!*BUF Attacks Increase/Philly July 3rd Updates for MUMIA Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit owner-spg-l@smtp2.xs4all.nl Tue Jun 1 09:20:06 1999 To UNSUBSCRIBE From FREE MUMIA NEWS go to www.afrikan.net/email.html .... We're having a two-day work meeting to bring people up to date on Mumia's case on May 29 and 30 in Philadelphia. The meeting will help people get organized for the next steps and to help everyone understand the attacks against our movement that are going on right now. The meetings will take place at 4601 Market St. on May 29 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on May 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, readers can call the International Concerned Family & Friends at (215) 476-8812. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// BLACK UNITED FUND STILL UNDER FIRE .... ==================================== > >The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 28, 1999 > >City drops charity tied to Abu-Jamal >The Black United Fund can no longer receive >donations through a Phila. employees' fund-raising program. > >By Monica Yant, Larry Fish, and Craig R. McCoy >INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS > >The African American charity that for eight years has served as a conduit >for money flowing to the campaign to free death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal has >been dumped from the city employees' annual charitable appeal. > >The Black United Fund of Pennsylvania Inc., which handled money raised at >the recent Millions for Mumia march, has been told by city officials that it can >no longer participate in the Combined Campaign, a $1.7 million fund drive >involving 14,000 city workers. > >The mayor's office, in a letter to the fund, said the organization was >barred for letting its state registration as a charity lapse. Officials also cited >the fund's relationship with the International Concerned Family and Friends of >Mumia Abu-Jamal, a group heading the effort to get a new trial for Abu-Jamal. > >Founded in 1981, the Black United Fund gives grants to as many as 20 >nonprofit groups each year. While it does not donate directly to the Abu-Jamal cause, >the fund since 1991 has collected and managed money coming in from around the >world on his behalf. > >Deputy Mayor Linda S. Berkowitz, in a letter to the fund dated May 21 and >obtained yesterday by The Inquirer, said the relationship was "inconsistent >with the objectives of the city's Combined Campaign." > >Berkowitz also said the fund "never formally advised the city of the extent >of its involvement with" the Abu-Jamal group, and added: "We believe that >omission on the part of the Black United Fund was at the very least disingenuous." >Marilyn Jewett, spokeswoman for the fund, said yesterday that the fund had >not received the letter and would not comment. > >More than a dozen charitable groups participate in the Combined Campaign and >steer employees' payroll deductions to various medical, cultural and >social-services programs. Last year, the Black United Fund received nearly >$100,000 through the campaign, roughly one-fourth of the North Philadelphia >charity's annual income. > >Dozens of smaller African American organizations that get grants from the >fund may also be affected by the city's action. > >Among the nonprofits to which the Black United Fund gives grants are the >John Coltrane Cultural Society, the Prison Literacy Project, the South Central >Pennsylvania Sickle Cell Council, and the Philadelphia Black Women's Health >Project. > >The International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal is one of >several groups to which the Black United Fund provides technical services, >such as bookkeeping and money management. The fund collects a service charge of 4 >to 10 percent of the money it handles. > >In the last eight months, it has collected more than $200,000 in donations >for the Concerned Family and Friends group. The fund made that disclosure last >month and said it would provide a complete accounting, within a week, of all the >funds collected in Abu-Jamal's behalf. Since then, fund officials have said an >ongoing audit prevented release of that information. > >City officials have for several years been unhappy with the ties between the >Black United Fund and the organization working to free Abu-Jamal, a radio >journalist convicted in the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Officer >Daniel Faulkner. > >The Inquirer reported last month that the Black United Fund let its state >registration as a charitable organization lapse in late 1995, and that the >fund had maintained its ties with Concerned Family and Friends after removing any >mention of the group from its fund-raising literature. > >City officials said those disclosures prompted an investigation that led to >the fund's removal from the Combined Campaign, scheduled to begin in August. >The Black United Fund has "a First Amendment right to associate with anyone >they choose," Deputy Mayor Kevin Feeley said yesterday. "We also have a right to >protect our employees from being solicited for funds from a group that lends >support to a person who murdered a city employee. > >"Regardless of that association, the first threshold is: Are you a >registered charity? They are not, so they're not in the Combined Campaign. It's just >that simple." > >Concerned Family and Friends, operated from West Philadelphia by MOVE member >Pam Africa, does not have tax-exempt status. The Black United Fund does. On Web >sites, Concerned Family and Friends solicits tax-deductible donations, to be >sent in care of the Black United Fund. > >But for the last three years, the fund has operated without registration >from the state Bureau of Charitable Organizations, a violation of state law. >After news reports about the lapse, the group has taken steps to meet its >requirements, filing overdue financial statements. > >That's not enough for Mayor Rendell, who said he could not overlook the >Abu-Jamal alliance. > >"We will certainly not continue to allow them to raise money if, in fact, >one of the agencies they are giving money too is an agency making a frontal attack >on the Philadelphia Police Department," Rendell said this week. > >The fund gives several thousands of dollars a year in unrestricted funds to >the Philadelphia Black Women's Health Project, which works with about 1,000 >women and their families in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city. > >"The relationship is very special," said Carol A. Smith, the Health >Project's executive director. "It touches everything we do." > >Smith said she had long known of, and supported, the Black United Fund's >work on behalf of Abu-Jamal. > >"The truth of the matter is that one of the things I really admire the Black >United Fund for is their willingness to step up and support activities that >can't get support from mainstream funds," she said. "They're willing to take >a risk." > >Berkowitz, in her letter, cited the group's failure to keep up its required >state registration. She also said the fund's leaders told city officials >they had received an extension from state officials to meet the registration >requirement when in fact they had not. > >"Black United Fund misled the city," Berkowitz wrote. > >Other charities participating in the city's Combined Campaign said that the >Black United Fund should have kept its state registration up to date, but >expressed concern that the organization was being singled out and that this >could set a dangerous precedent. > >"At the AIDS Fund, we firmly believe in accountability," said executive >director Susan L. Higginbotham. "If someone doesn't have their financial house in >order, they have to rectify that." > >But, Higginbotham said, "the decision of who participates in the Combined >Campaign should not be based on politics." She said many other charities - >that could be connected to abortion services, gay and lesbian issues or other >potential controversies - could one day find themselves in similar trouble. >Christine Hall-James, president of the United Way of Southeastern >Pennsylvania, called the decision "very complicated." > >"It's a tough call. The city does not want to hurt the Black United Fund, or >any of the groups it supports," she said. "I think the ultimate responsibility >of any philanthropic group is to be accountable, to be good stewards of the >dollars." > >Thomas Paine Cronin, a cochair of the Combined Campaign and president of the >District Council 47 union, said he was troubled by the decision. > >"One of the reasons [the campaign] is so successful is that it's so diverse. >It takes into account a diverse city worker population and their interests," >said Cronin, who represents 5,500 white-collar city workers. > >"If it was just about the registration issue, then fine. But once you begin >to get into political questions, I think that's wrong," he said. > >It's not to Jim Wheeler, first vice president of the Fraternal Order of >Police. "We're glad to hear the city took a stand," Wheeler said. "There are a lot >of ways to support a lot of issues, but people contributing to his campaign >seemed to us a little outrageous." > >) 1998 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. ============================================> Let Freedom Ring for Mumia! The NYC Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition in conjunction with the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia joins with: *Herman Ferguson*Yuri Kochiyama*Ani Difranco*Grace Paley *Dennis Brutus*Fred Ho*Dave Dellinger*Rafael Cancel Miranda *Connie Hogarth*Toshi & Pete Seeger*Liz McAllister & Phil Berrigan *Mandy Carter*Barbara Ehrenreich*Manning Marable* *Dr. James Cone*Leslie Cagan*and many others in calling for a *************************************************** Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Action Liberty Bell Saturday, July 3, 1999, 12 noon Philadelphia, PA along with a simultaneous July 3 support vigil and a huge July 4 Legal March thru Philly and Rally at the Liberty Bell **************************************************** In 1995, with only 10 days left before his scheduled execution, the international movement for Mumia Abu-Jamal's liberation stopped the state from killing him. Once again, the movement to save Mumia's life has reached a critical juncture. Chief defense lawyer Leonard Weinglass has stated clearly that Mumia's federal appeals, while not exhausted, cannot be relied upon to stop an execution. History has shown repeatedly-in the movements for women's suffrage, civil rights, an end to the Vietnam war, AIDS care, workers' rights and police accountability-civil disobedience has forced those in power to respond to the people's demands for justice. The time has come for us to escalate our resistance. Mumia needs you! Call to get more info and/or get involved! Overnight sleeping space and buses available. We invite you to contribute your local organizing talents and creativity to this national action. Make your own flyers. Form local affinity groups. Contact us to let us know how many people you are bringing to the Civil Disobedience, and what resources you need from us to support your organizing. We have--- * Nonviolence/Civil Disobedience Trainers Mumia Videos* *Civil Disobedience Flyers Planning Meeting Dates* *A T-shirt design available to you for a local fund raiser Public Speakers* Contact us with your email, fax, phone number or address for regular updates! 212-330-8029 * 215-476-8812 *************************************************************************** On Wednesday June 9th at 7pm sharp the Free Mumia Coalition will have a special meeting on the July 3rd civil disobedience action at the Liberty Bell. The meeting will take place at the International Action Center at 39 West 14th St in Manhattan. We will discuss the reasons why we are starting this campaign of non-violent resistance. This is a good place to get answers for questions you might have before participating. This meeting is for all those who are interested in participating in the action as participants, support people or in the legal rally that will be held nearby. Mark this on your calendar. =========================================> CONTACT: Hibakusha77@hotmail.com " WE SPECIALISE IN THE WHOLLY IMPOSSIBLE." - NANNIE HELEN BURROUGHS " WHEN REFORM BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE, REVOLUTION BECOMES IMPERATIVE." - KELLY MILLER THE DEATH PENALTY AFFECTS FAR MORE THAN THOSE ON DEATH ROW AND THOSE INVOLVED IN THEIR CASES. IT HAS A SINISTER RIPPLE EFFECT ON OUR ENTIRE SOCIETY. THE TERM HIBAKUSHA REFERS TO THE NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST VICTIMS IN WWII JAPAN WHO WERE DOWNWIND FROM THE BOMB BLASTS, BUT SUFFERED NONETHELESS LONG AFTER THE WAR WAS OVER. IT APPLIES WELL TO THE DEATH MACHINE THAT OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME. I PROPOSE A NEW ATTACK. HIBAKUSHA, A NEW WOMEN'S TASK FORCE, INTENDS TO REACH EVERY MAILBOX AND TV IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S. NO ONE CAN REMAIN NEUTRAL ON THE INJUSTICE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT WHEN FACED WITH GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED FACTS. WITHOUT BROAD-BASED & RAPIDLY EXPANDING POPULAR SUPPORT EGGED ON BY THOSE NOT AFRAID TO FIGHT, A CAUSE STAGNATES AND DIES. OUR MOVEMENT IS NOT JUST A CAUSE, BUT A KEY THAT CAN UNLOCK THE DOOR TO TRUE EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW. IT IS POPULAR SUPPORT THAT HAS KEPT MUMIA ALIVE, IT IS POPULAR SUPPORT THAT WILL BRING HIM HOME TO HIS FAMILY & FRIENDS, IT IS POPULAR SUPPORT THAT WILL LEAD US TO VICTORY. HIBAKUSHA NEEDS YOU TO HELP US TAKE THIS ISSUE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. WILL YOU? SUGGESTIONS, QUERIES, CRITICISMS, & FUND-RAISING IDEAS ARE WELCOMED at Hibakusha77@hotmail.com OR CALL 804.961.9160. MEN, OF COURSE, ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUPPORT THEIR SISTERS IN WHATEVER WAY THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS LEAD THEM. THANKS. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU @ YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. EN LUCHA, ANNA RAVEGUM, AKA MISS ANTHROPY (WTJU 91.1 FM ) ======================================> 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 ================================================================= 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-06.02.99-06:36:01-14040