First and foremost I want to send my prayers out to our Haitan brother and sisters in this trying time.America with all of our faults will still be a beacon of hope as we unite and see you through this dark period in your country's storied history.Now on to the Blog of the week.The Supreme Court has tossed out a lower court ruling that nullified the death sentence for former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of gunning down a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, police officer more than 28 years ago. Jamal a former Black Panther has long claimed that racism was the main reason he was even convicted. He also feels that procedural errors during his capital sentencing, and that too few blacks on the jury led to the death penalty punishment Pennsylvania officials were appealing a federal court ruling on the sentencing question that went in Abu-Jamal's favor in 2008. The justices made their announcement Monday, ordering a federal appeals court to revisit its earlier ruling granting a new sentencing hearing. The high court last year denied Abu-Jamal's separate petition for a new trial. The appeals court now has the option of reimposing the death sentence or ordering a new federal trial to hear other claims of injustice raised by Abu-Jamal.
Born Wesley Cook in 1954,Mumia was a member of the Philadelphia branch of the Black Panther party, he served as the Minister of Information when he was just 15 years old. Philadelphia prosecutors contended at trial in 1982 that Officer Michael Faulkner stopped Abu-Jamal's brother in an early-morning vehicle check. Abu-Jamal, then driving a cab, saw his brother's car and the uniformed officer, parked the taxi, and ran to the scene. Prosecutors argued that Abu-Jamal confronted Faulkner and fatally shot him. Abu-Jamal himself was found shot and slumped against a curb a few steps from the slain officer. Mumia’s website freemumia.com states” On the night in question he was driving his cab through the red light district of downtown Philadelphia at around 4 a.m. Mumia testifies that he let off a fare and parked near the corner of 13th and Locust Streets. Upon hearing gunshots, he turned and saw his brother, William Cook, staggering in the street. Mumia exited the cab and ran to the scene, where he was shot by a uniformed police officer and fell to the ground, fading in and out of consciousness. Within minutes, police arrived on the scene to find Officer Faulkner and Mumia shot; Faulkner died. Mumia was arrested, savagely beaten, thrown into a paddy wagon and driven to a hospital a few blocks away (suspiciously, it took over 30 minutes to arrive at the hospital). Mumia somehow survived.”
Now I don’t know what happened that night,but I do know that in the 60’s the FBI initiated a program called “COINTELPRO” whose objective was to neutralize what they considered Black Nationalist Hate Groups. The Black Panther Party (BPP) was not among the original "Black Nationalist" targets. In September 1968, however, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described the Panthers as: "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” By July 1969, the Black Panthers had become the primary focus of the program, and was ultimately the target of 233 of the total authorized "Black Nationalist" COINTELPRO actions. Mumia was an active BPP member from May 1969 until October 1970 was subject to Federal Bureau of Investigation COINTELPRO surveillance from then until about 1974.He was an outspoken advocate against police brutality where he railed against the “establishment” via his radio show and also in his writings. Contrary to popular opinion or belief Cointelpro is still active today it just isn’t called Cointelpro anymore. Back to the matter at hand, the courts decision basically means that the prosecution can now attempt to reinstate the death penalty sentence that was originally handed down, or order a new federal trial to hear other claims of injustice raised by Mumia.It will be interesting to see what happens next, as I wrote last year some states don’t have the finances to execute death row prisoners at this time Death Row..what a brother know!!! . Mumia Abu Jamal has been on death row for almost 30 years. Will we have to wait another 30 before we know the truth?Is that cruel and unusual punishment or poetic justice?
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