Feb. 13 international teach-in to demand:
FREE MUMIA
By
Betsey Piette
Philadelphia
Published Feb 10, 2010 7:21 PM
In light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for
reinstatement of the death penalty for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal,
activists from the Philadelphia region, across the U.S. and around the globe
will take part in an important teach-in in Philadelphia on Feb. 13, to take up
the next stage in the struggle to free Mumia.
The event, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Abiding Truth Ministries Church in west
Philadelphia, will provide updates on the latest legal developments, including
the Jan. 19 U.S. Supreme Court decision that sends Abu-Jamal’s case back
to the Third Circuit Court to reconsider a ruling made by Judge William Yohn
that overturned the death sentence in 2001. The Supreme Court’s decision
also went against a 2008 Third Circuit Court ruling which granted a new
sentencing phase jury trial if the death penalty was to be reinstated for
Abu-Jamal.
Both decisions are very dangerous, particularly in light of the recent election
of Philadelphia’s first African-American district attorney, Seth
Williams, who campaigned on the promise to execute Abu-Jamal should the death
sentence be reinstated.
The Feb. 13 program will connect local, national and even international
activists involved in the 28-year-long fight to free Abu-Jamal through a
network of video conferencing and video streaming. While most participants will
gather for the teach-in in Philadelphia, those from other U.S. cities as well
as Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean will be able to share in
presentations and discussion on upcoming action proposals via the Internet.
Information will also be provided for those unfamiliar with this important case
of the U.S.’s most prominent death row inmate, whose legal case dates
back to Dec. 9, 1981, when Abu-Jamal was framed up for the murder of
Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.
Throughout the long series of legal proceedings since then, which have often
involved gross violations of his civil and legal rights, Abu-Jamal has
maintained his innocence. The Feb. 13 meeting will address the state’s
efforts to silence Abu-Jamal — referred to by many as “the voice of
the voiceless” — a campaign dating back to the 1970s Cointelpro
campaign, when he was a young leader in the Philadelphia chapter of the Black
Panther Party.
Students and Young People for Mumia
Recognizing that it will take more than one campaign or one rally to win this
important struggle, the meeting will provide updates on ongoing campaigns as
well as the opportunity for new proposals to be raised, including expanding
outreach to and education of students and youth, many of whom were not yet born
when Abu-Jamal was first incarcerated or were young children during the massive
rallies on his behalf in the late 1990s.
The necessity to reach young people was addressed by Larry Hales, speaking on
behalf of the national youth organization FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand
Together). Hales noted, “If it were not for a vigilant international
campaign, Mumia would not be alive today. But much more vociferous action is
required now, during this period of extreme economic downturn when millions
have been laid off, are suffering, and more and more people are being fed into
the prison industrial complex.
“Students and young people are needed at the forefront of such a
movement. Mumia, who first became politically active at the age of 15 and was a
former member of the Black Panther Party, is a hero for young people.
“He has continued to be a member of the community of oppressed people
fighting for a better world free from oppression, repression and
exploitation,” said Hales. “He has continued to speak for the
voiceless, the hundreds of thousands who are locked in cages, removed from
society, and the many more who are caught up in the so-called criminal justice
system.”
FIST is calling on students and youth to join in a new formation, Students and
Young People for Mumia. Hales, who had a face-to-face meeting with Abu-Jamal
this past September, told Workers World, “Mumia Abu-Jamal faces perhaps
the most crucial period since 1999, when then governor of Pennsylvania, Tom
Ridge, signed the last of the two death warrants for Mumia, the first being in
1995.
“Life in prison is no option over the death penalty, but the struggle to
free Mumia has always been a struggle that has had to fight to keep him alive
while at the same time demanding his freedom. At all costs it is important to
stop the plans of the state of Pennsylvania to kill Mumia.”
The Feb. 13 teach-in will provide updates on two important international
petition campaigns on Abu-Jamal’s behalf. The petitions are addressed to
both President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and call for an
investigation into civil rights violations in this case as well as an
examination into the role played by the treacherous Cointelpro campaign against
Abu-Jamal.
The teach-in will also take up a series of meetings and demonstrations being
proposed from March through July 2010 to broaden awareness of the case and
garner more support for Abu-Jamal. “Time is running out,” stressed
Pam Africa, chairperson of International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal, who is a key sponsor of the Feb. 13 event. “The time for
organizing is now, organizing with all the strength that you have. Tell the
people they must get into the streets in order to save this brother who has
been on the front lines, from death row, on every issue of social justice that
there is.”
For more information on the Feb. 13 event, call 215-476-8812, 212-330-8029, or
212-633-6646, or visit www.freemumia.com or www.millions4mumia.org.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
[email protected]
Support independent news
DONATE