AGITPROP NEWS: Free Mumia Issue Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit LaBOR aRT & MuRAL PRoJECT AGITPROP NEWS: Free Mumia Issue In this issue: 1. Labor Demands New Trial for Abu-Jamal 2. The March Will Go Forward 3. April 24 Logistics 4. Youth for Mumia 5. April 24 College Update 6. George Bush Demands Prisoner be Released 7. Zack de la Rocha 8. Blockade of the US Embassy for Mumia 9. Mumia Abu-Jamal: U.S. Out of Yugoslavia! ____________________________________________ 1. Labor Demands New Trial for Abu-Jamal Longshore Workers to Stop Work, April 24 In a rising tide of West Coast labor support for African-American journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, longshore workers in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) will stop work on April 24 to demand a new trial for the death-row inmate. The dock workers will join a West Coast protest march in San Francisco to be addressed by California Labor Federation chief Art Pulaski. On March 26, the ILWU called on longshore workers in Abu-Jamal's home city, Philadelphia, and dock workers around the world to join the April 24 protests to save the life of the noted journalist. There will be no work on West Coast docks by some 28 ILWU locals from San diego to Bellingham Washington. The dock worker's ground-breaking action adds to a growing list of unions and central labor councils demanding a new trial for Abu-Jamal. Rigged Trial Convicted in 1982 of killing a Philadelphia police officer, Abu-Jamal was recently denied a new trial by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, placing him on the fast track toward execution. The Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 severely restricts his right to appeal at the federal level. "Mumia Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial was characterized by reliance on contradictory evidence from the police, coercion, intimidation, suppression of critical evidence, and exclusion of African-American jurors," said the San Francisco Labor Council in January, in calling for a new trial. "Mumia was prevented from presenting and adequate defense at his trial," says Mike Casey, President of Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) Local 2. "We believe that credible evidence exists to vindicate this man." Nevertheless, Abu-Jamal's defense team, led by human rights lawyer Leonard Weinglass, has run into a stone wall in the courts. The same judge who issued Abu-Jamal's death sentence has also heard the appeals-Albert Sabo, notorious for having sentenced 33 people to death (all but two of them people of color), more than twice as many as any other sitting judge in the United States. "Even those who advocate his execution," says Weinglass, "publicly acknowledge that if given a new trial, Mumia would most likely be found not guilty." The Voice of Poor and Working People The Alameda County Central Labor Council, in its January resolution calling for a new trial, says that Abu-Jamal was "framed by the Philadelphia Police Department and courts for his outspoken criticism of police racism and injustice in the community." In fact, Mumia's political views were explicitly used by the prosecution during the penalty phase of his trial to argue that he should be put to death. In the 17 years that Abu-Jamal has been on death row, he has written almost 400 columns and two books. Abu-Jamal's writings have put names and faces on the people victimized by racial and economic injustice. He gives voice to a prison population which now numbers 1.8 million, 4,000 on death row. Abu-Jamal's eloquent exposure of criminal injustice and his unflagging stand in defense of poor and working people have made him the target of an increasingly strident effort to hasten his execution. Typical of his pro-labor stands, Abu-Jamal strongly opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1996, calling it "a pact made in hell." In 1997, he championed the ILWU's efforts in solidarity with Liverpool dockers. And last fall, despite the need to get his case before the public, Abu-Jamal refused to be interviewed by a scab television crew, bringing national attention to ABC/Disney's lockout of the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians (NABET). "The NABET strikers, battling for simple, humane health coverage, have quite a battle ahead of them against the bosses," said Abu-Jamal. "But, I'd rather be on their side than the side of the millionaires, any day of the week." Growing Labor Support "The labor movement has to show it's not going to sit in the bleachers while someone is being sent to the gallows," says Walter Johnson, Executive Secretary of the San Francisco Labor Federation. "This case is important to humanity, to all people. We in labor must be the social conscience of America." The United Farm Workers, National Writers Union, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 829, HERE Local 2, South San Francisco Teachers Association and the Kings County (Seattle) and Santa Clara County labor councils have joined the San Francisco and Alameda labor councils in calling for a new trial. "We in labor need to go beyond our most immediate issues to take up issues of social justice," says Karega Hart, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1574, "If we do not address injustices such as Mumia's, how can we expect others to support our battles?" The effort to silence Abu-Jamal-ultimately by execution-is part of a broad attack on minorities, workers, and political dissidents in our country. The next few months will be crucial in determining Abu-Jamal's fate. His execution can only be stopped by a massive outpouring of support for a new trial. The April 24 mobilization-Millions for Mumia-will include demonstrations in both San Francisco and Philadelphia. Note: The San Francisco demonstration is assembling at 10:30am, Dolores Park, 19th and Dolores. Unionists are asked to join the labor contingent, to be headed by the ILWU. by Al Weinrub Al Weinrub is treasurer of the Bay Area local of the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981. ____________________________________________ 2. The April 24 March Will Go Forward Mayor Ed Rendell and the Philadelphia Police Department are attempting to interfere with the Sat. April 24 "Millions for Mumia" march. The Millions for Mumia Mobilization, a coalition of more than 500 organizations and prominent individuals, denounced their plans in the strongest terms. On April 9, demonstration organizers learned city officials had decided to prevent a march by the hundreds of thousands of protesters gathering in Philadelphia April 24. Capt. William B. Fisher of Police Civil Affairs told organizers the city would permit only a "ceremonial parade" of 500 people outside of the area of the mass gathering in front of City Hall. Organizers were also notified that city officials plan to block off a major area of the city on Friday, April 23--the night before the demonstration--to coincide with a "memorial dinner" organized by police groups for Daniel Faulkner, the cop shot and killed on Dec. 9, 1981. Abu-Jamal was framed for his killing. The Millions for Mumia Mobilization said today the mass march April 24 will go forward, with or without police authorization. They called on everyone to mobilize to defend the right to hold a march in Philadelphia. "This racist city administration is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to come here to save the life of an innocent man," said Pam Africa of International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal. "We are not coming on vacation. They have forced us to make this stand. "Our voices will be heard," Africa said. "I am confident that people will come in even larger numbers when word of this outrage spreads. We have already set a precedent. Thousands of Mumia's supporters have marched countless times to the site we proposed." "This is a racist outrage, an insult, and a violation of our rights," said Monica Moorehead, a national coordinator of the Millions for Mumia Mobilization. "The city is willing to block off major arteries on a busy Friday night for a police dinner of 500 people. But they say that the hundreds of thousands of people who come April 24, including international dignitaries, elected officials and celebrities, will not be permitted to march. "All people have a right to march and they will come to Philadelphia from all over the country and the world," Moorehead said, "A march to demand a new trial for Mumia will be held. "We say here and now: We will be in the streets April 24 in a strong, united and militant rally and march to demand justice for our brother Mumia. We call on people to protest and raise hell about this outrage. Please Call every talk show. Flood the city officials' fax lines with letters of protest." Fax letters of protest to: Mayor Ed Rendell, (215) 686-2180 Office of the Managing Director, City of Philadelphia, (215) 686-3494 Capt. William B. Fisher, Police Civil Affairs, (215) 685-3687 Millions for Mumia Mobilization Philadelphia 215-476-8812 fax 215-476-6180 ICFFMAJ@AOL.COM New York Phone: (212) 633-6646 Fax: (212) 633-2889 Email: npcny@peoplescampaign.org http://www.peoplescampaign.org ____________________________________________ 3. April 24 Logistics Millions for Mumia 39 West 14th Street, #206 New York, NY 10011 (212) 633-6646 fax: (212) 633-2889 email: npcny@peoplescampaign.org http://www.peoplescampaign.org TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION All Buses must go directly to Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia (Exit #14 off I-95) for passenger drop-off and parking. Cars and vans can also park there. Everyone will be taking Philadelphia SEPTA subway to City Hall ($2.30 round-trip). There will be information tables set up in the Veterans' Parking Lot. Bus captains should register there so we know where their bus is parked. All passengers will be returning to Veterans Stadium after the march to board their bus for the return home. MARCH SCHEDULE 12 noon Main Rally Starts, City Hall, Broad & Market. 2:30 pm March (Route still to be determined.) 4:30 pm The march returns to City Hall for Wrap-Up Rally OTHER MARCH 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. Volunteers are needed to go to Philadelphia the day before and even earlier. Floor space for sleeping is available through the Philadelphia office (215-476-8812). Bring your own sleeping bag. Bring food and water. Rally organizers are asking for an "economic boycott" of Philadelphia. If you can, bring a small portable radio 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. There will be a Youth Rally on April 24 from 9 - 11:30 am on the north side of City Hall for those in Philadelphia that morning. We will post all the travel information on our web page at http://www.peoplescampaign.org ____________________________________________ 4. Youth for Mumia ona move! peace everyone...... YOUTH/STUDENT ACTION ALERT!!! PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!!! 1. Philadelphia Student/Youth WALK-OUT April 23rd On April 23rd students/youth in school and not in school, employed and unemployed will be taking a collective and political stand worldwide to DEMAND a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal. In Philadelphia, the International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal are encouraging ALL young people to do what they feel they can do to participate in this simple appeal for justice. We will take to the streets of Philadelphia ALL DAY, beginning at 10 AM on the campus of Temple University, flyering and postering as we talk to the people on the streets about Mumia's case. We will let EVERYONE know why the MILLIONS are coming, why we as young people have chosen to take a stand, and why the people DEMAND a new trial for Mumia. We have devised TWO plans so that youth and students in Philadelphia will have TWO options--they can join us throughout the day, or they can join us after school/work. option one..... 10 AM - Temple University Bell Tower, 12 & Berks Sts 11 AM - State Office Building, Broad & Spring Garden Sts 12 NOON - CITY HALL (base) City Hall will serve as a base. From there teams of students and youth will head out into the neighborhoods and the center city business districts on foot/skates, by bike/boards, by train/trolley/bus putting out the information about Mumia's case and its connection to police brutality, the criminalization of young people, the environment, and the war against poor people and people of color. option two.... 2 - 3 PM - State Office Building, Broad & Spring Garden Sts 4 PM - CITY HALL At 4 PM the students/youth will come together at City Hall for a collective street action that will leave from City Hall. April 23rd is a day of ACTION to stop a state-sponsored execution. Students and youth throughout Philadelphia will be on the move and gearing up for the MILLIONS who will be in Philadelphia the next day to expose the Effective Death Penalty Act and this government's conspiracy to murder Mumia. JOIN US! 2. HIP HOP SHOW April 23rd after the student walk-out After the student walk-out join us for an evening of revolutionary edu-tainment under the stars......FREE SHOW to FREE MUMIA! Spoken word, music, and movement.... LOVE PARK 15th St & JKF Blvd (across from City Hall) PHILADELPHIA 7 - 11 PM 3. RACE FOR JUSTICE, April 24th, 10 AM Progress Plaza, Broad & Oxford Streets The International Penn Relays are in town from April 21st - 24th. Why not race for justice? We are calling for ALL runners to dash down to City Hall to save the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal. On the morning of April 24th we will start gathering at 10 AM at Progress Plaza and head up Broad Street to meet up with 1000 DRUMMERS on our way to City Hall. Members of other contingents coming into City Hall from other areas of the Philadelphia can lead their own contingents with a race for justice. 4. YOUTH STAGE at MILLIONS FOR MUMIA! There WILL be a youth stage on April 24th. It will open up beginning at 9 AM and will temporarily wind down around noon, when the MAIN STAGE will open up. The Youth Stage will re-open after the march begins. The youth stage will be an area for ALL young people to network and hear from youth activists worldwide. The youth stage will be located on the North side of City Hall. 5. Visibility We are less than two weeks away! Stop by the mobilization office in your area and pick up flyers, posters, and stickers and get them out into your community. Let EVERYONE know what is happening in Philadelphia and San Fransico on April 24th. Talk to your classmates, your coworkers, your family, and your friends about the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Take flyers with you WHEREVER you go. If you are an artist/performer, don't forget to plug MILLIONS FOR MUMIA when you get on the mic. Make sure the businesses, churches, and community centers in your neighborhood have flyers and information. In Philadelphia, we need people out EVERY DAY flyering, postering, and plastering. We must intensify our efforts to let EVERYONE know that the MILLIONS are coming. Stop by the office at 4601 Market Street, 5th Floor for materials. 6. reminder....... youth coalition meeting THIS FRIDAY!!! 6:30 PM 4601 market street, 4th floor EVERYONE is doing MAGNIFICENT work!!! stay on the move..... FOR MORE INFORMATION.... youth4mumia@hotmail.com 215-476-8812/215-248-2101 FREE MUMIA! FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!!!! ____________________________________________ 5. April 24 College Update Following is a partial list of college campuses where students are organizing buses to participate in the April 24 "Millions for Mumia" demonstrations: Antioch College, Ohio; Boise State University, Idaho; Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York; City College of New York; College of Saint Rose, Albany, N.Y.; College of Staten Island, N.Y.; Columbia University, New York; Connecticut College; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; DePauw University, Idaho; Eastern Connecticut State University; Florida International University; George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Georgetown University; Grinnel College, Iowa; Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y.; Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass.; Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.; Hostos Community College, Bronx, N.Y.; Hunter College, New York; Kent State University, Ohio; Long Island University, N.Y.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Morgan State University; Nassau Community College, Long Island, N.Y.; New School for Social Research, New York; N.Y. Technical College, Brooklyn, N.Y.; New York University; Northwestern University; Oberlin College, Ohio; Philadelphia Community College; Portland State University, Ore.; Princeton University, N.J.; Queens College, N.Y.; Roxbury Community College, Mass.; Rutgers University, N.J.; Sarah Lawrence, N.Y.; State University of New York campuses in Binghamton, Purchase and Stonybrook; Swathmore College; Syracuse University, N.Y.; Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa; University of Alabama, Birmingham; University of Albany, N.Y.; University of California in Berkeley and Los Angeles; University of Connecticut, Storrs; University of Illinois, Chicago; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of North Carolina, Greensboro; University of Wisconsin in Madison and Milwaukee; Vassar College; Virginia Commonwealth; Wesleyan University, Conn.; William Patterson University, N.J.; Yale University, Conn.; and York University. ____________________________________________ 6. George Bush Demands Prisoner be Released INDEPENDENT (London) April 12 By Paul Waugh, Political Correspondent THE FORMER US President George Bush has added his name to the list of international statesmen calling on the Government to block the extradition of General Augusto Pinochet to Spain. With Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, due to announce his decision on the case on Friday, Mr Bush has declared that charges against the former Chilean dictator represent "a travesty of justice". In a letter to Lord Lamont of Lerwick, the Conservative peer leading the British campaign on behalf of General Pinochet, Mr Bush said he should be sent home to Chile "as soon as possible". Mr Bush worked closely with the Pinochet regime when he was director of the CIA in the 1970s. Lord Lamont said that Mr Straw should now listen to the series of world figures who had called for the extradition application to be rejected. "Kissinger, Lady Thatcher, the Pope and now George Bush have all indicated that General Pinochet should be sent home to Chile. It's time for the Government to bring this farce to an end," he said. ____________________________________________ 7. Zack de la Rocha Rage Against the Machine lead singer Zack de la Rocha will travel to Geneva, Switzerland next week to address the United Nation's International Commission of Human Rights concerning the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal, an activist, journalist and former Black Panther, was convicted in the 1981 slaying of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Many people feel he did not receive a fair trial. De la Rocha will also use his April 12 speech to discuss America's use of the death penalty. The Commission agreed to meet with de la Rocha at the command of the Humanitarian Law Project, a non-governmental group that consults the U.N on worldwide compliance of human rights law. Rage Against the Machine has performed two benefit shows to raise money for Abu-Jamal's defense fund. The first was held in Washington D.C. in 1995 and the second was held earlier this year in East Rutherford, NJ. ____________________________________________ 8. Blockade of the US Embassy for Mumia The supportcommitee for Mumia in Oslo, Norway, located at the autonomous youthhouse Blitz, put up a blockade of the US Embassy Wednesday 14.th of April, to draw attention to Mumia's situation and the coming support demonstration that will be held in Oslo on the 24th. One of Oslo's most bussiest streets pass the US Embassy, and this street was blocked for 17 minutes, one minute pr. year that Mumia has spent on Death Row. This made a total trafic-caos in the bussiest rush-hour, and also made it difficult for the police to come trough to the embassy to stop the blockade. Because of all the manifestations against the NATO-war, the police had left a lot of iron-fences surrounding the embassy, and this fences were drag out into street and made up the must perfect roadblock. Then the street outside the embassy was totaly overpainted with slogans in support for Mumia. People from the embassy have after this been working for hours to clean the street for political slogans. After all this funny action, it seems like the press and medias are much more interested in the coming support-demonstration for Mumia in Oslo the 24th. of April. Free Mumia! The Supportcommitee for Mumia Abu Jamal in Oslo, Norway AntiFascistisk Aktion-Stockholm afastockholm@hotmail.com http://www.motkraft.net/afa -Mot sexism, rasism, kapitalism och homofobi- kurt svensson ksvensson@hotmail.com ____________________________________________ 9. Mumia Abu-Jamal: U.S. Out of Yugoslavia! U.S. Out of Yugoslavia! By Mumia Abu-Jamal As a deadly rain of high-tech bombs falls on Yugoslavia, a deadening rain of propaganda falls on Americans, media-manipulated lies designed to prime the populace into supporting harsher military measures against a sovereign nation, in the name of protecting human rights. NATO is but a fig leaf for American "interests," and the bombing of Yugoslavia is but a global demonstration of the ruthlessness of the American empire. A demonstration? The monstrous atomic bombing of Japan, after it was virtually beaten in World War II, was not a military necessity, but a political one, designed to demonstrate to the Russians that the U.S. was, and would ever be, boss. It was a massive, deadly demonstration. So too, the Yugoslavia bombing treats Serbs as the U.S. treated Japanese during the war--as props to demonstrate the power of the empire. Let us consider the claims that the U.S. is concerned about "human rights" or about the "rights of ethnic minorities," as the corporate press projects hourly. What of America's largest national minority--African Americans? The world-respected Amnesty International group, speaking through its secretary general, Pierre Sane, announced just days before the bombing, "Human-rights violations in the United States of America are persistent, widespread and appear to disproportionately affect people of racial or ethnic minority backgrounds." Sane was critical of police violence and executions in the U.S. Further, internationally, let's see how the U.S. responds to "liberation movements" of the oppressed. When fighters for Puerto Rican independence began to raise their voices, the U.S. didn't support this "ethnic minority," they sought (and continue) to crush, incarcerate and silence them. Consider the case of the Palestinians, the Kurds, the East Timorese, the Colombian rebels--who has the U.S. consistently supported, the oppressed or the U.S.-armed governments? This isn't about "human rights." It isn't about "ethnic minorities." And it also isn't about "genocide." It's about establishing who's "boss" in the next century. It's about keeping Russia in its place. It's about keeping the European Union under the thumb of Wall Street. The bombing of Serbia is an echo of the bombing of three other countries in the past six months--of Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan. And for precisely the same reason--to show that it can be done, no matter what so-called "international law" states. It is to instill terror throughout the world, in order for U.S. capital to institute what former president George Bush tried to do, but failed: to establish a New World Order. Days before the bombing, NATO signed up Poland, Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic) as its newest members, thereby virtually isolating Russia. Only Serbia and the Yugoslav states have refused to join NATO--their bombing is their punishment. Our brilliant, revered nationalist leader, Malcolm X, taught us to examine history. If we look at history, the bombing of Yugoslavia becomes clear. Empires are maintained, not by reason, but by ruthless terror. It was so in Rome. It is so in the U.S. The brilliant revolutionary, Dr. Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party, explained, "The United States was no longer a nation. We called it an empire. An empire is a nation-state that has transformed itself into a power controlling all the world's lands and people." (1973) Huey was right then, and our response then was to oppose the empire. We must do that now. Down with imperialism! Stop the bombing! NATO/U.S. out of Yugoslavia! __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ARTISTS AND WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE... YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT BAD TASTE! Email: lamp@igc.apc.org - Website: http://www.igc.apc.org/laborart __________________________ To subscribe to AGITPROP NEWS, the LAMP weekly digest of news and humor for artists and activists: Send to: listserv@email.rutgers.edu Message: subscribe agitprop_news (Your Name) your@address ___________________________ Snailmail: LaBOR aRT & MuRAL PRoJECT Labor Education Center Rutgers University Ryders Lane & Clifton Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08903 Phone: 732-220-1472 - Fax: 732-296-1325 Spanning the Globe to: ORGANIZE - AGITATE - EDUCATE - INSPIRE ______________________________________________________ Mike Alewitz, Artistic Director ================================================================= 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-04.24.99-11:05:36-27349