STATEMENTS IN RESPONSE TO SUPREME COURT DENIAL
From Mumia Abu-Jamal
It was not unexpected that the Supreme Court would deny my
appeal. The Supreme Court hears only a tiny percent of the
cases that are brought before it, roughly 75 out of 7,000 in
one semester or a term of the court. I entertained no
expectations that mine would be granted.
We have to remember that we are working with a conservative
court that has worked deciduously in the Bush and Reagan
administrations and now in the Clinton administration to narrow
the chances of anyone having had their case heard, not just a
prisoner on death row.
Even the most charitable observer must agree that by virtue
of the court taking such a small fraction of the important
cases that are filed before it, it is impossible to ignore the
fact that many grave injustices are going unresolved. Given the
tone and tenor of recent Supreme Court opinions there is even a
sense of relief that they didn't grant my third appeal. And the
trend is increasingly in favor of the State, the trend is
increasingly to disfavor the defendant and the accused.
Certainly there are exceptions, but that's the undeniable
trend, the expansion of state power and police power in the
retractions of prisoners' rights.
The struggle continues, the same old forces are still at
work. Look what happened when I called into [Pacifica's New
York radio station] WBAI. I was literally pulled off the air a
few weeks ago. The recent Phillip Block debacle reflects too
how desperate the state is and their desperation is really an
acknowledgement that none of them believed Phil's confession
story to begin with.
Still we can't forget the old saying that the truth shall
set you free. I still believe that. I'd be a fool not to.
Oct. 4, 1999
--From Death Row,
Mumia Abu-Jamal
From Daniel Williams and Leonard Weinglass
Today [Oct. 4], the United States Supreme Court failed to
seize an opportunity to do justice and to end a 17-year
nightmare. An opportunity to vindicate a well-established
right, secured within the Constitution itself, has been
squandered.
We are sorely disappointed in the Supreme Court's
unwillingness to give Mumia a hearing in that court, even
though the record is crystal clear as to what happened in
Mumia's trial. Mumia was unquestionably stripped unjustifiably
of his right to represent himself. He had decided to represent
himself after it became apparent that his court-appointed
lawyer was unwilling and incapable of representing him
adequately. Yet, at the very moment that the trial began,
Mumia's right to handle his own case was taken from him and the
case placed back into the hands of his incompetent defense
counsel who did not even expect that he would be trying the
case.
When Mumia refused to sit in silence as his rights were
being abridged, he was forcibly removed from the trial
proceedings.
All that we asked of the Supreme Court was to put this case
on its docket so these incontrovertible facts could be
evaluated in the light of the Constitution. Unfortunately, the
Supreme Court let this golden moment pass, and we must now
present these, and other claims concerning Mumia's innocence,
to the federal courts. We are finalizing our federal habeas
petition and shall file it shortly. Although disappointed by
the Supreme Court's lack of courage and resolve, we are hopeful
that the light we see in front of us is the light of
justice.
International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal P.O. Box 19709, Philadelphia, PA 19143; phone
215-476-8812; fax: 215-476-7551. Web: www.mumia.org; E-mail:
mumia@webcom.com
Mumia must live!
Time is running out!
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