Before it's too late, stop the murder of Mumia
Solidarity events planned
By Betsey Piette
Philadelphia
Dec 3, 2008
Dec. 6 will be a day of international solidarity to free Mumia Abu-Jamal. It
is sorely needed. Lynne Abraham, the Philadelphia district attorney known as
“the deadliest D.A. in the U.S.,” is calling on the U.S. Supreme
Court to reinstate Abu-Jamal’s death sentence despite mounds of evidence
showing his innocence.
If Abraham’s filing is granted, it will mean execution for Abu-Jamal
without any new hearing or trial.
Abu-Jamal is a journalist and former Black Panther railroaded into prison.
His case is supported the world over. He continues a weekly broadcast Live from
Death Row at www.PrisonRadio.org, and his commentaries can also be read in
Workers World.
This month marks the 27th year of Abu-Jamal’s frame-up and unjust
imprisonment on Pennsylvania’s death row. Activities are planned in many
U.S. cities and in Mexico:
In Philadelphia a Dec. 6 rally will start at noon at
District Attorney Abraham’s office, located at 2 South Penn Square on the
east side of City Hall. It will be followed by a march to the Federal Court
building at Fifth and Market. For more information on this event, contact
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal at
215-476-8812.
On Dec. 9, a program with a film showing and food will help educate people
on Abu-Jamal’s case. The event, co-sponsored by ICFFMAJ and the
Philadelphia International Action Center, will start at 7 p.m. at Calvary
Church, 48thSt. and Baltimore Ave.
TheBaltimore All Peoples Congress will host a solidarity
event on Dec. 5 at the Cork Factory Gallery, fourth floor, 302 E. Federal
Building. A documentary film on the case will be followed by signing people up
to attend the rally in Philadelphia the next day.
In Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 6, the newly released
documentary “In Prison My Whole Life” will be shown. It tells
Abu-Jamal’s story from the perspective of William Francome, who was born
in London on Dec. 9, 1981, the day Abu-Jamal was arrested in Philadelphia and
charged with the murder of a police officer. Never-seen-before footage and
brand-new evidence create a case for reasonable doubt while exploring the
socio-political climate in the U.S., past and present.
Sponsored by the Charlotte Free Mumia Coalition and Students for a
Democratic Society-UNCC, the screening will take place at 7 p.m. at Charlotte
Energy Solutions, 337 Baldwin Ave.
In Cleveland people from many organizations will come
together at the Unitarian Universalist Society on Dec. 6 to protest injustice
and present revolutionary art. Speakers will address Abu-Jamal’s case
along with messages of solidarity read by family members, from prisoners
unjustly convicted in connection with the 1993 Lucasville prison uprising.
Talks will also address other prisoners who currently face execution or
harsh sentences, including Puerto Rican activists in U.S. jails. Artists from
the Hip Hop Workshop will present music, poetry and dance. The event starts at
7 p.m. at 2728 Lancashire Rd., Cleveland Heights.
On Dec. 3 in Raleigh, N.C., youth from Fight Imperialism,
Stand Together (FIST) will host a film “Power to the People” about
Abu-Jamal’s case. The program starts at 6 p.m. in the Ballroom at Shaw
University’s Garrey Hall.
The San Diego Free Mumia Coalition will host a forum on
Dec. 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Malcolm X Library, 5150 Market St. at Euclid.
Speakers at the solidarity program include Sabrina Green from the Baltimore
Free the MOVE 9; John Parker, Los Angeles International Action Center; David
Welsh of the Haiti Action Committee; and Paul LouLou Chery, General Secretary,
Federation of Haitian Workers. Sponsors also include African American Writers
and Artists, Langston Hughes Poetry Circle and the Leonard Peltier Defense
Committee.
A statement from Abu-Jamal will be read at the annual international labor
conference held Dec. 5-7 in Tijuana, Mexico, along with a
presentation on his case and the case of the Cuban Five. This important
conference provides an opportunity for workers from different countries to
learn from each other’s struggles. Some family members of the Cuban Five
will be present.
