Campaign to Name a Street After Mumia Abu-Jamal in Harlem Kicks Off
3 Comments Published by LeftyHenry on Saturday at 11:51 PM.
Mumia Abu-Jamal is the definition of a political prisoner. Someone targetted, persecuted by the system for his beliefs. At age 14, Mumia Abu-Jamal first became active in the struggle to build a better world. He would go on to be a leader of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party and a firm revolutionary. During his trial he would quote Chairman Mao, and in the 25 years on Death Row since, he has not sold out, he continues to be a voice of resistance through his writings and radio programs. The fact that he hasn't sold out in itself is a statement that no matter how much the system tries to break our leaders and the voices of our movement and no matter what they try to do to kill the revolutionaries, the revolution will live on.
The Framing
On December 9th, 1981, Mumia Abu-Jamal was driving his cab downtown when he happened to see his brother being viciously beaten by a white cop with a metal flashlight, Mumia jumped out of his cab and rushed to help his brother. The cop fired on him and when the smoke cleared, Mumia was on the floor bleeding and the cop lay dead.
But the facts don't add up. Ballistics were suppressed, the crime scene was tampered with by police, the judge had eleven black jurors removed on peremptory challenges, witnesses changed their testimonies from orignial statements due to police coercion and threats, not to mention the fact that the judge was overheard saying "I'm gonna help them fry that nigger," and that Arnold Beverly has admitted to the crime.
The Truth and the Campaign
the real truth is that Mumia Abu-Jamal was imprisoned for devoting his life to the cause of revolution in every form, from his leadership in the black panthers to his revolutionary journalism, Mumia Abu-Jamal like Fred Hampton and David Gilbert are examples of what happens to people who really bring the system to its knees; the Dictatorship of the Bourgeois takes them out as ruthlessy as it can afford.
On May 17th, Mumia Abu-Jamal, through mass public pressure was able to get a new final hearing and it is important that not just everyone who is disgusted with the savage injustices of this system and see Mumia as just another one of these injustices, or everyone that wants a revolution, but everyone who believes in the concept human rights get involved in freeing Mumia.
In the past couple of years, this has been happening more and more, not just in Philadelphia or the United States, but internationally, Paris, France awarded Mumia Abu-Jamal a honary citizenship and the City of St. Denis, France named the boulevard leading to the national stadium after him. These actions may be small, but they are powerful, they are examples of resistance to the savage injustices of the system and its persecution of Mumia and other political prisoners.
In Harlem, New York, On Friday, the campaign to name a street after Mumia Abu-Jamal kicked off. Through mass pressure, this would be a very realistic goal and would act as a jolt to the movement to liberate Mumia. This system keeps people as ignorant about its crimes as it can, most people don't know about Mumia Abu-Jamal but having a street named after him would force people to research him and the fallacies of his case. brick by brick, wall by wall, we're gonna free Mumia Abu-Jamal!
The street in Harlem named after him, is a good idea. It should get widespread support.
Street naming campaigns like this one are an excellent way of bringing attention to the Black Freedom Struggle. I've blogged about the campaign in Chicago to have a street named after Fred Hampton, the legendary Black Panther Revolutionary gunned down by Uncle Sam's Pigs.
'Free Mumia' banners have become a familiar sight at various demonstrations, including anti-war ones.
They have also become an example on how leftist messages can be diluted when 'Free Mumia' and other such banners outnumber 'End the War in Iraq' banners at anti-war demonstrations.
Such cacophony is very ineffective. Better to organize separate demonstrations, some ONLY for Mumia, others only against the war (or other issues). Otherwise, racist opponents of Iraq War might choose to stay home (and there is a lot more of those than you suspect).
Btw, I just saw an excellent Mexican film 'Cobrador In God We Trust', whose main character made me think of Mumia. It's the most anti-system film I have seen all year...