Pam Africa: As Mumia Awaits Heart Surgery, We Are Issuing a Challenge to CNN's Michael Smerconish and DA Larry Krasner

Tuesday April 20 evening update: Mumia called his wife Wadiya, had a good conversation, and Wadiya says that he sounds strong!

Tuesday April 20 morning update:  We just heard from the medical attorneys that Mumia is recovering well from the surgery. Mumia is getting minimal oxygen and one IV which is a good sign. We have not yet heard from Mumia but we expect he will be able to call his family today. We need to see him, hear from him, and know that he has the proper rehabilitation plan. Mumia's wife Wadiya says "I won't know he is ok until i hear from him directly."

(Click here to get updates and watch the April 15 press conference hosted by Marc Lamont Hill, with Angela Davis, Pam Africa, Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, and others)

(PHOTO: Pam Africa presents the first issue of The Jamal Journal outside of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office on March 12, 2021. Pam has repeatedly attempted to meet with DA Krasner but he has always refused to meet with her.  Photo by Jamal Journal staff photographer Joe Piette)

While Mumia Abu-Jamal Awaits Heart Surgery, I am Issuing a Challenge to CNN's Michael Smerconish and DA Larry Krasner

--Written by Pam Africa, coordinator of the uncompromising International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

Ona Move!

Long Live John Africa!

On Saturday April 17, Mumia called his wife Wadiya and told her that he is scheduled to have heart surgery on Monday April 19. Your support with calling and emailing prison authorities today and in the coming weeks is absolutely critical to ensure that Mumia gets the best possible medical care before, during, and after the surgery on Monday. Please go to www.jamaljournal.com to get the latest updates, which we will be posting as soon as we get new information.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is Scheduled for Open-Heart Surgery --Racism Remains the Greatest Medical Threat to Mumia’s Health (With petition by Medical Professionals for Mumia)

Tuesday April 20 evening update:  Mumia called his wife Wadiya, had a good conversation, and Wadiya says that he sounds strong!

Tuesday April 20 morning update:  We just heard from the medical attorneys that Mumia is recovering well from the surgery. Mumia is getting minimal oxygen and one IV which is a good sign. We have not yet heard from Mumia but we expect he will be able to call his family today. We need to see him, hear from him, and know that he has the proper rehabilitation plan. Mumia's wife Wadiya says "I won't know he is ok until i hear from him directly."

(Click here to get updates and watch the April 15 press conference hosted by Marc Lamont Hill, with Angela Davis, Pam Africa, Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, and others)

Mumia Abu-Jamal is Scheduled for Open-Heart Surgery 

--Racism Remains the Greatest Medical Threat to Mumia’s Health

By Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, consulting physician for Mumia Abu-Jamal

(A new Medical Professionals for Mumia petition co-written by Dr. Alvarez is reprinted at the bottom of this article. Read the February 1982 article "A Christmas Cage," Mumia Abu-Jamal's personal account of his arrest, hospitalization, and imprisonment.)

Mumia Abu-Jamal's Health Emergency: The Only Treatment is Freedom --An interview with physician consultant Dr. Ricardo Alvarez

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

March 20 Health Update from Dr. Ricardo Alvarez (Mumia does not currently require hospitalization, so we are asking supporters to keep taking action, but please remove "hospitalization" from your list of demands):

Mumia is now in the general population. Thanks to worldwide support he is relatively stable but we remain vigilant as to the monitoring of his care. The only true treatment can be freedom. He continues to suffer from his conditions of incarceration- liver cirrhosis from Hepatitis C, Congestive Heart Failure, a severe debilitating skin condition, hypertension, diabetes. He will continue to need to monitoring and his prognosis is guarded.

The Jamal Journal #1 Online Newspaper Has Been Released

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

(This is one segment of the original artwork created by longtime Mumia supporter Seth Tobocman to support our petition campaign--Thanks Seth!. It is the centerpiece (pgs. 20-21) of our newspaper and can be viewed on our website here.)

View/Download: Online PDF version of 40 page newspaper

The Jamal Journal issue #1 Table of Contents:

The Petition to DA Krasner

Pam Africa's Message to the Movement: People Power Will Free Mumia!

Johanna Fernández on Interviewing Mumia's Sister Lydia Barashango about Kenneth Freeman

Colin Kaepernick Supports Mumia

Mumia Honors Frances Goldin

Mumia FAQ: Reprinted from BringMumiaHome.com

Free Sundiata Acoli!

Free Ed Poindexter!

Free Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz!

Angela Davis Supports Mumia

Claude Guillaumaud-Pujol: Liberons Mumia!

Mumia at UC Santa Cruz

Introduction to Murder Incorporated, Vol. 3

Linn Washington: Supreme Corruption in PA

Dave Lindorff: Maureen Faulkner's King's Bench Appeal Denied

How the DA Suppressed Evidence of Kenneth Freeman's Presence at the Scene

How the DA Suppressed Pedro Polakoff's Crime Scene Photos

How Judge Sabo Blocked Testimony From Officer Gary Wakshul About the Fake "Hospital Confession" 

How Veronica Jones Defied Police, Prosecutorial, and Judicial Intimidation

How Judge Sabo Blocked the Jury From Knowing Robert Chobert's Probation Status

Seth Tobocman's Artwork for DA Krasner Petition

From The Archives: Dave Lindorff on the 2008 Third Circuit Ruling (Batson and more)

Mumia Abu-Jamal Says Goodnight to Kiilu Nyasha

From The Archives: Kiilu Nyasha on Observing Judge Sabo in 1995, "Witness to a Lynching"

From The Archives: Michael Schiffmann on Judge Sabo, "Justice is Just an Emotional Feeling"

From The Archives: Michael Schiffmann on the Third Circuit's 2008 Batson Denial

From The Archives: J. Patrick O’Connor on the 2009 US Supreme Court Ruling

From The Archives: Linn Washington Jr. Reviews “The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal”

From The Archives: Yale RebLaw Conference Rescinds Keynote Offer to Philly DA Krasner

From The Archives: The Pedro Polakoff Crime Scene Photos: 20 FAQs --written in 2007 by Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal and Journalists for Mumia

From The Archives: Freiheit für Mumia Abu-Jamal! German Book Reveals New Evidence in Death-Row Case (a review of Race Against Death by Dr. Michael Schiffmann)

From The Archives: 2010 Ballistics Test Performed By Dave Lindorff and Linn Washington, Jr. Proves That Robert Chobert and Cynthia White Lied at Mumia’s 1982 Trial

Even Before Linn Washington Jr. and Dave Lindorff's 2010 Ballistics Test, There Were Already Serious Problems With the Ballistics Evidence Used to Convict Mumia

On the Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021 episode of WURD's Radio Courtroom, hosted by attorney Michael Coard, Pam Africa announced the release of the Jamal Journal issue #1, our newly restarted newspaper, last published in the mid-1990s by the uncompromising International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal (ICFFMAJ). 

Mumia Abu-Jamal FAQ: The Voice of the Voiceless (written by the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home)

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

(PHOTO: Mumia with his wife Wadiya, shortly after being removed from death row in 2012.)

Who is Mumia?

Mumia is a revolutionary journalist. He has been writing since age 15, first as Minister of Information for the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party (1969-1971), then for numerous Philadelphia radio and print venues, including National Public Radio. 

His journalism was featured in mainstream venues, but he refused to forget those whom corporate media routinely neglect. He was especially noted for covering police harassment of the MOVE organization, while other journalists ignored it. 

His writings, today, after 39 years in prison, now fill twelve books and thousands of radio and print columns in publications ranging from homeless “street news” papers to Forbes magazine and the Yale Law Review.

Mumia Served Nearly 30 Yrs. on Death Row

Even Before Linn Washington Jr. and Dave Lindorff's 2010 Ballistics Test, There Were Already Serious Problems With the Ballistics Evidence Used to Convict Mumia Abu-Jamal

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

The 2010 ballistics test performed by investigative journalists Linn Washington Jr. and Dave Lindorff physically proved that the trial testimony of prosecution eyewitnesses Robert Chobert and Cynthia White was a lie. Lindorff and Washington concluded that “the whole prosecution story of an execution-style slaying of the officer by Abu-Jamal would appear to be a prosecution fabrication, complete with coached, perjured witnesses, undermining the integrity and fairness of the entire trial.”

Even before this 2010 test, there were other well-documented problems with the ballistics evidence.  

What We Know

The facts of the Mumia Abu-Jamal/Daniel Faulkner case are highly contested, but all sides agree on certain key points: Abu-Jamal was moonlighting as a taxi-driver on Dec. 9, 1981, when, shortly before 4 a.m., he saw his brother, William “Billy” Cook, in an altercation with Officer Faulkner after Faulkner had pulled over Cook’s car at the corner of 13th and Locust streets, downtown Philadelphia. Billy Cook was bleeding from a large gash on his head after having been struck by Officer Faulkner's police flashlight.

Mumia approached the scene. Minutes later when police arrived, Faulkner had been shot dead, and Mumia had been shot in the chest.

The arresting officers claimed that when they arrived at the scene, Mumia’s legally registered .38 caliber, Charter Arms revolver (which Mumia says he carried while driving his taxi, after he was robbed several times on the job) was laying at his side with five spent cartridges.

Amnesty International Says Missing “Wipe” and “Sniff”  Tests Are  Deeply Troubling   

Police never officially performed the standard “wipe test” for gunshot residue on Mumia’s hands and clothing, or the “smell test” on his gun, which Amnesty International has criticized as “deeply troubling.”  J. Patrick O’Connor, author of The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal, writes that these tests “are so routine at murder scenes that it is almost inconceivable the police did not run them. It is more likely that they did not like the results.”

Author Dave Lindorff Analyzes The PA Supreme Court's Denial of Maureen Faulkner's King's Bench Appeal

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

(Note from Jamal Journal: Dave Lindorff is the author of “Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.” This article by Dave Lindorff was first published at ThisCantBeHappening on Dec. 22, 2020 with the title: "A new chance to challenge murder conviction: State Supreme Court rejects Faulkner Widow’s ‘Evidence-Free’ Effort to Block Mumia Appeal.")

Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the “voice of the voiceless” for his compelling writings and short audio tapes about life behind bars, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest appeal of his conviction — an allegedly flawed Post-Conviction Relief Act hearing in 1995, as well as three other later PCRA appeals of aspects his case, all ignored and their findings rejected by Pennsylvania’s appellate courts under spurious conditions.

The opening comes in the form of dismissal by the state’s Supreme Court of an attempt by Maureen Faulkner, widow of slain Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, to use an obscure legal gambit called a King’s Bench petition, to have DA Larry Krasner’s office removed as the legal entity defending against Abu-Jamal’s appeals. That effort, filed last February had blocked any forward action on those appeals.

Abu-Jamal’s attorneys had filed an appeal several years ago in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, claiming that the handling of those four PCRA hearings, all of which were rejected by the State Supreme Court, were all constitutionally flawed because one of the judges reviewing them, Justice and eventually Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille (now retired), had refused Abu-Jamal’s  requests that he recuse himself, despite his having been Philadelphia’s district attorney and the man overseeing the DA Office’s legal effort to oppose Abu-Jamal’s appeals of his sentence and conviction. (That appeal was filed following the discovery of two notes — a draft letter and a final letter by then DA Castille to then Gov. Tom Ridge in 1990 calling on Ridge to speed up the signing of execution warrants for convicted “police killers” in which Castille said such a measure would “send a message” to would be police killers. 

From The Archives: "A Christmas Cage," Mumia Abu-Jamal's February 1982 article describes his arrest, hospitalization, and imprisonment

 

(PHOTO: Mumia in the hospital)

A Christmas Cage

by Mumia Abu-Jamal

(February, 1982)

Shortly before 6 A.M., the speaker in this tiny, barren cell blares a message, said to be from prison superintendent David Owens: "A Merry Christmas to all inmates of the Philadelphia prison system. It is our hope that this will be the last holiday season you spend with us."

A guard reads Owen's name and the speaker falls silent for a half-hour. I wonder at the words, and ponder my first Christmas in the Hospital wing of the Detention Center. Christmas in a cage.

I have finally been able to read press accounts of the incident that left me near death, a policeman dead, and me charged with his murder. It is nightmarish that my brother and I should be in this foul predicament, particularly since my main accusers, the police, were my attackers as well. My true crime seems to have been my survival of their assaults, for we were the victims that night.

To add insult to injury, I have learned that the forces of "law & order" have threatened my mother and burned, or permitted the burning, of my brother's street business. Talk about curbside justice! According to some press accounts, cops stood around the fire joking, and then celebrated at the stationhouse.

From The Archives: Under Pressure, Yale RebLaw Conference Rescinds Keynote Offer to Philly DA; Instead Invites Political Prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

Featuring photos by Jamal Journal staff photographer Linda Ragin, taken at the Yale RebLaw Conference at Yale University, Feb. 15-16, 2019.

(This press statement was released by Workers World on February 1, 2019.)

Organizers of the Rebellious Lawyering (RebLaw) conference at Yale Law School rescinded a speaking invitation to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. The celebrated “progressive” DA was scheduled to be one of the keynote speakers at the 25-year-old conference on the weekend of Feb. 15-16. But earlier this week a coalition of Harvard law students and lawyers wrote to conference organizers, saying that Philadelphia prosecutors could not be counted in the tradition of rebellious lawyers. Their impassioned letter condemned DA Krasner’s decision to appeal a recent court order that granted Mumia Abu-Jamal the right to re-appeal his conviction. The letter also challenged the notion that a prosecutor could hold that title.

From The Archives: Linn Washington Jr. Reviews “The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal,” by J. Patrick O'Connor

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

 (This article has been edited for length. It was first published as “New Frame On Framing By Police” on June 27, 2008. )

Many Philadelphians rudely reject the premise meticulously detailed in the new book by veteran journalist J. Patrick O’Connor: police and prosecutors framed Mumia Abu-Jamal placing an innocent man on death row. 

O’Connor provides solid proof for his premise from the very place considered by those convinced of Abu-Jamal’s guilt as their holy-writ: the official transcripts of court proceedings in this case sparking outrage internationally. 

O’Connor read the thousands of pages of transcripts from trial proceedings in 1982 and 1995 during the research phase for his easy-to-read book “The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal” (Lawrence Hill Books 2008).

From The Archives: Michael Schiffmann's analysis of the Third Circuit Court's 2008 Denial of Mumia Abu-Jamal's Batson Appeal

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction

(Note from the Jamal Journal:  This abridged and edited version of a June 29, 2008 article “The Distortion of Facts and the Law in the Service of Politics: Some Elementary Considerations Concerning the 2008 Court Decision re Batson,” was published in the 3rd issue of Abu-Jamal News.)

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in its March 27, 2008 decision denied Mumia Abu-Jamal a new trial or hearing. Abu-Jamal’s appeal was based on the so-called Batson issue, which addresses prosecutorial racism in jury selection. The court’s decision was based on speculation that prosecutor McGill’s 66.7 percent “strike rate” against blacks, making them at least ten times more likely to be excluded from the jury, might be explained by some purported massive black overrepresentation in the jury pool. This was just plain wrong, factually and morally.

In the court’s ruling on Batson, the court majority claimed that the defense lacked the data to prove that prosecutor Joseph McGill used his peremptory challenges in a systematic fashion to exclude blacks. The court conceded that the defense did supply data on the so-called “strike rate”; McGill undisputedly used at least 10 out of 15 peremptory strikes against blacks- a strike rate of 66.7 percent. However, the court asserted that in order to properly evaluate this strike rate in the Abu-Jamal case, the defense was supposed to supply data on the race of all the jurors that were questioned during the jury selection process. In the case of Abu-Jamal, jury selection lasted seven days. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 157 people went through the process. However, this begs the question: Why should that even matter?

From The Archives: Author J. Patrick O’Connor Argues That “Not Even the U.S. Supreme Court is Immune From the Mumia Exception.”

--Please sign our Color of Change petition to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia Abu-Jamal's Unjust Conviction 

(This May 1, 2009 article by J. Patrick O’Connor was first published at CrimeMagazine.com as “The Mumia Exception.” O’Connor is the author of the 2008 book The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal.)

Since his conviction in 1982 for the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, through his numerous books, essays and radio commentaries, has become the face of the anti-death penalty movement in the United States and an international cause célèbre. Paris, for example, made him an honorary citizen in 2003, bestowing the honor for the first time since Pablo Picasso received it in 1971. The “Free Mumia” slogan is seen and heard around the world. Over the last 27 years he has become the most visible of the invisible 3,600 Death Row inmates in the United States.

The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal cries out for justice not because he is famous but because he is innocent. Kenneth Freeman, the street-vendor partner of Abu-Jamal’s younger brother, Billy Cook, killed Officer Faulkner moments after Faulkner shot Abu-Jamal in the chest as he approached the scene where Faulkner had pulled over the car Cook was driving. When Faulkner began beating Cook with an 18-inch long flashlight, Abu-Jamal ran from his nearby taxi to come to his brother’s aid. After Abu-Jamal was shot and collapsed to the street, Freeman emerged from Cook’s car, wrestled Faulkner to the sidewalk and then shot him to death. Freeman fled the scene on foot. Numerous witnesses told police they saw one or more black men fleeing right after the officer was shot. A driver’s license application found in Faulkner’s shirt pocket led the police directly to Freeman’s home within hours of the shooting.

But the police did not want Freeman for this killing, releasing him without him even having to call his attorney. The police, led by the corrupt Inspector Alfonzo Giordano who took charge of the crime scene within minutes of the shooting, wanted to pin Faulkner’s death on the blacked-out, police-bashing radio reporter at the scene. Freeman they would deal with later, meting out their own brand of street justice in the dead of night.