Philly Pigs Intend to Terrorize Pro-Mumia Demonstrators

We have just received word that the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is once again escalating their terror tactics in an attempt to deny the rights of people to assemble and demonstrate. According to Philadelphia Civil Affairs 400 plain clothed cops (carrying weapons)
will "demonstrate" against a planned event on April 24th (see below) in support of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal who is currently on death row. Whether or not you support the call for a new trial for Mumia, we urge you to take a stand and not let this state terror go unopposed. Call Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester
Johnson to voice your outrage at 215-686-1776 or
215-686-3053. Call Philadelphia Mayor John Street as well
at 215-686-2181.

URGENT!URGENT!URGENT!

TAKE A STAND AGAINST POLICE TERROR ON APRIL 24 IN
PHILADELPHIA!

We have just received word that the Philadelphia Fraternal
Order of Police (FOP) is once again escalating their
terror tactics in an attempt to deny the rights of people
to assemble and demonstrate. According to Philadelphia
Civil Affairs 400 plain clothed cops (carrying weapons)
will "demonstrate" against a planned event on April 24th
(see below) in support of political prisoner Mumia
Abu-Jamal who is currently on death row. Whether or not
you support the call for a new trial for Mumia, we urge
you to take a stand and not let this state terror go
unopposed.

Unable to get the courts to deny access for Mumia
Abu-Jamal's attorney's to appeal for a new trial in his
case, the FOP has already gone on a rampage of threats and
intimidation designed to frighten people who stand for
justice including an attempt to force the cancellation of
Tuesday's public meeting.

The Tuesday, April 24 an event featuring Danny Glover,
Sonia Sanchez, DeLacy Davis and many others designed to
present the truth about Abu-Jamal's case will go on as
planned, AT A NEW LOCATION, THE FRIENDS CENTER AT 1501
CHERRY ST despite FOP attempts to keep it from happening.

The meeting at Friends Center, which has always had open
doors for the progressive movement, must be defended. If
police are allowed to get away with intimidating terrorist
tactics against Mumia supporters today, who will be next?
Recently anti-war demonstrators in Washington were
confronted by a well organized and financed
"counter-demonstration" of Bush supporters posing as
pro-war veterans. These neo-fascist actions need to be
taken seriously.

Events on Tuesday start with a noon time "Ring Around City
Hall" gathering at the North East Corner of City Hall,
across from the Courtyard Marriott Hotel. At 5pm there
will be a march to 15th & Cherry where the evening program
will start at 6pm where a documentary narrated by actor
Danny Glover - "Framing an Excution" - will be shown. At
7:30pm there will be a panel discussion featuring Glover,
poet Sonia Sanchez, award winning journalist Linn
Washington, exonerated death row resident Harold Wilson,
MOVE member and May 13th survivor Ramona Africa, DeLacy
Davis founder of Black Cops Against Police Brutality, Ron
Hampton of the National Association of Black Police
Officers, and Attorney and WURD radio host Michael Coard.

The April 24th event was originally scheduled to take
place at the Clef Club, but after receiving threats and
undergoing extreme intimidation from the FOP and its
allies, on April 11th the board of directors to the Clef
Club voted to cancel its scheduled event to be held on
Mumia's upcoming birthday. As a result the program itself
WILL NOT BE CANCELLED, BUT MOVED TO THE AFSC ON 15th AND
CHERRY STREETS.

This type of police terror is predictable and is in no way
new to the movement to free Mumia. In New York City, the
FOP alongside of the NYPD issued threats and 16 citations
against the Remote Lounge - a club which was scheduled to
host "Mumia 911" last week. Fearing that his family would
be in danger by the police, and in outrage over the
citations, the owner opted out and was forced to cancel
the hip-hop show which none-the-less did go on after it
was relocated to the IAC Solidarity Center at 55 W. 17th
St in Manhattan.

Last December, dozens of black-jacketed, masked police
stationed their motor cycles within a block of a meeting
for Mumia where they revved their engines at full volume
attempting to drown out an outdoor rally. Apparently laws
against demonstrating with masks on, and noise ordinances
near hospitals don't apply to the police.

While the FOP and their supporters declare these actions
"victories", in reality they are nothing more than the
desperate and cowardly displays of corrupt and violent
police power, leading up to the Third Circuit's Oral
Arguments which will happen on May 17th in Philadelphia.

We urge you to come out in defense of the rights of free
speech and the right to assemble. Stay for the film and
meeting and learn more about why the police and state have
bent over backwards to silence an innocent man.

Also take action now to protest the planned police
actions. Call Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester
Johnson to voice your outrage at 215-686-1776 or
215-686-3053. Call Philadelphia Mayor John Street as well
at 215-686-2181.


Read a recent article by Linn Washington on FOP Intimidation of Mumia
Supporters:

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/2007/04/38829.shtml

More info on April 24 event:

http://freemumia.com/April24.html

TAKE A STAND AGAINST POLICE TERROR ON APRIL 24 IN
PHILADELPHIA! ALL OUT FOR A NEW TRIAL FOR MUMIA - MAY
17th.

For more information, visit mumia.org (Philadelphia), freemumia.com (New
York City), freemumia.org (San Francisco), or emajonline.com (Educators for
Mumia). For the latest on Abu-Jamal from the independent media, check out
Bennett’s new “Voice of the Voiceless” series on Abu-Jamal being published
in the months leading up to the oral arguments at:
http://hbjournalist1.googlepages.com/ms
from the defenestrator - http://defenestrator.org