Mumia Abu Jamal (formerly known as Wesley Cook) murdered Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner on December 9, 1981.
Officer Faulkner was attempting to arrest Mumia’s brother, Billy Cook, during a traffic stop. Mumia pulled
up in his taxi during the altercation and approached Officer Faulkner from behind. Officer Faulkner received several gunshots
to the back and at least one at point blank range in the face from Mumia. Officer Faulkner was able to return fire and did
shoot Mumia once in the chest.
Some might say Mumia was just defending his brother. Before you jump to that conclusion, consider this: There
was much more to Mumia than reached the eye:
A founding member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panthers.
Activist with MOVE (an anti-government organization based in Philadelphia)
Radio broadcast journalist for Philadelphia radio station WHAT
Part-time taxi driver
Mumia was fairly tried, rightfully convicted and appropriately sentenced to death. The problem is that Mumia hasn’t
been executed yet for his crime. Legal motions have been filed dozens of times; it's an on-going process for the Mumia machine. To
his advantage, Mumia has a vast array of support from celebrities (Danny Glover, Tim Robbins, Martin Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg,
et al.), left wing radicals (Michael Moore, Harry Belafonte, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al.) and organizations (this includes Rage
Against The Machine and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream). These supporters are doing everything in their power to
stop the execution, get a new trial and, ultimately, impugn the character of Officer Faulkner. They feel Mumia was
railroaded during his trial and deserves a new court hearing. Several appellate courts have disagreed.
Mumia continues writing and protesting from his prison cell, garnering more praise and support from those who don’t
see him as a lowlife copkiller, but simply as a victim of a racist judicial system. Protests are often held in his name, with
the slogan "FREE MUMIA" prominently displayed on buttons, t-shirts, banners and signs. Please note that William Ayers,
the radical domestic terrorist associated with Barack Obama, keeps a picture of Mumia on his University of Illinois office
door.
According to left wing zealot Michael Moore, "Mumia probably killed that guy. . .That does not mean he should be denied
a fair trial or that he should be put to death. . .This takes nothing away from the eloquence of his writings or commentary,
or the important place he now holds on the international political stage. But he probably did kill that guy."
Before you put that spoonful of Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia in your mouth, please think about Officer Faulkner. You
can visit his memorial site at www.danielfaulkner.com
