A bumpy road for Mumia St.

By Daniel Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer

If online petitions ruled the day, no one would be living on Mumia Street
any time soon.

There's a movement afoot to rename a street in Harlem to honor Mumia
Abu-Jamal, the jailed former Philadelphia freelance radio reporter convicted
of the 1981 murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner.

A petition went online back in September, and has been slowly attracting
support - 421 signatures so far. The author is named Jeremy Syrop, and his
Web site is freemumia.com, where one can download posters that trumpet the
cause:

"Now is the time for Harlem to name a street after Mumia," they read. "His
life is in great danger and a 'Mumia Street' could help create a momentum to
prevent an execution and even win a new trial."

A second, identical petition at another online service has garnered 37
signatures.

But a third petition is proving to be much more popular - that would be the
anti-Mumia drive. It went up last week, and within 48 hours had nearly 700
signatures. By last count, it had 5,155. Tony Allen wrote about it in his
anti-MOVE blog:

"Having profaned a street in a suburb of France the pro-Jamal zealots have
now decided to repeat their 'success' here in the United States by having a
street in Harlem, New York City, named after the convicted cop-killer.

"Pursuant to this goal, the Mumia devotees have started a petition and have
even gone so far as to raise money for TV commercial spots as a means of
bringing attention to their cause.

"To name a street after a confirmed killer, cult apologist, and virulent
anti-American fanatic like Jamal would be a vile testament to the power of
propaganda and an ugly reminder that ignorance has again triumphed over
common sense and human decency."

There's precedent for naming a street after a "living revolutionary,"
according to the posters created by the pro-Mumia group. A street outside
Paris, in Saint Denis, has been renamed in Abu Jamal's honor. And Nelson
Mandela and Joe Doherty of the Irish Republican Army have been so honored in
New York City.

The pro-Mumia petition lauds his "incredible accomplishments, including
during the almost 25 years he has spent on death row: five published books
and weekly brilliant commentaries exposing the lies that imperialist USA
fosters, that are read and listened to by millions around the world."

It seeks a street in his honor now "because Mumia's case is in its last
stages in the court system and, while there is an opportunity for a new and
fair trial, the State of Pennsylvania, the Fraternal Order of Police and
their allies are opposing that tooth and nail and are demanding, instead,
that Mumia be executed."

Abu-Jamal was arrested in Faulkner's murder early on Dec. 9, 1981. The
25-year-old officer stopped a Volkswagen on Locust Street driven by
Abu-Jamal's brother, William Cook. There was a scuffle. Moments later, the
policeman was shot in the back and then between the eyes. Abu-Jamal, 27 at
the time, was found sitting on the curb, four feet from the body. He'd been
shot in the chest. Ballistics testimony at the trial indicated that the
bullets fired into Officer Faulkner were "consistent" with having been fired
from the .38-caliber Charter Arms revolver found at the scene. It was
registered to Abu Jamal.

He was convicted and sentenced to death a year later by Common Pleas Court
Judge Albert F. Sabo, who had presided over more death-penalty convictions
than any other judge in America. During his long stay on death row,
Abu-Jamal became a cause celebre. He wrote a book, Live From Death Row.
National Public Radio aired his commentaries, before canceling the deal. He
attracted famous supporters worldwide. In 2001, his death sentence was
overturned in federal court. The case is still on appeal.