Mumia’s struggle indicative of larger problems

On May 13, there will be a massive demonstration in San
Francisco for Mumia Abu-Jamal. The struggle to free Mumia is just
one step in a larger picture. If Mumia Abu-Jamal was freed
tomorrow, this struggle still would not be over.

Freeing Mumia is about freeing our ally to continue in the
fight. Mumia’s case is not just about an innocent person on
death row. Mumia’s case represents so much more. The
ridiculous trial in which Mumia was sentenced to death represents
so many of the wrongs of this country.

At the same time, the mobilization to free Mumia is
representative of the power that we hold. If the Fraternal Order of
Police and others who want to silence Mumia had their way, Mumia
would be dead by now. In 1995, he came within 10 days of being
executed. It’s only because of the mass demonstrations, the
leafleting, the work stoppages and the amazing work of
Mumia’s volunteer legal representation that he is still alive
today. I’d like to explain why it is so important to support
Abu-Jamal, and why the struggle will not end when he is freed, but
only grow stronger.

Many people believe that our system of justice works. People
tend to believe the police, and most people think that if you are
on trial you must be guilty. When people think about a person on
death row, they usually picture the worst, and are angry that
“it takes so long for them to die.” I’d like you
to think about your trust in the police and your faith in the
justice system.

On April 25, three Los Angeles police officers were indicted on
charges of conspiracy, filing fake police reports and planting
evidence. These indictments are part of the LAPD’s Rampart
division scandal. It has come to light that, for years, officers
have allegedly shot and planted evidence on unarmed people.
Officers are alleged to have planted evidence on hundreds of
innocent people. People who had knowledge of this were deported or
framed, and then sent to prison. In fact, officers would allegedly
throw parties in which they would celebrate the killing of innocent
civilians.

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 100 people have
been released from prison after being convicted for crimes they did
not commit. The district attorney’s office estimates more
than 3,000 people might be released when this is over. What is
scary is that if it wasn’t for former officer Rafael Perez
breaking the code of silence, all of these people would still be
shouting their innocence to the wind.

Last month, the state of Illinois put a moratorium on the death
penalty. The reasoning was quite simple. Since Illinois reinstated
the death penalty in 1979, it has executed 12 people. In that same
time period, it has freed 13 people after their claims of innocence
were found to be true
(http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/views/y/2000/02/bierbauer.scotusdeath.feb24/).

All 13 of these people were freed only because volunteers
working on their cases gathered enough evidence to clear them. All
13 of these people were tried and convicted by a jury of their
peers; all 13 had numerous appeals, which were rejected; and all 13
were innocent. Illinois isn’t the only state to consider
putting a moratorium on the death penalty. New Jersey, New Mexico,
Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Colorado and Nebraska are just
a few of the other states considering a similar action.

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has even come out against the death
penalty. He said, “One vindication for every seven executions
is not a criminal justice system that is working right, it is a
case of Russian roulette.” In fact, the U.S. Justice
Department reported last year that 60 convictions in death penalty
and other cases had been overturned just on the basis of DNA
testing
(http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/views/y/2000/02/bierbauer.scotusdeath.feb24/).
I’d like to point out that even though African Americans are
just 12.5 percent of the United States’ population, they make
up more than 40 percent of death row inmates.

In my opinion, it is obvious that Mumia is a political prisoner.
Mumia is a former award-winning journalist with no prior criminal
record. As a radio journalist, Mumia was known as the “voice
of the voiceless;” he was a fighter for social justice. He
exposed the corruption and brutality of the Philadelphia police
department. He also founded the Black Panther Party in
Philadelphia. His trial was a complete joke. Witnesses have come
out and admitted that police officers pressured them to lie.
Mumia’s hands weren’t even tested to see if he had
fired a gun. The prosecution even has a “magic bullet”
theory to explain how Mumia was able to kill the person he
allegedly killed.

During the trial, Mumia told the court he wanted a different
attorney, stating clearly, “I don’t want that man as my
defense.” The judge responded, “I don’t care what
you want”
(http://www.justice4danielfaulkner.com/frames.html).

Mumia was barred from most of the proceedings and had many of
his constitutional rights violated. The judge was a former sheriff
and is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police. Mumia also has an
FBI file that is almost 600 pages long; the bureau followed him
since he was 16 years old. In all that time, he never committed a
crime.

So, what do you do when you see an injustice and you want to
stop it? You take direct action. This is why Mumia means so much.
People have joined together and stated in a strong and united voice
that we cannot and will not just sit by and watch the government
kill him. This is why almost 100,000 people demonstrated last year
on April 24, and why even more will be demonstrating on May 13 of
this year.

This is about students, workers, activists and artists joining
together in a struggle for what is just. Last year, the
International Longshoreman’s Union shut down the entire West
Coast for a day in support of Mumia. Union members recognized that
their struggle for justice is linked with Mumia’s.

The only way that Mumia’s life will be saved is if we let
the government know it will not get away with killing him. On May
13, there will be a massive demonstration in the streets of San
Francisco and Philadelphia. Many students here at UCLA will be
there in support. If you are someone who wants to fight for social
justice, you should attend this demonstration. There will be
transportation to get up there; just make the decision to go.

When we fight to free Mumia, we are fighting to free our ally.
Freeing Mumia is not the end; it’s just the beginning. With
every demonstration and with every shutdown, we are only growing
stronger. Those opposing us are only growing weaker. Now is not the
time to retreat, but to move forward. If you would like to go to
the demonstration, e-mail me and I will give you all the
information you need.