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Declaration of Mumia Abu-Jamal 3 May 2001 The declaration below is reprinted from the July 2006 Partisan Defense Committee pamphlet, The Fight to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal—Mumia Is Innocent! I, MUMIA ABU-JAMAL, declare: 1. I am the Petitioner in this action. If called as a witness I could and would testify to the following from my own personal knowledge: 2. I did not shoot Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. I had nothing to do with the killing of Officer Faulkner. I am innocent. 3. At my trial I was denied the right to defend myself, I had no confidence in my court-appointed attorney, who never even asked me what happened the night I was shot and the police officer was killed, and I was excluded from at least half the trial. 4. Since I was denied all my rights at my trial I did not testify. I would not be used to make it look like I had a fair trial. 5. I did not testify in the post-conviction proceedings in 1995 on the advice of my attorney, Leonard Weinglass, who specifically told me not to testify. 6. Now for the first time I have been given an opportunity to tell what happened to me in the early morning hours of December 9, 1981. This is what happened: 7. As a cabbie I often chose 13th and Locust Street because it was a popular club area with a lot of foot traffic. 8. I worked out of United Cab on the night of 12/9/81. 9. I believe I had recently returned from dropping off a fare in West Philly. 10. I was filling out my log when I heard some shouting. 11. I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw a flashing dome light of a police cruiser. This wasn’t unusual. 12. I continued to fill out my log/trip sheet when I heard what sounded like gun shots. 13. I looked again into my rear view mirror and saw people running up and down Locust. 14. As I scanned I recognized my brother standing in the street staggering and dizzy. 15. I immediately exited the cab and ran to his scream. 16. As I came across the street I saw a uniformed cop turn toward me gun in hand, saw a flash and went down to my knees. 17. I closed my eyes and sat still trying to breath. 18. The next thing that I remember I felt myself being kicked, hit and being brought out of a stupor. 19. When I opened my eyes, I saw cops all around me. 20. They were hollering and cursing, grabbing and pulling on me. I felt faint finding it hard to talk. 21. As I looked through this cop crowd all around me, I saw my brother, blood running down his neck and a cop lying on his back on the pavement. 22. I was pulled to my feet and then rammed into a telephone pole beaten where I fell and thrown into a paddy wagon. 23. I think I slept until I heard the door open and a white cop in a white shirt came in cursing and hit me in the forehead. 24. I don’t remember what he said much except a lot of “n-----s”, “black motherfuckers” and what not. 24. I believe he left and I slept. I don’t remember the wagon moving for a while and when it did for sometime. 25. I awoke to hear the driver speaking over the radio about his prisoner. 26. I was informed by the anonymous crackle on the radio that I was en route to the police administration building a few blocks away. 27. Then, it sounded like “I.D.’d as M-1” came on the radio band telling the driver to go to Jefferson Hospital. 28. Upon arrival I was thrown from the wagon to the ground and beaten. 29. I was beaten again at the doors of Jefferson. 30. Because of the blood in my lungs it was difficult to speak, and impossible to holler. 31. I never confessed to anything because I had nothing to confess to. 32. I never said I shot the policeman. I did not shoot the policeman. 33. I never said I hoped he died. I would never say something like that. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the above is true and correct and was executed by me on 3 May, 2001, at Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. (signed)
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