Media coverage was sparse during Abu-Jamal’s May 17 Philadelphia hearing before a three-judge panel from the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The judges heard oral arguments on four different issues regarding the fairness of the original 1982 trial. Attorneys for Abu-Jamal, including Christina Swarns of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, argued that there is strong evidence that a racist judge and racist jury practices contributed to the sentencing of Abu-Jamal to death row.
Only progressive media like The San Francisco Bay View, a national Black newspaper, have published any of the 26 crime scene photos taken by photographer Pedro P. Polakoff. The photos—which the 1982 jury never saw—call into serious question the prosecution’s scenario.
But with a ruling from the May 17 appellate court anticipated at any time, the big-business press and their allies in the Fraternal Order of Police are rehashing an old tactic in their arsenal: trial by front page and jury made up of talk-show hosts.
They are unwilling to let Abu-Jamal exercise his constitutional rights to a fair trial with a jury of his peers in front of an unbiased judge, so lies and distortions about the case are presented as “facts” on the front pages of newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer, TV shows like NBC’s “Today,” and a recently released book co-authored by right-wing radio shock jock Michael Smerconish and Maureen Faulkner, widow of slain police officer Daniel Faulkner, entitled “Murder by Mumia.”
“Murder by Mumia” repeats the FOP’s official myths that “Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of the crime by a racially mixed jury based on the testimony of several eyewitnesses, his ownership of the murder weapon, matching ballistics, and Abu-Jamal’s own confession.”
Cops, media and courts in collusion
“The Today Show” has invited Maureen Faulkner and Smerconish, a former lawyer and fundraiser for the FOP, to appear on Dec. 6 to talk about their book. The group International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal is demanding that “Today” give equal time to present information of Abu-Jamal’s innocence and about the unfair trial he received.
The New York Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition and other supporters will protest outside the “Today” taping in New York City on Dec. 6.
To ensure fairness for Abu-Jamal on “Today,” the group Journalists for Mumia, along with ICFFMAJ and Educators for Mumia, initiated their own media-activist campaign urging people to write the “Today Show” at today@msnbc.com asking it to present both sides of the Mumia Abu-Jamal/Daniel Faulkner case, by also featuring as guests Linn Washington, Jr., Philadelphia Tribune columnist and associate professor of journalism at Temple University, and Dr. Suzanne Ross, clinical psychologist and co-chair of the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, NYC. The International Action Center also helped launch an online petition for people to send to MSNBC. Go to www.iacenter.org.
As of result of the campaign, “Today” scheduled a telephone interview with Pam Africa of ICFFMAJ, who provided them with a press packet on the case.
The Fraternal Order of Police and the state powers that want to execute Mumia Abu-Jamal have always counted on people’s ignorance of and confusion about the facts surrounding this case. Since most people will never read the trial transcripts, the FOP feels free to present its own “facts”–lies that are never challenged and frequently repeated by mainstream media outlets like the Philadelphia Inquirer. That newspaper publishes a regular column by the pro-death-penalty Smerconish, who recently tried out to replace “Imus in the Morning” on WNBC after host Don Imus was fired for racist remarks.
The official myths have been rehashed by former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Buzz Bissinger in Vanity Fair magazine (August 1995), which also ran the “widow-fighting-by-herself” myth, thus hiding the role of the FOP.
In 1998 on ABC’s “20/20,” Sam Donaldson made no effort to hide his racism as he stated, “African-American activists believe that a black man was railroaded, and will continue to believe it, no matter what’s presented to them.” Donaldson was talking about major African- American figures like Angela Davis, Cornel West, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez and many more. He failed to mention that most of the prosecution witnesses had credibility problems.
Today, Faulkner’s book also fails to mention all the discredited prosecution witnesses, that the police never performed the standard “wipe test” to check for gunshot residue on Abu-Jamal’s hands and clothing, that the fatal bullet was too damaged to link to the particular traits of Abu-Jamal’s gun, or that Abu-Jamal’s alleged “hospital confession” was first officially reported to police more than two months after the Dec. 9, 1981, shooting.
Polakoff’s crime scene photos also show police officer James Forbes holding both Faulkner’s and Abu-Jamal’s guns with his bare hands touching the metal parts.
On the 26th anniversary of Abu-Jamal’s arrest in connection with the shooting death of Faulkner, his supporters are readying themselves for the next stage of the struggle when the appeals court’s ruling is announced.
A demonstration at Philadelphia’s City Hall at noon on Dec. 8, followed by an indoor rally at 2 p.m. at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry, will also be used to air new evidence in support of Abu-Jamal’s innocence and to make clear that he sits on death row due to his revolutionary outspokenness against police brutality and all forms of injustice.
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News and politics
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Mumia Abu-Jamal
Just out of curiousity, why hasn't Mumia's brother come to his defense? I mean, he was at the crime scene.
ReplyDeleteAnd if not Mumia, who do you think murdered Daniel Faulkner?
who killed Daniel Faulkner, I don't know but there is more than enough evidence to prove that Mumia Abu-Jamal didn't do it.
ReplyDeleteMumia's brother, William Cook has never been called to be a witness....but here is the public declaration he has made.
http://www.freemumia.com/cookdeclaration.html
DECLARATION OF WILLIAM COOK
I, William Cook, declare:
1. If called to testify as a witness in. this matter I would competently testify to the following from my own personal knowledge:
2. On the night of December 9, 1981 I was with my partner Kenneth Freeman, my friend from childhood.
3. Mumia had stopped by at my stand that night. He would do that periodically. Mumia had been robbed about a week before.
4. I left my gun locked up at my stand that night, but Poppi always carried his gun. It was a 38.
5. I probably was wearing a black knit cap, I had dreds and always tucked them in.
6. We had closed up late at night.
7. Kenny (Poppi) and I bad hit a few bars. We were just unwinding. We used to do that all the time after we closed up the vending stand for the night.
8. We were headed along Locust.
9. Poppi had got some beer and gotten back in the car.
10. At Locust at about Juniper I saw flashing lights of a police car. He followed me for about a half a block and I pulled over behind another car in the first empty spot on the south side of Locust.
11. I had wooden bumpers on my car and they were supposed to me metal. I had been stopped for that but he never said anything about that or gave any reason to have stopped me. I never hit him.
12. I had never seen him before. I knew the cops that worked in the district where my stand Locust and 13th is an adjacent district but I didn't ever see him before.
13. I got out my car. Poppi stayed in the car in the passenger seat. I let him (the cop) know I was not happy.
14. After that we went back and forth verbal confrontation. He pulls out a stick or some kind of object and slaps me in the head three times. By that time he had me on the side of the car, I started bleeding profusely. So I go back to my car to get my paperwork.
15. I never raised my hand to the policeman. I may have gone to block him when he was hitting me. That's all. I am not that stupid. I never hit a cop. He hit me with a flashlight and I was bleeding but then he let me go back in my car.
16. After that I got in the car. I was in the front seat looking in the back seat.
17. There were people on the street, There always were in that area. The bars were supposed to close by two o'clock but the clubs stayed open later. Some until 5 o'clock, They served drinks anyway.
18. I can't say I recall where other people were and I can't describe anyone was, but there were people milling about. I never saw a taxi that they later claimed was there. I don't really know how many people were on the street. But there were always people out there it didn't matter what time. It could be five in the morning and there would be people.
19. When I heard the first shot I was in the drivers seat facing toward the back of the car looking for something in the back seat to give to the cop like an owners card. I am not the organized type and I didn't keep papers in the glove compartment. The back seat had a lot papers and things from the stand, teddy bears, stuffed animals. We sold all that kind of stuff. Like special stuff for the holidays like on Valentine's day we'd have Valentines and we sold novelty items and artificial flowers.
20. When I had gotten in my car Faulkner was in front of the car by the hood where he had stopped me and frisked me. When I was in the car looking in the back, I heard gun shots and saw sparks but I didn't see him shot. I saw flashes of a gun out of the side of my eye. He was standing in front of the car but I didn't see him shot. I was facing the back of the car.
21. Out of my peripheral vision I knew, I could feel other people around but I can't say where they were. His car was behind mine and the policeman was standing on the street between my car and whatever car was parked in front of me.
22. When I first saw my brother, he was running. He was feet away from me. We hadn't made any plans to meet that night or anything like that and I didn't even realize that he came around that area there to pick up fares. He had nothing in his hands. I heard a shot and I saw him stumble. I didn't see who shot him. He was stumbling forward.
23. It is strange people told me later everything happened in a few seconds but I could never see it that way. It seemed like everything was happening at once, but it took a long time. I have tried over the years but I can't see it as a few seconds. It seems to me as if it was 45 seconds not three. 24. When I was looking in the back seat Poppi was still there and then I looked and Poppi's door was open. He had been in the passenger seat and I don't know which way he had gone. He left the area right after this happened.
25. Later Poppi talked about a plan to kill Faulkner. He told me that he was armed on that night and participated in the shooting. He was connected and knew all kinds of people. I used to ask him about it but he talked but never said much. He wasn't a talker. I didn't see Poppi for a while after that.
26. Poppi had been in Germany in the army, That night he was wearing his green army jacket. You know just a regulation army jacket. The jacket he always wore, He had been discharged. I don't know for what.
27. I got out. I wanted to run maybe I could have gotten away. I even started to run. I did. But I couldn't run because of my brother. Not after I saw my brother down on the ground.
28. I spoke to him. I told him, "I'm here for you." I don't remember his answering, but I remember his groan.
29. I saw a gun on the street. It was in the gutter. I kicked it under my car. Before the cops came.
30. If they asked me something, I don't remember. I didn't answer them anything. I sure don't remember them reading me my rights. I knew Shoemaker. He used to stop by my stand and sit there and smoke weed. His wife used come to my stand with him.
31. I think they took me away before they took Mumia or the cop. I remember them pushing me. But I can't remember whether I was in a paddy wagon or a squad car or whether I was sitting up or not. My mind was just not to talk.
32. When they had me in the police station they threatened to kill me and throw me in the river.
33. I have been afraid for my life since that night. I have been afraid to tell anything about what happened. Wouldn't you be?
34. They took me in a room. There were two officers black and white. I was saying things to give them something to chew on.
35. I finally came to my senses. I didn't like the whole idea of making a statement. They wanted me to sign a statement but I just wouldn't do it, I told them I wanted to see my lawyer. I didn't like it. So I just wouldn't sign.
36. I think I was in jail a day or two then they let me out on bail.
37. I had been living in center city, but I couldn't stay there after it happened, I got help and moved out of my apartment in the middle of the night. And moved back in with my Mother.
38. I remember Jackson coming to my house several times. My Mother and sister were there. I don't remember him ever interviewing me. I just remember him trying to calm us.
39. I don't remember meeting with him anywhere else except at my Mother's house. He never asked me to testify. Alva advised me not to testify. My lawyer implied to me that if I came to court I would also be charged with murder. I had to pay him $1,000.
40. Alva was Freeman's lawyer too
41. If they (Jackson) had said they wanted me to testify I would have done it but they never did.
42. At PCRA, I was expecting to testify. Leonard and Rachel were giving me cross signals, Rachel wanted me to testify but Leonard didn't. So I didn't testify. In 1999 I was asked to testify again and I said I would.
43. I will testify now.
44. Mumia was not holding a gun. Mumia never intervened in anything between me and the cop.
45. I had nothing to do with the shooting or killing of the police officer. My brother Mumia Abu-Jamal, had nothing do with shooting or killing the policeman.
I declare under penalty of perjury, under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania and the laws of the United States of America, that the above is true and correct and was executed by me on 4-29-01 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(signed)
WILLIAM COOK