anti machine
22nd August 2002, 00:28
Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black radio journalist and outspoken Philadelphian freedom fighter and former Black Panther, was sentenced to death in 1981 for the alleged murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner who was, at the time of his murder, beating mumia's brother. Mumia did fire his gun, did suffer a gunshot wound to the arm, and Faulkner did die.
Mumia's trial was a sham. tHe judge, Sabo, had sentenced more people to die, 33, than any other sitting judge in America, only 3 of them white. He refused to let mumia represent himself, and mumia was instead represented by a reluctant incompetent who spent only $250 on the case. The prosecutor was later reprimanded in other cases for withholding evidence. Sabo's courtroom was called a "prosecutor's daydream", as it was so easy to get a conviction. THe witnesses were paid off to finger mumia as the lone gunman when there were eyewitness testimonies of other shooters at the scene. Mumia was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Mumia sat on death row for 20 years, writing and publishing books and articles. Appeal after appeal, asking for nothing but a retrial with a competent lawyer, he was taken off of death row in december of last year.
His fight is not over-he still sits decaying in a jail cell. Some have called for his freedom, but he still just wants a fair trial. A man named Arnold Beverly has come forward, stating that HE shot and killed Faulkner and has signed an affadavit saying just that, but this among other surfacing flaws in his case have been ignored by the gov't. Tom Ridge, recently promoted to a prestigious pentagon chair, was governor of Pennsylvania, doing everything possible to keep mumia, a man whose guilt has been called into serious question, behind bars.
Any comments welcome.
Mumia's trial was a sham. tHe judge, Sabo, had sentenced more people to die, 33, than any other sitting judge in America, only 3 of them white. He refused to let mumia represent himself, and mumia was instead represented by a reluctant incompetent who spent only $250 on the case. The prosecutor was later reprimanded in other cases for withholding evidence. Sabo's courtroom was called a "prosecutor's daydream", as it was so easy to get a conviction. THe witnesses were paid off to finger mumia as the lone gunman when there were eyewitness testimonies of other shooters at the scene. Mumia was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Mumia sat on death row for 20 years, writing and publishing books and articles. Appeal after appeal, asking for nothing but a retrial with a competent lawyer, he was taken off of death row in december of last year.
His fight is not over-he still sits decaying in a jail cell. Some have called for his freedom, but he still just wants a fair trial. A man named Arnold Beverly has come forward, stating that HE shot and killed Faulkner and has signed an affadavit saying just that, but this among other surfacing flaws in his case have been ignored by the gov't. Tom Ridge, recently promoted to a prestigious pentagon chair, was governor of Pennsylvania, doing everything possible to keep mumia, a man whose guilt has been called into serious question, behind bars.
Any comments welcome.