Latest comments

Free Mumia!

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:54:58 +0100

Bravo to Pacifica for producing and providing this forum to tell the truth about Mumia's case. And the evidence speaks for itself, from judge Sabo (a man sick with a depraved level of racism) being overheard boasting of his intentions, to the actual killer coming forward -he even signed an affidavit confessing to being the hired gunman who killed officer Faulkner! No, it not right that a cop was killed, but it definitely is was not Mumia who shot him - and its a crime to put an innocent man on death row! Why was he framed, and sent to death row - well, all one has to do is listen to how wise, and clearheaded Mumia is to understand why the state is afraid of this great man. http://www.prisonradio.org/mumia.htm, there are hundreds of Mumia commentaries, thanks to Prison Radio, and FSRN for producing and distributing them! - Free Mumia - Free Mumia!! - Pete Korakis

The Time is Now for Release!

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:37:44 +0100

Excellent program- ! There is more - and you will find it as you get active- reach out and listen to Mumia's weekly radio commentaries at www.prisonradio.org Because- only your action, your activism, your resistance and empowerment in any form that you can realize- will build the wave of justice that it will take to free Mumia. Will Mumia's voice continue to reach the airwaves? Will Mumia live or die? Does freedom of the press exist? The answers to these questions depend on our independence, the depth of our courage, and our will to organize! toward justice and freedom, Noelle Hanrahan Ps send your mailing address to info@prisonradio.org and we will send you a poster 10things you can do to free Mumia and a resource guide. - Noelle

Sorry to spoil the party, but HE DID IT.

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:05:19 +0100

A .38 caliber handgun he had purchased to defend himself as a cab driver in 1979 was found at the scene next to him, containing 5 spent shell casings. Tests performed verify that Daniel Faulkner was killed by a .38 caliber bullet. The type, brand, and caliber of the extracted bullet all match those of the shell casings obtained from Abu-Jamal's Charter Arms revolver which was retrieved at the scene. That manufacturer is known for rifling the barrels of their revolvers with eight lands and grooves, variant to the six present in all other firearms. Experts testified that the bullet taken from Abu-Jamal had been fired from Daniel Faulkner's service weapon. George Fassnacht, a ballistics expert proferred by the defense, did not dispute any of the prosecution's findings. - mpan18

Sorry Again

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:07:35 +0100

In 1999, Vanity Fair revealed that Phillip Bloch visited him in prison in 1992 and asked him whether he regretted killing Faulkner, to which it was reported that he replied: “ "Yes.” - mpan18

misleading piece

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:28:02 +0100

I found this hagiographical and one-sided piece on Jamal's case misleading lacking in intellectual honesty. I say this as someone who for many years was an active supporter of Mumia and who worked closely with other Mumia supporters at the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia. And while I am against the death penalty and believe the justice system rife with problems, the facts of Jamal's case point squarely at him being the murderer. This piece on Pacifica was rife with errors. A number of which occured in the introduction alone. I could spend an hour or so spelling each out, but one that stands out is the claim that Officer Faulkner was shot with a .44 caliber handgun. Something that even Jamal's own former attorneys admitted was not true, as did Jamal's own ballistics expert. If the case for Jamal's innocence was so strong than why could Pacifica not even allow one person to speak on behalf of his victim? The answer I think is rather obvious. Get the facts about Mumia at danielfaulkner.com and antimove.blogspot.com - Tony Allen

cops: you are wrong, and misleading

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:33:45 +0100

we all know that several police groups are all pumped up about this case, fueling the lies against Mumia, but I don't think you two are going to get much support for your pro-police state point of view on the world on this site. we all know that you pigs play with the evidence, extort any 'witnesses', and manipulate the 'judicial' system to the max for your typically racist and sexist ideology. like Pete said below, the actual killer has already confessed. this is a no brainer, and Mumia should and will be free!! - NY Guerrilla

Critical to expose racism of Mumia prosecution

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:42:35 +0100

Thank you Pacifica for the program 'Racism and Injustice: The Trials of Mumia Abu-Jamal' hosted by Margaret Prescod. I couldn't disagree more with the accusations of Tony Allen and mpan18; these same points are being made by the people prosecuting the case. I appreciated the way the facts of Mumia's trial, hidden by corporate media, were clearly presented in the program. It was useful, as well, to get new information and learn about international support protesting this US miscarriage of justice. I was especially moved to hear Mumia discuss his own situation in the context of today's prison-industrial complex. It's critical that the racism of jury selection and the entire legal process faced by Mumia be uncovered, both so this remarkable journalist and human being gets the new trial that justice demands, and also because the futures of other people of color facing the courts will be impacted if racism and injustice in his case are allowed to prevail. - Sidney Ross-Risden

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Sat, 18 Aug 2007 14:39:21 +0100

I have read several believe "Beverly" states he murdered Officer Faulkner. PURE FABRICATION. In Beverlys original posting of his so called "confession" he stated Officer Faulkner was going to check something at "Johnnys BAR" when Johnnys was a PIZZA shop and CLOSED at 4am when Mumia murdered the Police Officer. The story changed when I posted that fabrication. For those who doubt, I attended most of the trial when I was not at trial myself and Mumia's antics and those of the MOVE spectators only showed his/their twisted agenda. If you believe Mumia is innocent you are a fool, led by fooled fools. Now I CHALLANGE anyone including the killers attorneys to post why they believe Mumia DID NOT murder the Officer and substanciate that with FACTS. Give it your best shot...PLEASE...comeon...make my day ;D - jon pisano

Mumia

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:01:32 +0100

Comments posted by me were not proof read and contain spelling errors. I apologize - jon pisano

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Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:05:34 +0100

Sidney & NY Guerrilla, It seems like you both have a pretty strong opinion about our country's treatment of minorities especially the law enforcements community's behavior. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. However, it seems like you are working hard to "craft" the fact about this case to fit your theory. Maybe you should use the facts to craft your thoery instead of the other way around. - mpan18

Pacifica's Job is to tell the other side of the story!

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:28:25 +0100

A fine program no matter what you believe about guilt and innocence. The mission of this network is to tell the stories that aren't being told, to air unpopular notions, and to make space for differing points of views. Mission accomplished. There is no doubt that the role of racism in the criminal justice system needs to be explored, no doubt that there were extremely troubling factors in the original conviction and no doubt that a minimum, a new trial is called for. On those issues, all reasonable people should agree. After that, let the evidence be considered. He has been an amazing voice of clarity, compassion and humanity, whatever happened a long time ago, and justice is the issue here, not revenge. - The Mission

Mumia Abu Jamal

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:06:33 +0100

Mission response. "Racism"...Mumia executed Faulkner who was White sooo how do you turn that around? Please post FACTS as to why the "other side" claims Mumia is not the murderer. - jon pisano

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Mon, 20 Aug 2007 23:52:32 +0100

Thank you, Pacifica for bringing Mumia's voice and story to the air with such respect and detail. His case points to the deeply racist system of justice that has been the rule here. Only through well reasoned challenges and with our suppport will justice prevail. This program is a call to action for Mumia when it counts, while he's still alive. - Nell Myhand

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Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:19:36 +0100

To Nell and any others, please point out, with facts and not opinion, why you believe Mumia did not execute Officer Faulkner.. period. Justice as to the trial.. what is your opinion on "he, Mumia, did not receive a fair trial" - jon pisano

Set him free!

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:24:11 +0100

Mumia is an inspiration to us all. Set him free! He is innocent. Here in London we also have 'institutionalised racism' within our police and criminal law system, as exposed by the investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder, and the lack of investigations into the murder of many others who have died in police custody. We have been watching Mumia's case with great interest, and listening to Pacifica too. Set him free and set all our spirits free! Invest in caring, not killing, Jenny - Jenny

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Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:05:42 +0100

Hello Jenny. You are on the other side of the big pond, correct? Have you read the evidence/transcripts of the trial? And please, if you know, why is Mumia innocent. Do you know 2 Police Officers of the elite StakeOut Unit, of which I am proud to say I was a member, arrested Mumia ...now pay attention...30 to 45 SECONDS after he executed Officer Faulkner...his gun with 5 spent shells lay near him, an empty holster on him... several eyewitnesses..and you discount all of this?...Get real. Now, please tell us WHY Mumia is innocent of murder when this case was reviewed by over 12 judges and Justices. I guess you assume all were in on a giant conspiracy to frame this convicted affirmed murderer. The ball is in your court. - jon pisano

Dave Lindorff defames Officer Faulkner's widow

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:00:07 +0100

In the Pacifica special on Mumia, "journalist" and author Dave Lindorff again took it upon himself to take a crass swipe at Maureen Faulkner. If Lindorff was just some hack from a Marxist weekly with a circulation of three, than it might not be so big a deal. But Lindorff, in addition to writing a pro-Mumia book that was reviewed favorably by the Philadelphia Inquirer, has also written for the paper as well as other "mainstream" media outlets in the city. He has also written for Salon magazine ( http://www.salon.com/), Businessweek, The Nation, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, Village Voice, Forbes, The London Observer and the Australian National Times. In the interview, Lindorff made the claim that Maureen Faulkner had gone all around the country saying things that were "simply not true" about the case, and worse still, was pandering to bigots as she was purportedly working to "appeal to the worst instincts of white racists". Lindorff cited no proof of his claim, and being that it was pro-Mumia Pacifica Radio doing the interview, no proof was asked for. I challenge Lindorff to provide one sentence or utterance when Maureen Faulkner exploited the race of her husband or that his killer as a means of inciting animus towards Jamal. Providing he cannot than I fully expect him to apologize. Not to me, but to Mrs. Faulkner who has had to endure enough abuses at the hands Jamal supporters that she need not be subjected to contrived allegations of racial exploitation. For if any group of people in this equation has exploited the racial dynamics of the case it is the "free Mumia" crowd, of which Lindorff is a happy participant in, despite his own delusions of somehow being "independent", and above the fray. This is also not the first time that Lindorff has gone on the offensive against Maureen Faulkner. He also did so in his deeply flawed book on the case "Killing Time". As a reviewer from the far-left website counterpunch.org , which itself has published some disturbingly inaccurate articles on the case noted, "None escape the scythe of Lindorff's truth-finding pen, not even the widow Maureen Faulkner, who lied to the media about a devilish gesture that Abu-Jamal could not have made at her." In this instance, both Lindorff and the reviewer were wrong in their re-counting of an incident that has become part of the mythology of the Mumia movement. At issue was the fact that former Jamal attorney, Leonard Weinglass had led people into believing that Mrs. Faulkner was making impossible statements when she claimed that Mumia "turned and smiled at her after her husband’s blood stained shirt was displayed". Weinglass denied that Jamal was even in the courtroom when the shirt was put on display, but that was not the case. Court transcripts and media reports prove that Mumia was in the courtroom and so was Maureen Faulkner. It is true that Lindorff and other apologists for Jamal have made half-hearted and obviously obligatory statements expressing sympathy for Maureen Faulkner, but their false acts of concern never deter them from unleashing their repugnant attacks. And, of course by stepping into the public arena Mrs. Faulkner had to know that she would face critics who take issue with her position on the death penalty and opposition to all things Mumia. But there is a distinct and clear-cut line between articulating a difference of opinion with someone and unfairly branding them as the leader of a racist lynch-mob as Lindorff did during his interview. It should also be noted that Lindorff has repeatedly represented himself as an "objective journalist" and his book on Jamal's case an independant investigation into the murder of Officer Faulkner. Even a cursory examination reveals that neither of Lindorff's claims regarding his journalistic integrity will prove that he is certainly partisan. He is decidedly pro-Jamal, and that his assertions to the contrary are but examples of his attempts to work within the contemptible "mainstream" media, as he did recently with the Philadelphia City Paper where he wrote an article about Jamal. Back to Mrs. Faulkner, during one of Jamal’s many appeal hearings, as Maureen Faulkner was in the hallway, out of the courtroom, a supporter of Mumia, no doubt a courageous "revolutionary" spat upon her. Obviously, it is not enough for Mumia supporters like Dave Lindorff ,that her husband was murdered. They expect her to be silent about it. And when she dares to speak out against the multitudes who are either ignorant or willfully deceitful with regards to the case, she is either spat upon or defamed by pro-Jamal zealots posing as objective journalists. That she continues to act as a true "voice of the voiceless" in the face of such abuses is a testament to both her courage as well as her confidence that Mumia was without a doubt the man who killed her husband. - Tony Allen

Give Mumia a fair trial

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:33:32 +0100

His trial was marred with racism. The selection of the jury, where many Black candidates were disallowed, meant that Mumia had never the chance to present his case in front of a jury of his peers, which is a right enshrined in the US Constitution. Judge Albert Sabo, who had put to death more defendants than anyone else in the history of US courts, was overheard saying that he would help "fry the n****r". For most of his trial Mumia was not permitted to attend - the Judge Sabo regularly expelled him from the courtroom when Mumia tried to assert his constitutional right to defend himself. The Philadelphia police, headed by the notorious Rizzo, wanted to punish Mumia for his corageous exposure of corruption and brutality. Mumia must have a fair trial. We are following his case from all over the world. Giorgio (Italian journalist, living in the UK) - Giorgio Riva

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Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:21:02 +0100

Mr Riva,as I posted before, I attended most of this trial and I can attest that Judge Sabo bent over backwards for Mumia but when the Judge made a ruling, Mumia did say, in a loud and arrogant manner, " you have not ruled to my satisfaction" As to the Judge sending more people to death row, you can research MOST of the trials were jury trials and it was the juries responsibility to impose the sentence. As to the so called remark, which incidentally was not reported until almost 20 YEARS later with no corroboration and denied by Sabo,is nothing but hearsay. Now as to jury selection, answer this, how many whites AND blacks did Mumia reject. His (Mumia's ) insistence (John Africa as my counsel even tho he was not an attorney) and badgering of the Judge led to Mumia being removed from the courtroom. He was always informed, by his attorney Mr. Jackson, as to the proceedings. Sir, this affirmed killer with a silk toung, had a fair trial as reviewed my many judges and justices over the years and it is gullible people that have fallen for the slick "did not have a fair trial campaign'" waged by past and present attorneys and the radical Cop Killer group MOVE. Open your eyes to the truth and read the complete unedited trial transcripts at DanielFaulkner.com - jon pisano

PATHETIC POLICE STATE

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:05:08 +0100

"FAIR" TRIAL MUMIA PERIOD. THE TIME IS COMING FOR A REVOLUTION FOR ALL INJUSTICES AND INEQUALITIES THAT STILL IS PERMEATING IN ALL OF THE OLE FASCIST U.S. LET'S ALL REVOLT AGAINST DAIRY AND MEAT INDUSTRY WHILE WERE AT IT. ADOPT A VEGAN DIET AND RESPECT THE RIGHT FOR ALL LIVING BEINGS. - raven