Mobilization4Mumia
215-724-1618
Mobilization4Mumia.com
mobilization4mumia@gmail.com
Coalition
asks Philly DA to not block justice for Mumia: Questions persist
about newly-discovered files
The
fight for justice and freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal continues.
As
the month of January winds down, there looms a decision that will
materially affect the future of Mumia Abu Jamal, in particular, and
thousands who have likewise been wrongly incarcerated in general :
Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court Judge Leroy Tucker decided to allow
Mumia Abu-Jamal's right to an appeal. After decades of injustices,
blockages, attacks on his health, Tucker is scrutinizing the body of
evidence leveled against him.
The
fly in the ointment is District Attorney Larry Krasne, who has until
January 27, 2019 to decide to either allow Tucker's decision to
stand, or block it, thereby thwarting Mumia's first real opportunity
for justice since his incarceration 37 years ago.
On
Tuesday, January 15, at a press conference called by
Mobilization4Mumia, comprised of local Philadelphia activists and
community leaders - along with a nationwide coalition of supporters -
who came together to demand that Krasner keep his campaign promise
of
reform and transparency,
to objectively review past convictions and free those wrongfully
convicted, and
not block Mumia's bid
for justice.
They
demanded Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner not stand in
the way of justice for convicted journalist/activist Mumia Abu-Jamal,
by not overturning the ground-breaking decision by Pennsylvania
Common Pleas Court Judge Leon Tucker.
Tucker's
ruling would give Abu-Jamal the right to reopen his appeal. The
Tucker decision is an important ruling that could impact other
prisoners whose appeals were similarly denied. This is the first
time in the 37 year history of his incarceration that there has been
an opening in Abu-Jamal's case.
Press
conference speakers included Pam Africa, of the International
Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Rachel Wolkenstein,
co-counsel during Abu-Jamal's post-conviction appeal proceedings from
1995-1999; Paula Pebbles, National Action Network/Philadelphia
Chapter; Michael Africa, Jr., son of MOVE Nine's Debbie
and Michael Africa, Sr., and Sister Empress Phile Chionesu, of the
Million Woman March.
Pam
Africa stated, emphatically, “After
almost four decades in prison suffering from cirrhosis of the liver,
Hepatitis C and related ailments, years of court delays will be
nothing less than a death sentence and a denial of justice for Mumia.
The evidence is there! Our job is to stop the conspiracy to torture
and murder Mumia. After 37 years in prison for a crime he didn’t
commit, we are demanding that the charges be dismissed and he should
be freed. What is happening to Mumia is happening to thousands of
people in Pennsylvania’s prisons.”
In
the days leading up to the January 15 press conference, over 200
community activists held a demonstration in front of DA Kasner's
office, on January 5, 2019, demanding justice for Mumia. On January
7, they delivered over 4000 petitions to Krasner's office demanding
he not overturn Tucker's ruling. If he appeals the groundbreaking
ruling, there could be years of delay before he would be able to
challenge his conviction. Abu-Jamal turns 65 on April 24, 2019.
Tucker's
ruling has no doubt come as a surprise (shock) to many; as well as
his decision to personally re-examine all the facts of Mumia's case
to be sure that justice has been served. That said, it may well be
what prompted the sudden “discovery” of previously undisclosed
boxes of files labled “Mumia,” which were not included in the
original body of evidence when he was first accused and tried for the
shooting of Officer Daniel Faulkner. They were “discovered” in an
abandoned furniture closet in the DA's office on December 28, 2018,
after Tucker announced his decision.
A
week later, on January 3, 2019, Assistant DA Nancy Kavanaugh then
notified the courts and Mumia's attorneys of the files. But it was
not until January 7, 2019 that the discovery was revealed to the
public. All but one of the boxes had Abu-Jamal’s name on them and
were labeled in such a way (18/29, 24/29, 29/29 etc.) to suggest that
they are part of a larger set.
The
group was suspicious of the recent “convenient discovery” of six
boxes of files, and how it was that they had been “misplaced” for
nearly 40 years. [Accident?
I highly doubt it.]
This
surprise “discovery” comes after Judge Tucker demanded full
disclosure from the DA's office. Frustrated by the lack of compliance
with his orders, Tucker required that he personally review all of the
Abu-Jamal files previously disclosed. It was only after his
intervention that relevant material on which the new appeal was won
was revealed.
Tucker
has now ordered the recently uncovered files also be submitted for
his review.
It’s
unclear whether this will have ny bearing on the January 27 deadline
set for Krasner to decide whether or not to appeal Tucker’s
decision.
After
decades of scandal, corruption and mismanagement in the Philadelphia
District Attorney’s Office, that has routinely denied justice to
Abu-Jamal, as well as many other Philadelphia residents, the
coalition of activists are rightfully suspicious and questioning this
new “discovery.”
Mumia
has always maintained his innocence, has argued in past appeals that
he was framed by police; and that the prosecution had manufactured
evidence against him; and had suppressed proof of his innocence, in
addition to other violations of his right to due process.
In
handing down his decision, Tucker further ruled that former
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Ronald Castille (also a former
Philadelphia District Attorney, with close ties to the Philadelphia
Police Department) had denied Mumia's right to fair and impartial
hearings by not recusing himself from his appeals between 1998 and
2012. Yet,
after his election, Krasner still appointed Castille to his 2018 Transition Team, which may portend continued bias and collusion on his part in any future .
The
Coalition to Free Mumia, stemming from a wide range of backgrounds,
is questioning why the boxes were suddenly “discovered” after
Tucker’s decision, and want to know what’s in them. Abu-Jamal’s
supporters and many others believe that the egregious practice of
altering and destroying evidence, hiding witnesses and suspects, and
fabricating police paperwork continues to this day.
Pam
Africa asserted, “There
could be nothing of importance in the boxes or there could be
evidence that could free Mumia. Mumia was framed by withheld,
suppressed and manufactured evidence, and supposedly lost ballistics
tests. The DA’s Office is guilty of suppressing police corruption,
prosecutorial misconduct and evidence of Mumia's innocence like
witness recantations, exposure of false confessions, and photographic
proof of crime scene tampering. The missing smoking gun evidence
could be in those boxes. We want to know what’s in those files!”
Krasner
ran on a platform “for justice, not just for convictions.” Now he
has to decide whether or not to overturn Tucker’s decision and deny
justice in this notorious case of injustice. The alleged “discovery”
of these files provides a moral, if not legal, reason for Krasner to
support the reinstatement of Abu-Jamal’s state appeal rights.
Many
of the coalition of activists supported Krasner's election, and are
now asking him to keep his promise and do the right thing.
According
to Pam Africa, people can support Mumia Abu-Jamal by signing the
petition:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/krasner-do-right-by-mumia,
Phone:
215-686-8000 or
Twitter:
@philaDAO, asking him to not stand in the way of justice for
Abu-Jamal and to not appeal Tucker’s decision.
NOW THAT YOU KNOW
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT
IT?
Justice for Mumia!!!
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria
