PETITION TO SUPPORT MUMIA IN OPPOSITION TO CALL FOR “THROWING HIM UNDER THE BUS”

WE URGE ALL OUR FRIENDS AND MUMIA SUPPORTERS, AS WELL AS OPPONENTS OF THE DEATH PENALTY, TO SIGN THIS STRONG STATEMENT INITIATED BY THE CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY.

Calling All Abolitionists – Stand Up for Mumia Abu-Jamal!

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the letter, signed by some US abolitionists, opposing Pennsylvania death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal’s participation in the World Congress Against the Death Penalty and claiming that highlighting his case hurts the cause for abolition in the U.S. (see http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/116. See also Dave Lindorff’s article about this at http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/117 ). We stand in solidarity with Mumia, who has spent the past twenty-eight years on death row, the victim of a trial and court procedures fraught with racism, and police, prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. Mumia currently faces a grave threat: the US Supreme Court has accepted an appeal to re-instate Mumia’s death sentence, and Philadelphia’s District Attorney has pledged his intention to pursue his execution. Mumia urgently needs our support, and we call for a new trial for him now.

We reject any call by abolitionists to put “coalition-building” with law enforcement over and above the struggle for justice of any death row prisoner, be they innocent or guilty. We also reject the logic of having police organizations that fight tooth and nail for the execution of those with unpopular views as a partner or ally. Many police organizations – as well as prosecutors and judges– have organized against our efforts to win justice for Mumia, and have served as guardians of an unjust “justice” system. We deplore divisive strategies that seek to exclude death row prisoners from our movement. We call on all participating organizations in the World Congress to re-affirm their support for Mumia Abu-Jamal and all death row prisoners in our struggle to end the death penalty worldwide.

Signed:

Albany Political Prisoner Support Committee

Albany Social Justice Center

Anthony Arnove, Co-Author, Voices of a People’s History of the United States

Sylvia Barnard, Professor, University at Albany

Barbara Becnel, Stanley Tookie Williams Legacy Network

Megan Behrent, Delegate, United Federation of Teachers/AFT*

Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder, CODEPINK

Kwame Binta, UNIA-ACL

Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild

Campaign to End the Death Penalty

Center for Constitutional Rights

Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal

Johanna Fernandez, Department of History, Baruch College/CUNY

Glen Ford, Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition
Marty Goodman, former Executive Board Member, Transport Workers Union Local 100, NYC*

Teresa Gutierrez, May 1st Coalition

Ron Hampton, Executive Director, National Black Police Association

Howie Hawkins, Green Party Candidate, Governor of New York

Lawrence Hayes, Former New York death row prisoner

Larry Holmes, International Action Center

International Action Center

International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

International Socialist Organization

Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Kevin Cooper Defense Committee

Candace Lider, Troy Area Labor Council

National Black Police Association

Kiilu Nyasha, San Francisco Bay View Newspaper

Michael Ratner, President, Center for Constitutional Rights

Joan Stallard, Wash., DC, Coordinator, CODEPINK

Andy Thayer, Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism; Co-Founder, Gay Liberation Network*

Marissa Torres, Chapter Chair, United Federation of Teachers/AFT*

Carlos Villarreal, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Barry Weisleder, Socialist Action/Ligue pour l’action socialiste, Canada

*Organization for identification only

If your group would like to sign onto this statement, please contact nyc@nodeathpenalty.org. We plan to post this statement with group endorsements as widely as possible.__,_._,___