A Moment in History: Mumia Abu Jamal

      Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal? Voice of the Voiceless...Political prisoner since 1983. Mumia was the President of the Association of Black Journalists, founding member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Black Panther Party as a teenager and director of the Philadelphia station WHAT.  Mumia Abu-Jamal covered closely the operations of the MOVE Organization and called to attention the brutality and blatant injustice he watched happen to them.  MOVE is a revolutionary organization built on the principles of Life, Natural Law, Self Defense, and The System.
      On the night of December 9, 1981, Mumia (who happened to be a cab driver at the time) just finished dropping off a fare when he heard gunshots and turned around seeing his brother William Cook wounded in the street.  On his way to the scene he was shot by a uniformed police officer and began fading in and out of consciousness.  Police soon arrived and found Mumia and Officer Faulkner shot and dead. Police arrested Mumia and beat him severely on the way to the hospital (which was blocks away but took 30 minutes to arrive).
      In 1982, Mumia was put on trial and decided to act as his own attorney and have John Africa as his legal advisor, but before the jury selection began his decision was revoked and an attorney was appointed for him.  Evidence shows that there is no way possible that Mumia could have possibly shot and killed Faulkner that night. Mumia had a registered .38 caliber and Faulkner was killed with a .44 caliber, also the police failed to test Mumia's gun to see if it registered with gun residue.  False witnesses testified that Mumia was at the scene the time of the shooting and others came forward to see they saw two men fleeing the scene. However none of that was enough to convince the judge that Mumia Abu-Jamal was innocent. Judge Sabor found him guilty and sentenced him to death during the penalty phase based solely on his political beliefs.
      In 1999 Arnold Beverly confessed to killing Officer Faulkner....so why is Mumia still in prison? Does Beverly's confession mean nothing to the justice system? Why is there still an innocent man on death row for a crime he did not commit when the killer confessed?  Mumia is not the only political prisoner who remains in jail for their beliefs and crimes that they did not commit. When will the injustice end for those trying to unite a culture and awaken the masses to see more than what they hear?  Assata Shakur is in Cuba living under political asylum for a crime she did not commit in New Jersey in 1973, yet the state of New Jersey still has a $1 million bond on her head.
     What is truly amazing is how we yell Free Weezy! Free TIP! Free Boosie! NOOOO let them stay in jail for a crime they did commit and let's begin yelling Free Mumia! Free the MOVE 9! People who are innocent and stood up for what they believed in. This country and the people in it have a backwards way of thinking. We constantly prove that we are worried about the wrong things, yet do not support the people that really need our help.