WHO SUPPORTS MUMIA ABU-JAMAL?
City officials and the mainstream media went out of their way to mention that "Mumia Supporters" were part of the demonstrations during the Republican Convention. It was implied and stated that these "Hollywood celebrities," "wackos," "elites," "college radicals," "Mumidiots," "Mumiacs," and "out-of-towners who don't know the story" were dangerous and troublesome. This excused all sorts of extreme "security measures" by police intended to affect everybody and every cause by distraction, limiting opportunities for expression, and even physical endangerment whether demonstrators are linked to the Mumia cause or not. Another motive was to frighten people away from the events, to limit the message that would be sent by large crowds. This is identical to the widely used ridicule and demonization campaign linking all demonstrators to the only 50 or so persons in Seattle who did symbolic damage to some truly dangerous global corporate business branches. Those with all sorts of causes, concerns, and interests are lumped by the corporate media into association with "terrorists," and "wackos."
To counter the name-calling and demonization campaign, here is a short selection (some rarely-mentioned recognizable names) of people and groups who have joined in support of the Mumia case, who have endorsed Mumia-related events, or who have written and acted against the "law enforcement" system that sent Mumia to Death Row where he now awaits a crucial (still unscheduled) Federal Court hearing in Philadelphia. It is unthinkable that such renowned, distinguished, and respected people or groups would risk their reputations, integrity, and careers by supporting a cause without full understanding.
Twenty-two members of the British Parliament
US Congressional Black Caucus
Japanese Diet
European Parliament
Members of the Belgian Parliament
ACLU branches nationwide
Rep. Martin Luther King III
Noam Chomsky,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nelson Mandela
Coretta Scott King,
Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbelton (Detroit)
Danielle Mitterrand (widow of French President)
Hurricane Carter
Matthew Rothschild (editor ofThe Progressive)
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting),
Pete Seeger,
E.L. Doctorow
Harry Belafonte
Members of the Danish Parliament
Jonathan Kozol
Martin Sheen
Toni Morrison,
Elie Wiesel
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Ramsey Clark
Sr. Helen Prejean,
Fr. Roy Bourgeois (SOA Watch)
Susan Sarandon,
Norman Solomon
Christopher Hitchens
American Friends Service Committee
Steve Allen
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Ossie Davis
Cornel West
Howard Zinn
Amnesty International
Center for Constitutional Rights
Michael Parenti
Mike Farrell
Ed Asner
Peter Coyote
Oscar Brown, Jr.
Hugh Masekela
Studs Terkel
Tim Hermach (Native Forest Council)
Manning Marable
Angela Davis
Sonia Sanchez
Peter Phillips (Project Censored)
Dick Gregory
National Lawyer's Guild
Association of Black Police Officers
Plus many lawyers and lawyers' groups, clergy of virtually every faith, workers' unions, poets, artists, writers, students, and university faculty from every corner of the country.
--NTERNATIONAL CONCERNED FAMILY & FRIENDS OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL, Box 19709, Philadelphia, PA 19143, (215) 476-8812 , <icffmaj@aol.com>, <www.mumia.org>