Mumia Abu Jamal

[ryanebelhar]

On December 9, 1981 Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner was murdered. Mumia Abu Jamal was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. He is still on death row and has had numerous appeals. People worldwide feel that he was set up by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Here is a summary of why many believe he is innocent, as provided by a multitude of Mumia supporters.

The policeman was killed with a 44 caliber gun. Abu-Jamal's gun which he was licensed to carry as a night-time taxi driver, was a 38 caliber.

* The police never tested Abu-Jamal's gun to see if it had been recently fired. They never tested his hands to see if he had fired a gun. They have never shown Abu-Jamal 's gun to be the fatal weapon.

* No police officers present at Abu-Jamal's arrest claimed to have heard Jamal's "confession" until two months after it allegedly occurred. This was right after Abu-Jamal had filed police brutality charges.

* Abu-Jamal's doctor said that Abu-Jamal, who was unconscious, said nothing. He reported that a nurse found police with loaded guns pointed at Mumia as he lay unconscious in his hospital bed.

* William Singletary, a Vietnam veteran and local businessman, saw the whole incident and has testified that Abu-Jamal was not the shooter. However, the police forced him to change his story and intimidated him into leaving Philadelphia.

* Other key witnesses, such as Veronica Jones -- who now testifies in support of Abu-Jamal, were harassed into giving false testimony. Two prosecution witnesses were given special favors, including exemption from criminal prosecution, for their testimony.

Elements in an unfair trial:

* The Judge, Albert Sabo, sentenced more people to death than any other sitting judge in the US.

* The public defender didn't interview a single witness in preparation for the trial, and didn't have funds for defending a capital case.

* The prosecutor removed 11 qualified African Americans from the jury. He also argued for the death penalty because of Mumia's membership in the Black Panther Party, a practice later condemned as unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.

* The racial bias of Philadelphia's courts has resulted in 120 people on death row, all but 13 non-white.

But the real question is how you feel? Personally I think the whole movement is a farce built on lies. The concept of a police department going through the time and trouble to frame an out of work journalist working as a cab driver is laughable at best.

[CurtC]

I agree with you. I had not heard every point you brought up, but I had heard most of them, and all the ones I have heard about are just like any other conspiracy theory.

Like the gun one - IIRC, the medical examiner estimated the bullet hole to be from a .44, but the ballistics expert confirmed it to be a .38. Who you gonna believe - the guy who eyeballed a hole, or the guy who measured the actual bullet?

[Brainster]

I suggest that you look here for some rebuttals (http://www.danielfaulkner.com/original/mythsdir.html) to the points raised.

[Gravy]

Jamal shot the cop five times with his .38, including a fatal shot to the face at close range. The cop returned fire and wounded Jamal, who was captured at the scene with 5 spent shells in his revolver. Although I'm opposed to the death penalty, I wish the cop had shot him through the heart. The "Free Mumia" campaign that was big in the 80's and 90's sickened me to the core.

[ryanebelhar]

Jamal shot the cop five times with his .38, including a fatal shot to the face at close range. The cop returned fire and wounded Jamal, who was captured at the scene with 5 spent shells in his revolver. Although I'm opposed to the death penalty, I wish the cop had shot him through the heart. The "Free Mumia" campaign that was big in the 80's and 90's sickened me to the core.


Agreed

[Alt+F4]

The "Free Mumia" campaign that was big in the 80's and 90's sickened me to the core.

Me too, but it's died down now that Mumia is no longer facing the death penalty.

I read somewhere that death row inmates aren't necessarily happy when anti-death penalty lawyers are able to get their sentences commuted to life without parole.

Folks care when you're a potential death row "victim", no one gives a [rule 8] about just another "lifer".

[Disbelief]

He was the commencement speaker at Antioch College in OH a few years ago. There were not many happy people there, but Faulkner's widow and other supporters showed up to protest. A number of students did stand up and turn their backs during his taped message, but not enough.

[kookbreaker]

Sorry raynebelhar, but whenever I see these myths I must respond (and why did they (rule8) the Faulkner website and turn it from an excellent navigation system for evidence into a clumsy 135 page pdf file!?

I know you know these to be untrue, so these comments are not aimed at you.

On December 9, 1981 Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner was murdered. Mumia Abu Jamal was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. He is still on death row and has had numerous appeals. People worldwide feel that he was set up by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Here is a summary of why many believe he is innocent, as provided by a multitude of Mumia supporters.

The policeman was killed with a 44 caliber gun. Abu-Jamal's gun which he was licensed to carry as a night-time taxi driver, was a 38 caliber.


Nonsense. Even Mumia's own ballistics expert has never made this claim. It stems from a guess by the coroner regarding the bullet size, not a ballistics test.


* The police never tested Abu-Jamal's gun to see if it had been recently fired.


There is no such test.


They never tested his hands to see if he had fired a gun.


His hands were contaminated by contact with other people. Even his own ballsitics expert admits this.


They have never shown Abu-Jamal 's gun to be the fatal weapon.


They have shown the bullets matched Jamal's gun, which had empty shells in the chambers and the only other firearm in the area was Faulkner's.


* No police officers present at Abu-Jamal's arrest claimed to have heard Jamal's "confession" until two months after it allegedly occurred.


The confession was heard by officers as well as a hosptial employee/


This was right after Abu-Jamal had filed police brutality charges.


Mumia never filed such charges.


* Abu-Jamal's doctor said that Abu-Jamal, who was unconscious, said nothing.


So unconscious he was able to refuse treatment.


He reported that a nurse found police with loaded guns pointed at Mumia as he lay unconscious in his hospital bed.



Gee its like he killed a cop or something.


* William Singletary, a Vietnam veteran and local businessman, saw the whole incident and has testified that Abu-Jamal was not the shooter. However, the police forced him to change his story and intimidated him into leaving Philadelphia.


In contradiction to all other witnesses who saw Mumia shoot Faulkner.


* Other key witnesses, such as Veronica Jones -- who now testifies in support of Abu-Jamal, were harassed into giving false testimony.


Veronica Jones was in no position to see the murder, and evidence suggests she has been paid by the Mumia camp to make up her new tale.


Two prosecution witnesses were given special favors, including exemption from criminal prosecution, for their testimony.


This is claimed, but there is no evidence.


Elements in an unfair trial:

* The Judge, Albert Sabo, sentenced more people to death than any other sitting judge in the US.


He also handled most of the capital cases.


* The public defender didn't interview a single witness in preparation for the trial, and didn't have funds for defending a capital case.


Mumia would not give him proper access to the trial materials. He had funding, but Mumia made such a hash of things that money could not be spent. The claim is that somehow the defense attorney should have gotten witness money in advance, rather than by reembursement as is usually the case.


* The prosecutor removed 11 qualified African Americans from the jury.


Unsupported. This is a Mumia defense myth. The transcripts show otherwise.


He also argued for the death penalty because of Mumia's membership in the Black Panther Party, a practice later condemned as unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court.


No. While IANAL, my understanding is that Mumia elected to make his character a part of his sentencing. If you are being sentenced and go on stand to say what a swell guy you are, the prosecution is allowed to point out the times you beat up old ladies for pocket change. Add to that the fact that the SCOTUS has refused to hear Mumia's appeals in what Mumiacs claim is a violation of the SCOTUS ruling makes me doubt I am really wrong here.


* The racial bias of Philadelphia's courts has resulted in 120 people on death row, all but 13 non-white.


If true, still not relevant to Mumia's case.


But the real question is how you feel? Personally I think the whole movement is a farce built on lies.


Indeed it is.


The concept of a police department going through the time and trouble to frame an out of work journalist working as a cab driver is laughable at best.

Free Mumia sickens me as well. What sickens me more is how few of those wearing 'Free Mumia' T-shirts were aware that there was even a dead cop in the picture.

kookbreaker - Native Philadelphian.

[Big Les]

Great rebuttal and summary of the case guys, thanks. As a Rage Against the Machine fan, it's sobering to realise (as I did some time ago now) that this is just another CT. Like most fans, I never cared to look into it, and just assumed that because America was bad (mmkay), there was probably a good reason that Zack and co were campaigning to have this guy released. That's what constitutes mainstream support for all CTs - most people care enough to assume the government is bad, but not enough to try to confirm the specifics. So when I meet people who (usually jokingly) support a CT, it's an expression of dissatisfaction with the wider political situation, and nothing more.

[NickUK]

Great rebuttal and summary of the case guys, thanks. As a Rage Against the Machine fan, it's sobering to realise (as I did some time ago now) that this is just another CT. Like most fans, I never cared to look into it, and just assumed that because America was bad (mmkay), there was probably a good reason that Zack and co were campaigning to have this guy released. That's what constitutes mainstream support for all CTs - most people care enough to assume the government is bad, but not enough to try to confirm the specifics. So when I meet people who (usually jokingly) support a CT, it's an expression of dissatisfaction with the wider political situation, and nothing more.

Was thinking exactly the same thing, Les - the first I heard of Mumia was from RATM's (superb) eponymous album. I was able to separate their often daft politics from their music pretty much at the time, which is why I still like them today :)

[The Doc]

After reading the first post I was thinking "Hmmmm...". Then, critical thinking kicked in and I read the rebuttal.

I'm pretty convinced the guy is guilty.

[jhunter1163]

He's guilty. They should execute him, resuscitate him, then execute him again for all the pain he's caused the Faulkner family over the last 25 years.

[kookbreaker]

BTW, I touched on this back in December in the thread 25 years ago today. (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=70238)