At San Francisco rally
Hurricane Carter urges support for Mumia
By Saul
Kanowitz
San Francisco
An overflow crowd of more than 2,000 people filled the
auditorium at Mission High School Oct. 7 for an evening of
solidarity with death-row political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
The highlight of the evening was a moving personal account by
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter of his 19-year fight for freedom
from inside New Jersey's Trenton State Prison. Carter was
framed for murder by a racist system that convicted him in
spite of his innocence.
"I am a survivor of the American criminal injustice
system," Carter said. "Spending 20 years in prison, narrowly
escaping the electric chair, it is a great pleasure to be
here in San Francisco--in fact, to be anywhere." The crowd
responded with thunderous applause.
Carter drew a parallel between his case and Abu-Jamal's,
explaining, "My case was based on an appeal to racism rather
than reason. Evidence was concealed from the jury. I have
become a symbol to some of a criminal justice system infected
with racism."
The former prize fighter recounted how he maintained his
dignity and determination in prison through many little
actions. He explained that each person in the audience should
not underestimate the effect their individual actions can
have in helping to free Abu-Jamal.
The audience also heard from an array of activists and
celebrities who stood in solidarity with Abu-Jamal. The
prisoner's son, Mazi Jamal, gave a passionate speech about
never having physical contact with his father.
"It is an extremely strange experience to hear people talk
with so much passion about my family," Jamal said. "I see it
in people's eyes, how genuine people feel about my
father."
'The media are shamed'
Pam Africa of International Concerned Family & Friends
of Mumia Abu-Jamal commented on the absence of major
corporate media from the event. "The media are not here
because they are shamed by this room because it is full. We
are victorious. Pick up those phones. At what time do we shut
them [the media] down?"
Leonard Weinglass, Abu-Jamal's lead attorney, gave a brief
update on the case. Weinglass said one major difference
between Abu-Jamal's situation and Carter's was due to the
1996 Effective Death Penalty Act, which basically repealed
the constitutional right of habeas corpus--an independent
federal review--for death-row prisoners.
President Hari Dillon and Chair Walter Riley of the
Vanguard Public Foundation, a sponsor of the event, presented
checks to Weinglass and Africa to support the legal defense
and organizing efforts.
Standing with Dillon and Riley was actor and activist
Danny Glover, who said: "I want to remind us there is a
context in which we look at Mumia's case. We have to talk
about the draconian Rockefeller drug laws, women's right to
choice and globalization. To be involved is to be included in
all those things."
Michael Franti, a dynamic progressive artist, brought
people to their feet with a spoken word performance entitled
"Give the Corporations Some Complications." Michael Africa
followed with a rap piece about police abuses in
Philadelphia.
Walter Johnson, head of the San Francisco Labor Council,
and Jack Heyman, president of Longshore and Warehouse union
Local 10, offered the solidarity of the labor movement.
Former political prisoner Angela Davis asked the audience
"to renew our commitment to free Mumia. The state needs to be
deprived forever of the power to kill."
The event was organized by the Bay Area Mobilization to
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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