From: "Marpessa Kupendua" To: Subject: [Y4M] !*Updates/Activities for MUMIA + Against D.P. Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 15:03:22 -0400 FREE MUMIA AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS AND EXILES! ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY! ================================== From: wonderboy Lots of stuff going on in Philly & volunteers are needed at the Mumia Office - call them at 1-215 476-5416. Check out the biggest mouth in Philly trying to kill Mumia - talk show host Michael 'Smirk'onish - \ www.mastalk.com & be sure to respond to him &/or the message board!!! ================================> From: TCCDMAJ Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 4:23 AM Support Hotel Strike in Minneapolis Rally Thursday 5 P.M. with H.E.R.E. Local 17 No doubt about it: labor support is critical to Mumia receiving justice. If we are to send a clear message that we won't stand for Mumia's execution, community activists and labor must act together. The April 24, 1999 work stoppage by West Coast dock workers in support of Mumia is a great example of how we can let the government know that the political price for killing Mumia will be too high. Mumia himself has an excellent history of standing with labor, including refusing to appear on an ABC 20/20 show when TV workers were on strike. As a result, he lost a rare opportunity to have his voice heard on national TV and ABC paid him back with a story that was deeply slanted against him. In the Twin Cities, the labor movement is very active and we have worked to find ways to involve organized labor in Mumia's struggle. Most recently, community activists, including the Mumia coalition, and organized labor have stood together in support of hotel workers from H.E.R.E. local 17 who are striking for a livable wage. Many of these hotel workers are immigrants and management has already tried the tactic of threatening some workers with deportation, which H.E.R.E. and community activists were successful in resisting. The Twin Cities Coalition to Defend Mumia has had a contingent at every major H.E.R.E. local 17 action. This has been a very worthwhile effort in that we are able to both stand with workers demanding justice and educate these workers about another situation of injustice. H.E.R.E. local 17 supports and appreciates our presence at their rallies. At this point, the H.E.R.E. strike is in full force and we need to have a contingent present at every major action. We will be posting these actions as the information becomes available to us and we hope that you will be able to take the time to join us at these actions. PLEASE JOIN OUR CONTINGENT AT THIS EVENT: Hotel Strike Support Rally & March 5 pm, Thursday, June 29 Hilton Hotel 10th Street & Marquette, Downtown Minneapolis Look for our Mumia banner and join us! Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Local 17 food shelf. For further information, contact: Local 17 strike headquarters, 612-375-1990 Strike Support Committee mobilization, 612-276-0788 x 19 TCCDMAJ voicemail hotline:651-649-4579. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twin Cities Coalition to Defend Mumia Abu-Jamal Organizing meetings: Every Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. Arise Bookstore (address below) 24-hour Hotline: 651-649-4579 Web: http://www1.minn.net/~meis TCCDMAJ c/o Arise! Bookstore 2441 Lyndale Ave. S. Minneapolis, Mn. 55405 ===================================> Starvin' for Justice 2000 7th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court MEDIA ADVISORY PROTESTERS GATHER AT US SUPREME COURT FOR ANNUAL DEMONSTRATION Contacts: Abe Bonowitz: pager-888-319-1369 Brian Henninger: 202-387-3890 BACKGROUND: http://www.abolition.org Activists of faith and conscience will travel to Washington, DC to participate in the 7th Annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty, held in front of the U.S. Supreme Court each year. The four day Fast and Vigil begins at 12:00 am on Thursday, June 29, the anniversary of Furman v.Georgia, the Court's 1972 decision which emptied death row and suspended the death penalty. The Fast and Vigil ends at midnight on Sunday, July 2, the anniversary of Gregg v. Georgia, the 1976 decision which allowed the resumption of executions in the U.S. For background and details, please visit . Schedule for June 28 through July 2, 2000 Note: We Will Be Present in Front of the Court All Day, Every Day, June 29, 30, July 1, 2. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28: 11:45pm - Gather at SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the U.S.) THURSDAY, JUNE 29 12:00am - Opening Gathering at SCOTUS 8:30am - vigil resumes 11:15am - Media availability - Leaders of national abolitionist groups will be present to meet the press. 12:00pm - Event hosted by Maryland Coalition Against State Killing. This event includes street theater. 6:30pm - Execution vigil for Jessy Carlos San Miguel, scheduled to be killed by the state of Texas at 7pm EDT. 9:30pm - close down for the day. FRIDAY, JUNE 30 8:30am - vigil resumes 7:00pm - Recording artist Steve Earle performs 10:00pm - close down for the day. SATURDAY, JULY 1 8:30am - vigil resumes and becomes continuous The Fast & Vigil continues overnight. Some participants choose to sleep on the sidewalk, or not at all. Others return to where their beds are. SUNDAY, JULY 2 *4:00pm - Clergy Coalition to End Executions Gathering Begins 11:15pm - Final gathering at SCOTUS Midnight - Break-fast meal is served Note: We Will Be Present in Front of the Court All Day, Every Day, June 29, 30, July 1, 2. The Abolitionist Action Committee is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through non-violent direct action. =======================================> From: chris98@pacbell.net Mobilize Bay Area Folks to confront the Ruling Party - We Need YOU - Thousands of militant fighters from the bay area should be preparing to descend on Los Angeles for the 'democratic' party convention August 14-17. It should be a deeper manifestation of what developed in Seattle. We need your help. Join us at the next organizing meeting the day before the showing of this film about Laura as we "conspire to influence, change and protest policies and practices of the United States government." Join us as we prepare for the "Battle of Los Angeles." Meet: Wed. - June 28 - 7PM SEIU Local 250 - Oakland 560 20th St. (btwn Telegraph & San Pablo) ______________________________________________________ OUT - the story of Laura Whitehorn & the freedom struggle in amerikkka Convicted of the 1983 U.S. Capitol bombing, and "conspiring to influence,change and protest policies and practices of the United States government through violent and illegal means", Laura Whitehorn, an out lesbian, spent 14 years in prison. OUT is the story of her life and our times; five tumultuous decades of struggle for freedom and justice. Whether you agree or disagree with radical left politics, this documentary challenges you to think about what you might be willing to risk for your own beliefs. with music by: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, FOUR NON BLONDES,FERON,SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK,TRIBE 8, FRED HO, YER GIRLFRIEND and others THURSDAY, JUNE 29 6:30 Reception, 8:00 screening CASTRO THEATER castro @Market street,San Francisco Tickets $10.00 Info: 415 248 1885 Advance Tickets available @ Modern Times Books on Valencia A Different Light Bookstore on Castro A Benefit for: The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Friends of Marilyn Buck,Out of Control Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners,Jericho Amnesty Movement,California Prison Focus,Critical Resistance, and the October 22nd Coaltion Against Police Brutality A project sponsored by: Film Arts Foundation ______________________________________________________ Free Mumia! Free Leonard! Free Marilyn! Free All Political Prisoners! ======================================> Dear friends: While most people know that the Republican Convention is taking place in Philadelphia this summer, many people are unaware that another major event is bringing those in political power to Pennsylvania in July. Governor Tom Ridge is hosting the National Governors Conference, July 7th to 10th, at Penn State University. Last year, 43 governors attended the gathering; with the elections pending, a similar or stronger turnout is expected. At this event, CEOs of major corporations are invited to hobnob with the governors and inform them of the "needs" and interests of their companies. We believe that the governors -- many of them the signers of death warrants -- need to be informed about our concerns about the death penalty. We believe that the public should have the same (if not greater) access to them to raise issues impacting all of us -- motivated not by self-interest, but by concern for our society. A number of public actions are being planned by Redirection 2000 (www.redirect2000.org), a group of young people committed to social action. Among the issues they would like to raise are the death penalty and the growing call for a moratorium. Pennsylvania Abolitionists is cooperating with the organizers of Redirection 2000 in calling for people to join in the demonstrations on July 8th and 9th. A march and public protest is scheduled for July 8th. Additionally, Pennsylvania Abolitionists is organizing a nonviolent direct action on July 9th to demand that the governors give us an opportunity to speak with them about the moratorium and to call on them to halt executions in their states (joining with the 12 states that already have abolished the death penalty.) We are seeking people of conscience who are prepared to risk arrest in order to nonviolently present our message; we are also calling on people who are willing to be participate in a legal demonstration in support of this action. With representatives from more than 300 media outlets present for the conference, this event gives us the opportunity to issue this call in a very public manner. For more information about the events, please call or email us as soon as possible. While the time leading up to this conference is short, the impact of this event may be long-term. Let us be challenged by the last words of Gary Graham (Shaka Sankofa), killed by poisoning last week by the state of Texas: "Continue the struggle for the moratorium." Peace, Jeff Garis, Executive Director **************************************************************************** * PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITIONISTS United Against the Death Penalty P.O. Box 58128, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Phone: 215-724-6120 Fax: 215-729-6189 **************************************************************************** * From: Litestar01@aol.com This is from todays, (June 27, 2000) issue of the Philadelphia Daily News: British pols plea for Mumia's life 22 ask judge to void cop-killer's death sentence by Jim Smith Daily News Staff Writer Twenty-two members of the British Parliament have asked U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. to vacate Mumia Abu-Jamal's death sentence. In a "friend of the court" brief filed in federal court Friday, the British legislators contend that the trial court's refusal to let MOVE founder John Africa sit beside Abu-Jamal at the defense table at his trial for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner violated Abu-Jamal's rights to a fair trial and due process of law. "You don't have a constitutional right to have some guy you know sit at your table," responded Assistant District Attorney Hugh J. Burns Jr., acting chief of the appeals division. What may be a violation of British law has nothing to do with American law, Burns said yesterday. The prosecutor suggested that the 22 MPs represent "a few who really aren't marching in step" with more than 1,800 other members of Parliament. Abu-Jamal, the nation's best-known death-row inmate with many celebrities and activists around the world pulling for him, was convicted in 1982 of shooting and killing Faulkner on a Center City street. Judge Yohn is presiding over Jamal's latest and, maybe, last appeal - a habeas corpus petition (which places the burden of proof on prosecutors to justify detaining a prisoner) to overturn his conviction. No hearing date has been set. In their brief, the 22 British MPs said they were "dedicated to preserving and defending around the world the right to a fair and public trial." The British politicians contend that the late John Africa, who died with five other adults and five children in the MOVE catastrophe in 1985, was someone whom Abu-Jamal "trusted and in whom he had confidence to sit beside him and give him. . .advice." Allowing lay persons to sit next to and to quietly counsel criminal defendants who represent themselves during trials is done all the time in England and Wales, the MPs noted. British courts acknowledged this as a right "as long ago as 1831," noted the MPs lawyer, Nick Brown, of London. Denying Abu-Jamal the right to have a friend assist in his defense resulted in "enormous" prejudice to him, they maintain. It "led directly" to Abu-Jamal's removal from the courtroom during seven of 14 trial days and during parts of jury selection, the MPs asserted. They also contend that it was "the primary reason" why Abu-Jamal elected not to testify in his own defense. "The decision to refuse to allow Mr. Jamal the assistance of John Africa effectively prevented Mr. Jamal from meaningfully exercising his right to self-representation at his trial." Earlier this year, statewide branches of the NAACP and the ACLU filed a joint "friend of the court" brief on Abu-Jamal's behalf, asserting a different ground for vacating the death penalty. The two groups contended that the trial prosecutor had improperly questioned Abu-Jamal about his teen-age affiliation with the radical Black Panther Party during the penalty phase of the trial. ===========================================> From: congressman@jessejacksonjr.org Gary Grahams last words. ."Continue the fight for the Moratorium. ." With the Execution of Gary Graham, organizing national political opposition to the Death Penalty by supporting the ONLY moratorium bill in the U.S. House of Representatives--HR 4162-- and holding Democrats and Republicans accountable in this election year is critical. . please review the summary of the bill. . .and encourage your congressman to become a co-sponsor by calling them at 202-225-3121 http://jessejacksonjr.org/issues/i04050016.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jesse Jackson, Jr. - Congressman Second District of Illinois http://www.jessejacksonjr.org Paid for and maintained by Jesse Jackson, Jr. for Congress ============================================> Stop the execution! New trial for Mumia! Youth & Students for Mumia www.mumia2000.org