Jailed Mumia Supporters Need Solidarity

Update on Arrest of Mumia supporters in Phila.- Bail $

needed by IAC-Boston 7:37am Mon Dec 10 '01

iacboston@iacboston.org

INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL URGENT APPEAL, LATEST UPDATED INFORMATION -

PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY: THE MOST URGENT ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS THE NEED FOR MONEY FOR BAIL

PLEASE FORWARD AND DISTRIBUTE WIDELY (ON AND OFF-LINE!)

1. THE MOST URGENT ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS THE NEED FOR MONEY FOR BAIL - THE BONDS SET RANGE FROM BETWEEN ,000 AND 0,000. THE TOTAL ESTIMATED AMOUNT IS APPROXIMATELY 0,000 FOR ALL THOSE WITH BAIL SET - WE HAVE TO RAISE APPROXIMATELY ,000 MINIMUM TO BAIL THE REMAINING PEOPLE OUT. 8 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED, 2 WERE RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGES OR BAIL, AND SOME PEOPLE ARE BEING BAILED OUT, BUT WE MUST URGENTLY RAISE MONEY TO PAY BACK LOANS MADE FOR BAIL.

2. 5 OF THE 6 WHO WERE CHARGED HAVE BEEN ARRAIGNED AND HAVE BAILS AND CHARGES SET. EACH OF THESE 6 MUMIA SUPPORTERS WERE GIVEN FELONY CHARGES, INCLUDING FELONY ASSAULT AND FELONY RIOT, AS WELL AS CONSPIRACY, ASSAULT, AND CONSPIRACY TO RIOT.

3. THIS WAS A **LEGALLY PERMITTED DEMONSTRATION AND MARCH** AND THE KIND OF VIOLENCE POLICE EXHIBITED YESTERDAY WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR MUMIA MARCHES IN PHILADELPHIA.

4. THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO ARE PREPARED TO MAKE STATEMENTS TO THE MEDIA - MEDIA PERSONS SHOULD CONTACT JODI DODD AT 215-563-7110.

5. 4 PEOPLE WERE HOSPITALIZED WITH INJURED INCLUDING:

PROLONGED STATES OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS, AT LEAST ONE CONCUSSION, FRACTURED TAILBONE, INTERNAL BLEEDING,

SEVERE ABRASIONS -- THE WORST INJURED PERSON WAS

FINALLY RELEASED. NO ONE IS CURRENTLY IN THE HOSPITAL, ALL ARE IN CUSTODY OR IN THE PROCESS OF BEING

RELEASED.

6. EVEN THOUGH THE MOST INJURED PERSON ALREADY BEEN RELEASED, WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE IN JAIL WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS WHO ARE IN NEED OF MEDICATION AND TREATMENT. THERE ARE 2 PEOPLE WHO ARE IN JAIL WITHOUT FAMILY NEARBY AND UNTIL WE MAKE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVIDE MONEY FOR THEM, THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN GET THEM OUT ON BAIL IS THROUGH DONATIONS FROM ACTIVISTS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

7. WITNESSES AND DEFENDANTS NEED TO CALL US AT: 215-476-5416 IMMEDIATELY. ANYBODY WHO HAS ANY VIDEO OR PHOTO FOOTAGE OR KNOWS ANYONE WHO DOES NEEDS TO CALL IMMEDIATELY AND GIVE THEIR NAME, PHONE NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS. PHONE MESSAGES WILL BE CHECKED REGULARLY. IT IS URGENT THAT WE GET ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TO LAWYERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. EVERY WITNESS THAT HAS CALLED IN THUS FAR TELLS A SIMILAR STORY AFTER HAVING SEEN THE WHOLE THING HAPPEN AND ALL REPORT WITNESSING THE POLICE POUNCE ON PROTESTORS WITHOUT ANY PROVOCATION OR CONFRONTATION.

8. WE NEED PEOPLE TO CALL D.A. LYNN ABRAHAM TO DEMAND THAT ALL CHARGES BE DROPPED AT 215-686-9604, OR FAX 215-686-8049.

9. PLEASE WRITE AND E-MAIL LOCAL AND NATIONAL PRESS (SOME PHILLY PRESS ADDRESSES ARE AVAILABLE AT PHILLYNEWS.COM). DO NOT GIVE NAMES OR DESCRIPTIONS OF SUPPORTERS OVER THE TELEPHONE, IN E-MAILS OR IN LETTERS BECAUSE THAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED FOR INTERVIEWS WITH LAWYERS. IN PHONE DISCUSSIONS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, PLEASE GIVE GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ATMOSPHERE OF HOW POLICE CAME DOWN SO HARD ON PROTESTORS WITHOUT PROVOCATION, BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION IN THE MEDIA SAYING THAT PROTESTORS PROVOKED IT IN AN ATTEMPT TO COVER UP THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A POLICE RIOT.

10. PLEASE CALL PHILADELPHIA MAYOR JOHN STREET AT

215-686-2181 OR FAX 215-686-3162, AS WELL AS ACTING

POLICE COMMISSIONER JOHNSON AT 215-686-3280, AND MAKE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE WERE TREATED ON THE STREETS AND IN CUSTODY. ** ICFFMAJ IS URGING PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WORLD TO MAKE DONATIONS IF YOU CAN, AND LOANS IF YOU CAN'T MAKE ACTUAL DONATIONS. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO GET THESE PEOPLE RELEASED FROM JAIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE NEED PEOPLE TO FUNDRAISE ASAP. **

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO MAKE DONATIONS:

A. THE IDEAL THING IS TO WIRE MONEY SO THAT IT CAN BE

PICKED UP AS CASH, BECAUSE ONLY CASH CAN BE USED TO BAIL PEOPLE OUT. PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE AT 215-476-5416 SO THAT WE WILL KNOW TO PICK IT UP OR IT WILL JUST SIT THERE.

PLEASE WIRE MONEY TO: ANTHONY ALLEN 3960 DENNISON AVE., APT. D-3 DREXEL HILL, PA 19026 YOU WILL NEED HIS PHONE NUMBER (610) 394-0306

B. PLEASE SEND CHECKS IF YOU CANNOT WIRE MONEY. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO PDAG (PHILADELPHIA DIRECT ACTION GROUP), P.O. BOX 40683, PHLA., PA 19107 - SPECIFY IN THE MEMO LINE "DECEMBER 8TH LEGAL FUND". IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DONATION PROCESS OR IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, CALL DANIELLE AT 215-680-1174 (MESSAGES WILL BE FREQUENTLY CHECKED).

STAY STRONG, STAY COMMITTED!!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR WHATEVER YOU CAN DO!!

CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP, UNTIL MUMIA IS FREE!!

www.mumia.org

www.mumia.org/freedom.now/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mumia's State Appeal Denied by Judge Dembe,

Appeal in the Federal Courts is Still Open.

ALL OUT FOR MUMIA DEC. 7th-9th!



By STEVE ARGUE

On November 21st Philadelphia State Judge Pamela Dembe rejected death row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal to have new evidence heard in state court. That new evidence includes the confession of Arnold Beverly to killing Officer Faulkner, the crime Mumia has been framed of committing.

While this is a major blow to Mumia's legal battle, it is not his final appeal. Mumia may still have another appeal to the State Supreme Court. In any event Mumia's case is still in Federal Court before Judge Yohn. Facing bad rulings so far in Federal court, Mumia's legal team is attempting to bring the case back into a state court to hear the new evidence. The case has yet to be decided in Federal Court. A decision by Judge Yohn in Federal Court for execution would be Mumia's final legal appeal.

The government's attempt to murder Mumia Abu-Jamal in 1995 was halted by mass protests and international support, stopping his execution within days of it being scheduled to take place. Continued support for Mumia in the streets will be necessary to keep Mumia alive and free him.

As a freelance journalist Mumia exposed the murderous police brutality and political repression carried out by the police against the MOVE organization in Philadelphia. That murderous repression was then directed at Mumia Abu-Jamal in 1981.

On September 4th, Sam Jordan, Director of the Amnesty International USA Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, gave speeches on the innocence of Mumia Abu-Jamal in Durban, South Africa, in connection with the UN Conference on Racism. Other prominent endorsers of Mumia's campaign include the European Parliament, Nelson Mandela, the Congressional Black Caucus, The Rev. Jesse Jackson, and many unions in the United States and around the world.

The frame-up trial of Mumia twenty years ago included the testimony of three eyewitnesses (Veronica Jones, William Singletary, and Robert Chobert) who later said they were threatened, coerced, or made promises by the police to get them to give false testimony against Mumia.

False evidence against Mumia also included a supposed confession to the police by Mumia the night he was arrested. The original police report by Officer Gary Wakshul who was with Mumia the entire time through his arrest and medical treatment stated, "during this time the Negro male made no comment." Yet Gary Wakshul testified at Mumia's trial that he heard Mumia confess that night. Gary Wakshul didn't "remember" this confession until almost three months after Mumia's arrest when prosecutor McGill met with police asking for a confession. Officer Wakshul absurdly stated that he didn't think the confession was important at the time he wrote his original report.

This past August 17th Mumia was not even allowed into his own hearing in State Court on the incredible excuse that there was no room for Mumia to be transferred to a Philadelphia jail where the hearing was taking place.

Mumia's exile from his own hearing was reminiscent of 20 years ago, when Mumia was barred from attending his own trial. At that time Mumia was convicted in his absence. Judge Albert Sabo claimed that Mumia was barred for being disruptive. Yet court records have now revealed that Sabo barred Mumia from his own trial at the request of Mumia's incompetent and now disbarred defense attorney, Anthony Jackson. The court appointed attorney made his request on the grounds that Mumia was about to fire him and would if Mumia wasn't barred from the trial. Sabo's granting of Jackson's request was a clear violation of Mumia's right to legal representation of his choice and of his right to be present at his own trial.

This past May Mumia's attorneys dropped a legal bombshell by submitting into court a sworn affidavit that contains the confession of Arnold Beverly to the murder that Mumia is accused of committing.

The new evidence the court is refusing to hear includes the confession of Arnold Beverly who states in his sworn affidavit, "I shot Faulkner at close range." Faulkner was the cop Mumia is framed for killing. Beverly also states very clearly, "Faulkner was shot in the back and in the face before Jamal came on the scene. Jamal had nothing to do with the shooting."

Arnold Beverly's confession is corroborated by eyewitness statements. Beverly says he was wearing a green army jacket the night he shot Faulkner. William Singletary was there the night of the shooting. He says he saw a man shoot Faulkner and it was not Mumia. He also states that the actual killer was wearing a green army jacket.



Four eyewitnesses, including two cops, put a man wearing a green army jacket on the scene.

Five eyewitnesses described a man fleeing the scene the way Beverly describes he did. Mumia of course was not running anywhere, he was lying on the ground with a bullet in his chest.

According to Arnold Beverly, Mumia arrived on the scene after Beverly had already shot Faulkner. Beverly says that Mumia was then shot by an arriving officer. The prosecution claims that Mumia was shot by Faulkner in self defense as Faulkner laid on the ground dieing. Yet Beverly's story does fit with forensic evidence and the report of a cop at the scene that night. The cop stated that Mumia was shot by an arriving officer. The downward trajectory of the bullet into Mumia's chest also makes it physically impossible for Faulkner to have shot Mumia from the ground. In fact five hours after the shooting a police medical examiners report states that Mumia "was shot subsequently by arriving police reinforcements."

On every level Arnold Beverly's sworn confession to a capital offence is in fact backed up by evidence while the prosecutions version of events is not. This, however, has not been cause enough for the prosecution to reconsider pushing for the execution of an innocent man. Instead they are arguing that the new evidence was not brought forward in a timely manner.

Ramona Africa spoke on this point at demonstration of 3,000 for Mumia on August 17th stating, "Judge Dembe has said she wants, in three weeks, some briefs to determine whether or not it's too late to prove his innocence, whether or not this information comes too late. We're saying it's never too late! What is she talking about, too late?