by Refuse & Resist
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2001 at 8:31 AM RandRLA@aol.com
Sign the petition!
errorWe Protest the Imprisonment of Clark Kissinger! We are writing to protest the December 6, 2000, imprisonment of Clark Kissinger. For the last several years Mr. Kissinger has played a key role in the growing movement demanding a new trial for Pennsylvania Death Row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal.
On July 4th, 1999, Clark Kissinger and 95 others carried out a peaceful act of civil disobedience at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. They were all issued summonses for "failing to obey a lawful order," classified, as a traffic ticket is, a "petty offense." 90 pled guilty and paid a fine. Six, including Clark Kissinger, demanded a jury trial. The Judge sentenced them to a $250 fine and one year's supervised probation.
The length of the probationary period was grossly disproportionate to the underlying "crime," and its terms were clearly designed to hamper Mr. Kissinger's efforts to organize for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Clark Kissinger was forced to surrender his passport, and turn over monthly lists of all sources of his income and contacts with convicted persons. He also was prohibited from traveling outside of New York City without the court's permission. Further revealing the political nature of this restriction, three times Clark was granted permission to travel to visit his sick mother, and three times he was denied permission to travel to speak on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
On August 1st, thousands of young people came to Philadelphia, the city where MAJ was tried, to protest at the Republican National Convention, where the nation's leading executioner, George W. Bush, was to be nominated. Despite being denied permission to travel there to speak and report on the convention for various media, Clark went anyway and spoke of Mumia's case, saying "We are going to fight this fight to win, and unite with people of all different viewpoints from all different communities, expanding our broadness, our diversity and our determination."
On December 6, 2000, Clark was charged with violating probation and sentenced to 90 days of jail. Both the prosecutor and the Judge made clear that they were jailing Clark for giving this speech, for asserting his right to do so, and for his continued advocacy on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
First year law students are taught that the law has outgrown medieval formality and that a just legal determination is one that reflects the substance not the form of a situation. In Mr. Kissinger's case the Judge declares that he is merely imposing punishment for Mr. Kissinger's failure to abide by the terms of his probation. That rationalization reflects the form of the situation - its substance is that someone in this country has been imprisoned for giving a political speech.
The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal is entering its most critical phase, his first appearance before the Federal Courts where his Habeas Corpus petition will be argued, the only opportunity where the evidence that the state of Pennsylvania has suppressed can be admitted to the record. This act of judicial repression against Clark Kissinger in fact is aimed against the movement to save Mumia's life. But, it is more than that. It is an outrage that offends the very concept of justice. The facts are stark: Mr. Kissinger, a political figure, has been imprisoned without a jury trial for giving a political speech at a political event. We demand the immediate release of Clark Kissinger. We call on all who cherish freedom to join us.
Pam Africa, International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal Safiya Bukhari, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (New York) Sam Jordan Jeff Mackler, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal (Northern California) Robert Meeropol, Rosenberg Fund for Children Monica Moorehead, International Action Center Joan Parkin, Campaign to End the Death Penalty Marcus Rediker, Western PA Committee to Free Mumia (Pittsburgh) Debra Sweet, Refuse & Resist! Mark Taylor, Academics for Mumia Abu-Jamal Steve Wiser, Bruderhof Communities Julia Wright, International Concern Family & Friends Of Mumia Abu-Jamal (Paris)
affiliations are given for identification purposes only
Nicholas Downey & Marilyn Vogt-Downey Herman and Betty Liveright, Lenox, MA Peter Rachleff, Professor of History, Macalester College Ronnie Dadone Noelle Hanrahan/ Prison Radio DON PAUL, Writer, performer Paul Zarembka, editor, RESEARCH IN POLITICAL ECONOMY at ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Pzarembka Alexander S. Ngnoubamdjum, Black Students Organisation (Hamburg, Germany) Carolyn Birden, Academics for Mumia Abu-Jamal, Community College of Philadelphia Randy Christensen, Labor for Mumia April Rosenblum, Students and Youth to Stop The Execution of Mumia, Temple University, Philadelphia Galeen Leigh Roe Matthew Bear-Fowler L-J Batie, Students Against Violence Philadelphia PA North Coast Xpress. Doret Kollerer, Editor Edward Hasbrouck, former federal prisoner Craig R. Johnson II B. Allan Ross, usQueers.com, San Diego CA Jason Crane, Groove Embassy Records Elin Johansson, Luleå, Swede Manuel A. Huerta, Los Angeles Cristen Bradshaw, Student Adelphi University Justin Stearns Kevin Coffee Gale McGovern, New Paltz, NY Alicia Lucksted Eli Vogt Walter E. Davis, Kent State University Living Wage Campaign Celine Vaquer-Nos - Leonard Peltier Support Group / France Michael Bailey, San Francisco, CA Darlene Wallach Hal Jamison, Ashland, OR, Veterans Peace Action Teams; Chomsky Action Project of the Rogue Valley. Denise Alvarado, Comité '98 por un Puerto Rico Libre, Oakland, CA Donna Wallach, United for Justice, and Leonard Peltier Support Group of San Jose, CA. Mike Stark, Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Washington,DC Anika Yetunde, black surreal. Bob Stein Mike Figura, Baltimore, MD Christina Lorca Magon Jane Pietrangelo Viviane Oh, San Francisco CA Mary Ratcliff, San Francisco Bay View newspaper Paul Kneisel, Editor: The Internet Anti-Fascist Al Weinrub, Chair, National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981), Bay Area* Ron Jacobs, author, The Way the Wind Blew, Burlington, VT. Carlos Rovira, Vieques Support Campaign Jackson Allers, The A-Lab Laurie Ketzenberg Matt Cohen Aaron Silverman Jill McCorkel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology, Northern Illinois University Evergreen Chou, Co-Chair Flushing Greens Bob Mandel, member, Executive Board, Oakland Education Association Ann Power, Santa Rosa Junior College Jean and Charles Sweet Frances Free Ramos, comite '98 por un puerto rico libre Elizabeth Antall, Mumia Working Group - Refuse and Resist!, Law Student The Rev. S. Michael Yasutake, Executive Director Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project Lila M. Gardner Danielle Storer, Berkeley CA Nancy Jacot-Bell, NY3 Freedom Campaign New York Free Mumia Coalition Suzanne Ross Dawn Reel Tom Gardner, Reference Librarian Migiwa Kanazawa Janet Arelis Quezada, Berkeley CA Stephanie Abraham Michelle Gross, Twin Cities Refuse & Resist! Twin Cities Coalition to Defend Mumia Abu-Jamal Brandon Patton, Chapel Hill, NC Bob Harris, International Concernced Family & Friends of Mumia Avu-Jamal, Philadelphia Pa S. D. Cardoza, gravitypoint.com Susan Zimmerman, Amnesty International Heidi Boghosian, National Lawyers Guild National Lawyers Guild Alma D'Epiro, San José CA Jim Forsyth, Hayward CA Scott Trent Greensboro Coalition for Justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal Ashley Nunn, Humanitarian, sister of Michael Tebbs Nunn, killed by NYPD Margaret So Steve Bloom--New York Free Mumia Coalition and National Committee member of Solidarity Jessica Crenshaw, Commission on Social Concerns, First A.M.E. Church, Los Angeles CA d'andre Bitter, October 22nd Coalition, Oakland CA Donna Willmott, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children Jessica Clarke Michael Simmons Benjamin Evans, Chicago, IL Mariama Changamire, Chicago, IL Ruth Crossman, October 22nd Coalition Vieques Support Campaign Amanda Northrup, Greensboro Coalition for Mumia Abu-Jamal Allison Goldberg, anti-death penalty activist, high school teacher Rosemari Mealy JD New York Matt Sheridan Boston, MA Mike Stage LaTonya Dykes Rosylin Dean Alan Traugott Sunshine Clearwater Karen Higgins Hillary Exter Ronald C. Spriestersbach Deborah Lagutaris, National Campus Greens, Campus Greens at UC Santa Barbara Beti Harris shorty six string (from boxcar bertha) Maricruz Badia-Cestero from Sistas en la Lucha Judith Amanthis, African Liberation Support Campaign, London Fred Russo, Detroit Nancy Rost, Madison, Wisconsin Kim Calhoun, North Carolina Frank Emspak. Madison WI, Professor, School for Workers, University of Wisconsin Extension monica kathleen - detroit Dave Rees, Sydney Australia David Kaplowitz Student, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley Tom Lacey, North State Chair, Peace and Freedom Party of California Claudia Omoregie, Mannheim, Germany Michael Letwin, President, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW 2325 Matthew Rothschild, Editor, The Progressive magazine. Debra Pappler (Tokyo, Japan) Betsy Wolf-Graves, Member, CA People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty and Amnesty Int. Dan Wilson, Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP) Liz McCartney David Kelly, Veterans for Peace Tori Coto Joseph E. Morrow, Ph.D., Professor, California State University, Sacramento CA Paul Cluster Ted Picciotto, Prison Reform Collective at UC Davis Jacki La Pointe, The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, San Francisco CA Jessica Rios, Friends of the River, Chico CA Kevin Baird Jeffrey Kirk, Person of Conscience Natalie Tolman SF, CA Barry Marchessault, Fairfax, CA Bill Carpenter, San Francisco Todd M. Michney, Cleveland OH Maggie Coulter, Sacramentans for International Labor Rights Jose Perez de Lama, Spain Aimee Young, Detroit Sebastiana Pastor, Artist/Educator Peter Phillips Ph.D., Sociology Department/Project Censored, Sonoma State University Sarah Barrentine, College Iternational Political Awareness Todd Barnes, California Teachers Association Kim Malcheski, attorney, San Francisco, CA Crescent Diamond, San Francisco, CA Yvonne Miller, University of California Santa Cruz Bandell Kay Siri Keil & Goetz Steeger (Solidaritätsbündnis FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL-Hamburg/Germany) James Baxter Tom Stephens, Detroit, Michigan Deborah Katzman, Cupertino, CA Larry Shaw, Sold Down the River.org Sylvia Berman, Certified Nurse Midwife Chris Willemin, Chicago IL Peter Stone Rochester Food Not Bombs Anarchist Action of Rochester Rochester Mumia Defense Committee Merrill Cole, Ph.D. Seattle, WA Dick Andrews, Petaluma Progressives, Green Party, Petaluma CA, Corey J Wade, LyricaJerichombustion Editor Rotes Haus (band/Hamburg) Rebecca L. Davis Andrew Sherman Robin Van Tassell Robert Candelaria Don Kosmicki of Kanas City, Missouri Bill Kong (SEIU local 1000) Sacramento CA John Serop Simonian, Whittier, CA Jade Pombrio, Oakland CA Dale Nesbitt, Berkeley, CA Ravi Chandra Bill Vaughn Annie Day, Refuse &Resist! National Office Janet Yip, Refuse &Resist! Executive Committee Colin McDonald, Hamburg Germany Karen Zern, Refuse and Resist! Wallace L. Schultz II, Las Vegas, NM Michael Perez Britt Conroy Edward Kane, Los Angeles, CA Justin Probert Sarah McDonald, East Lansing, MI ILWU Local 10 Executive Board (San Francisco) Charles Fernandez Jeff Golden, Executive Director, The Odyssey, www.ustrek,org Gerald and Ragan Cavanaugh, Ashland, OR Earl Silbar, AFSCME 3506 Executive Board member* Nina Eichacker, Student April Cotte, Reclaiming Collective Ben Saari, Laidoff Records, Pateluma CA Sherry Gorelick Suzanne M. Dumont Nancy Gilbertson, Music Faculty at Wells College John Matchim Student Memorial University of Newfounland Shanna McIntyre, Amnesty International, UC Berkeley student chapter John Kelly, Student Concordia College-MN Jack Heyman, ILWU Local 10, San Francisco CA Sarah Greenberg, student UC Santa Cruz CA Henry Carson Independent Media Center, Los Angeles Steve Monteleone Rick Fellows, Media Island International John Gilbert, National Coordinator University Foreign Language Teachers, - SNUR-CGIL Trade Union, Rome, Italy San Francisco Food Not Bombs Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Kai GOHARA, Student, University of Tokyo. D. Marie Stinson TAKAOKU Norio, SAITAMA Japan Mari Yamamoto Kevan Hudson, The Green Party of Richmond, Canada Matthew R Glesmann, Colorado State University Green Party Imai Kyohei, Citizens' Association to Stop the Execution of Mumia Daniel Garcia, Sr., Justice for Mark Garcia NOMURA; Osami, Dr. English Tetsu R. Satoh, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Asia United Computing Co.Ltd. Antoine REJASSE, COSIMAPP, Paris Allen Grieco, Rochester NY William McCreary, Team for Urban Political Action and Change Power Of Women at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA Amy E. Renigar Alana Kohmann, Pismo Beach, CA Marcey Gayer Nicholas Heyward Sr., Father of Nicholas Jr. Michael Schiffmann, in the name of Freiheit für Mumia Abu-Jamal Heidelberg Sabeen Shaiq, student Kara Vona, American Friends Service Committee, Atlanta, Georgia, USA David B. Collins, Harris County (TX) Green Party Jeffrey Garis, Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty Emily Brown, Hamilton, GA. Jesi Johnson, Hogansville GA Kasia Eryn Rutledge, Campus Green Coordinator for the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Matthew Schmookler Karega Alkebulon, of the Alkebulon Society, TX Heidi McLean, Sacramento Activists For Democratic Trade Esty Dinur, print and radio journalist. Kimberly Rae Eisentrager Kristen Colby, Freedom NOW Bill Martin, Associate Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University, Chicago
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