L.A. Mumia Fest says:
'Save life of innocent civilian'
By Workers World Los Angeles bureau
Despite increasing threats by the Bush administration for
war and repression, organizers of an activity supporting
imprisoned Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal went ahead with
their event here on Sept. 15. A multiracial crowd of 1,000
people in Leimert Park listened intently to top-notch music,
spoken word, hip hop, and anti-war and anti-racist
politics.
After the Sept. 11 attacks in Washington, D.C., and New
York, almost all political events in this city were canceled.
But the "Mumia Fest," called by the Los Angeles Coalition to
Stop the Execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, was not. It proved to be
an important venue for the progressive, anti-racist community
to come together in a time of crisis.
John Parker, a member of the International Action Center and
co-chair of the event, explained: "Many told us we should be
home out of respect for the victims. Well, we should honor
those innocent victims. That's why we strive to save Mumia's
life, because he also is an innocent civilian whom the Bush
administration is trying to make a casualty in their war
against the poor here in the U.S. They are not stopping their
efforts to kill Mumia, so neither should we stop our efforts to
free him."
The music and talks reflected Mumia's example of unity and
justice. Speaking of the need for unity of working people to
combat homophobia and violence against lesbian, gay, bi and
trans people, Frank Sarjanovic, leading organizer of the
Stonewall Initiative for Equal Rights, said, "Mumia is a symbol
of unity. He unites all struggles, including those of the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. After Mathew
Sheppard was beaten to death in 1998, it was Mumia's words of
compassion from death row that reached out to the gay
community. This is why the government fears him and is trying
to kill him, because he brings together all issues--from Iraq,
Cuba, Plan Colombia, the bombing of Vieques, racism and
homophobia to corporate globalization. Mumia's struggle is our
struggle."
This event reinvigorated the spirit of resistance, struggle
and unity. Everyone left committed to stand with Mumia and all
people facing repression. Witness to this was the enthusiastic
response to an anti-war, anti-racist demonstration announced by
the International Action Center calling on all working people
to oppose any U.S. threats to any workers here or abroad.
This article is copyright under a Creative
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