Feb. 13 international teach-in to demand: FREE MUMIA

By Betsey Piette
Philadelphia

Feb 10, 2010

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 this writer, “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.