Troops Out Now Coalition blog: All Out for Mumia Abu-Jamal! Join Danny Glover, Cynthia McKinney and many others in Philadelphia!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

All Out for Mumia Abu-Jamal! Join Danny Glover, Cynthia McKinney and many others in Philadelphia!

All Out for Mumia Abu-Jamal! Join Danny Glover, Cynthia McKinney and many others in Philadelphia!

Thurs • May 17
9:00 a.m.
in front of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
6th and Market Streets

“The goal is for our client to be free. Nevertheless, he remains in great danger. If all is lost, he will be executed.
Your interest in this struggle for human rights and against the death penalty is appreciated.”
—Robert R. Bryan
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal

NYC Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, International Action Center and FIST-Fight Imperialism, Stand Together youth group will be organizing buses to Philadelphia.

Buses will be leaving from 33rd St. and 8th Ave. at 5:30am and in front of 55 W. 17th St. at 6a.m. For bus tickets, call 212-633-6646. Go to www.millions4mumia.org to download May 17 literature.

Here are some facts:

* The oral argument in the case of death row, political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, is scheduled on May 17, 9:30 am, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Ceremonial Courtroom, 1st Floor, U.S. Courthouse, 6th and Market Streets. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and the National Lawyers Guild, which have filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs, are also participating.

* This case concerns Mr. Abu-Jamal’s right to a fair trial, the struggle against the death penalty, and the political repression of an outspoken journalist. Racism and politics are threads that have run through this case since his 1981 arrest. The complex issues under consideration, which are of great constitutional significance, include:

* Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process of law and a fair trial under the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments because of the prosecutor’s “appeal-after- appeal” argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err on the side of guilt.

* Whether the prosecution’s use of peremptory challenges to exclude African Americans from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal’s rights to due process and equal protection of the law under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, and contravened Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).

* Whether the jury instructions and verdict form that resulted in the death penalty deprived Mr. Abu-Jamal of rights guaranteed by the Eight and Fourteenth Amendments to due process of law, equal protection of the law, and not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, and violated Mills v. Maryland, 486 U.S. 367 (1988), since the judge precluded the jurors from considering any mitigating evidence unless they all agreed on the existence of a particular circumstance.

* Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal protection of the law under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments during post-conviction hearings as the result of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo, which included the comment that he was “going to help ‘em fry the ni - - er”.

Mumia has always fought for people’s rights! A united, broad movement can save Mumia from a legal lynching! Free Mumia, Leonard Peltier, the Cuban 5, the MOVE 9 & all political prisoners!

Labels: death penalty, MOVE, mumia abu-jamal, police brutality, racism