On April 24, 2021, Mumia Abu-Jamal’s 67th birthday, supporters will be taking to the streets of Philadelphia and worldwide to demand Mumia’s immediate release from prison and access to adequate medical care.
The Main Rally and March in Philadelphia will begin at 2 pm at Philadelphia City Hall (see map/directions).
Transportation available from New York City to Philadelphia on April 24th. Meet at 10 am at the north end of Union Square (17th Street and Park Avenue), Manhattan, and departing shortly thereafter. Due to COVID restrictions, seating will be less than half normal capacity and therefore advanced reservations are required. Please call the Free Mumia Hotline at 1-212-330-8029 or email bus@freemumia.com to arrange a reservation. Please donate towards bus.
There are other events in Philadelphia this weekend, see more.
For Cultural Virtual Webinar on Fri. April 23rd at 6 pm, please register in advance (event link sent 1 hr b4 event)
SYNOPSIS OF MUMIA’S CASE AND THE MOVEMENT TO FREE HIM
On December 9, 1981, policeman Daniel Faulkner was killed and renowned NPR and Black Panther journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was shot on the streets of Philadelphia.
From the start, the State was not interested in determining what actually happened in the incident but instead focused on framing Mumia for Faulkner’s murder.
Mumia had been for years covering the corrupt police occupation of Philadelphia’s black community and in particular their harassment of the MOVE organization’s liberation struggle.
Mumia’s conviction in 1982 was riddled with police and judicial misconduct. Countless organizations and individuals, including Amnesty International, unions, liberation activists, civil rights groups, and others have called for a new trial in Mumia’s case and/or for his immediate release.
Over the following decades of incarceration, Mumia Abu-Jamal has never stopped organizing, reporting, and leading (which is of course why he was framed in the first place) conducting frequent online radio broadcasts on https://prisonradio.org and writing 13 books. Over these same decades the movements formed around his case have:
- stopped his execution on two occasions
- convinced the US Supreme C to overturn his death sentence
- won his release from solitary confinement months later
- won the right for US prisoners to have access to Hepatitis C medicine
- won the parole of seven members of the MOVE 9
- won the right to the current legal appeal in his case (see below)
MUMIA’S CURRENT LEGAL SITUATION
In December 2018, we won the right to a new appeal in Mumia Abu Jamal’s case, which currently being heard by the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
A few days later, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the discovery of six boxes, which contained new evidence in Mumia’s case! There may be other such boxes which contain even more as of yet unknown material.” These boxes contain evidence illegally withheld from Mumia’s prior trial and appeals! This evidence can form the basis of additional appeals (PA law only allows one appeal process to be heard in the courts at a time).
In February 2020, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the fascist organization of community occupation in Philadelphia, in conjunction with Maureen Faulkner (widow of Daniel), filed a King’s Bench petition attempting to remove DA Larry Krasner from representing the commonwealth in this case.
In December 2020, the King’s Bench petition was denied by the PA Supreme Court. The FOP, DA Krasner, and Mumia’s lawyers in the case have recently filed dueling appeals in the Superior Court.
Because of Mumia’s medical situation, Mumia’s lawyers and the movement for his innocence seek to move forward expeditiously, while the FOP and Krasner are attempting to delay justice, hoping Mumia will die in prison before the conspiracy to frame and railroad him can be fully exposed.
We need to gather in Philadelphia on April 24th, as well as press forward worldwide, to demand immediate action to win Mumia’s release from prison and adequate medical care.
Philly D.A. Files Two Legal Documents