A p ril 9. 2008
Page A4
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O pinion
Demand Freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal What Would
4 multiracial group gathers in downtown Portland on March 28 to support imprisoned black radical
journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Philadelphia policem an, gained by
J ordan «) S ardo
In a cruel blow to justice on racist ju ry selection, coercion of
March 27, a three-judge panel o f w itnesses and violation o f Mumia's
the 3rd II.S. Circuit Court o f A p constitutional rights.
The panel's long-aw aited deci
peals rejected the appeal by politi
cal prisoner and black radical jo u r sion also said that if the prosecu
nalist Mumia A bu-Jam al for a new tion w ishes to reinstate the death
penalty against A bu-Jam al, which
trial.
The panel upheld M um ia's false w as o ver-turned by a previous
1982 conviction for the m urder o f a judge, it m ust hold a new jury hear-
by
ing, which could reconsider only
M um ia's sentencing, not his co n
viction. The only sentencing op
tions are the death penalty or life in
prison without the possibility o f
parole.
The voices o f all o f M umia's
supporters need to be lifted im m e
diately to protest this appalling
decision!
The ruling ignores a record of
racist bias in this case that is now
more than 25 years long. M umia
has been out-spoken against po
lice m isconduct and on behalf of
African A m ericans and all the
o p p resse d sin c e his te en a g e
years as a m em ber o f the Black
Panther Party.
It is becau se he is a lead er
w ith in teg rity and p rin cip les
that he b ecam e a targ et o f the
system . A nd w e can n o t afford
to let that system silence M um ia
as it has silen ced to o m any o f
o u r m ilitan t m ovem ent leaders
in the past!
W hat civil rights activists do
now is crucial. Robert Bryan,
M umia's head attorney, says that
he will appeal the new decision,
which included a strong dissent
by one m em ber o f the three-judge
panel in M um ia's favor. It is time
to shake the system to dem and
freedom for M u m i a !
Dem onstrations were held on
March 28 around the country to
insist o n a n e w trial. Indow ntow n
Portland, M um ia supporters gath
ered in the cold to publicize the
injustice o f the ruling and re-new
visibility to M um ia’s case. N a
tional demonstrations will take place
on April 19 in San Francisco and
April 26 in Philadelphia.
For more inform ation and news
updates, visit freem um ia.com and
freemumia.cfrg. T o get involved
locally, contact the Freedom So
cialist Party at 503-240-4462.
Jordano Sardo is the Portland
organizer fo r the Freedom Social
ist Party.
NEW SEASONS
M AR KET
AT A R B O R L O D G E /
•• •
Martin Think?
40 years after his
assassination
by D arryi .
R. M atthews , S r .
If Dr. King
w e re
h e re ,
alive not ju st
in spirit, I won
d e r:
W hat
w ould Martin
th in k ? W hat
would he think
about what we
have becom e since the founding o f
the C ivil R ights M ovem ent he
headed? W hat w ould M artin think
about w hat we have done with the
baton (the legacy) he passed on to
u s?
Can we truly say that we have
so m any issu es. He w as c o n
cern ed that the m o v em en t w as
losing gro u n d . He w as con cern ed
b ecau se a m y riad o f voices w ere
r a is i n g q u e s t i o n s a b o u t h e
m eth o d o f n o n -v io len ce that he
practiced . P eo p le w ere upset b e
c a u s e it a p p e a r e d th a t little
p ro g ress w as b ein g m ade. A nd,
at the sam e tim e, liv es w ere being
lost for the sake o f an unrealized
freed o m and eq u ality .
It has often been said that God
speaks through His people...and;
one has to believe that on many
occasions G od sent m essages to
and through M artin Luther King Jr.
Inour lifetime, we will likely never
fully know the legacy and the true
value o f Martin Luther King Jr.
H ow ever, as the nation pauses to
We cannot hope fo r another
Martin. We must all become
like Martin.
answered thecall to uplift the down
trodden with our tim e, talent and
treasure when there is clearly still
an urgent need?
W hat w ould he think o f the high
profile, publicity seeking pretend
ers who have no plan and no clear
o b jectiv es o th e r than to ex to rt
money from corporate America,
delivering no results o f real conse
q u en ce?
W hat would Martin think about
the reluctance or refusal o f our
youth to take full advantage o f the
ed u catio n al o p p o rtu n ities from
which their forbearers were legally
excluded?
We have young people who are
looking for and in desperate need
o f role m odels...instead they are
given the pressures o f striving to
have more and doing less.
In the days b efo re his d eath —
B rother King w as w restlin g w ith
recognize Brother King on the 40lh
anniversary o f his assassination,
we m ust believe as King, that we
people o f faith, have been called by
a mighty G od to continue to do his
work.
Brother King would w ant us to
expand o u rfo cu sfro m C iv il Rights
to Silver Rights; to becom e more
financially literate and economically
em pow ered. He w ould not want us
to trade old m asters for pagans.
Possessions can be taken in the
blink o f an eye ...ju st ask the folks
in New O rleans.
Many great men and women have
gone on before us and no, one of
th e m s o u g h t g r e a tn e s s . B ut,
through their tireless w orks great
ness was earned because they put
self last and others first. Henry Ward
Beecher said. “G reatness lies not in
being strong, but in the right use o f
stren g th .”
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