!*"Happy Birthday MUMIA"-Sundiata Acoli Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MUMIA For April 24, 1999 Upon entering middle-age birthdays normally become mundane affairs that are acknowledged gracefully for its recognition from a few loved ones, close comrades/friends and one's children, if they remember. But i suspect that on Death Row it's different, with each birthday becoming a cherished milestone reached, a desperate battle won in an unending war for survival and with only a moment's respite to reflect on having beat back the hand for one more year that's even now thrusting forward again, intent on taking one's life. So it's with profound respect and love that i join the MILLIONS 4 MUMIA in wishing Mumia Happy Birthday! -- and for many many more birthdays to live out his life in freedom, peace and enjoying the company of his grandchildren; having taught the world how to struggle, and to win. And it will happen if we are determined to make it so. If we forget for one moment that the enemy is determined to take Mumia from us and is only waiting for the proper time, for things to cool down, for our attention to wander and for us to tire of demonstrating, marching, petitioning, calling-in, writing-in and boycotting. The enemy is waiting. So we have to show the enemy that he can wait til hell freezes over but he's not taking Mumia from us and that we're just as determined, and moreso than he, to keep on building the pressure, to keep adding and bringing new forces to the fray in wave after wave of innovative ways that step up the pace, increase civil disobedience and show that we will not relent, and that we will accept nothing less than Mumia's total and complete freedom. That calls for more sweat and sacrifice but the more sweat in peace the less blood in war. Free Mumia and all PP/POW's SUNDIATA ACOLI - BLA POW USP Allenwood White Deer, PA =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> MILLIONS FOR MUMIA 39 W. 14 Street New York, NY 10011 (212) 633-6646 =B7 FAX (212) 633-2889=20 http://www.peoplescampaign.org email: npcny@peoplescampaign.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nina Streich, Bob Lamothe April 20, 1999 (212) 633-6646 PHILADELPHIA CITY OFFICIALS BACK DOWN Worldwide Pressure Forces Mayor Rendell to=20 Drop Restrictions on The April 24 Millions for Mumia Rally In the face of worldwide outrage, the City of Philadelphia has abandoned its attempt to limit the number of participants in the Millions for Mumia march on Saturday, April 24. Tens of thousands are expected from the local area, around the country and even from Europe to demand a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. =20 City officials had tried to restrict the march part of the rally to just 500 people, despite the huge numbers expected to gather in Philadelphia on the 24th. When the City's attempt to limit the march was made public, Mayor Ed Rendell's office was flooded with protests in the form of phone calls, faxes and e-mails from all over the world. In France, former First Lady Daniel Mitterand held a press conference denouncing his harassment of the march. The world is watching developments in Philadelphia with keen interest; one city official reported seeing a pro-Mumia rally advertised in Brazil. With local, national and international protest mounting, city officials dropped their attempt to limit the march, admitting that all who wanted to join the protest march had the right to do so. =20 "Last week, we put an international spotlight on the illegal lengths to which the city would go to silence the movement for a new trial for Mumia," said Monica Moorehead, national organizer for Millions for Mumia. "They're worried that the lid is about to blown off their 18-year cover-up of the truth: that Mumia is innocent, and was framed up for opposing police brutality. While they've dropped all restrictions on Saturday's rally, their fear has led them to use other ploys, the most notorious being anti-free speech measures around the Friday night cop memorial dinner organized by the FOP." The city is also harassing the April 24 Millions for Mumia Rally with a series of discriminatory and bureaucratic requirements, as the media trumpets city plans to roll out the red carpet for the upcoming Republican Convention. "This just lets us know that we have to keep the spotlight on the city and its tactics. They're trying to silence a movement for truth," Moorehead said. "That's why they framed Mumia in the first place: to silence the truth. The city's illegal and unconstitutional behavior calls to mind the assault on civil rights that characterized a 1981 trial of lies, coerced witnesses and falsified documents, and put Mumia in jail." "Pushing back the city's restrictions is a small example of what the people united can accomplish," Moorehead said. "On April 24, people from all over will converge on Philadelphia for the next step: a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal!" -30- =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> 4/21/99 Throng expected for Abu-Jamal rally=20 Urging a new trial for the death-row inmate, thousands=20 will march Saturday on Center City. =20 By Monica Yant =20 PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER An international demonstration on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was=20 convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer, is scheduled to take place=20 in Philadelphia this weekend, bringing with it the potential for clogged traffic and tensions between demonstrators and police. Thousands of protesters are expected to come from college campuses in places such as Houston and Orlando, and even France and Germany, in a demonstration organized largely over the Internet among Abu-Jamal's supporters. They are bringing their 15-year agitation for a new trial to Philadelphia on Abu-Jamal's 45th birthday, Saturday.=20 Abu-Jamal was convicted of shooting police Officer Daniel Faulkner in the= face and back on Dec. 9, 1981, at 13th and Locust Streets after a traffic stop involving Abu-Jamal's brother.=20 Supporters of the death-row inmate say that he was railroaded by police who coerced witnesses and by a judge who had a history of bias against= defendants. In a bid for a new trial in 1995, defense lawyers presented witnesses who= said they saw another man leave the scene. In November, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected all grounds for Abu-Jamal's appeal, but Abu-Jamal hopes to= take his case to federal court. Over the years, support for a new trial has grown in the United States and abroad. On Saturday, demonstrators plan to press the point further. A series of morning marches in Philadelphia will culminate at City Hall. Then, the rally is expected to move to Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall and to JFK Plaza, at 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. "Our goal is to shut= down the city," said Pam Africa, a MOVE member who heads the main organizing= group, the International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal, based in Philadelphia. Africa and organizers in New York urge an "economic boycott" of Philadelphia as well. They refuse to pay for city permits for the event and urge protesters= to bring their own food and beverages. Celebrities such as Ossie Davis, Ruby= Dee, Dick Gregory and members of the rock group Rage Against the Machine are expected to participate, Africa said. On Friday night, friends and relatives of Officer Faulkner will attend a tribute dinner expected to draw more than 800 people, including Mayor= Rendell and Police Commissioner John F. Timoney. Authorities said protesters will be kept at a safe distance from the event,= to be held at the Union League at Broad and Sansom Streets. "I don't know if I could imagine two more disparate groups," said Kevin Feeley, Rendell's spokesman. "We want to minimize the possibility of any threat to public safety." Already, there is concern that the outcry over the police shootings of= African immigrant Amadou Diallo in New York and teenager Donta Dawson in= Philadelphia could make demonstrations more tense and racially charged. "A lot of people may want to vent their frustrations on the police officers there," Deputy Police Commissioner Robert Mitchell said. "We have to let them. We need to try to remain as emotionally detached as possible." The city is allowing the Abu-Jamal rally to take place even though= organizers didn't pitch the idea until earlier this month. Typically, an event of this size takes several months to plan, said Joseph Certaine, the city's managing director, who is coordinating the logistics of the events. Africa's group= also has not filed the required permits or taken out insurance for the event.= Event planners have so far refused to pay a $5,000 deposit for parking hundreds of charter buses at Veterans Stadium and nearly $14,000 for portable toilets= and trash receptacles. "They're supposed to, but this is a demonstration," Certaine said. "The idea is not to do what you're supposed to do." "I think they are deliberately trying to provoke some controversy where= there is none," he added. "We have completely fulfilled our obligations. They have gotten everything they asked for." Africa said protesters would pay the $11 per bus, $6 per car parking fee and that her group would pay for its own stage, generators and sound system. Still, Certaine said that without the= insurance and permits, the ultimate liability for the event falls on Philadelphia. He said city officials saw no legal alternative but to let the event proceed. "If something happens, we're self-insured," he explained. "We would pick up the responsibility." Among other plans the city has made so far: SEPTA trains on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines will run every six minutes on Saturday, instead of every eight to 12 minutes,= spokesman Jim Whitaker said. That will allow upwards of 20,000 people an hour to ride the trains into Center City, where the rally will be held. =20 SEPTA also will have extra cashiers and "ambassadors" on duty to sell tokens and give out-of-towners directions, he said. "We just want to do our best to tell people how to get around," he said. "That's what we discovered during= the Million Woman March. People didn't know where they wanted to go." =20 The Streets Department will close 15th Street from south of Arch to South= Penn Square and Market Street from 15th to 19th Streets on Saturday in= anticipation of the main rally at Dilworth Plaza. =20 Traffic may be disrupted along the march routes, such as Broad Street, from Oxford Street in North Philadelphia to City Hall, and Market Street, from= 33d to City Hall. "We'll close traffic right in front of them, and open it up right behind them," Certaine said. "It will be a minor inconvenience to drivers." Although the Penn Relays will be going on in West Philadelphia at the same time, city officials said they didn't expect the demonstration or temporary road closures to interfere. The Police Department plans special training for officers assigned to the event, Mitchell said. The four-hour sessions will include civil rights instruction and reminders on how to use police shields and spray. The goal? To reinforce what Mitchell calls "the need to remain extremely cool,= extremely professional." Still, Richard Costello, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the assignment is deeply offensive to police officers. "It's= both distressing and alarming to us that people could gather to celebrate the brutal murder of a police officer," Costello said. "I'm not aware of any other group in society that this would be tolerated for. But we're supposed to stand and take it." =A9 1998 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.=20 ******************************************* Hi, there, This is Monica Moorehead from the Millions for Mumia office and=20 also the rally committee. Please if you can send out an addendum=20 regarding the schedule for the day. There are some slight changes.=20 Those changes are as follows: 9-11:30am--youth rally on south side of City Hall 11:30am-12 noon--solidarity messages at the main stage 12noon-2pm--main rally 2pm--3:30pm-march =09 3:30pm-4pm--more solidarity messages at main stage=09 4pm-5pm-second main rally 5pm--everyone heads back to buses Monica Moorehead =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> I just received an e-mail that stated the SEPTA Fare, roundtrip from Vet=20 Stadium to City Hall as $2.30 Tokens cost $1.15 each. SO if you buy tokens= =20 this is the case. But if you are not able to buy tokens the cost is $1.60= =20 per trip. I hope this helps. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> >From Birmingham, Alabama, one of the cradles of the civil rights movement in= =20 this country, we are pleased to share with you the following endorsements by= =20 labor, to stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, and calling for a new= trial: Central Alabama Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Executive Board of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Local 261 Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union,= Local=20 62 International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local Union No. 583 Submitted by, Frank Paige & Steve Orel Birmingham Human Rights Project =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> Please make sure that the public school students in Philadelphia are=20 aware of the walk out. If the students are not aware that there is a=20 national walk out and the cause, then they will not leave. The=20 Philadelphia public school students have been known to walk out of=20 school for a demonstration. Just ask the students involved with the=20 walk out in 1997. There is not enough publicity to young African=20 American students in predominately white schools. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> Hello. To any and all October 22nd people coming to Philadelphia on April 24th for the Millions for Mumia demo: 1. New York October 22nd coalition will anchor an October 22nd contingent in Philadelphia. Look for the huge Stolen Lives banner and hook up with the contingent. 2. There will be a Stolen Lives table at City Hall. The march starts at City Hall and ends up back at City Hall. At the table, we will have Stolen Lives books and leaflets calling on people to pre-order the new book. During the pre-march period, people will hold the banner next to the table, so that it can easily be identified. If you get there during the pre-march period, you can get materials from there and hook into the organized efforts around selling the book and distributing the leaflets. If you get there during the march, just directly hook up with the banner and the contingent. 3. If you have a small number of people coming from your city, it is probably best for everyone to march with the contingent, so that the contingent has a strong visible presence. However, if you have a lot of people -- say 9 or l0 -- it would be helpful if one of them joins with the team of leafletters for pre-orders for the new book, who will not be staying close to the contingent, but moving freely throughout the crowd the whole time. We look forward to a really powerful demo this Saturday, and a strong October 22nd presence. See you there! --=20 ------------------------------------------- The National Office of the October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation (888)NO BRUTALITY or 212-477-8062 Fax: 212-477-8015 Oct22@unstoppable.com Stolen Lives Project online: =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> Dress Warm y'all :) Kamaria SATURDAY :Mostly cloudy with scattered showers possible. The high temperature will be 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) and the low temperature will be 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius).=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> > >IMPORTANT LOGISTICS INFORMATION FOR NY ATTENDEES: > >I. March Schedule, directions, disabled assistance, food, etc. > >II. Bus captains' information sheet (NYC--use as model for national) > >III. Bus riders' information sheet (NYC--use as model for national) > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > >*Directions to Veterans Stadium > >All Buses must go directly to Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia >for passenger drop-off and parking. Cars and vans can also park there. >The parking lot will be open from 8 am to 8 pm. > >Veterans Stadium is located in south Philadelphia, just west of the >Walt Whitman Bridge, at Pattison Avenue and Broad Street. It is 1.5 >miles directly south of City Hall. > >Directions to Veterans Stadium Parking Lot: Take Exit 14 off I-95. >Take Broad Street north to Pattison Avenue. Make a right on Pattison >Avenue. Go three blocks west on Pattison Ave to the Stadium Parking >lot, which is between 10 and 11 Street on the north side of Pattison. >The entrance is on the left just before 10 Street. > >This is the lot designated for the Mumia March. There are several lots >so make sure you are going into the right lot. There will be a Mumia >March Information Table outside the entrance to the lot.=20 > >The charge for parking is $11 for buses; $6 for vans and cars. Be sure >to take note of the location of your parked vehicle so that you can >find it for the return trip. > >*Subway Directions from Veterans Stadium to Rally Site > >You will be taking the Philadelphia subway (called SEPTA) to the City >Hall Rally Site. Walk three blocks west on Pattison Ave. to Broad >Street to the train station. Purchase two tokens (for a total of >$2.30) for the round trip. Take the Broad Street line to the City Hall >(Market Street & 15 Street) stop. > >After the demonstration, give yourself ample time to return to your >vehicle (at least 45 minutes. Take the Broad Street line south to the >last stop (Pattison Ave.) Walk three blocks east on Pattison Ave. to >the Parking Lot. The Parking lot is on the left between 10 and 11 >Streets. > >*Disabled assistance > >SEPTA is not wheelchair accessible. If you cannot travel on the subway >train because of a disability, please go to Information and Volunteers >Table at the exit to the Veterans Stadium Parking Lot. Van >transportation will be available to the City Hall Rally site. The >gathering site for those needing disabled assistance and/or >transportation during the march will be at 15 Street near South Penn >Square, near the right side of the stage facing the stage. The rally >will be signed for the deaf. > >*Other Important Information > >Volunteers are urgently needed on April 24 to be bus greeters, staff >information tables, collect names, assist disabled people, and as >security marshals. Please sign up with the Philadelphia or New York >Office in advance if you can help that day. A volunteers' check-in >table will be set up early the morning of April 24 at City Hall. > >Bring food and water. Rally organizers are asking for an "economic >boycott" of Philadelphia. > >If you can, bring a portable radio or boom box in case the crowd is so >large that the rally sound is hard to hear. WHAT radio 1340 am is >going to do a live broadcast of the rally. > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Bus Information Sheet >April 24 =95 Millions for Mumia March =95 Philadelphia > >Welcome to this great demonstration demanding a new trial for Mumia >Abu-Jamal. This march is a critical step in the struggle to save Mumia >from execution by the racist courts. > >1. Please write down the bus company and bus number at the bottom of >this sheet and keep this paper with you. We will be passing around a >sign-in sheet so that we can keep track of everyone for the return >trip. If you are only taking the bus one way, make sure to tell the >bus captain. > >2. The NYC buses are scheduled to arrive at Veterans Stadium in >Philadelphia about 11:30 am. You will be dropped off in the Stadium >parking lot. Be sure to take note of the location of the parked bus so >that you can find it for the return trip. The buses will remain in the >lot until the passengers return at 5:30 pm for the trip home. > >3. You will be taking the Philadelphia subway (called SEPTA) to the >Rally Site. Walk three blocks west on Pattison Ave. to Broad Street to >the train station. Purchase two tokens (for a total of $2.30) for the >round trip. Take the Broad Street line to the City Hall (Market Street >& 15 Street) stop. Disabled assistance:. SEPTA is not wheelchair >accessible. If you cannot travel on the subway train because of a >disability, please go to Information and Volunteers Table at the exit >to the Veterans Stadium Parking Lot. Van transportation will be >available to the City Hall Rally site. The gathering site for those >needing disabled assistance and/or transportation during the march >will be at 15 Street near South Penn Square, near the right side of >the stage facing the stage. The rally will be signed for the deaf. > >4. The rally starts at 12 noon. The stage is on the west side of City >Hall at Market St & 15 St. There will be a Volunteer Table there for >those who can help as security marshals, disabled assistance and other >tasks. > >5. The March is scheduled to start at 2:30 pm. It will return to City >Hall by 4:30 pm for a Wrap-Up Rally. > >6. By 5 pm, you head for the Philadelphia subway station for the train >to Veterans Stadium. Take the Broad Street line south to the last stop >(Pattison Ave.) Walk three blocks east on Pattison Ave. to the Parking >Lot. The Parking lot is on the left between 10 and 11 Streets. > >7. NYC buses will leave Veterans Stadium no later than 6 pm for the >return trip. On the way back, the bus captains will be collecting a >tip for the bus driver. Everyone is asked to contribute 50 cents to >one dollar. > >8. The buses are scheduled to return to the departure locations by 9 >pm. > >Bus Company Name __________________________________________ >Bus Number ________________________ >Emergency Phone Numbers in Philadelphia: 215-563-7110 or 215-476-8812 > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D> MORE INFO: CALL: 215-476-8812 (ICFFMAJ) 212-633-6466 (NPC) 215-724-1618 (NPC) EMAIL: npcny@peoplescampaign.org mumia@webcom.com youth4mumia@hotmail.com FAX: 212-633-2889 215-476-7551 MAIL: P.O. BOX 19709 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19143 WEB: http://www.mumia.org http://www.peoplescampaign.org A NEW TRIAL FOR MUMIA IS A SIMPLE APPEAL FOR JUSTICE! ALL OUT FOR APRIL 24, 1999 -- CITY HALL, PHILADELPHIA, PA! ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-04.25.99-12:04:52-437