WE PROTEST!
It is ironic that a peaceful demonstration at the historic Liberty Bell in Philadelphia should result in an outrageous violation of free speech and due process. Because they sat down in the plaza at the Liberty Bell, Clark Kissinger and Frances Goldin (Mumia's literary agent) were arrested. When they had the audacity to ask for a jury trial, a right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, they were fined and sentenced to a year of probation. During that year, they are forbidden to associate with felons (i.e. Mumia), cannot leave their federal court district in New York City without permission, must be employed at a regular job (i.e. no full-time volunteer work for Mumia), must surrender their passports, submit to probation-officer visits to their homes and offices, and list all persons they are in contact with who have been convicted of a crime.
This isn't just about protestors in Philadelphia. This is about all of us and what is happening to our Constitutional rights.
We are writing to protest a serious attempt by the federal government to cripple the work of some of the staunchest supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Clark Kissinger, organizer of the national leadership conferences for Mumia, Frances Goldin, Mumia's literary agent, and several others have been sentenced by a federal magistrate to a fine and one year supervised probation.
Ms. Goldin and Mr. Kissinger are forbidden to associate with felons (i.e. Mumia) and cannot leave their federal court district in New York City without the permission of a probation officer for one year. In addition, they are required to be employed at a regular job (i.e. no full-time volunteer work for Mumia), they have to surrender their passports, submit to visits to their homes and offices by probations officers, list all persons they are in contact with who have been convicted of a crime, and turn in detailed financial records every month on where their money comes from and how they spend it.
In addition, Mr. Kissinger's wife has been served with a subpoena to produce all her financial records for the last ten years and to testify before a federal grand jury. This is a giant fishing expedition by federal agents, that further exposes the role of the federal government in attempting to execute Mumia and silence the movement in his defense.
These Orwellian restrictions were imposed as the result of a peaceful protest and civil disobedience action last year at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Ninety-six people were issued summonses by Park Rangers for "failing to obey a lawful order." This infraction is not even a misdemeanor. It is classified as a "petty offense" and is equivalent to a traffic ticket. Yet everyone who refused to return the summons pleading guilty and paying the fixed fine--and who had the temerity to ask for a trial--was given one-year supervised probation in addition to the fine.
There are two principles worth fighting for here. The first is the right to have a trial. Mr. Kissinger, Ms. Goldin, and the others were given the one-year probation as punishment for asking for a trial.
The second is that the government has no right to restrict key organizers and pry into their private associations and finances.
These judicial actions are an outrage and are clearly aimed at "shutting down" anyone who works effectively for Mumia. The progressive forces in this country cannot surrender the right to a trial, nor can we tolerate the attempt of the government to "ground" those working for Mumia.
The imposition of these judicial restrictions and subpoenas on leading activists and their families serves no purpose other than to chill the first amendment rights of those who have been most effective in bringing Mumia's case before the public. We demand that they be stayed at once, and overturned by the appeals court.
--To sign on to this protest: e-mail to Clark Kissinger at cck1@earthlink.net.