Goodby, Norma Jean Abu-Jamal
HERE'S A THOUGHT that bears repeating. Without the death penalty, would the world still care about what happened in Center City Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 1981? Because of capital punishment the name Mumia Abu-Jamal is more frequently associated with Martin Luther King than James Earl Ray.
The name Daniel Faulkner is a footnote in the victimhood of Wesley Cook, the Norma Jean of death row inmates. "The candle burned out long before the legend ever did." Faulkner was the candle snuffed out on a cold December pre-dawn at 13th and Locusts Sts. 26 years ago today. The legend of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Wesley Cook, was born that same day.
The issue of "Free Mumia" versus "Fry Mumia" has become a distraction from the question of who murdered a 25 year-old Philadelphia police officer. Clearly, many "Free Mumia" people are anti-death penalty proponants caught up supporting the wrong poster child. Mumia's murder trail was a perfect storm of racially contraversial mannerisms polished in the '60's -- a martinet judge, an eager-to-be political prisoner/defendent and overwhelming evidence against same.
Mumia fired his lawyer, acted as his own attorney, lost his own case, and has been appealing it ever since. The prosecution demonstrated that a bullet from Mumia's gun killed Faulkner, and a bullet from Faulkner's gun was in Mumia's gut. Clearly, Mumia was "there" at the time of the shooting.
For almost 20 years -- TWENTY YEARS! -- Mumia refused to testify about what happened the night of the shooting. In 1999 Mumia finally gave his version: he was sitting in his cab, heard some shouting, then shooting, saw his brother in distress, ran to his aid and was shot by a uniformed cop. He doesn't remember what happened after that.
There are "mysterious dudes" galore in the Chronicles of Mumia, the real killers of Daniel Faulkner. The most mysterious of whom is Mumia. So articulate, so observant, so fully informed about everything except the most important moment of his life.
If I was an innocent man, I would have been shouting the truth from a mountaintop from day one, instead of waiting for the American criminal justice system to gag on the thought of executing an international cause celebre. Without the death penalty, Mumia Abu-Jamal would be as world famous as Wesley Cook, who is currently serving life without parole.
