change. You can have certain reforms that could be helpful, you can give spaces to the political or popular movement, allow them to do things they haven't been able to under very repressive regimes, but it doesn't mean there is a substantial change. The rules of the game haven't changed. And unless those change, nothing will. It's time to get back to discovering where we want to go, and while we're discovering that, just start walking.
Do you have hope for the Chavez/Morales movement in Latin America, the threat of having a unified Latin American bloc that could potentially create solidarity among Latin American countries? What do you think about that?
I think it's important that there be solidarity. But I don't have enough information to know what they are really doing or not. What is clear to me is that it is still not possible to change the rules of the game. That's the issue. You have to get to that place. It's good that they feel this way. Certainly here in Peru the leaders seem to be afraid of something about the Chavez movement. What are they so afraid of? And the Peruvians are very afraid. And much of the U.S. is too. Actually, I think that they are giving us a hand on that. By making bigger deals out of things, they are actually unifying the left on certain things. Well, thank you!
What is your opinion of the war on Iraq, and do you see that fitting into the history of imperialism in Latin America?
I don't know enough about history to give a historical background, but I think it's more complicated in the sense that the economic interests are very big. It's not only the interest in petroleum–it's the interest in making a war and making peace-so that a lot of money is invested in destruction and the rest invested in reconstruction, which is disgusting. But then on social terms, I would say that they saw fighting as a way of uniting the U.S. after September 11th and making it feel strong. The heroes and Rambos–I'm not sure if that's the correct name in today's movies–but that kind of figure that's going to go in there and kill all the bad guys. I also think the whole "hyping up" on nationalism is the other thing they intended to do.
You saw, because of your involvement with struggles in El Salvador, what happens when damaging policy is directed at a specific group of people. I'm curious if you see the war on Iraq as a parallel to that, as part of U.S. expansion and hegemony?
I think it is, but I wouldn't make a parallel with Central America. I think Iraq is a much more powerful country, and I think there are other issues involved, like pride of the nations that are situated close to Iraq. I think it's a much more complicated issue. And I don't think the United States really took that into account. Vietnam, for example, was more isolated, whereas Iraq is not. And Vietnam didn't have petroleum.
What is horrifying as well in Iraq is that so many historical relics and architecture have been destroyed–and no one seems to care. That's never mentioned, ever, just as all the civilians killed are never mentioned. I think the U.S. has opened a big can of worms and they don't know how to close it; at this point, they don't know how to pull out.
Do you expect to be paroled in 2010, and what is your hope for your future?
I should be paroled but I'm not sure. I think many things can happen. The only thing that's been constant over the last sixteen to twenty years is that the terrorists are the bad people. During the ten-year regime of Fujimori, Alan García was in exile for corruption – and now he is president again. Who knows how Fujimori's trial will be, and how he will be regarded in about five years. But what has been a constant is that terrorists are terrorists, at least in the media. If it is really perceived as a danger, then political prisoners who are higher profile won't be released, and I won't be released on parole when I become eligible.
What tactics do you use to stay sane?
I was once asked a similar question: "How do people cope with prisons?" There are a variety of tactics. One is escaping from it in your mind – people get high, people do a whole bunch of things. In the case of myself, and most political prisoners I have known, the thing would be the confidence that whatever you believed in was right. So I think that has not changed. And you might have a good day or a bad day, I mean, when it rains everyone gets sort of gloomy, but even so, you don't forget that you have that.
What messages do you have for Mumia?
My greatest respect to him and to all the political prisoners I've read so much about over these last several years. Keep struggling, because you're right! This isn't just a message for him, but to those who need to move on such issues so that his situation, and the situation of others like him, can change. There needs to be knowledge and consciousness of the need for these things to change. These are people who are victims of a state's oppressive ways.
Do you think labeling people `terrorists' will get old, like labeling people as `Communists' did?
I still have the pieces that we wrote on this three or four years ago, saying `No, we're subversives, we're political prisoners, we are not terrorists. Terrorism means actions that cause terror, that try to create terror.' I think I spent so much time trying to explain it to people, where it got to the point, after years of that, that I realized people still use the word terrorist and it doesn't really change anything. Those who will feel deterred by the word might feel deterred by it anyway, and those who can see through the paint will do so as well. So this is a point on which I've definitely changed over the last three or four years, in the sense that it really doesn't matter. You want to call me a terrorist? Call me a terrorist! It really doesn't change anything. I know I am not a terrorist.
Yes! I remember growing up in a peak period of the Cold War, in an era when they would say the Russians are going to invade and whatnot, and all these communists, they are doing this and that. And you know? People became immune to that.
How do you see consumer culture affecting the types of crimes that are committed, and the aspirations that young people have?
Cajamarca, where this prison is located, used to be a small town, but since '94 became a tremendous mining center. So it has grown but has not developed. All of the wonders of capitalist society have come here: the people now have giant shopping centers, filled with all sorts of junk that no one really needs, but they don't have the education, the other side of development here. And that creates `created needs'. I would say, in general, in all of the societies that follow the model of the U.S. there are consumer cultures. Many people rob because they want what's in style. They are taught since they are kids they need to consume; they need to be stylish; that these objects are a necessity. So what is a necessity is no longer food and water, but a whole bunch of junk. And those created needs are what drive people to different kinds of crimes, combined with the fact that there is no way of making enough money legally to get those kinds of things.
In that same vein, what has the mine brought here or not brought here? Has the promise of having industry in the town delivered or not delivered? What do people think of the mines?
Very mixed. Cajamarca doesn't have industry related to the mine. What they have is a lot of services. The whole service sector in Cajamarca is related to the mine. Which means that most people, indirectly, might be providing for someone who works at the mine, or whatever. It's very hard to do anything that is totally isolated from the mine. It's everywhere. You hear it on the radio: they have paid ads talking about the environment. That's what they do.
A woman in the line outside said that the only crime people in prison here have committed is de ser pobre, to be poor. What do you think of that?
I think that's true on different levels. There are actually cases of police picking people up for stealing pañales [diapers]. In order for someone to give birth in a hospital they need to have their diapers, they need to have syringes, and surgical gloves. There have been people caught stealing diapers so that their wives can give birth. So that is an example of people stealing to meet their needs in a crude sense.
People are in here because of poverty on many levels: they don't have enough money to buy off a judge, or enough money for a decent defense, though a decent defense is almost irrelevant with this legal system. In a good number of cases people without knowledge – poor in the sense that they don't have a good education because wherever they are from doesn't have a good enough education system, or because they've worked since they were kids – say things wrong when they talk to the police. They don't answer the questions right because they were never educated to answer those kinds of questions. They get surprised by the authorities, or physically brutalized by them, which is always helpful in having them sign whatever they [the police] want. And this happens because people don't know.
It's poverty in the sense that you can't do anything with your case, you can't help out in the moving of papers from one desk to the next. This is often the case in the judicial system and the prison system in terms of benefits, like parole. They can take forever if you don't have money.
How does the prison climate shift and change as there are fewer political prisoners in here with you?
It's interesting because the last year that there were a fair amount of political prisoners in here was probably 2004. There have been other types of changes. For example, in 2003 the government replaced the police in internal control of the prison system. At the end of 2003 other types of prisoners started to be brought here from coast jails. In the last two or three years, however, prisoners brought here are often people being caught in Cajamarca who are not from Cajamarca. This has to do with the accelerated growth in Cajamarca, unrelated to development; so the city doesn't develop its own criminals, it imports people to rob! I'm totally serious! People plan to come and rob here because they know so few people are doing this here. And so there have been a whole lot of people detained here who are not from this region in the last two or three years. It's a very new experience.
The Cajamarca mines have created new needs, like drugs and prostitution. They always mix prostitution in there. These things create other kinds of violence. Now there are people here for drugs because Cajamarca is part of a drug route.
The other point to make is that there have been some crime categories for which prison benefits such as parole and work equivalence have been removed. In the case of rape, the sentences have been made much more drastic, and prison benefits have been removed from most if not all cases. The same has occurred in the cases of kidnapping and extortion. So now there is a greater number of crime categories that don't have the right to benefits. The prison population is growing just on the fact that there are people who would have gotten out in the past but are not anymore.
I assume that women are in the minority here. What is it like being one of the only women in this prison?
Here I would say it's actually a privilege. In this prison, the women have been treated well. Generally, treatment of women is much harsher. But the difference here is that there are so few of us. For instance, we have a sewing workshop that none of us can use because we don't know how to work the machines, but it was donated to the women because there are few of us, so we could benefit from it. So in that sense we actually benefit because we are only a few. Sometimes the doctor won't attend the men because there are 500 of them, but they will attend the women because there are approximately thirty women here.
Why is treatment generally harsher in women's wings, and how has that been your experience?
I am sure that if you speak to other women prisoners they will say the same things. I think it has to do with a lot of idiosyncrasies. One is the way the authorities see women: once you leave the roles that were given to you by society, then you have to accept what you get. With women, the treatment usually is very demeaning. I remember when I was in Arequipa they called us hijas (daughters). "I look at you as if you are my daughters." That is very offensive! It's very demeaning. The worst thing in the treatment of women is that they don't treat you like adults. Men can be roughened up a lot, mistreated, spoken too grotesquely, but they are never treated like children. And women always are. That's the biggest difference.
The other thing is, in terms of political prisoners, I definitely think that female political prisoners are seen as a greater threat.
Why do you think that is?
One of the things they always say, and you can read this in cases, particularly in the case of the Shining Path, they always say, "Oh, the ones from the assassination squadrons are cold blooded, and they are always women." I remember hearing something similar when I lived in El Salvador. I think it's this fear that a woman, when she is politically clear on things, is supposedly firmer in her beliefs. The torture of women has been horrendous- how many women have had kids in jail because of rape? It has to do with revenge. They committed the crime of leaving the roles that were given to them, and then on top of that being subversives, and on top of that, being firm in their beliefs.
I remember a woman who was recently sentenced to thirty years for something she didn't do. I think it was largely because of the fact that when she was detained by the police she refused to speak, she refused to self–incriminate, and they said, "She's too strong, she's got to be a leader." She withstood the torture, withstood everything. And that was probably the reason she got a thirty-year sentence.
For more information, visit the Committee to Free Lori Berenson: http://www.freelori.org/
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Kicking off The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal - Northern California Tour
For info on the film and the tour, check out the Journalists for Mumia Abu-Jamal blog at their MySpace page.
Jury of Peers? (Mumia's message to CR10)
Check out Mumia's new radio-essay on the issue of the fair jury, including this special message to the CR10 conference:
http://prisonradio.org/JuryofPeersMumia.htm
And read Journalists for Mumia's interview with CR10's Rose Braz:
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/organizing-to-abolish-the-prison-industrial-complex/
http://prisonradio.org/JuryofPeersMumia.htm
And read Journalists for Mumia's interview with CR10's Rose Braz:
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/07/organizing-to-abolish-the-prison-industrial-complex/
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Towards Justice and Freedom: with Pam Africa, Ramona Africa and more
Towards Justice and Freedom:
w/ Pam Africa, Ramona Africa, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., JR, Julia
Wright (from Paris) and Leslie Jones
SATURDAY Night September 27th 6pm.
at
Black New World (no charge, donations gladly accepted)
863 Pine St.
West Oakland, CA
415-648-4505 for more information
There are many more events scheduled for this week long tour, email
info@prisonradio.org for a complete list.
w/ Pam Africa, Ramona Africa, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., JR, Julia
Wright (from Paris) and Leslie Jones
SATURDAY Night September 27th 6pm.
at
Black New World (no charge, donations gladly accepted)
863 Pine St.
West Oakland, CA
415-648-4505 for more information
There are many more events scheduled for this week long tour, email
info@prisonradio.org for a complete list.
Warrens File Civil Lawsuit
PRESS RELEASE
September 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jonathan Moore (212) 490-0400
ATTORNEY JONATHAN MOORE, ELECTED OFFICIALS OF NEW YORK, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL COMMUNITY WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THE FILING OF A CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT ON BEHALF OF ATTORNEYS MICHAEL AND EVELYN WARREN
On September 18, 2008, attorney Jonathan Moore will file a lawsuit on behalf of attorneys Michael and Evelyn Warren against The City of New York, the New York City Police Department, Sergeant Steven Talvy and other officers for injuries arising out of an incident of police misconduct on June 21, 2007.
On June 21,2007, Sergeant Talvy of the NYPD SNEU beat and arrested attorneys Michael and Evelyn Warren after they questioned why the police were viciously kicking a young man they had already taken to the ground and handcuffed. For stepping forward to inquire into the welfare of the young man, Michael Warren received several blows to
the head and was charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration and Resisting Arrest; Evelyn was punched in the face and charged with Disorderly Conduct.
The Warrens were forced to appear in court on 7 occasions over the course of a year to defend against the false charges. On July 2, 2008, all charges against them were dismissed, due to insufficient evidence.
On August 13, 2008, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated charges against Sergeant Steven Talvy for use of force against Michael Warren.
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2008, at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Steps of City Hall
--
Free All Political Prisoners!
nycjericho@gmail.com • www.jerichony.org
September 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jonathan Moore (212) 490-0400
ATTORNEY JONATHAN MOORE, ELECTED OFFICIALS OF NEW YORK, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL COMMUNITY WILL HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THE FILING OF A CIVIL LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT ON BEHALF OF ATTORNEYS MICHAEL AND EVELYN WARREN
On September 18, 2008, attorney Jonathan Moore will file a lawsuit on behalf of attorneys Michael and Evelyn Warren against The City of New York, the New York City Police Department, Sergeant Steven Talvy and other officers for injuries arising out of an incident of police misconduct on June 21, 2007.
On June 21,2007, Sergeant Talvy of the NYPD SNEU beat and arrested attorneys Michael and Evelyn Warren after they questioned why the police were viciously kicking a young man they had already taken to the ground and handcuffed. For stepping forward to inquire into the welfare of the young man, Michael Warren received several blows to
the head and was charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration and Resisting Arrest; Evelyn was punched in the face and charged with Disorderly Conduct.
The Warrens were forced to appear in court on 7 occasions over the course of a year to defend against the false charges. On July 2, 2008, all charges against them were dismissed, due to insufficient evidence.
On August 13, 2008, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated charges against Sergeant Steven Talvy for use of force against Michael Warren.
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2008, at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Steps of City Hall
--
Free All Political Prisoners!
nycjericho@gmail.com • www.jerichony.org
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Legal Update for Mumia Abu-Jamal
NOTE from ICFFMAJ: This is not the appeal to the US Supreme Court on the Batson issue for a new trial that will be filed later this year. This is a new very important legal initiative appealing to the US Supreme Court on the use of police-coerced testimony and fabricated confessions both by the Common Court of Appeals and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in convicting Mumia and sentencing him to death in clear violation of his constitutional rights.
Legal Update
Date: September 12, 2008
From: Robert R. Bryan, lead counsel
Subject: U.S. Supreme Court litigation on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, death row, Pennsylvania
Introduction
There has been extensive news attention to the ongoing federal proceedings concerning my client, Mumia Abu-Jamal, on the hotly contested issue of racism in jury selection and the ordering of a new jury trial on the question of life or death. (*Abu-Jamal v. Horn*, 520 F.3d 272 (3rd Cir. 2008).) The massive issue of racism will be presented to the U.S. Supreme Court later this year. However, few are aware that we have been actively litigating separate issues concerning fraud and the subornation of perjury by the Philadelphia Police Department and the District Attorney of Philadelphia. We are now before the Supreme Court regarding this governmental misconduct which resulted in Mumia being convicted and sentenced to death.
U.S. Supreme Court
On July 18, 2008, I filed on behalf of Mumia in the Supreme Court, a Petition for Writ of Certiorari. (*Abu-Jamal v. ** Pennsylvania*, U.S. Sup. Ct. No. 08-5456.) This arises from adverse rulings by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
The basis of the current litigation is that the prosecution persuaded witnesses to lie in order to obtain a conviction and death judgment against my client. The following are excerpts from what I have presented to the Supreme Court (without case citations and legal argument):
QUESTIONS PRESENTED FOR REVIEW
I.
Whether a new trial is mandated where there is newly discovered evidence establishing that the police (a) persuaded a witness to falsely identify a defendant as having shot a police officer, and (b) induced another to falsely claim she heard him confess, in violation of rights guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
II.
Whether a new trial is required where there is newly discovered evidence which establishes that the prosecution used a fabricated confession and false identification testimony in a capital murder trial, in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
III.
Whether the prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory evidence including the fact that (a) a witness was persuaded to lie that she had witnessed the homicide and (b) another encouraged to manufacture a false confession attributed to Petitioner, contravened *Brady v. Maryland, *373 U.S. 83 (1963) and the right to a fair trial, due process of law, and a fair penalty trial guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
IV.
Whether it is error for a state court to deny a hearing on newly discovered evidence of prosecutorial fraud and innocence, where the new claims involving police-induced false testimony were previously unknown to a petitioner and could not have been ascertained by the exercise of due diligence because of state interference.
REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT
I.
THE NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE ESTABLISHES THAT THE PROSECUTION MANIPULATED A PURPORTED EYEWITNESS TO FALSELY IDENTIFY PETITIONER AS THE SHOOTER, IN VIOLATION OF THE FIFTH, SIXTH EIGHTH, AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS
Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair and reliable determination of guilt and penalty, as guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution because the state's purported eyewitness, Cynthia White, was coaxed and coerced into providing false testimony against him. Her testimony was critical to the prosecution. If the jury had learned that her testimony was the product of threats and favors, there is a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different. . . .
Newly discovered evidence from [Yvette} Williams establishes that White lied by falsely testifying that she observed Petitioner shoot police officer Daniel Faulkner. In fact, she did not see the shooting. White was threatened with imprisonment and in fear of being killed by the police if she did not help them by testifying against Petitioner. As Ms. Williams explained:
6. When [Cynthia White] told me she didn't see who shot Officer Faulkner, I asked her why she was "lying on that man" (Mumia Abu-Jamal). She told me it was because for the police and vice threatened her life. Additionally, the police were giving her money for tricks. "The way she talked, we were talking "G's" ($1,000.00). She also said she was terrified of what the police would do to her if she didn't say that Mumia shot Officer Faulkner. According to Lucky (White), the police told her they would... send her "up" . . . for a long time if she didn't testify to what they told her to say...
7. Lucky was worried the police would kill her if she didn't say what they wanted... She was scared when she told me all of this plus she was crying and shaking. Whenever she talked about testifying against Mumia Abu-Jamal, and how the police were making her lie, she was nervous and very excited and I could tell how scared she was from the way she was talking and crying.
8. Lucky told me that what really happened that night was that she was... in the area... when Officer Faulkner got shot, but she definitely did not see who did it. She also told me that she had a drug habit and was high on drugs when it happened. She tried to run away after the shooting, but the cops grabbed her and wouldn't let her go. They took her in the car first and told her that she saw Mumia shoot Officer Faulkner.
Declaration of Yvette Williams, Jan. 28, 2002 at 2-3.
The declaration of Ms. Williams does not merely provide direct contradiction of the prosecution's key witness at trial, but it also materially undermines the integrity of the case against Petitioner. The fact that the prosecution witness testified falsely as a result of police inducement taints all of the evidence upon which the prosecution relied at the original trial, and offends the Constitution. Such proof would not only have impeached White's testimony, but would have created doubt about the motives and trustworthiness of law enforcement personnel involved in this case. . . . The subornation of perjury from White results in the inescapable conclusion that the investigating officers caused other witnesses to lie, and that exculpa tory and impeachment evidence was suppressed. Evidence that White was coerced into lying would have been far more significance than simply canceling out her testimony, which in and of itself was of major significance. It would raise a host of questions regarding why the police felt the need to fabricate evidence. . . .
II.
NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT PETITIONER WAS FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO DEATH THROUGH THE USE OF A POLICE FABRICATED CONFESSION IN VIOLATION OF THE FIFTH, SIXTH EIGHTH, AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS
Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair and reliable determination of guilt and penalty, as guaranteed by the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, because of the state's reliance on a fabricated confession and by its thwart ing of defense efforts to expose that falsehood. Newly discovered evidence has established that Priscilla Durham, a hospital security guard who testified at trial to hearing Petitioner allegedly confess, has since admitted to concocting the story. Declaration of Kenneth Pate, Apr. 18, 2003. She admitted to Mr. Pate that in fact she never heard Petitioner make any incriminating statements. He recalls:
...
2. Sometime around the end of 1983 or the beginning of 1984 I had a telephone conversation with Priscilla Durham in which the subject of Mumia Abu-Jamal came up.
...
5. Then Priscilla started talking about Mumia Abu-Jamal. She said that when the police brought him in that night she was working at the hospital. Mumia was all bloody and the police were interfering with his treatment, saying "let him die."
6. Priscilla said that the police told her that she was part of the "brotherhood" of police since she was a security guard and that she had to stick with them and say that she heard Mumia say that he killed the police officer, when they brought Mumia in on a stretcher.
7. I asked Priscilla: "Did you hear him say that?" Priscilla said: "All I heard him say was "Get off me, get off me, they're trying to kill me.
Declaration of Kenneth Pate, Apr. 18, 2003.
Ms. Durham was the only civilian to claim that Petitioner admitted the shooting. There is a reasonable probability that if the jury was informed that Durham was pressured by police into lying, it certainly would have disregarded the alleged confession. Without proof of a confession, there is a reasonable probability that the verdict would have been different. . . .
Moreover, as in the situation of the fabricated testimony of Cynthia White, disclosure of the pressure placed upon Durham to falsely claim she heard the confession, would likewise create a reasonable probability that the other witnesses and evidence presented would be viewed by the jury with skepticism. In effect disclosure that the police caused both Durham and White to lie, would have brought into question the credibility and legitimacy of the other evidence presented again Petitioner. In that even the prosecution case against Petitioner would have collapsed like a house of cards.
By the prosecution concealing evidence that two of its crucial witnesses lied, Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair trial and due process of law under the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. The petition filed on behalf of him in the state court addressed both governmental interference and newly discovered evidence that could not have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence. Both claims allege violations of recognized constitutional rights under Amendments Five, Six, Eight and Fourteen. Both claims allege the prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory material evidence and the presentation of false evidence in contravention of the right to a fair trial and due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution...
The newly discovered facts establish that the police as part of the prosecution were involved in obtaining false material testimony against Petitioner at trial. The result compromised not only his fair trial rights, but led to a death judgment that violated the very essence of the Eighth Amendment.
CONCLUSION
The declaration of Yvette Williams discloses that Cynthia White told her that she lied on the stand because she feared reprisals from the police if she refused to do so. The declaration of Kenneth Pate reveals that Priscilla Durham lied in testifying against Petitioner because she was pressured to so by the police. The witnesses' fears, created by the prosecution through the police, not only explain the false testimony but also why the witnesses did not come forward. The prosecutor in Petitioner's trial had an absolute obligation to disclose the threats and efforts to suborn perjury. . . . By suppressing exculpatory evidence which included the fact that (a) a witness was persuaded to lie that she had witnessed the homicide, and (b)another was encouraged to manufacture a false confession attributed to Petitioner, contravened the right to a fair trial, due process of law, and a fair penalty trial, guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
On August 21, 2008, the Philadelphia District Attorney filed a brief in opposition to the relief we seek on procedural grounds, that prior counsel failed to raise the issues in a timely manner. Even though the Supreme Court considers only an incredibly small number of cases at this stage, we remain hopeful in view of the prosecution's egregious misconduct.
Later in the year we will be going separately before the Supreme Court concerning the denial of an entirely new trial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Third Circuit. That court did grant a new jury trial on the question of penalty, life or death. Nonetheless, we are pursuing an entirely new trial. The issue of racism in jury selection will be presented, along with the fact that the prosecutor made misrepresentations to the jury in order to obtain a murder conviction against Mumia.
Donations for Mumia's Legal Defense in the U.S.
For tax deductible donations to the legal defense, please make checks payable to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation (indicate "Mumia" on the bottom left). They should be mailed to:
Committee To Save Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 2012
New York, NY 10159-2012
Conclusion
I will not rest until Mumia is free. That he remains in prison and on death row is a travesty of justice and an affront to civilized standards. We must all continue to fight for what is right, and not lose hope. Free Mumia.
Yours very truly,
Robert R. Bryan
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123-4117
RobertRBryan[AT]aol.com
Legal Update
Date: September 12, 2008
From: Robert R. Bryan, lead counsel
Subject: U.S. Supreme Court litigation on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, death row, Pennsylvania
Introduction
There has been extensive news attention to the ongoing federal proceedings concerning my client, Mumia Abu-Jamal, on the hotly contested issue of racism in jury selection and the ordering of a new jury trial on the question of life or death. (*Abu-Jamal v. Horn*, 520 F.3d 272 (3rd Cir. 2008).) The massive issue of racism will be presented to the U.S. Supreme Court later this year. However, few are aware that we have been actively litigating separate issues concerning fraud and the subornation of perjury by the Philadelphia Police Department and the District Attorney of Philadelphia. We are now before the Supreme Court regarding this governmental misconduct which resulted in Mumia being convicted and sentenced to death.
U.S. Supreme Court
On July 18, 2008, I filed on behalf of Mumia in the Supreme Court, a Petition for Writ of Certiorari. (*Abu-Jamal v. ** Pennsylvania*, U.S. Sup. Ct. No. 08-5456.) This arises from adverse rulings by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
The basis of the current litigation is that the prosecution persuaded witnesses to lie in order to obtain a conviction and death judgment against my client. The following are excerpts from what I have presented to the Supreme Court (without case citations and legal argument):
QUESTIONS PRESENTED FOR REVIEW
I.
Whether a new trial is mandated where there is newly discovered evidence establishing that the police (a) persuaded a witness to falsely identify a defendant as having shot a police officer, and (b) induced another to falsely claim she heard him confess, in violation of rights guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
II.
Whether a new trial is required where there is newly discovered evidence which establishes that the prosecution used a fabricated confession and false identification testimony in a capital murder trial, in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
III.
Whether the prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory evidence including the fact that (a) a witness was persuaded to lie that she had witnessed the homicide and (b) another encouraged to manufacture a false confession attributed to Petitioner, contravened *Brady v. Maryland, *373 U.S. 83 (1963) and the right to a fair trial, due process of law, and a fair penalty trial guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
IV.
Whether it is error for a state court to deny a hearing on newly discovered evidence of prosecutorial fraud and innocence, where the new claims involving police-induced false testimony were previously unknown to a petitioner and could not have been ascertained by the exercise of due diligence because of state interference.
REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT
I.
THE NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE ESTABLISHES THAT THE PROSECUTION MANIPULATED A PURPORTED EYEWITNESS TO FALSELY IDENTIFY PETITIONER AS THE SHOOTER, IN VIOLATION OF THE FIFTH, SIXTH EIGHTH, AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS
Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair and reliable determination of guilt and penalty, as guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution because the state's purported eyewitness, Cynthia White, was coaxed and coerced into providing false testimony against him. Her testimony was critical to the prosecution. If the jury had learned that her testimony was the product of threats and favors, there is a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different. . . .
Newly discovered evidence from [Yvette} Williams establishes that White lied by falsely testifying that she observed Petitioner shoot police officer Daniel Faulkner. In fact, she did not see the shooting. White was threatened with imprisonment and in fear of being killed by the police if she did not help them by testifying against Petitioner. As Ms. Williams explained:
6. When [Cynthia White] told me she didn't see who shot Officer Faulkner, I asked her why she was "lying on that man" (Mumia Abu-Jamal). She told me it was because for the police and vice threatened her life. Additionally, the police were giving her money for tricks. "The way she talked, we were talking "G's" ($1,000.00). She also said she was terrified of what the police would do to her if she didn't say that Mumia shot Officer Faulkner. According to Lucky (White), the police told her they would... send her "up" . . . for a long time if she didn't testify to what they told her to say...
7. Lucky was worried the police would kill her if she didn't say what they wanted... She was scared when she told me all of this plus she was crying and shaking. Whenever she talked about testifying against Mumia Abu-Jamal, and how the police were making her lie, she was nervous and very excited and I could tell how scared she was from the way she was talking and crying.
8. Lucky told me that what really happened that night was that she was... in the area... when Officer Faulkner got shot, but she definitely did not see who did it. She also told me that she had a drug habit and was high on drugs when it happened. She tried to run away after the shooting, but the cops grabbed her and wouldn't let her go. They took her in the car first and told her that she saw Mumia shoot Officer Faulkner.
Declaration of Yvette Williams, Jan. 28, 2002 at 2-3.
The declaration of Ms. Williams does not merely provide direct contradiction of the prosecution's key witness at trial, but it also materially undermines the integrity of the case against Petitioner. The fact that the prosecution witness testified falsely as a result of police inducement taints all of the evidence upon which the prosecution relied at the original trial, and offends the Constitution. Such proof would not only have impeached White's testimony, but would have created doubt about the motives and trustworthiness of law enforcement personnel involved in this case. . . . The subornation of perjury from White results in the inescapable conclusion that the investigating officers caused other witnesses to lie, and that exculpa tory and impeachment evidence was suppressed. Evidence that White was coerced into lying would have been far more significance than simply canceling out her testimony, which in and of itself was of major significance. It would raise a host of questions regarding why the police felt the need to fabricate evidence. . . .
II.
NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT PETITIONER WAS FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO DEATH THROUGH THE USE OF A POLICE FABRICATED CONFESSION IN VIOLATION OF THE FIFTH, SIXTH EIGHTH, AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS
Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair and reliable determination of guilt and penalty, as guaranteed by the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, because of the state's reliance on a fabricated confession and by its thwart ing of defense efforts to expose that falsehood. Newly discovered evidence has established that Priscilla Durham, a hospital security guard who testified at trial to hearing Petitioner allegedly confess, has since admitted to concocting the story. Declaration of Kenneth Pate, Apr. 18, 2003. She admitted to Mr. Pate that in fact she never heard Petitioner make any incriminating statements. He recalls:
...
2. Sometime around the end of 1983 or the beginning of 1984 I had a telephone conversation with Priscilla Durham in which the subject of Mumia Abu-Jamal came up.
...
5. Then Priscilla started talking about Mumia Abu-Jamal. She said that when the police brought him in that night she was working at the hospital. Mumia was all bloody and the police were interfering with his treatment, saying "let him die."
6. Priscilla said that the police told her that she was part of the "brotherhood" of police since she was a security guard and that she had to stick with them and say that she heard Mumia say that he killed the police officer, when they brought Mumia in on a stretcher.
7. I asked Priscilla: "Did you hear him say that?" Priscilla said: "All I heard him say was "Get off me, get off me, they're trying to kill me.
Declaration of Kenneth Pate, Apr. 18, 2003.
Ms. Durham was the only civilian to claim that Petitioner admitted the shooting. There is a reasonable probability that if the jury was informed that Durham was pressured by police into lying, it certainly would have disregarded the alleged confession. Without proof of a confession, there is a reasonable probability that the verdict would have been different. . . .
Moreover, as in the situation of the fabricated testimony of Cynthia White, disclosure of the pressure placed upon Durham to falsely claim she heard the confession, would likewise create a reasonable probability that the other witnesses and evidence presented would be viewed by the jury with skepticism. In effect disclosure that the police caused both Durham and White to lie, would have brought into question the credibility and legitimacy of the other evidence presented again Petitioner. In that even the prosecution case against Petitioner would have collapsed like a house of cards.
By the prosecution concealing evidence that two of its crucial witnesses lied, Petitioner was deprived of his right to a fair trial and due process of law under the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. The petition filed on behalf of him in the state court addressed both governmental interference and newly discovered evidence that could not have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence. Both claims allege violations of recognized constitutional rights under Amendments Five, Six, Eight and Fourteen. Both claims allege the prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory material evidence and the presentation of false evidence in contravention of the right to a fair trial and due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution...
The newly discovered facts establish that the police as part of the prosecution were involved in obtaining false material testimony against Petitioner at trial. The result compromised not only his fair trial rights, but led to a death judgment that violated the very essence of the Eighth Amendment.
CONCLUSION
The declaration of Yvette Williams discloses that Cynthia White told her that she lied on the stand because she feared reprisals from the police if she refused to do so. The declaration of Kenneth Pate reveals that Priscilla Durham lied in testifying against Petitioner because she was pressured to so by the police. The witnesses' fears, created by the prosecution through the police, not only explain the false testimony but also why the witnesses did not come forward. The prosecutor in Petitioner's trial had an absolute obligation to disclose the threats and efforts to suborn perjury. . . . By suppressing exculpatory evidence which included the fact that (a) a witness was persuaded to lie that she had witnessed the homicide, and (b)another was encouraged to manufacture a false confession attributed to Petitioner, contravened the right to a fair trial, due process of law, and a fair penalty trial, guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
On August 21, 2008, the Philadelphia District Attorney filed a brief in opposition to the relief we seek on procedural grounds, that prior counsel failed to raise the issues in a timely manner. Even though the Supreme Court considers only an incredibly small number of cases at this stage, we remain hopeful in view of the prosecution's egregious misconduct.
Later in the year we will be going separately before the Supreme Court concerning the denial of an entirely new trial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Third Circuit. That court did grant a new jury trial on the question of penalty, life or death. Nonetheless, we are pursuing an entirely new trial. The issue of racism in jury selection will be presented, along with the fact that the prosecutor made misrepresentations to the jury in order to obtain a murder conviction against Mumia.
Donations for Mumia's Legal Defense in the U.S.
For tax deductible donations to the legal defense, please make checks payable to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation (indicate "Mumia" on the bottom left). They should be mailed to:
Committee To Save Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 2012
New York, NY 10159-2012
Conclusion
I will not rest until Mumia is free. That he remains in prison and on death row is a travesty of justice and an affront to civilized standards. We must all continue to fight for what is right, and not lose hope. Free Mumia.
Yours very truly,
Robert R. Bryan
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123-4117
RobertRBryan[AT]aol.com
Jericho 10th Anniversary National March
"One of the first steps we are going to become involved in as an Organization of Afro-American Unity will be to work with every leader and other organization in this country interested in a program designed to bring your and my problem before the United Nations ... We must take it out of the hands of the United States government."
– Malcolm X, Speech at Founding Rally of the OAAU,
28 June 1964
Jericho 10th Anniversary National March
Friday, October 10, 2008 @ 12 Noon
Moving Agitational Picket
1st Ave. from 42nd to 47th Sts.
Bring your banners, signs, noisemakers, drums, whistles, etc.
Simultaneous delegation to United Nations for meeting inside UN
Demand Freedom for Our Political Prisoners and POWs!
Evening Concert to Benefit the Prisoners
@ the Knitting Factory!
Saturday, October 11, 2008 @ 12 Noon
Rally at the Harlem State Office Building
@ 163 W. 125th Street (between Lenox & A.C. Powell)
March through Harlem @ 1 p.m.
Closing Rally Site TBA @ 3 p.m.
To download a pledge sheet with what YOU can do, click here!
– Malcolm X, Speech at Founding Rally of the OAAU,
28 June 1964
Jericho 10th Anniversary National March
Friday, October 10, 2008 @ 12 Noon
Moving Agitational Picket
1st Ave. from 42nd to 47th Sts.
Bring your banners, signs, noisemakers, drums, whistles, etc.
Simultaneous delegation to United Nations for meeting inside UN
Demand Freedom for Our Political Prisoners and POWs!
Evening Concert to Benefit the Prisoners
@ the Knitting Factory!
Saturday, October 11, 2008 @ 12 Noon
Rally at the Harlem State Office Building
@ 163 W. 125th Street (between Lenox & A.C. Powell)
March through Harlem @ 1 p.m.
Closing Rally Site TBA @ 3 p.m.
To download a pledge sheet with what YOU can do, click here!
9/19 Philly Memorial Tribute to Bro. Bashir Hameed!
LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF BASHIR HAMEED!
A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO A SOLDIER IN THE BLACK LIBERATION STRUGGLE
JOIN LOCAL PHILLY ACTIVISTS AS WE REMEMBER AND HONOR THE LIFE AND STRUGGLE OF BASHIR
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH
7:30PM
A-SPACE
4722 BALTIMORE AVE
BASHIR HAMEED was born and raised in New Jersey. In 1968, Bashir Hameed joined the Black Panther Party while residing in Oakland CA. Once he returned to New Jersey, he became Deputy Chairman of the New Jersey Chapter of BPP. FBI documents obtained during the 70's reveal that during this time Bashir became a COINTELPRO target. He was charged and convicted of the murder and the attempted murder of two police officers in April 1981. This conviction came as a direct result of his political activity. Bashir Hameed and his co-defendant, Abdul Majid were tried three times (Queens Two). Their first trial ended in a hung jury divided along racial lines, The second trial was declared a mistrial by the judge immediately after the jury rendered a decision that acquitted Bashir on the murder charge. At a third trial, they were eventually convicted for murder. Bashir was serving a sentence of 25 years to life, and recently suffered with pancreatic cancer.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
KHALID 267-632-9036
TIM 717-917-1165
EMAIL: PHILLYJERICHO@RISEUP.NET
A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO A SOLDIER IN THE BLACK LIBERATION STRUGGLE
JOIN LOCAL PHILLY ACTIVISTS AS WE REMEMBER AND HONOR THE LIFE AND STRUGGLE OF BASHIR
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH
7:30PM
A-SPACE
4722 BALTIMORE AVE
BASHIR HAMEED was born and raised in New Jersey. In 1968, Bashir Hameed joined the Black Panther Party while residing in Oakland CA. Once he returned to New Jersey, he became Deputy Chairman of the New Jersey Chapter of BPP. FBI documents obtained during the 70's reveal that during this time Bashir became a COINTELPRO target. He was charged and convicted of the murder and the attempted murder of two police officers in April 1981. This conviction came as a direct result of his political activity. Bashir Hameed and his co-defendant, Abdul Majid were tried three times (Queens Two). Their first trial ended in a hung jury divided along racial lines, The second trial was declared a mistrial by the judge immediately after the jury rendered a decision that acquitted Bashir on the murder charge. At a third trial, they were eventually convicted for murder. Bashir was serving a sentence of 25 years to life, and recently suffered with pancreatic cancer.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:
KHALID 267-632-9036
TIM 717-917-1165
EMAIL: PHILLYJERICHO@RISEUP.NET
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Screening Mumia: The Suppression of Dissent in America
By Linn Washington, Jr.
September 11, 2008
In presenting a compelling examination of the plight of death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal the documentary “In Prison My Whole Life” also probes one of the deeper contradictions of America: persistent suppression of dissent.
For a nation that extols the provisions of the First Amendment, politicians and police have histories of running roughshod over the rights of citizens to exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech, assembly and presenting grievances to government.
The recent actions against peaceful demonstrators and non-mainstream journalists by federal and local law enforcement personnel during the Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota is yet another example of suppression of dissent.
Amnesty International is among the organizations condemning the assaults and arrests at the Republican Convention, terming that use of force and mass arrests excessive.
Amnesty International has officially endorsed “In Prison My Whole Life” – the first time this respected human rights organization ever placed its imprimatur on a film.
This well received documentary that premiered simultaneously last October 25th at the London and Rome Film Festivals focuses on the journey of one young man – William Francome – to discover more about the death row inmate arrested on the day he was born.
Francome’s birthday is December 9, 1981 – the day Abu-Jamal was arrested for murdering of a Philadelphia policeman. Francome’s American-born mother followed the Abu-Jamal case, reminding her son on each of his birthdays about the man languishing on death-row for a conviction based on what the AI report determined was a grossly unfair trial.
The film follows Francome across America from New York City to California’s Bay Area in his journey to discover more about the Abu-Jamal case and related issues like racism, class prejudice and suppression of dissent.
“In Prison My Whole Life” will have two screening in New York City at the Urbanworld Film Festival – on Thursday 9/11 and Saturday 9/13. Additionally, a screening is set for 9/26 at the CR10 Conference in Oakland, California.
The only previous US screening of this documentary occurred this past January during the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2000, Amnesty International authored the comprehensive yet concise report on the Abu-Jamal case that presented a unique examination of unethical and suspect conduct by the Pa Supreme Court in this controversial case – newsworthy material that the US news media buried.
Only two American daily newspapers carried articles on that news-laden AI report according to the NEXUS newspaper database and both of those articles were ‘news briefs.’ The news brief on the AI report published by the Philadelphia Inquirer in Abu-Jamal’s hometown was the fifth of six items in the B Section, listed below reporting on two non-fatal shootings, a small nightclub fire and a proposal to ban cell phone use while driving.
The Abu-Jamal case is fraught with suppression of dissent.
Incidents of suppression include the well publicized 1994 action by police and politicians forcing NPR to cancel airing prison commentaries by the award-winning journalist, the little known 2000 federal imprisonment of a leading Abu-Jamal activist for speaking at an anti-death penalty rally during the GOP national convention held that year in Philadelphia and 2007 strong-arming by Philadelphia’s police union to block a pro-Abu-Jamal program.
Francome’s “In Prison My Whole Life” interviews include Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Mos Def, Snoop Dog and Alice Walker – famed persons who’ve endured violations of their First Amendment rights.
This documentary also presents the first film interview with Abu-Jamal’s brother, Billy Cook. The slain officer’s beating of Cook during a traffic stop allegedly triggered the shooting. Cook shows a head scar he still carries from that beating. Cook also confirms the presence of his close friend long suspected by some as the person who fatally shot the officer.
Producers for the documentary are acclaimed British actor Colin Firth and his wife Livia Giuggioli who enlisted renowned director Marc Evans.
Producer Livia Giuggioli, during a recent interview with Hans Bennett, said intense passions displayed by advocates and enemies of Abu-Jamal is one of the things that interested them about pursuing this project.
“This is what really fascinated us all when we started to approach the subject and research,” said Giuggioli who lives in London.
“If you detach everything from this “figure” you just find a man who has been a victim of politics more than anything else,” Giuggioli noted echoing a conclusion of the 2000 AI report that politics had polluted judicial rulings in the Abu-Jamal case.
“In Prison” presents extraordinary evidence pointing to Abu-Jamal’s innocence inclusive of crime scene photographs discovered in 2006 that contradict core elements of the prosecution’s case against the man whose written five books while on death row.
The photos, for example, show no bullet marks in the sidewalk where prosecutors declared Abu-Jamal shot into the sidewalk around the fallen officer three times before shooting him once in the face. The photos show no cab behind the officer’s squad car where prosecutors told jurors a cab driver observed the murder. Additionally, the photos show police tampering with evidence at the crime scene.
A consultant for the documentary, German professor Dr. Michael Schiffmann, located these photos shot by a Philadelphia news photographer who arrived at the shooting scene minutes after the crime.
Schiffmann published the 2006 book “Race Against Death” one of the two most thorough examinations of the Abu-Jamal case. The other book is “Killing Time” by Philadelphia-area investigative reporter Dave Lindorff. Both Schiffmann and Lindorff have “In Prison” appearances, walking Francome through various aspects of the Abu-Jamal case in Philadelphia.
“Hopefully the film will help people to think and realize that maybe there is more to the story,” Giuggioli said. “Until there is a proper new trial – Mumia is just a man who has been sitting in solitary confinement for 27-years and it is a disgrace.”
The Abu-Jamal case is presently heading for an appeal to the US Supreme Court after the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year rejected a request for a new hearing, principally on the issue of racial discrimination during the selection of the jury at Abu-Jamal’s 1982 trial.
That Third Circuit ruling created new standards for jury discrimination appeals that are more stringent than standards established by the US Supreme Court. That 2000 Amnesty International report faulted courts for improperly creating new legal standards to deny justice to Abu-Jamal.
Linn Washington Jr. is a Philadelphia journalist who’s followed the Abu-Jamal case since 1981. Washington appears briefly in the “In Prison” documentary talking about police brutality in Philadelphia.
September 11, 2008
In presenting a compelling examination of the plight of death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal the documentary “In Prison My Whole Life” also probes one of the deeper contradictions of America: persistent suppression of dissent.
For a nation that extols the provisions of the First Amendment, politicians and police have histories of running roughshod over the rights of citizens to exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech, assembly and presenting grievances to government.
The recent actions against peaceful demonstrators and non-mainstream journalists by federal and local law enforcement personnel during the Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota is yet another example of suppression of dissent.
Amnesty International is among the organizations condemning the assaults and arrests at the Republican Convention, terming that use of force and mass arrests excessive.
Amnesty International has officially endorsed “In Prison My Whole Life” – the first time this respected human rights organization ever placed its imprimatur on a film.
This well received documentary that premiered simultaneously last October 25th at the London and Rome Film Festivals focuses on the journey of one young man – William Francome – to discover more about the death row inmate arrested on the day he was born.
Francome’s birthday is December 9, 1981 – the day Abu-Jamal was arrested for murdering of a Philadelphia policeman. Francome’s American-born mother followed the Abu-Jamal case, reminding her son on each of his birthdays about the man languishing on death-row for a conviction based on what the AI report determined was a grossly unfair trial.
The film follows Francome across America from New York City to California’s Bay Area in his journey to discover more about the Abu-Jamal case and related issues like racism, class prejudice and suppression of dissent.
“In Prison My Whole Life” will have two screening in New York City at the Urbanworld Film Festival – on Thursday 9/11 and Saturday 9/13. Additionally, a screening is set for 9/26 at the CR10 Conference in Oakland, California.
The only previous US screening of this documentary occurred this past January during the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2000, Amnesty International authored the comprehensive yet concise report on the Abu-Jamal case that presented a unique examination of unethical and suspect conduct by the Pa Supreme Court in this controversial case – newsworthy material that the US news media buried.
Only two American daily newspapers carried articles on that news-laden AI report according to the NEXUS newspaper database and both of those articles were ‘news briefs.’ The news brief on the AI report published by the Philadelphia Inquirer in Abu-Jamal’s hometown was the fifth of six items in the B Section, listed below reporting on two non-fatal shootings, a small nightclub fire and a proposal to ban cell phone use while driving.
The Abu-Jamal case is fraught with suppression of dissent.
Incidents of suppression include the well publicized 1994 action by police and politicians forcing NPR to cancel airing prison commentaries by the award-winning journalist, the little known 2000 federal imprisonment of a leading Abu-Jamal activist for speaking at an anti-death penalty rally during the GOP national convention held that year in Philadelphia and 2007 strong-arming by Philadelphia’s police union to block a pro-Abu-Jamal program.
Francome’s “In Prison My Whole Life” interviews include Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Mos Def, Snoop Dog and Alice Walker – famed persons who’ve endured violations of their First Amendment rights.
This documentary also presents the first film interview with Abu-Jamal’s brother, Billy Cook. The slain officer’s beating of Cook during a traffic stop allegedly triggered the shooting. Cook shows a head scar he still carries from that beating. Cook also confirms the presence of his close friend long suspected by some as the person who fatally shot the officer.
Producers for the documentary are acclaimed British actor Colin Firth and his wife Livia Giuggioli who enlisted renowned director Marc Evans.
Producer Livia Giuggioli, during a recent interview with Hans Bennett, said intense passions displayed by advocates and enemies of Abu-Jamal is one of the things that interested them about pursuing this project.
“This is what really fascinated us all when we started to approach the subject and research,” said Giuggioli who lives in London.
“If you detach everything from this “figure” you just find a man who has been a victim of politics more than anything else,” Giuggioli noted echoing a conclusion of the 2000 AI report that politics had polluted judicial rulings in the Abu-Jamal case.
“In Prison” presents extraordinary evidence pointing to Abu-Jamal’s innocence inclusive of crime scene photographs discovered in 2006 that contradict core elements of the prosecution’s case against the man whose written five books while on death row.
The photos, for example, show no bullet marks in the sidewalk where prosecutors declared Abu-Jamal shot into the sidewalk around the fallen officer three times before shooting him once in the face. The photos show no cab behind the officer’s squad car where prosecutors told jurors a cab driver observed the murder. Additionally, the photos show police tampering with evidence at the crime scene.
A consultant for the documentary, German professor Dr. Michael Schiffmann, located these photos shot by a Philadelphia news photographer who arrived at the shooting scene minutes after the crime.
Schiffmann published the 2006 book “Race Against Death” one of the two most thorough examinations of the Abu-Jamal case. The other book is “Killing Time” by Philadelphia-area investigative reporter Dave Lindorff. Both Schiffmann and Lindorff have “In Prison” appearances, walking Francome through various aspects of the Abu-Jamal case in Philadelphia.
“Hopefully the film will help people to think and realize that maybe there is more to the story,” Giuggioli said. “Until there is a proper new trial – Mumia is just a man who has been sitting in solitary confinement for 27-years and it is a disgrace.”
The Abu-Jamal case is presently heading for an appeal to the US Supreme Court after the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year rejected a request for a new hearing, principally on the issue of racial discrimination during the selection of the jury at Abu-Jamal’s 1982 trial.
That Third Circuit ruling created new standards for jury discrimination appeals that are more stringent than standards established by the US Supreme Court. That 2000 Amnesty International report faulted courts for improperly creating new legal standards to deny justice to Abu-Jamal.
Linn Washington Jr. is a Philadelphia journalist who’s followed the Abu-Jamal case since 1981. Washington appears briefly in the “In Prison” documentary talking about police brutality in Philadelphia.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Benefit Birthday Bash for Leonard Peltier
From the Free Mumia Coalition NYC:Join Friends of Leonard at the Brecht Forum on September 12 to celebrate his birthday!
We have it from a good source that Leonard will attempt to phone in during the festivities.
Food, cake, ice cream, t-shirt designs*, and fun with friends.
Friday Sept. 12, 7-10 pm
The Brecht Forum
451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Streets)
*Bring your own t-shirt (not the one you are wearing!) to paint on
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Save December 6th for an International Day of Solidarity with Mumia!
Save December 6th for an International Day of Solidarity with Mumia!
"I see no reason why we should not afford Abu-Jamal the courtesy of our precedents. Why we pick this case to depart from that reasoning I do not know."
- Judge Thomas Ambro
Once again the courts have ignored and changed precedents to illegally continue the imprisonment of Mumia Abu-Jamal. In July the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against three issues that could have led to a new trial. One of the three judges on the panel, Judge Thomas Ambro, dissented against one of the rulings pointint out that it ignores precedent.
Other than the US Supreme Court this was the last appeal to have his conviction overturned. Without an outpouring of public protest, Mumia will either be executed or will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
International Day of Action on December 6th!
(December 9th marks 27 years of unjust imprisonment).
Save the date! Mass action in Philly on December 6th!
There will be actions in cities internationlly. Email icffmaj@aol.com and join the list serv to find out how to become involved.
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
www.freemumia.com 215.476.8812 icffmaj@aol.com
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, NYC
P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
212.330.8029 info@freemumia.com
"I see no reason why we should not afford Abu-Jamal the courtesy of our precedents. Why we pick this case to depart from that reasoning I do not know."
- Judge Thomas Ambro
Once again the courts have ignored and changed precedents to illegally continue the imprisonment of Mumia Abu-Jamal. In July the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against three issues that could have led to a new trial. One of the three judges on the panel, Judge Thomas Ambro, dissented against one of the rulings pointint out that it ignores precedent.
Other than the US Supreme Court this was the last appeal to have his conviction overturned. Without an outpouring of public protest, Mumia will either be executed or will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.
International Day of Action on December 6th!
(December 9th marks 27 years of unjust imprisonment).
Save the date! Mass action in Philly on December 6th!
There will be actions in cities internationlly. Email icffmaj@aol.com and join the list serv to find out how to become involved.
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
www.freemumia.com 215.476.8812 icffmaj@aol.com
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, NYC
P.O. Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
212.330.8029 info@freemumia.com
Friday, September 05, 2008
Mumia Prepares new appeal
From InterPress Service:
RIGHTS-US: Death Row Activist Prepares New Appeal
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43773
By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, Sep 3 (IPS) - Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied thousands of protesters in the U.S. city of Denver last week who were calling for the release of U.S. political prisoners.
In a recorded message for the crowds protesting outside the Democratic National Convention, journalist Abu-Jamal attacked U.S. foreign policy, the protection of "foreign despots" and war for "foreign pipelines".
Abu-Jamal made the recording from his death row prison cell at a time when his 26-year battle for freedom has reached a critical point.
He and his lawyer are preparing to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court to ask it to rule on whether the lower courts have denied him justice because of racial bias.
The decision to go to the Supreme Court was taken after a federal appeals court in Philadelphia in July refused to reconsider an application for a new trial about his guilt or innocence, Robert R. Bryan, the head of Abu-Jamal's legal team, told IPS.
The application was first turned down by the appeals court last March.
Abu-Jamal, a journalist and political activist, was sentenced to death 26 years ago after being convicted of shooting dead a white Philadelphia police officer in 1981.
His case has been taken up by rights activists in the U.S. and abroad who have contested much of the evidence that was presented to secure his conviction. Abu-Jamal has always maintained his innocence.
"Racism continues to raise its ugly head in this country, and should have no place in our legal system," Bryan said after the appeal court's decision.
"Bigotry lingers [on] today in Philadelphia. It would be naive not to realise that this case continues to reek of politics and injustice."
"In America... people often go to the death chamber because of the incompetence of their lawyers," Bryan said.
"The indisputable facts are that the prosecutor [in the 1982 trial] engaged in racism in selecting the jury in this case," Bryan said. "We will not rest until Mumia is free."
Abu Jamal's Supreme Court petition will focus on a number of issues, including that black jurors were intentionally excluded from his [1982] trial. Studies have shown that white jurors are more ready to pass death sentences than jurors of colour.
It is uncertain whether the court will agree to hear the case, since only between 1 and 2 percent of petitions are heard each year.
But because the three appeal court judges were split two to one on the issue of racism in the jury selection, the Supreme Court might be more likely to hear the case to resolve the differences of opinion.
A Supreme Court ruling in favour of Abu-Jamal would mean that the appeals court would have to reconsider his request for a new trial about his guilt or innocence.
At the same time that the appeals court turned down Abu-Jamals's request for a new trial, it ruled that he deserved a trial limited to determining whether his sentence should be changed from death to life without the possibility of parole.
This appeals court ruling removed the immediate threat that Abu-Jamal will be executed, but it could be overturned.
Bryan is not satisfied with the narrow ruling of the appeals court. He wants a re-trial to prove Abu-Jamal's innocence.
The prosecution is also unhappy and is likely to file its own petition to the Supreme Court, asking it to overturn the appeals court ruling and order Abu-Jamal's sentence remains as death.
In an interview with IPS, Philadelphia district attorney Hugh Burns, the chief prosecutor, said he had not yet made a decision whether to petition the Supreme Court to send Abu-Jamal back to death row to await execution.
Burns said he was confident that racial bias had not influenced Abu-Jamal's original trial. He said it was "not possible" that significant errors had occurred during the trial.
If the Supreme Court refused to hear Abu-Jamal's appeal and agreed to the prosecution's request to reinstate the death penalty, the execution clock would start ticking again, Bryan said.
"Mumia remains very much on death row because this is still under review."
Mark Taylor, a coordinator of Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal and professor of theology and culture at Princeton Theological Institute, said the Abu-Jamal case was a potential embarrassment to important state officials.
The Pennsylvania governor, Ed Rendell, who would order the death warrant for Abu Jamal's execution, was a former chief prosecutor on the case. Ronald Castille, chief justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, is a former prosecutor who worked to keep Abu-Jamal in prison. He did not remove himself when the state Supreme Court ruled on Abu-Jamal's case in February.
Taylor said his organisation would continue to hold workshops and teach-ins to keep the public informed and rally support for Abu-Jamal's release.
"We have to continue doing what we have been doing, educating the public about the details of the case and its significance to issues like the death penalty in America, and racism and police brutality and prisons," he said.
RIGHTS-US: Death Row Activist Prepares New Appeal
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43773
By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, Sep 3 (IPS) - Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied thousands of protesters in the U.S. city of Denver last week who were calling for the release of U.S. political prisoners.
In a recorded message for the crowds protesting outside the Democratic National Convention, journalist Abu-Jamal attacked U.S. foreign policy, the protection of "foreign despots" and war for "foreign pipelines".
Abu-Jamal made the recording from his death row prison cell at a time when his 26-year battle for freedom has reached a critical point.
He and his lawyer are preparing to take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court to ask it to rule on whether the lower courts have denied him justice because of racial bias.
The decision to go to the Supreme Court was taken after a federal appeals court in Philadelphia in July refused to reconsider an application for a new trial about his guilt or innocence, Robert R. Bryan, the head of Abu-Jamal's legal team, told IPS.
The application was first turned down by the appeals court last March.
Abu-Jamal, a journalist and political activist, was sentenced to death 26 years ago after being convicted of shooting dead a white Philadelphia police officer in 1981.
His case has been taken up by rights activists in the U.S. and abroad who have contested much of the evidence that was presented to secure his conviction. Abu-Jamal has always maintained his innocence.
"Racism continues to raise its ugly head in this country, and should have no place in our legal system," Bryan said after the appeal court's decision.
"Bigotry lingers [on] today in Philadelphia. It would be naive not to realise that this case continues to reek of politics and injustice."
"In America... people often go to the death chamber because of the incompetence of their lawyers," Bryan said.
"The indisputable facts are that the prosecutor [in the 1982 trial] engaged in racism in selecting the jury in this case," Bryan said. "We will not rest until Mumia is free."
Abu Jamal's Supreme Court petition will focus on a number of issues, including that black jurors were intentionally excluded from his [1982] trial. Studies have shown that white jurors are more ready to pass death sentences than jurors of colour.
It is uncertain whether the court will agree to hear the case, since only between 1 and 2 percent of petitions are heard each year.
But because the three appeal court judges were split two to one on the issue of racism in the jury selection, the Supreme Court might be more likely to hear the case to resolve the differences of opinion.
A Supreme Court ruling in favour of Abu-Jamal would mean that the appeals court would have to reconsider his request for a new trial about his guilt or innocence.
At the same time that the appeals court turned down Abu-Jamals's request for a new trial, it ruled that he deserved a trial limited to determining whether his sentence should be changed from death to life without the possibility of parole.
This appeals court ruling removed the immediate threat that Abu-Jamal will be executed, but it could be overturned.
Bryan is not satisfied with the narrow ruling of the appeals court. He wants a re-trial to prove Abu-Jamal's innocence.
The prosecution is also unhappy and is likely to file its own petition to the Supreme Court, asking it to overturn the appeals court ruling and order Abu-Jamal's sentence remains as death.
In an interview with IPS, Philadelphia district attorney Hugh Burns, the chief prosecutor, said he had not yet made a decision whether to petition the Supreme Court to send Abu-Jamal back to death row to await execution.
Burns said he was confident that racial bias had not influenced Abu-Jamal's original trial. He said it was "not possible" that significant errors had occurred during the trial.
If the Supreme Court refused to hear Abu-Jamal's appeal and agreed to the prosecution's request to reinstate the death penalty, the execution clock would start ticking again, Bryan said.
"Mumia remains very much on death row because this is still under review."
Mark Taylor, a coordinator of Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal and professor of theology and culture at Princeton Theological Institute, said the Abu-Jamal case was a potential embarrassment to important state officials.
The Pennsylvania governor, Ed Rendell, who would order the death warrant for Abu Jamal's execution, was a former chief prosecutor on the case. Ronald Castille, chief justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, is a former prosecutor who worked to keep Abu-Jamal in prison. He did not remove himself when the state Supreme Court ruled on Abu-Jamal's case in February.
Taylor said his organisation would continue to hold workshops and teach-ins to keep the public informed and rally support for Abu-Jamal's release.
"We have to continue doing what we have been doing, educating the public about the details of the case and its significance to issues like the death penalty in America, and racism and police brutality and prisons," he said.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
PACK the Courtroom for Rebel Diaz this Wednesday!
THE FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL COALITION AND INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL STRONGLY URGE ALL WHO CAN TO ATTEND THE COURT HEARING FOR BROTHERS G1 AND RODSTARZ OF REBEL DIAZ, WHO WERE BRUTALLY ASSAULTED BY THE POLICE IN JUNE, WHILE THEY WERE QUESTIONING THE POLICE'S HARASSMENT OF A NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING IMMIGRANT STREET VENDOR. THE BROTHERS RECENTLY PERFORMED IN PHILADELPHIA ON JULY 4TH, IN SOLIDARITY WITH MUMIA, ONLY ADDING TO THEIR LONG LIST OF PERFORMANCES IN WHICH THEY ALWAYS MAKE CLEAR "WHICH SIDE" THEY ARE ON.
--------------------------------
This Wednesday September 3rd:
Support G1 and Rodstardz of Rebel Diaz
take a stand against police brutality and come out on
Wednesday September 3rd at 9 a.m.
Part MCP (Room 2-11C -
look them up under Venegas
Pack the
court room of the Bronx Criminal Court House
on 215 E. 161st St.
Bronx New York
Thank you
--------------------------------
This Wednesday September 3rd:
Support G1 and Rodstardz of Rebel Diaz
take a stand against police brutality and come out on
Wednesday September 3rd at 9 a.m.
Part MCP (Room 2-11C -
look them up under Venegas
Pack the
court room of the Bronx Criminal Court House
on 215 E. 161st St.
Bronx New York
Thank you
FILM ON MUMIA FEAT. MOS DEF, SNOOP DOG, ANGELA DAVIS AND OTHERS SCREENING IN NYC
In Prison My Whole Life, a new documentary on the case of Mumia, featuring:
Mumia, Mos Def, Alice Walker, Snoop Dog, Angela Davis, Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky and MANY MORE!
will be screening in NYC this month of September.
Screening 1:
Thursday, Sept 11, 1:45pm
AMC Loews 34th St, Theatre # 11
Screening 2 (spotlight):
Saturday, Sept 13, 6:15pm
AMC Loews 34th St, Theatre # 9
Mumia, Mos Def, Alice Walker, Snoop Dog, Angela Davis, Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky and MANY MORE!
will be screening in NYC this month of September.
Screening 1:
Thursday, Sept 11, 1:45pm
AMC Loews 34th St, Theatre # 11
Screening 2 (spotlight):
Saturday, Sept 13, 6:15pm
AMC Loews 34th St, Theatre # 9
LONG LIVE BROTHER BASHIR HAMID! LONG LIVE REVOLUTION!
It is with great sadness that we join the different organizations that have paid tribute to Brother Bashir Hameed who made his transition this past Saturday night, August 29th. Some of us first met Bashir in these last months of his life and were moved by his spiritual strength, intellectual clarity, and love for his family and people. We had hoped that the video that Bashir so wanted to do would be approved by the Department of Corrections before he passed, but that was not to happen.
Bashir's history as a militant activist in the Black Panther Party parallels so many of the other histories of our political prisoners of African descent. Born in New Jersey, after confronting the racism of the colleges he attended and that of the US Army, he moved to the Bay Area and in his own words "fell in love with the Black Panther Party". Later, he was sent back to New Jersey to try to rebuild the BPP which had already been decimated by the US government and local police. Within two years, he was either in jail or facing imprisonment for up to 20 years, all for doing regular BPP work, distribution of the party newspaper, the breakfast program, and political education. He ended up spending four years in Trenton State Prison and upon release was immediately again targeted. The Queens 2 case, which included Abdul Majid and himself, involved the alleged killing of two policemen in Queens. Their first trial ended in a hung jury, the second was declared a mistrial with 8 to 4 for "not guilty", and the last involved very questionable witnesses and finally led to the conviction the state wanted, and a sentence of 30+ years to life, with the recommendation that Bashir and Abdul never be paroled.
We say to Bashir's family, to his wife, and to all those who loved and admired him, that Bashir will not be forgotten. Just this past Sunday, at the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement hip hop concert, hundreds of young people learned about who Bashir is, were very moved by Brother Dhoruba's tribute to him, and cheered with great respect as each hip hop artist began his/ her performance with an individual dedication to Bashir. Would that Bashir had heard this in his lifetime, but he knew he would be remembered, and showed that confidence in his last days. Revolutionaries never die!
We extend our condolences to Bashir's devoted mother, Mrs. York, to his son, his sister, his niece (who became a doctor with the encouragement and prodding of her incarcerated uncle and who monitored his medical care in the last years of his life when he faced several serious medical conditions), and to his wife, Florence, who left her home in Texas to spend these last months by her husband's side.
In loving revolutionary memory,
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Bashir's history as a militant activist in the Black Panther Party parallels so many of the other histories of our political prisoners of African descent. Born in New Jersey, after confronting the racism of the colleges he attended and that of the US Army, he moved to the Bay Area and in his own words "fell in love with the Black Panther Party". Later, he was sent back to New Jersey to try to rebuild the BPP which had already been decimated by the US government and local police. Within two years, he was either in jail or facing imprisonment for up to 20 years, all for doing regular BPP work, distribution of the party newspaper, the breakfast program, and political education. He ended up spending four years in Trenton State Prison and upon release was immediately again targeted. The Queens 2 case, which included Abdul Majid and himself, involved the alleged killing of two policemen in Queens. Their first trial ended in a hung jury, the second was declared a mistrial with 8 to 4 for "not guilty", and the last involved very questionable witnesses and finally led to the conviction the state wanted, and a sentence of 30+ years to life, with the recommendation that Bashir and Abdul never be paroled.
We say to Bashir's family, to his wife, and to all those who loved and admired him, that Bashir will not be forgotten. Just this past Sunday, at the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement hip hop concert, hundreds of young people learned about who Bashir is, were very moved by Brother Dhoruba's tribute to him, and cheered with great respect as each hip hop artist began his/ her performance with an individual dedication to Bashir. Would that Bashir had heard this in his lifetime, but he knew he would be remembered, and showed that confidence in his last days. Revolutionaries never die!
We extend our condolences to Bashir's devoted mother, Mrs. York, to his son, his sister, his niece (who became a doctor with the encouragement and prodding of her incarcerated uncle and who monitored his medical care in the last years of his life when he faced several serious medical conditions), and to his wife, Florence, who left her home in Texas to spend these last months by her husband's side.
In loving revolutionary memory,
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Bro. Bashir Hameed is now among the ancestors
via: Queen Sis. Iyaluua Ferguson
-------------
The news of Bashir's passing is too sad for me to comprehend. It saddens me but it also angers me. We have said over and over again that the beast intends to only release our political prisoners in a pine box. And what is our response? We don't have yet a coordinated plan to bring about their release on our terms. We continue to be static, to treat gov. paterson with kid gloves, and to make speeches, but have no real plan for action. MalcolmX has told us that it is not sadness that will free us, but legitimate, heartfelt anger (and rage) that leads to action that will set us free.
I mourn the passing of my brother. My prayers and my heart go out to the Hameed family and particularly to Mrs. York, that very courageous woman who never stopped working for the release of her son. But my sympathy and condolences also go out to all of us who have lost a warrior, a brother in our struggle, who we cannot replace and who we are not yet able to redeem.
Bashir, I miss you. Jericho, we must not let his life be in vain. Please let us find a way to stop this genocide, this murder of our best and our bravest.
Iyaluua
Sunday 8/31
Dear Friends & Comrades;
I spoke with Florence this a.m. and she asked that all sympathy & condolence
cards be sent to the Hameed Family at 511 Winton Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Thank you
Paulette
-------------
The news of Bashir's passing is too sad for me to comprehend. It saddens me but it also angers me. We have said over and over again that the beast intends to only release our political prisoners in a pine box. And what is our response? We don't have yet a coordinated plan to bring about their release on our terms. We continue to be static, to treat gov. paterson with kid gloves, and to make speeches, but have no real plan for action. MalcolmX has told us that it is not sadness that will free us, but legitimate, heartfelt anger (and rage) that leads to action that will set us free.
I mourn the passing of my brother. My prayers and my heart go out to the Hameed family and particularly to Mrs. York, that very courageous woman who never stopped working for the release of her son. But my sympathy and condolences also go out to all of us who have lost a warrior, a brother in our struggle, who we cannot replace and who we are not yet able to redeem.
Bashir, I miss you. Jericho, we must not let his life be in vain. Please let us find a way to stop this genocide, this murder of our best and our bravest.
Iyaluua
Sunday 8/31
Dear Friends & Comrades;
I spoke with Florence this a.m. and she asked that all sympathy & condolence
cards be sent to the Hameed Family at 511 Winton Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Thank you
Paulette
Monday, August 25, 2008
Goddard IMA Commencement Speech by Alumni Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Taína Asili
This year's graduating class of the Individualized Master of Arts program at Goddard College proudly invited Mumia Abu-Jamal to be the keynote speaker of their commencement this past Sunday, August 10th 2008. It was a unanimous decision made by all of the graduates to invite Abu-Jamal, alumni of the college, to shed his wisdom and insight as a renowned journalist, freedom-fighter, and scholar.
Mumia Abu-Jamal first walked upon the grassy hills of Vermont's alternative college as a student working towards his BA in the 1970's. Unable to complete his degree work then, it was Goddard who he once again approached in the 1990's, yet this time as a U.S. political prisoner. He chose Goddard because, "Goddard was ahead of the curve, transforming individuals and their respective communities by expanding the realm of knowledge based on the fundamental principles of democracy."
It was during this work that he met his adviser and ally, Margo MacLeod, who guided Abu-Jamal through the difficult process of completing his BA degree from behind prison walls. Years later, MacLeod became the founder and Program Director of the IMA program, which these graduates have just completed, helping to support a unique form of education for hundreds of students, just as she had for Abu-Jamal. It is for this reason MacLeod, who is no longer working at the college as of this year, was chosen by the graduates to introduce Abu-Jamal during their commencement. In her introduction MacLeod shares, "It seems to me that Mumia has achieved the kind of integration of body, mind, and spirit that we strive for within this program, and that each graduate today has achieved in some measure in their work."
Following MacLeod's introduction, Abu-Jamal's voice rang strong through two large speakers facing the audience, a packed house of eleven graduates, their family members, fellow students and college faculty. Some graduates had worried that not having his physical body present might create a vacant atmosphere. However, this fear was dispelled, as evidenced by the resounding standing ovation following his speech by a great majority of those in attendance.
During this passionate speech Abu-Jamal shared his fond feelings towards the college, and his appreciation for what he termed "one of the finest and most unique colleges in the country." He also warned the graduates, "You leave Goddard at a time when the nation and the world faces serious challenges, as do indeed you all. What the nation needs, and indeed what the world needs as well, is new clear thinking about the challenges facing us." Later adding, "But as Goddard grads you are all fully equipped with the ability to think, a faculty I might add not much in evidence in our national political life I'm afraid. But this ability when used critically and flexibly may yet result in finding sane, humane solutions to our problems."
Read more
This year's graduating class of the Individualized Master of Arts program at Goddard College proudly invited Mumia Abu-Jamal to be the keynote speaker of their commencement this past Sunday, August 10th 2008. It was a unanimous decision made by all of the graduates to invite Abu-Jamal, alumni of the college, to shed his wisdom and insight as a renowned journalist, freedom-fighter, and scholar.
Mumia Abu-Jamal first walked upon the grassy hills of Vermont's alternative college as a student working towards his BA in the 1970's. Unable to complete his degree work then, it was Goddard who he once again approached in the 1990's, yet this time as a U.S. political prisoner. He chose Goddard because, "Goddard was ahead of the curve, transforming individuals and their respective communities by expanding the realm of knowledge based on the fundamental principles of democracy."
It was during this work that he met his adviser and ally, Margo MacLeod, who guided Abu-Jamal through the difficult process of completing his BA degree from behind prison walls. Years later, MacLeod became the founder and Program Director of the IMA program, which these graduates have just completed, helping to support a unique form of education for hundreds of students, just as she had for Abu-Jamal. It is for this reason MacLeod, who is no longer working at the college as of this year, was chosen by the graduates to introduce Abu-Jamal during their commencement. In her introduction MacLeod shares, "It seems to me that Mumia has achieved the kind of integration of body, mind, and spirit that we strive for within this program, and that each graduate today has achieved in some measure in their work."
Following MacLeod's introduction, Abu-Jamal's voice rang strong through two large speakers facing the audience, a packed house of eleven graduates, their family members, fellow students and college faculty. Some graduates had worried that not having his physical body present might create a vacant atmosphere. However, this fear was dispelled, as evidenced by the resounding standing ovation following his speech by a great majority of those in attendance.
During this passionate speech Abu-Jamal shared his fond feelings towards the college, and his appreciation for what he termed "one of the finest and most unique colleges in the country." He also warned the graduates, "You leave Goddard at a time when the nation and the world faces serious challenges, as do indeed you all. What the nation needs, and indeed what the world needs as well, is new clear thinking about the challenges facing us." Later adding, "But as Goddard grads you are all fully equipped with the ability to think, a faculty I might add not much in evidence in our national political life I'm afraid. But this ability when used critically and flexibly may yet result in finding sane, humane solutions to our problems."
Read more
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Support Parole Transfers for Herman & Jalil
Contact Governors of NY & CA (SF-8 case)
Herman & Jalil are issuing this urgent message requesting friends and supporters to contact the Governors of New York and California to expedite the signing and execution of amended Executive Agreements, which will allow Judge Moscone to issue an order to return them both to NY State to attend their parole hearings.
In 2007, Herman and Jail were extradited from New York State to California to face charges in the SF8 case. Both were scheduled for parole hearings on their New York sentences in the spring of 2008. It would have been their third appearance before the board. Under a New York parole regulation, however, no hearing can be held unless they are physically present.
On May 18, 2008, SF Judge Moscone agreed with the consent of the state prosecutor and the SF County Sheriff to return them both to NY State for parole hearings--their legal right after more than 35 years of imprisonment.
On June 16th, Judge Moscone rescinded his May 18th order due to pressure from the CA Attorney General's office, and held the transfer in abeyance until new language was adopted to conform with the concerns of the Attorney General. The Attorney General's office has drafted an amended Executive Agreement which would allow the brothers to return to New York, although the Attorney General has refused to disclose the text of the amended agreement to the brothers or their attorneys. According to the Attorney General's office the amended Executive Agreements have been sent to California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York's Governor Paterson to be signed.
Herman and Jalil have a liberty interest in returning to New York. If these brothers were granted parole, then it is likely that they would also be granted bail in the SF8 case. All other brothers in the SF8 case are out on bail despite the severity of the charges. The Attorney General's tactics to prevent Herman and Jalil from returning to New York to attend their parole hearings infringes upon the brothers right to liberty.
If parole hearings await the resolution of the SF8 charges, it could be another year or two before Herman and Jalil are given hearings.
Please contact the Governors of New York and California by phone, letter or email
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160
Email: http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email
David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518-474-8390
Email: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
Urge them to sign the amended Executive Agreements which will allow Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom) to return to New York State to attend their rightful parole hearings.
Herman & Jalil are issuing this urgent message requesting friends and supporters to contact the Governors of New York and California to expedite the signing and execution of amended Executive Agreements, which will allow Judge Moscone to issue an order to return them both to NY State to attend their parole hearings.
In 2007, Herman and Jail were extradited from New York State to California to face charges in the SF8 case. Both were scheduled for parole hearings on their New York sentences in the spring of 2008. It would have been their third appearance before the board. Under a New York parole regulation, however, no hearing can be held unless they are physically present.
On May 18, 2008, SF Judge Moscone agreed with the consent of the state prosecutor and the SF County Sheriff to return them both to NY State for parole hearings--their legal right after more than 35 years of imprisonment.
On June 16th, Judge Moscone rescinded his May 18th order due to pressure from the CA Attorney General's office, and held the transfer in abeyance until new language was adopted to conform with the concerns of the Attorney General. The Attorney General's office has drafted an amended Executive Agreement which would allow the brothers to return to New York, although the Attorney General has refused to disclose the text of the amended agreement to the brothers or their attorneys. According to the Attorney General's office the amended Executive Agreements have been sent to California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York's Governor Paterson to be signed.
Herman and Jalil have a liberty interest in returning to New York. If these brothers were granted parole, then it is likely that they would also be granted bail in the SF8 case. All other brothers in the SF8 case are out on bail despite the severity of the charges. The Attorney General's tactics to prevent Herman and Jalil from returning to New York to attend their parole hearings infringes upon the brothers right to liberty.
If parole hearings await the resolution of the SF8 charges, it could be another year or two before Herman and Jalil are given hearings.
Please contact the Governors of New York and California by phone, letter or email
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160
Email: http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email
David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518-474-8390
Email: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
Urge them to sign the amended Executive Agreements which will allow Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim (Anthony Bottom) to return to New York State to attend their rightful parole hearings.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Special Radio Interview with Mike Africa
The Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition urges you to listen in on Thursday, August 21st from 8-9 pm to "Where We Live" on WBAI-FM Radio (99.5 FM or streaming live at www.wbai.org). Host Sally O'Brien will be interviewing Mike Africa of the MOVE organization about next week's film screening of "The Bombing of Osage Avenue."
This movie is about the horrific murder-by-bombing of 11 MOVE women, men and children and many animals by the very same Philadelphia establishment that's murderously intent on shutting up Mumia Abu-Jamal. "Collateral damage" encompassed more than a city block and a half of homes and shocked the world. The movie won the 1986 Academy Award for best documentary; Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of the massacre, will be present. It is directed by Louis Massiah and narrated by Toni Cade Bambara -- and you can see it on Thursday, August 28th, at 7:30 pm at the Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank and Bethune Streets.)
Thursday, August 21 @ 8PM
"Where We Live" Hosted by Sally O'Brien
WBAI Radio 99.5-FM
(streaming live @ www.wbai.org)
For more info call the Mumia Coalition Hotline: 212 330-8029
This movie is about the horrific murder-by-bombing of 11 MOVE women, men and children and many animals by the very same Philadelphia establishment that's murderously intent on shutting up Mumia Abu-Jamal. "Collateral damage" encompassed more than a city block and a half of homes and shocked the world. The movie won the 1986 Academy Award for best documentary; Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of the massacre, will be present. It is directed by Louis Massiah and narrated by Toni Cade Bambara -- and you can see it on Thursday, August 28th, at 7:30 pm at the Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank and Bethune Streets.)
Thursday, August 21 @ 8PM
"Where We Live" Hosted by Sally O'Brien
WBAI Radio 99.5-FM
(streaming live @ www.wbai.org)
For more info call the Mumia Coalition Hotline: 212 330-8029
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Philadelphia Town Hall Saturday, August 9th at noon
Now is the time for all of us organizers in the people's movements to be the voice for Mumia, as he has been for all of us. Get the flyer out at all our demos, rallies, meetings, and send to your listservs. Pam Africa wants everybody to know that the court has tried to make it impossible for Mumia to ever be released from jail alive. Mumia is innocent and we want his freedom, not a life or death sentence.
Come to Philly on Saturday, August 9th, where we'll organize to free Mumia and to change the parole rules which have denied freedom to the innocent MOVE 9.
To reserve a seat on the bus from New York,
call 212/330-8029 or
email info@freemumia.com.
Download the flyer
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