Recent actions for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners
“We are not coming to the Department of Justice looking for justice. We are bringing justice to the Department of Justice!” said Pam Africa, head of the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal (ICFFMAJ), at the outset of the march in Washington D.C. to demand that the Attorney General appointed by Barack Obama, Eric Holder, open a civil rights investigation into the countless abuses in the trial and appeal process of the former Black Panther and revolutionary journalist. In the words of Dr. Suzanne Ross of the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition of NYC, “...a civil rights investigation could mean the difference between life and death for Mumia. It could also open the door for his release.”
Holder, however, was too busy to receive a delegation of human rights defenders to discuss the case of the respected author of six books who has been named an honorary citizen of around 25 cities in the world. In view of this insult, MOVE sympathizer Orie Ross, turned over several boxes filled with 25,000 petitions to a Justice Department functionary and detailed the history of abuses against Mumia Abu-Jamal during the 28 years that he's been imprisoned, falsely incriminated and condemned to death for the murder of a policeman in Philadelphia on December 9, 1981.
The demand for a civil rights investigation is being raised in the wake of the federal Supreme Court's refusal last April 6 to hear the case, effectively denying Mumia his right to a new trial --a measure granted to many other prisoners condemned to death in similar process plagued with racism. The Supreme Court's delay in deciding whether or not to hear the Philadelphia District Attorney's appeal to reinstate the death penalty, revoked in 2001, is an ominous sign. It seems that the court is considering another case (Smith v. Spisak) that could result in the re-imposition of the death penalty for Mumia. The media campaign to execute him has always been strong in Philadelphia and is now more intense than ever at the national and international level in Fox News and the German weekly Der Spiegel, while corporate media like the Philadelphia Inquirer are promoting the upcoming premier of a new piece of anti-Mumia propaganda by the documentary filmmaker Tigre Hill of Philadelphia: The Barrel of a Gun.
In addition to ICFFMAJ and the New York Coalition, march organizers included the National Jericho Movement, Nat Turner Rebellion, and the Black August Planning Committee, groups working for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners and prisoners of war. Participants included representatives of human rights and death penalty abolition groups as well as representatives of unions and religious groups, such as Laura Moye of Amnesty International; Steven Hawkins and Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, of the NAACP; Joseph “Jazz” Hayden of the Riverside Church Prison Ministry; Panama Alba, of the National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights; El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan of the Peace and Justice Foundation of Washington, DC y Fignolé Saint-Cyr, President of the Autonomous Unions of Haiti. There was a significant presence of Muslim human rights groups, and a notable testimony was given by young Lejla Duka, daughter of one of the prisoners known as “the Fort Dix 5.” Other participating organizations included ANSWER; the National Lawyers Guild, International Action Center and WESPAC.
In view of Mumia's critical situation, several actions and events have been held in recent months. There was flyering at the National NAACP Convention in New York City on July 15 and 16 to pressure the organization to take a more active role in his case, and a rally at the same place when Obama addressed the Convention on the 16th.
One focus of the activities in San Francisco and other places has been the racist application of the death penalty in Mumia's case and those of social prisoners such as Troy Davis and Kevin Cooper.
In Philadelphia, the “100 Blacks in Black” march was held last August 29. With the aim of fostering recognition in the Black community of the cases of Mumia and other political prisoners and prisoners of war, and building social movements to win their freedom, demonstrators marched through the community starting out from Broad and Erie streets, and then held a rally and did flyering. Participants included recently released New Afrikan and anarchist political prisoner Ojore Lutalo, as well as members of the Poor Righteous Party of the Black Nation, New Afrikan Liberation Front, Anarchist People of Color, Philly Jericho, the Uhuru movement, ICFFMAJ, and Teresa Shoatz of the Human Rights Coalition and daughter of political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz.. Speakers demanded an end to the genocide carried out through the prison industrial complex and police brutality in their communities, and also demanded freedom for the MOVE 9, New Jersey 4, Leonard Peltier, Oso Blanco, Ramiro “Ramsey” Muñiz, among other, as well as amnesty for revolutionary ex Black Panther Assata Shakur, living in exile in Cuba.
On October 26, ICFFMAJ called a press conference and rally at the Fraternal Order of Police headquarters to denounce the major role placed by this police organization in the incrimination of Mumia, as seen in their constant threats and attacks on the movement and their constant pressure for him to be executed or die in silence in prison. Demonstrators denounced the promises of former candidate and current District Attorney of Philadelphia (elected on November 3), to seek the death penalty, following in the footsteps of “the Queen of Death” Lynne Abraham and other racist ex District Attorneys like Governor Ed Rendell and Supreme Court judge Ron Castille, who have made their careers on the ongoing kidnapping, torture and attempts against the life of Mumia and their war crimes against the MOVE organization. Speakers included representatives of “other victims of Seth Williams” --Denis Calderón and Julio Maldonado--, two Peruvians unjustly prosecuted by the Philadelphia District Attorney's office and condemned to prison after defending themselves from a gang of white racist youth in that city, only to be deported after serving their sentences.
On November 7, the demand to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) and all political prisoners, prisoners of war, and exiles was heard in the “Black is Back” in Washington D.C. organized by the Uhuru movement against the wars in Iraq y Afghanistan. Speakers also demanded reparations for slavery; the revocation of the Patriot Act; and an end to AFRICOM, gentrification, police violence, and the massive imprisonment of Black people in the United States. Obama was strongly denounced, as was the FBI murder of Imam Luqman Abdullah committed in Detroit last October 29. Messages were read from political prisoners Sundiata Acoli, Janine Africa, Phil Africa, Marshall Eddie Conway, Kojo Bumani, Tom Manning and Abdul Majid, among others. Sundiata Acoli said: “No revolutionary is surprised at the policies Obama has, or has not, put into effect. He's never said he was anything but a reform politician, and reform is not a solution for Black people's or people's of color or ANY oppressed people's problem”.
After recalling Obama's betrayal of Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his silence in the face of Israel's jailing of former Representative Cynthia McKinney, Pam Africa spoke about Mumia's dangerous situation at this time and denounced, once again, Seth William's promise to execute him: “To hell with your negro you sent us. We're coming to you. We have to go wherever they are, in their communities to expose them for what they are... Let's pull together to take this motherfucker down.”
As the forces of law and order in Pennsylvania get ready to celebrate their robbery of another year of Mumia's life, actions in his support are being stepped up to keep constant pressure on the authorities. One way to send a strong message of repudiation to the United States government would be to call for demonstrations outside embassies, consulates and other appropriate spots in all the cities throughout Latin America and the world to demand his freedom. December 9, the anniversary of his arrest and imprisonment, is a good day to act.
Mumia Abu-Jamal keeps right on struggling from his cell on death row.
Information compiled from the following sites:
http://www.freemumia.com/
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/
http://breakallchains.
http://peacecomrade.org/2009/
http://uhurunews.com/video/
http://uhurunews.com:83/radio/
http://dc.indymedia.org/
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/
http://www.phillyimc.org/en/
http://thejerichomovement.com/
Contact: Amig@s de Mumia, México presoslibertad@riseup.net
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