As Over 1,000 Turn Out in Philadelphia for Mumia Abu-Jamal
PHILADELPHIA COPS AMBUSH RALLY, BEATING & PEPPER-SPRAYING MUMIA SUPPORTERS
Ten Arrested; One Left Rally In An Ambulance
PHILADELPHIA COPS AMBUSH RALLY, BEATING & PEPPER-SPRAYING MUMIA SUPPORTERS
Ten Arrested; One Left Rally In An Ambulance
Call Philadelphia Mayor John Street at 215-686-3000 or FAX him at 215-686-2170 to express your anger at Saturday's attack of the peaceful Mumia rally by cops. You can also call Philadelphia Police Chief John Timoney at 215-686-3149 or 215-686-3388.
Photo: Hai Au Huynh (facing camera in left half of photo) about to be assaulted and arrested by cops. She and another female arrestee were hospitalized after their arrests. [Credit Joe Piette] more photos
8 Dec 2001, 7:19 PM--The International Action Center (IAC) condemns in the strongest terms the Philadelphia police's unprovoked and brutal attack on today's thousand-plus march in support of death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
According to one eyewitness account, on behalf of a right-wing heckler of the rally, bicycle cops towards the back of the march rode into the middle of the crowd, dismounted their bikes and, wielding guns and batons, started indiscriminately beating, pepper-spraying and arresting people. Guns were pointed at peoples' heads; others were thrown against cars.
The crowd was marching from the corner of 13th and Locust, where 20 years ago Abu-Jamal was arrested for a crime, the shooting of police officer Daniel Faulkner, he says he did not commit. Today at that location protesters viewed the videotaped confession of Arnold Beverly, who has publicly admitted to killing Officer Faulkner for the mob.
[Credit: Joe Piette]
As police drew their billy clubs and guns, protesters surrounded the cops to try to protect those being arrested and/or attacked and chanted, "Let them go! Let them go!" and "Shame! Shame!" Police attacked some of these protesters.
Several IAC members were among those attacked, with some being maced and others receiving several blows from police batons. Further eyewitness reports include a woman being dragged for at least a block, choking and with her skin exposed. One person was taken off in an ambulance. In one incident, an African American reporter photographing the events from on top a car was grabbed and pulled to the ground; the attack left a dent in the car.
After the attacks, the march proceeded to the final indoor rally at Philadelphia's Ethical Society, where more spoke out in favor of Mumia's demand for his release based primarily on Beverly's confession. Protesters saw the attacks as further efforts on the part of the Philadelphia's Fraternal Order of Police to prevent the truth about Mumia's case from emerging. Those present also watched fresh video footage of the police attacks.
Currently a number of protesters who traveled to Philadelphia are staying there to provide legal and political support to those who have been falsely incarcerated.
Contact: Monica Moorehead (201) 320-0676
Imani Henry (347) 432-4242
Cops wilding - Arrests at Philly MUMIA demo
Dec. 8, 2001, 4:45 PM--Police got out of hand once again at today's Mumia demonstration in Philly. Despite cold and rain thousands marched from city hall to the place where the shooting took place, 13th and Locust. After listening to a few speakers we then marched onwards to the Ethical Society to reflect on the days events. While marching down Walnut street, a woman started an argument with one of the demonstrators, shouting racist remarks and obscenities. She then grabbed him by the arm (he did nothing but counteract her remarks with facts) and called for the police. A line of bike cops came rushing up from the rear of the march (the bike cops were never supposed to break ranks) at which point several dozen (mostly black bloc) demonstrators ran after them to see what was going on. The cop in the front of the rush slipped on his bike and fell, leaving it on the ground and running to the man who was previously grabbed and tackled him. Several scuffles broke out in the next half hour. At least 6 people were arrested, one woman was dragged by her hair, choking on her hooded pullover, an entire block, police running with her as they dragged her down the street. Another man was tackled and maced directly in the eyes.
This all does nothing to compare to today's most violent arrest. A cop, Sam Romaine is the closest name I was able to get, tackled a demonstrator, had him on the ground and pulled his pistol on him, holding it firmly against the demonstrators neck! People in the crowd started shouting, at which point the cop waved his gun around the crowd and then pushed it against the kids neck once again. Again, Sam Romaine is the closest name I was able to get. The badge number of the cop who dragged the young woman down the street was 9354.
There's a solidarity action for those arrested at the Roundhouse Detention Center any minute.
UPDATED: People should call Lori Allen if they were witnesses to the attack, have photos, or any videos of the incident. She is gathering the evidence for the lawyers and the defendants. Her number is (610) 394-0306
Dec. 11 update of ICFFMAJ urgent appeal
At this writing, bail has been posted for all 6 defendants, but we are in equally urgent need of donations to pay back the many loans made to bail our loved ones out quickly. (Note that we no longer need money wired to us -- checks are great.)
Love and Liberation!
1. THE MOST URGENT ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS THE NEED FOR MONEY TO REPAY LOANS FOR BAIL - THE BONDS SET RANGE FROM BETWEEN $8,000 AND $80,000. 8 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED, 2 WERE RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGES OR BAIL, AND ALL SIX HAVE NOW BEEN BAILED OUT, BUT WE MUST URGENTLY RAISE MONEY TO PAY BACK LOANS MADE FOR BAIL.
2. EACH OF THESE 6 MUMIA SUPPORTERS WERE GIVEN FELONY CHARGES, INCLUDING FELONY ASSAULT AND FELONY RIOT, AS WELL AS CONSPIRACY, ASSAULT, AND CONSPIRACY TO RIOT.
3. THIS WAS A LEGALLY PERMITTED DEMONSTRATION AND MARCH AND THE KIND OF VIOLENCE POLICE EXHIBITED YESTERDAY WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR MUMIA MARCHES IN PHILADELPHIA.
4. THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO ARE PREPARED TO MAKE STATEMENTS TO THE MEDIA - MEDIA PERSONS SHOULD CONTACT JODI DODD AT 215-563-7110.
5. 4 PEOPLE WERE HOSPITALIZED WITH INJURIES INCLUDING: PROLONGED STATES OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS, AT LEAST ONE CONCUSSION, FRACTURED TAILBONE, INTERNAL BLEEDING, SEVERE ABRASIONS -- THE WORST INJURED PERSON SPENT 12 HOURS IN THE HOSPITAL. ALL DEFENDANTS ARE NOW RELEASED OR IN THE PROCESS OF BEING RELEASED.
6. WITNESSES NEED TO CALL US AT 215-476-5416 IMMEDIATELY. ANYBODY WHO HAS ANY VIDEO OR PHOTO FOOTAGE (OR KNOWS ANYONE WHO DOES) NEEDS TO CALL IMMEDIATELY AND GIVE THEIR NAME, PHONE NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS. PHONE MESSAGES WILL BE CHECKED REGULARLY. IT IS URGENT THAT WE GET ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TO LAWYERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. EVERY WITNESS THAT HAS CALLED IN THUS FAR TELLS A SIMILAR STORY, OF HAVING SEEN THE WHOLE THING HAPPEN AND WITNESSING THE POLICE POUNCE ON PROTESTORS WITHOUT ANY PROVOCATION OR CONFRONTATION.
7. WE NEED PEOPLE TO CALL D.A. LYNNE ABRAHAM TO DEMAND THAT ALL CHARGES BE DROPPED AT 215-686-9604, OR FAX 215-686-8049.
8. PLEASE WRITE AND E-MAIL LOCAL AND NATIONAL PRESS (SOME PHILLY PRESS ADDRESSES ARE AVAILABLE AT PHILLYNEWS.COM). DO NOT GIVE NAMES OR DESCRIPTIONS OF SUPPORTERS OVER THE TELEPHONE, IN E-MAILS OR IN LETTERS BECAUSE THAT INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE RESERVED FOR INTERVIEWS WITH LAWYERS [see the 12/11/01 update, "Important info for Dec. 8 Witnesses"]. IN PHONE DISCUSSIONS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, PLEASE GIVE GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE OF HOW POLICE CAME DOWN SO HARD ON PROTESTORS, BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION IN THE MEDIA SAYING THAT PROTESTORS PROVOKED IT IN AN ATTEMPT TO COVER UP THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A POLICE RIOT.
9. PLEASE CALL PHILADELPHIA MAYOR JOHN STREET AT 215-686-2181 OR FAX 215-686-3162, AS WELL AS THE NEW, ACTING POLICE COMMISSIONER JOHNSON AT 215-686-3280, AND MAKE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE WERE TREATED ON THE STREETS AND IN CUSTODY.
ICFFMAJ IS URGING PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WORLD TO MAKE DONATIONS. WE NEED TO RAISE FUNDS NOT ONLY TO REPAY BAIL, BUT FOR IMMINENT LEGAL COSTS, MASSIVE NEW LONG DISTANCE BILLS, AND MORE.
TO MAKE DONATIONS:
PLEASE SEND CHECKS PAYABLE TO PDAG (PHILADELPHIA DIRECT ACTION GROUP), P.O. BOX 40683, PHLA., PA 19107 - SPECIFY IN THE MEMO LINE "DECEMBER 8TH LEGAL FUND".
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DONATION PROCESS OR IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, CALL DANIELLE AT 215-680-1174 (MESSAGES WILL BE FREQUENTLY CHECKED).
STAY STRONG, STAY COMMITTED!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR WHATEVER YOU CAN DO!!
IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR TALKING (& E-MAILING) ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW IN PHILLY
Even though people want to spread the word right away about their experience in Philadelphia at the December 8 demonstration, it's very important that when writing e-mails, speaking to the media (whether it's CNN or your friend's independent 'zine), or in other conversations, everyone have a few guidelines at the forefront of their minds. PLEASE, read the guidelines below, and let fellow activists know to read them, before you do interviews, speak at events, speak to media, and just in general conversations.
1. Although anyone who was at the Dec. 8 march knows that the police attacked the protestors, unprovoked, and we want to get the truth out there right away, we have to balance our desire to tell every single detail to the public with the needs of our six friends and fellow activists who are facing severe felony charges. In order that we not endanger these defendants, we have to keep from making ANY statements that could be taken out of context by the Philadelphia District Attorney's office and twisted around to sound like it incriminates them.
Because of this, IT IS FINE TO DESCRIBE WHAT THE POLICE DID TO US, BUT DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF DEMONSTRATORS. For instance: a person might say something like, "The cops went to hit this girl, and her friends tried to protect her," and a prosecutor could try to use that quote as evidence that her friends physically went up against the cops, even though they did no such thing.
2. Secondly, we can SPEAK ABOUT THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE of what happened on December 8th, but DO NOT GO INTO DETAILS like names, physical descriptions of people, etcetera. Focus on what it felt like to be on the street, and the attitude of the cops, instead - and save the more detailed descriptions for interviews with ICFFMAJ's legal volunteers and lawyers. If you witnessed the events, call ICFFMAJ as soon as possible at 215-476-5416. Do not tell us over the phone what you saw; we just want to get your name, phone number and other contact information.
3. If you or anyone you know has VIDEO OR PHOTO FOOTAGE of the events, please CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY at 215-476-5416. We have to begin collecting this footage right away to build the defenses of our six activists facing felony charges.
4. If you haven't already, WRITE DOWN A JOURNAL ENTRY TODAY OF EVERYTHING YOU SAW AND HEARD during the attack by police, IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS YOU CAN REMEMBER. Trials can take months or years to finish, and the more time that goes by before you are interviewed by legal folks, the easier it is to forget what you saw with your own eyes and what you only overheard. Plus, it's impossible for you to know now what details and descriptions may be the saving grace for someone else's defense in the future - even the most unimportant-sounding details may end up being crucial. Write down everything from how many minutes passed between incidents to the color of people's clothing. Then put your writing in a safe place that you can remember.
5. News media has played up the story as a riot started by out-of-control protestors, where police were forced to protect themselves. Get out there and tell the truth! But while you're doing it, REMEMBER TO BRING THE FOCUS BACK TO THE REASON WE WERE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE - the need for Mumia to have ALL the evidence heard, now, in Judge Yohn's court, and receive justice after 20 years. As the government tries to distract us, and make it impossible for us to carry out our work by throwing court cases at us, Mumia is still in very active danger of being executed in the near future if we don't force them to do right.
You may want to call the ICFFMAJ office before doing interviews, especially if you have any questions about how to speak with media. In addition, members of the media can contact Jodi Dodd at 215-563-7110. We have several witnesses (including arrestees) available to speak to the press, and can put them in contact with the press if we are contacted.
From: "stop the execution ..." stoptheexecution@hotmail.com
(posted Dec. 11, 2001)
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: iacenter@action-mail.org
En Espanol: el_iac@yahoo.com
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CHECK OUT SITE http://www.mumia2000.org
phone: 212 633-6646
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