[Ppnews] Pam Africa on the Supreme Court ruling against Mumia

[Political Prisoner News]

http://www.sfbayview.com/2010/pam-africa-on-the-supreme-court-ruling-against-mumia/

January 20, 2010


<http://www.sfbayview.com/2010/pam-africa-on-the-supreme-court-ruling-against-mumia/>Pam 
Africa on the Supreme Court ruling against Mumia

by Minister of Information JR

Pam Africa, chairwoman of International Concerned 
Family and Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal, was a key 
organizer of the large demonstration outside the 
3rd Circuit Court of Appeals when Mumia’s case 
was heard there on May 17, 2007. Now the Supreme 
Court has ordered the case back to that court. – 
Photo: Minister of Information JR
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 
against political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal and 
granted the Philadelphia DA’s petition for a writ 
of certiorari. Basically, the Supreme Court went 
against the lower federal circuit court’s 2001 
and 2008 rulings, which granted a new sentencing 
phase jury trial if the death penalty was to be 
reinstated in Jamal’s case. Now the case goes 
back down to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, 
who will decide whether they will re-impose the 
death penalty without the jury trial.

In a recent interview with the Block Report, 
Mumia spoke about the Spisak case, in which the 
death penalty has since been reinstated for the 
white supremacist murderer Frank Spisak. The 
question is how this will affect Mumia’s case 
since they both dealt with the Mills issue, which 
addresses confusing jury instructions.

We are now at the highest level of Code Red in 
the case of Mumia Abu Jamal. The people must come 
to this tireless souljah’s defense.

I interviewed Pam Africa, the chairwoman of the 
International Concerned Family and Friends of 
Mumia Abu Jamal, about the direction of the “Free 
Mumia” movement at this critical time 


M.O.I. JR: Now that we have this information on 
how the Supreme Court wants to move on Mumia’s 
case, how is the International Concerned Family 
and Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal moving? And what do they need from the people?

Pam Africa: One thing that people need to 
understand is that this is a very crucial time. 
What we’re doing today, we’re having a press 
conference in front of the District Attorney’s Office here in Philadelphia.

This is the first Black DA in the city of 
Philadelphia. His name is Seth Williams, who ran 
on the platform that when he became district 
attorney, he would execute Mumia. That’s why 
we’re having the demonstration there, because it 
eventually will end up in the hands of the district attorney.

The district attorney are the ones that are 
applying for this death sentence on Mumia. I know 
that they are battling Mills (the case concerning 
jury instructions) and everything else, but 
people must stay focused. The time is very short 
in dealing with the case of Mumia.

People must organize around the world. There are 
two petitions that are happening: One is by a 
group of people over in Germany with Mumia’s 
attorney, Robert Bryan, calling on President 
Obama to get involved in the case and get Mumia a 
new case, because he never had a trial, really.

But we’re calling on the attorney general. When I 
say we, I’m saying there are several groups and 
organizations that is spearheaded by the New York 
(Free Mumia Abu-Jamal) Coalition that is calling 
on the attorney general, because what we’re 
pointing out is that Mumia cannot get any fairness whatsoever.

Brewing right here is another example of what it 
is we’re talking about. Mumia cannot get any 
fairness in this court system, so we’re calling 
on the U.S. attorney general to do a civil rights 
investigation into this case, because Mumia’s 
civil rights from the beginning to the end, and 
our civil rights as citizens of this United 
States who have pointed out the evidence very 
clearly (are threatened). That nobody can get 
around: Mumia is innocent. He is factually innocent.

And what we’re asking people to do is to sign 
both of the petitions on behalf of Mumia. The one 
that the attorney is putting out there, because 
when he petitions and all, Obama, Obama’s next 
move is that he has to go to the U.S. attorney 
general. And when he comes to the U.S. attorney 
general, he will fully know that our last person 
who signed the petition for the civil rights 
investigation was Skip Gates, who sat down and 
had a beer after he was beat up by the police, 
you know, at the White House. I’m saying, he 
signed the petition. We have people that are 
right in the ear of Obama and the attorney general.

And I want to point out very clearly, we have no 
hope whatsoever in the system. Our faith, Mumia’s 
faith, is in the people. Will the people rise up 
and do what is right? Shaka Sankofa is dead 
because the people didn’t consistently stay on 
top of these people when they did wrong.

Tookie Williams, when they executed him, when 
they murdered him in cold-blood when the movement 
was moving, it should’ve continued to move that 
way. There are magnificent things that are 
happening in California around the death penalty, 
but everybody must unite together and move as one 
up against this government for the sake of Brotha 
(Troy) Davis, for the sake of all the brothas that’s on death row right now.

Again there is Academics for Mumia, who are at 
Princeton University, who is having a meeting 
pulling academics together, and we’re asking the 
academics to sign both of these petitions while 
they educate people. I’m telling you people, we 
are not without the evidence. If you go to the 
website at 
<http://abu-jamal-news.com/>Journalists for 
Mumia, if you go into the 
<http://www.sfbayview.com>Bay View, you will find 
all of the evidence that you need to bring the system down to its knees.

Once again, do not be duped by time; time is 
running out. And I know that when this next step 
is made, as I understand, things might be like 
six months and then it will go to the DA. The 
time might be a little bit off, but we don’t have 
much time. It’s time for them people to get into 
them churches, make them ministers get up, make 
these politicians get up, you know, make the 
people rise up, as they did in 1999, when we did 
Millions for Mumia. The time is now for 
organizing, organizing with all of the strength that you have.

And I just want to thank people like the Partisan 
Defense Committee, Labor for Mumia, the 
Mobilization for Mumia, Millions for Mumia. These 
people have stayed steadfast, and if I haven’t 
mentioned the names of other people, there is a 
lot of individuals – JR and the Bay View – for 
keeping this issue up front in the people’s eye.


The time is now for organizing, organizing with 
all of the strength that you have. People must 
pull together to abolish the death penalty. Save 
this brotha who has been on the front lines, from 
deathrow, on every issue of social justice that there is.

And I will be down (in the Bay) on Feb. 18. I’ll 
be in California, from the 18th to the 23rd. I’m 
coming down there for the brotha of the San 
Francisco 8 (Francisco Torres’) hearing. I’m 
coming down there for Brotha JR’s hearing, and I 
wish I could be in LA when they bring this 
murderous cop (who murdered) Oscar Grant there, 
but I’m going to be pushing for people to get there – everybody who can.

This death sentence that was handed out to this 
brotha; we can’t allow it, people. And I’m saying 
y’all have been an example to all of the people 
around the world of resistance (of what can be 
done) when people be consistent at what they do. 
Y’all have had something done here when y’all had 
that murderous monster arrested. It must 
continue. This dude must sit on deathrow. That is 
where he needs to sit with all of the other 
people. And let people fight to get his behind off of deathrow.

You know, it can’t be enough said: People must 
pull together. You must abolish the death penalty 
because it is wrong, all the way across the 
board. We must support JR and all of the brothas 
and sistas that was arrested. This is what Mumia 
is pushing for; this is what we’re pushing for.

When we come to California, we’ll be having more 
information about Mumia. The movement is moving 
real fast, so please while you are organizing for 
everything, tell people that they must get into 
the streets in order to save this brotha who has 
been on the front lines, from deathrow, on every 
issue of social justice that there is.

Email POCC Minister of Information JR, Bay View 
associate editor, at 
<mailto:blockreportradio at gmail.com>blockreportradio at gmail.com 
and visit <http://www.blockreportradio.com>www.blockreportradio.com.




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20100121/c5e8eb45/attachment.htm>