Subscribe to Workers Vanguard

View archives

	Workers Vanguard No. 923	24 October 2008

Philadelphia D.A. Seeks Death for Mumia Abu-Jamal

There Is No Justice in the Capitalist Courts!

Free Mumia Now!

There is an ominous new development in the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, an innocent man who has been on Pennsylvania’s death row for 26 years, framed up for the killing of a Philadelphia police officer in 1981. Since his youth in the Black Panthers, Mumia, a MOVE supporter and eloquent journalist, has been targeted by the racist rulers because of his courageous defense of the oppressed. Now the Philadelphia district attorney’s office has advised the Supreme Court that it is seeking the execution of Mumia. The D.A.’s petition, which must be filed by November 19, opposes the federal Third Circuit Court’s affirmation this past spring of a 2001 decision by Judge Yohn striking down Mumia’s death sentence while upholding his frame-up conviction.

The remaining possibilities for Mumia within the court system are: 1) The Supreme Court could agree with the D.A.’s petition, in which case Mumia’s death sentence would be reimposed, with no new trial. In this event, the case would be sent back to Judge Yohn, who in his 2001 decision deferred ruling on additional challenges to the death sentence raised by Mumia. 2) The Supreme Court could refuse to hear both the D.A.’s petition as well as Mumia’s attorney Robert Bryan’s upcoming appeal, which is centered on racism in the jury selection, of the Third Circuit Court’s decision (see “Third Circuit Court Turns Down Appeal,” WV No. 918, 1 August). This would let stand the current situation: a new sentencing hearing, with the only possibilities being either continued life imprisonment for Mumia or a new death sentence. 3) The Supreme Court could agree with Bryan’s appeal, thus putting Mumia back into the racist Philadelphia court system to be tried again. This could result in an acquittal; however, we have no faith in the capitalist courts, which over the decades have refused to hear the mountains of evidence of Mumia’s innocence, including the confession of Arnold Beverly that he killed Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

We have always advocated pursuing all possible legal proceedings. However, the Supreme Court has refused to hear four previous petitions by Mumia’s attorneys. The Supreme Court is the highest court of America’s capitalist rulers, the class enemy of workers, black people and all the oppressed. Our fight to free Mumia Abu-Jamal is based on a strategy of mass protest centered on the multiracial working class, which has the power to make the courts yield. As the Partisan Defense Committee has always stated, “We place all our faith in the power of the masses and no faith whatever in the ‘justice’ of the courts.”

To contribute to Mumia’s legal defense, make checks payable to “National Lawyers Guild Foundation” (earmarked “Mumia” on bottom left) and mail to: Committee to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal, P.O. Box 2012, New York, NY 10159-2012.