Protest KQED censorship of Mumia Abu-Jamal in new documentary ‘Philly D.A.’

Join the protest at KQED headquarters, Mission & Beale, San Francisco, tomorrow, Tuesday, April 20, 4:00 p.m.

San Francisco – A demonstration will take place in front of KQED headquarters on Tuesday, April 20, at 4:00 p.m., to protest KQED’s new documentary “Philly D.A.” The documentary applauds liberal District Attorney Larry Krasner without giving America’s most prominent political prisoner, former Black Panther and award-winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, any airtime.

Protesters have sent a letter to KQED CEO Michael Isip, signed by Angela Davis, former Black Panthers, filmmaker Boots Riley as well as former officials of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which led a walkout and march of 25,000 on behalf of Mumia in the streets of San Francisco in 1999, chanting “An Injury to One is an Injury to All, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal!”

The letter demands that KQED show two short films:

1) Stephen Vittoria’s “Manufacturing Guilt,” which shows how Mumia, an innocent man, was framed and sentenced to death by police and prosecutorial misconduct, and

2) NFL player and Black Lives Matter activist Colin Kaepernick’s video calling for Mumia’s release.

The letter is available at https://bit.ly/3duRk1K.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was arrested 40 years ago for the shooting death of Police Officer Faulkner in Philadelphia. Mumia was critically wounded, shot and beaten on the scene by a dozen police, his head rammed into a pole and thrown into a police van.

The most egregious evidence of racism in Mumia’s trial under this capitalist justice system was a statement by the original trial judge, “Hanging Judge” Albert F. Sabo, to another judge in his chambers, as sworn by the court stenographer: “I’m going to help them fry the nigger.” 

Despite the vast body of evidence showing that Mumia was framed, DA Krasner’s recent court filing falsely states Mumia resisted arrest and should’ve walked himself into the hospital. Krasner sounds like a lawyer for the Fraternal Order of Police rather than a civil rights attorney. 

The most egregious evidence of racism in Mumia’s trial under this capitalist justice system was a statement by the original trial judge, “Hanging Judge” Albert F. Sabo, to another judge in his chambers.

Mumia is scheduled to have heart surgery on Monday, April 19. In his 39 years of imprisonment, Mumia has been hospitalized several times for diabetic shock, hepatitis C, COVID-19 and now arterial blockage which requires immediate surgery.

Each time Mumia was hospitalized, he had all four limbs shackled to his hospital bed, which causes his skin to bleed profusely. This barbaric practice is common in AmeriKKKa’s prison system, which is filled disproportionately by prisoners of color.

Human rights organizations and unions around the world have called for Mumia’s release. The most powerful letter was sent to Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf by the 360,000 member National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa:

“The refusal of health-care reminds us of the conditions we were put in under Apartheid prisons, where sick detainees were allowed to die in very deplorable lonely conditions in solitary as part of the punishment for their role in the struggle.”

Krasner continues the government’s history of unrelenting hostility toward Mumia. He denies new evidence that Blacks were disqualified as jurors and turns a blind eye to the suppression of witnesses who swore that Mumia did not shoot Officer Faulkner.

Is KQED willing to present the side of millions of protesters around the world?

Krasner also agrees with all former Philadelphia DAs in Mumia’s case, including the former head of the DNC, Ed Rendell, and Ron Castille, who opposed Mumia’s appeals as DA and then again, illegally, as a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

“Philly D.A.” Krasner has overturned the convictions of 18 prisoners, implemented some criminal justice reforms, supports a partial ban on cash bail and did not object to the release on parole of the surviving MOVE 9 prisoners. But Krasner has never questioned the rigged conviction of the most well-known political prisoner in the U.S.

The FBI’s COINTELPRO program led to the assassination of Black Panthers like Fred Hampton and the imprisonment of dozens of other Panthers and still others, like anti-Vietnam War activist David Gilbert. We demand, “Free All Victims of COINTELPRO Repression!”

Last year, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, the ILWU organized a rally and march in the Port of Oakland demanding an end to police killings and systemic racism. Is KQED willing to present the side of millions of protesters around the world? We demand “Free Mumia Now!”

For more information, call:

• Richard Tan, 650-996-7888, Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
• Richard Becker, 415-377-6321, ANSWER Coalition
• Judy Greenspan, 510-813-4687, Prisoner Solidarity Committee, Worker’s World Party

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