Abu-Jamal: Victim or Perpetrator?

March 15, 2007

By Regina Rivers, The New Paltz Oracle

The Fahari-Libertad hosted an open forum which focused on the death penalty,
racism and Mumia Abu-Jamal on Wednesday, March 7 in the Lecture Center. The
event was also co-sponsored by Mu Sigma Upsilon, Black Student Union, Rap
Poetry Music, Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, Democracy Matters, and
Poetry Association.

The audience was very emotional as they heard the story of Jamal, an
international journalist and Black Panther and his arrest for the murder of
Philadelphia cop Daniel Faulkner.

The guest speakers were Pam Africa and Suzanne Ross, who are activists
against racism, injustice, police brutality and are some of the many
supporters of Jamal.

According to the guest speakers, there is much evidence leading to Jamal's
innocence, but he hasn't been released yet.

Additionally, Jamal still has not received the trial that he wants. He was
denied the right to represent himself in court and he was convicted guilty
even though he has tried proving his innocence over and over again, and he
continues to try and prove his innocence to this day, according to Africa
and Ross.

Africa and Ross elaborated on the case as well as the Civil Rights Movement,
the Black Panther Party of Philadelphia and how the power of young people
can really make a difference.

Africa and Ross claim that the FBI has been keeping a track of Jamal since
he was 15-years-old, when he first joined the Black Panthers.

Jamal was well known for exposing police brutality and the injustice among
minorities by authority figures.

"I think that it's very sobering and beautiful to be presented with reality
in such an honest, raw way," said sophomore photography major Alyssa Levy
after learning about Jamal's case, .

Levy also stated that more unnoticed situations similar to Jamal's would
come to light in order to educate others. She said that what happened to
Mumia Abu-Jamal could have happened to any random person.

"A lot of people feel that 'if it doesn't happen to me, then it's not my
problem.' It's pushed out of their minds until it happens and some pretend
that it doesn't happen," said secondary education graduate student Elani
Huie. "America is more racist and manipulative than I thought. Just because
it's 2007 doesn't mean that it's over, it's more prevalent."

Gale McGovern, a New Paltz-native who has been an activist for the Free
Mumia movement for 13 years, was impressed by the fact that many people who
came to learn of Mumia also ended up supporting him as well.

"We don't have enough people active against the 'powers that be.'
Intergenerational events such as this help to spread awareness," McGovern
said.

Despite what people may say, think or assume, situations like that of Mumia
Abu-Jamal demonstrate that the issues of racism and injustice are still
prevalent today. For more information on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, visit
www.freemumia.com.
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Source : The New Paltz Oracle (University of New York)