Socialist Action /March 2001
Dangerous Period Ahead for Mumia
Mumia's supporters have only recently become fully aware of the extreme
danger Mumia faces as his federal district court hearing approaches.
Under the provisions of the 1996 Effective Death Penalty Act, should
Judge William H. Yohn Jr., the federal district court judge assigned to
his case, rule against him, Mumia does not have an automatic right to appeal.
In the event of a negative ruling, in order to proceed to the next level,
Mumia must first receive from Judge Yohn a "certificate of appealability,"
that is, permission from the very judge who ruled against him. Lacking this,
his right to appeal to the Third Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, does
not exist.
Thus, a negative ruling from Yohn can immediately trigger the cancellation
of Mumia's current stay of execution. The clock will again begin to count
down the days that remain for his life.
In the absence of this "certificate," while Mumia may appeal
to the Third Circuit, the court has no obligation to hear his case or respond.
It can stand mute and allow the expiration of a new order for Mumia's murder
by lethal injection-and Mumia will be executed.
The National Coordinators of Mumia's defense have planned an ambitious
series of events to meet this challenge, beginning with a National Conference
in Washington, D.C., March 30-31. The conference will organize a major series
of outreach projects designed to win new support for Mumia from the national
AFL-CIO and from major religious, feminist, and human rights groups.
An April 1-2 labor conference for Mumia is scheduled in Washington, D.C.,
to follow the national conference.
Saturday, May 12, 2001, has been set for bi-coastal, San Francisco/ Philadelphia,
mass mobilizations- with worldwide support actions.
On March 3, the Northern California-based Mobilization to Free Mumia
Abu-Jamal organized a regional meeting, which was attended by 80 activists
who began the process of organizing for the West Coast mass march and rally
on May 12. The San Francisco Labor Council immediately endorsed the May
12 event, and Mumia's labor supporters are expected to win endorsement from
all seven Bay Area labor councils as well as the state AFL-CIO.
The National Coordinators, now a group of some 15 leaders representative
of a broad range of organizations, have sounded the alarm to all Mumia supporters.
They have repeated loud and clear what we have long known: to save Mumia's
life and win his freedom we must build a massive worldwide movement that
makes the price of Mumia's "legal" murder too high to pay in regard
to a fundamental loss of credibility in the so-called criminal justice system.
Plans have been launched for the most massive mobilization ever on the
first day of Mumia's appearance in federal court.
While it is impossible to determine when this date will be set, it is
clear that human and democratic rights activists will mobilize worldwide
to converge on Philadelphia to "Stand With Mumia."
Philadelphia: International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal, (215) 476-8812. San Francisco: The Mobilization to Free Mumia
Abu-Jamal, (415) 695-7745.
-JEFF MACKLER
Socialist Action /March 2001 |