[Ppnews] Mumia Support Rally in Mexico

[Political Prisoner News]

Rally for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal outside 
the most hated embassy in México

Sunday, December 20 2009 @ 12:02 AM CST

Contributed by: 
<http://news.infoshop.org/users.php?mode=profile&uid=14372>elenemigocomun
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20091220000224398

To the sound of drums, a little over a hundred of 
us demanded freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal outside 
the United States Embassy in Mexico City on 
December 9, 2009, as well as for Leonard Peltier, 
the men and women of MOVE, the Angola 3, Sundiata 
Acoli, Los Cinco, Francisco Torres, Hugo Pinnell, 
Ruchell Magee, Marilyn Buck, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, 
the Puerto Rican Independentistas, David Gilbert, 
Ramsey Muñiz, the environmental prisoners and all 
the social activists that this government intends 
to bury alive. We also demanded freedom for the 
11,000 Palestinian political prisoners resisting 
torture and imprisonment in Israeli jails.


Rally for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal outside 
the most hated embassy in México

by Amig at s de Mumia, México

To the sound of drums, a little over a hundred of 
us demanded freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal outside 
the United States Embassy in Mexico City on 
December 9, 2009, as well as for Leonard Peltier, 
the men and women of MOVE, the Angola 3, Sundiata 
Acoli, Los Cinco, Francisco Torres, Hugo Pinnell, 
Ruchell Magee, Marilyn Buck, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, 
the Puerto Rican Independentistas, David Gilbert, 
Ramsey Muñiz, the environmental prisoners and all 
the social activists that this government intends 
to bury alive. We also demanded freedom for the 
11,000 Palestinian political prisoners resisting 
torture and imprisonment in Israeli jails.

We accuse the United States government of 
kidnapping Mumia Abu-Jamal and holding him in 
conditions of torture for 28 years and of making 
an ongoing attempt on his life. In spite of all 
the evidence of racial discrimination in his 
trial, the Supreme Court of the United States 
––the highest court in the land–– has denied him 
justice and, in so doing, has become party to 
these crimes. Despite photographic evidence that 
completely destroys the ridiculous scenario put 
forward by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s 
office of the shooting death of policemen Daniel 
Faulkner in 1981, the managers of the national 
security state are now redoubling their efforts 
to execute this revolutionary journalist. If 
they’re not able to apply the death penalty, 
which is nothing but premeditated murder, they 
plan to hold him captive in silence for the rest 
of his life. We support the demand for a federal 
civil rights investigation and all actions necessary to win his freedom.

We also accuse the United States government of 
fostering political prison and the extermination 
of the social struggle here in Mexico by training 
and equipping military and police forces to 
repress the social movements. We demand freedom 
for Ignacio del Valle, Felipe Álvarez, and Héctor 
Galindo, now held with long vengeful sentences 
which amount to life in prison, and freedom for 
the prisoners in Molino de Flores, the recently 
arrested comrades Victor Herrera Govea and 
Emmanuel Hernández Hernández, and all political 
prisoners in Oaxaca, Campeche, Guerrero and the 
entire country. We say NO to Plan México and NO 
to the construction of more prisons.

Our moderator Armando spoke of Mumia Abu-Jamal as 
a comrade we’ve supported for a long time, 
condemned to death or life in prison for “being a 
critic of the highly racist society of the United 
States, whose own Declaration of Independence 
refers to indigenous people as ‘merciless Indian 
savages’ and which is built on the slave labor of 
people brought there from Africa. The history of 
the United States has been one of slavery, 
imperialism, and the robbery of the wealth of 
other peoples, all of which we have experienced 
in Mexico. And since Mumia is a good critic, he 
brings out these things. That’s why he’s in prison”.

After reading Mumia’s essay on Oscar Grant, whose 
murder by a BART policeman sparked a rebellion in 
the streets of Oakland at the first of the year, 
one of our members, Hilda, commented that 
although Mumia Abu-Jamal is now officially 
condemned to life in prison, there is a big 
effort to execute him and that his life is in 
grave danger. She explained that this essay is 
one of many things he has written on different 
issues, including Atenco, Oaxaca, the war in 
Iraq, from his small cell on death row where he 
has no physical contact whatsoever with his 
family or friends. She mentioned that it’s a 
paradox to speak of this situation on the eve of 
the celebration of International Human Rights 
Day, and she also denounced the numerous human 
rights violations in Mexico by the Army, a body 
that has no business patrolling the streets.

It gave us great pleasure to have ex political 
prisoner Jacobo Silva Nogales with us at this 
rally. He and Gloria Arenas Agis, recently won 
their freedom after spending ten years in prison 
for guerrilla activity with Jacobo arguing their 
right to rebellion. He said: “And who is Mumia 
Abu-Jamal? The first time I heard that name I was 
in prison, and I learned that he was also in 
prison. I learned that he was a political 
prisoner, and I was also a political prisoner
. 
Mumia is a mirror that we’re proud to look at 
because what we see is admired and respected; 
it’s what the rest of us are, if only slightly 
and in exceptional moments. But he’s also a 
mirror that’s feared because it shows what can 
happen when self and duty become one and the same 
thing. The mirror admired and respected; that’s 
Mumia ––an admirable struggle and a death 
sentence. So it also reflects those who have 
sentenced him. It reflects their fear of a better 
world for the many. That’s why they want him 
dead; that’s why we want him alive
. It may seem 
hard, at times, to win freedom when you’re in a 
prison where they try to ban your very dreams, 
but it’s possible to get out of there if the 
dreams from the outside come together with those 
on the inside
. I know this, because not long ago 
I was in a place like that, and I was able to get 
out, and so I’d like to tell him that I think he 
can get out, too ––that he can, that we can, win 
out over those bars that are blocking the freedom 
of his body, like he’s been able to win out over 
those that block his freedom of spirit. By 
defending Mumia, we’re defending our own selves!”

Also present were family members and comrades of 
Víctor Herrera Govea, recently arrested in the 
annual October 2nd march in commemoration of the 
Tlatelolco Massacre, simply for being young and 
protesting in the streets of Mexico City. His 
sisters invited everyone to participate in the 
activities in his support and read a letter that 
he sent to the rally, which says in part: “Today 
it’s not only in México that we’re experiencing 
the oppression of the prison system. This is also 
the case in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where 
Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was once a reporter for the 
Black Panthers, has been in jail for 28 years, 
sentenced to death or life imprisonment
.The way 
his trials have been conducted reflects the 
nature of the ghetto experienced in the United 
States, a country where 42% of the prison 
population is made up of African-Americans
.Once 
again, we find ourselves under attack by the 
neoliberal prison system. As lovers of freedom 
and anarchists who defend life lived in 
collectivity, we are not exempt from government 
espionage and measures of repression and 
oppression
.The only thing left to do is keep on 
struggling for our prisoners in Mexico and those 
outside the country like Mumia Abu-Jamal, who’s 
been incriminated for a murder he did not 
commit
.There’s no evidence whatsoever against 
us, either
.To Mumia, our heartfelt desire to see 
him free. To the government, the worst of all possible downfalls”.

We read a letter recently published in La Jornada 
by political prisoner Felipe Álvarez of the 
Peoples’ Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) of 
San Salvador Atenco: “Eight years after we 
launched a resistance struggle against an 
invasive, oppressive, murderous system, I ask you 
to keep on struggling. There’s no torture that 
will ever make us give up our ideals; they can 
chain my body but never my consciousness. Neither 
can they chain the dignity and spirit of our 
peoples who are fighting for what belongs to 
them. The government still intends to dispossess 
us of what is ours and put it at the service of 
empire, taking our lands, water, oil, light, and 
the little wealth we have left
.It’s only those 
of us who struggle for land, natural resources 
and freedom who can gain the independence, 
sovereignty, and homeland that those who are 
looting our country talk so much about. Brothers 
and sisters, you live in my heart! Not one step 
backwards! Zapata lives! The Front continues!”

Doña Fili spoke: “Mumia, there are a lot of young 
people here who hadn’t even been born when you 
went to jail. We, as mothers, see you as our son 
and demand your freedom. We will never tire of 
demanding your freedom. You live in a highly 
advanced country. Advanced, yes, but in 
death
You’ve resisted a country that has killed 
our peoples
In our countries, they impose 
tyrants, but we’ll bring them down
You are part 
of our people, Mumia. You’ve marked our history. 
That’s why we’re here, Mumia. Your spirit lives in each one of us.”

We appreciated the presence of the Federation of 
the Socialist Campesino Students of Mexico 
(FECSM), which has been in a struggle against 
government plans to convert rural teacher 
training schools into mere technical schools in 
places such as Tiripetío, Michoacán and 
Ayotzinapa, Guerrero. Their representative Isaías 
sent his greetings to Mumia, and said: “Comrades, 
as a Federation, we’ve had prisoners; as a 
Federation, we’ve been beaten; as a Federation, 
we’ve been tortured by the federal government, so 
we lend our solidarity to all those who struggle 
from below
.We’ve seen how the imperialists have 
increasingly taken over our freedom and our 
resources. We have the same enemy and we’ll 
struggle with you against this common enemy.”

Daniel, speaking for the collective Shouts of 
Street Rage (GRC), said: “28 years have gone by. 
Those numbers may be easy to say. 28 años. But 
I’ve reached the conclusion that my mother was a 
child when a person, a thinker, a journalist was 
taken prisoner. Why? Because, as we know, the 
State is afraid of people who, with their words, 
their gaze, their actions, generate actions that 
destroy the system we talked about. You mothers 
walking by in the street, I ask you: What if 
Mumia Abu-Jamal were your son? What if they had 
taken away his freedom and what if he were locked 
up on death row thinking, ‘Damn! They could shoot 
me up with drugs tomorrow and end my life!? This 
comrade, in spite of being behind bars, not being 
able to see the light of day, not being able to 
hug his family, has stayed active and is still 
present in the social processes ––from inside, 
yes, but he’s part of things. Is it right to just 
stand by when we see a life in danger right 
before our eyes? When we see false evidence, a 
new trial denied, the death penalty, a life 
sentence, total injustice and impunity? And now 
the question is– what are we going to do?

 From Chiapas, we received greetings from the 
poet Xmal Ton, adherent to the Sixth Declaration 
of the EZLN: “This song is dedicated to all our 
comrade political prisoners in Abya Yala, which 
is America, in all the continents of the world. 
Thank you for your bravery and your force, which 
are the breath of life to us. Thank you for your 
spirit of struggle, which is the road we take 
every day. For the liberation of all of us who 
struggle for our great, sacred mother, which is 
the Earth.” We read her poem “Four words,” 
dedicated to all political prisoners and 
especially to the grandfather Leonard Peltier: 
“Four words fall from the sky. Do not be sad. 
Four words fall from the sky. They will heal you. 
Four words fall from the sky. The morning is 
ready for you. Four words fall from the sky. The 
fire will warm your heart. Four words fall from 
the sky. The air will pray for you
”

After reading the poem, our comrade Bisharú 
commented: “I feel very close to Mumia because of 
his words, because of the way he talks about the 
social movements. Sometimes I feel ashamed when I 
think that somebody in his conditions can be much 
freer than the rest of us. He has shown us that 
freedom is not only seen in actions, but also 
comes through in Mumia’s words that have brought 
life and liberty to many of us.”

We denounced the attacks against the Zapatista 
communities and read a recent letter from the 
Gómez Saragos brothers, of Bachajón, Chiapas, to 
all the national and international organizations, 
where they say: “
we belong to the organization 
of adherents to the other campaign of the EZLN, 
and we’re here for defending our territory while 
the government wants the PRI party members to 
have it, but we
don’t want them to take away our 
land because that’s where we work to support our 
children. That’s why we’re prisoners. But we 
thank you for your valuable support and hope that 
you’ll continue to support us in reaching our goals.”

Yazmín of the Chanti Ollin spoke of the recent 
effort by the city government to take this 
occupied space away from us, and then she read 
the text written this past November 25 by Nzingha 
Shakur-Ali, daughter of political prisoner, Dr. 
Mutulu Shakur: “My dad goes before the parole 
board December 2nd. Thinking about my family and 
the families of other political prisoners and 
freedom fighters around the world
 i am SO truly 
blessed to come from the family i do, from the 
Hearne clan, from the Shakur clan. It’s a 
different way of life in many ways, being 
children of revolutionaries. Our parents fought, 
were imprisoned, were exiled, and died fighting 
for basic human equality; and all the while 
growing up in discipline and knowledge, love and 
respect for not only our people, but for all 
people. we think differently; we see the world 
differently
. now Mutulu is in Florence, 
Colorado, the #1 maximum security prison in the 
united states also known as the ADMAX, Supermax, 
or The Alcatraz of the Rockies, ADX houses the 
prisoners who are deemed the most dangerous and 
in need of the tightest control. It is the 
highest level security federal prison in the 
united states, and generally considered the most 
secure prison in the world. Individuals are kept 
for at least 23 hours each day in solitary 
confinement.” That means he gets 1 hour, by 
himself, outside his cell in heavily guarded 
area. All of our visits are behind glass and he 
often handcuffed
. these things come to mind as 
his parole hearing draws near. They have and 
continue to do everything they possibly can to 
keep him in prison
 i am humbled by those who, 
like mutulu, saw their difficult path before them 
and even still chose to stand and fight, rather 
than lay down and continue to be enslaved
.i give 
thanks for the people who fought and are still 
fighting for freedom and equality
. My blood? is 
a million stories. FREE ‘EM ALL. Peace.”

Victor of the Popular Kitchen of the Che Guevara 
Auditorium talked about the way prisons exemplify 
capitalism, commenting that for Mumia Abu-Jamal, 
“the American dream, for whites only, was just a 
prison and the Black Panther Party was his road 
to freedom.” He quoted from Mumia’s book, We Want 
Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party: “I 
went to jail
. I was here for defending my 
people. I was here because I was a member of the 
Black Panther Party. Within a few weeks I was 
back, no worse for the wear. I was out of jail 
and back in the swing of things. I was working on 
the paper, selling them, and editing stuff
The 
days were long. The risks were substantial. The 
rewards were few. Yet the freedom was hypnotic. 
We could think freely, write freely, and act 
freely in the world. We knew that we were working 
for our people’s freedom, and we loved it. It was 
the one place in the world that it seemed right 
to be.” In speaking of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s 
relationship to the MOVE organization, Victor 
said: “Mumia rediscovered people bent on freedom 
and an organization that was an alternative to 
the logic of the coercion and degradation of 
human beings by the panoptic prison. But the 
prison system still existed along with its forms 
of repression and sabotage. In the face of the 
genocidal attacks by the North American system 
against the MOVE movement, Mumia could not remain 
silent; he denounced the massacre.” Victor 
concluded his presentation, citing Mumia’s essay 
“Absence of Power”: “The police are agents of 
white, ruling-class, capitalist will––period. 
Neither black managers nor black politicians can 
change that reality. The people themselves must 
organize for their own defense, or it won’t get done.”

Pachón of Mexico City Anarchist Black Cross read 
the following text: “Mumia’s case is not 
isolated; it’s part of a strategy of social 
control by governments to try to break the 
righteous social movements and silence people who 
make them uncomfortable. The United States is the 
country with the highest percentage of its 
population imprisoned, the majority of whom are 
Black or Latinos. More and more people in jail. 
That’s what the goverments and private industry 
want so they can build more and more 
prisons
.Mumia’s example should give us the 
strength to redouble our efforts to win his 
freedom. IN conclusion, we want to call attention 
to the cases of other political prisoners in the 
United States and name some of them: Abdul Azeez, 
Abdul Majid, Alvaro Luna Hernández, Antonio 
Guerrero, Avelino González Claudio, Bill Dunne, 
Byron Shane Chubbuck, Carlos Alberto Torres, 
Chuck Sims Africa, Daniel Mcgowan, David Gilbert, 
Debbie Sims Africa, Delbert Orr Africa, Ed 
Poindexter, Edward Goodman Africa, Erik Oseland, 
Eryn Trimmer, Francisco Torres, Fred “Muhammad” 
Burton, Garret Fitzgerald, Gerardo Hernandez, 
Hanif S. Bey (B. Gereau), Herman Bell, Jaan K. 
Laaman, Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, Jalil Muntaqim, 
Janet Holloway Africa, Janine Phillips Africa, 
Jeffery “Free” Luers, Joseph “Joe-Joe” Bowen, 
Leonard Peltier, Luce Guillen-Givens, Luis 
Medina, Malik Smith, Maliki Latine, Marilyn Buck, 
Marshall Eddie Conway, Matthew Depalpma, Max 
Specktor, Michael Davis Africa, Mondo We Langa 
(D. Rice), Monica Bicking, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, 
Nathanael Secor, Oscar Lopez Rivera, Rene 
Gonzalez, Robert Seth Hayes, Romaine Chip 
Fitzgerald, Ronald Reed, Ruben Campa, Russell 
Maroon Shoats, Sekou Kambui (W. Turk), Sekou 
Odinga, Sundiata Acoli (C. Squire), Thomas 
Manning, Tsutomu Shirosaki, Veronza Bowers Jr., 
William Phillips Africa, William ‘Lefty’ Gilday, Zolo Agona Azania”.

Despite sound problems, the comrades of The Other 
Culture closed the rally with their original song 
dedicated to Mumia as a gesture of solidarity, 
and also brought copies of their new CD 
highlighting the song. Several images of Mumia 
were left behind on the ground and the concrete 
barriers around the Embassy, along with the ashes of the stars and stripes.

Amig at s de Mumia, México




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415 863-9977

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