Mumia abu-Jamal, Move, and a slightly better world that almost was

Writing this manuscript I suddenly realize that if Move's original commune was allowed to survive, while the local Black kids who admired Move grew up, we'd have a more freedom oriented world today.


Current events and history cross paths in Philadelphia

New Jersey had a historical remembrance of the Newark riots. This seems strange in Philadelphia which shoves this kind of history under the rug. For years, the local media used to reminisce about the Rizzo years, and the bomb dropped on Osage Avenue, but no more. I wonder if Mumia abu-Jamal and Move being both history and current events interferes in the depiction of Pennsylvania history.


Newark’s, and Hoboken’s remembrance celebration of the troubled years was somewhat of a splash. Newark used the occasion to celebrate downtown Newark, after all these years, finally getting back on its feet, while Hoboken’s ex-mayor proudly discussed how she singlehandedly managed to avoid Hoboken burning. She singlehandedly faced an angry mob, picking three leaders of the mob to go into the police station to verify that the rioters, from the night before, had already been released, and the crowd slowly went home without storming the police station.

Philadelphia, like Hoboken, could be celebrating how one person, almost singlehandedly stopped a major race riot following the first eviction of the MOVE, back-to-nature commune from its 34th and Race Street paradise. Wallace Mohammad then the leader of the Black Muslims and three of his followers came upon a tense situation that could have been far worse than the Newark riots. He, and those that he kept calling upon to help him, removed the children’s bicycles before police on horseback charged the crowd. We Quakers were proud of making things less tense, and bragged about it in the Friends Journal. Instead of just making things more mellow, Wallace Mohammad yelled “Get your woman and children off the street.” Some of the kids kept returning but without their bicycles. The history of Israel-Palestine resembles that of America except there are no Black Muslims over there. I understand in several major cities of America, Black Muslim’s risked their lives dragging women and children out of harms way.

John Africa or Vincent Leaphart hoped to establish something they hoped the rest of the world would soon copy. But were now being evicted. Local Black children were actually inspired by Move back them. When a deadlocked decked person passed an elementary school, local Black kids would run to the fence, shouting “on the Move.” I imagined, at first, that it was I, more than Wallace Muhammad, that prevented the riot. Kids, and their bicycles, were at the police barricades screaming at one Black officer demanding that he cross the street to stand with his people. A lady, who was later going to hand out baseball bats, pointed to me, and the kids demanded that I cross the street to be with my kind of people. An officer shook his club at me to stop me, which the children thought was hilarious. I imagined, that by keeping the kids laughing, I stopped a major race riot, where in the end, Officer Ramp was shot in the distance, a fire cracker thrown nearby, and the police, many on horseback, charged. Sasha, who is now extremely conservative, tripped the officer rushing the abandoned building to catch the firecracker thrower, and would be now happy to tell what he knows. It was I who was convicted of blocking the arrest of the firecracker thrower. I was offered a suspended sentence, but demanded instead a medal, for stopping a race riot, and was sentenced to 6 to 23 month in prison. (Fortunately for me, after serving a short time in prison, new pictures came out, and a lot of headlines and I was released.). During the second Move eviction, there was the Move fire where several Move members died. In the nearby Puerto-Rican community, Officer Trench was assassinated while sitting in his patrol wagon. The police blamed the entire Puerto Rican community. I wonder what unknown heroes prevented the Puerto Rican community from rioting.

Little Mumia abu-Jamal, after hungrily relishing a meal at the Back Panther soup kitchen, used to run to the Black Panther library rather than out to play. His early experiences similar to that of a bilingual child whose relatives didn’t know English. From helping adults with their paperwork on, he thought it was his job to negotiate for the people around him.

Vincent Leaphart, and his mentor from the distant past, John Africa, hoped to make evil civilization evaporate, similar to the way New Age Gurus surrounded the Pentagon and tried to make it levitate. The two visions overlapped in interesting ways.

During Vietnam, I don't remember anything like, pro-impeachment advocates gladly watching Independence Mall Park Police make the "Gathering of Eagles" (angry Bush-supporters), behave. Cindy Sheehan, up from DC, then spoke, mentioning appreciating a Capital Hill police officer asking her autograph before apologetically complying with arresting her.

Nearby July 4 (three-weeks-earlier), peace-placards were waved from the Visitor's Center balcony, as pro-Mumia picketers chatted amiably with 911-Truth-People below. Free-Tibet-ers once ridiculed Mumia, instead out-shouted, out-pushed toward the Liberty Bell, antiwar-isolationist Ron Paul for President supporters, who added last-word tidbits to Free-Tibet chants.

30 years ago, I defied a ban on leafleting on Independence Mall, by handed out the Bill of Rights, as police glared. Three-centuries ago, whether hateing or supporting England, most hoped for an end to an awful war.

Quakers, without a pro-revolution candle in their window, watched their houses set on fire. Earlier, Quakers felt unwelcome in England after shouting in churches: "the priests robes" (church-hierarchy) was Satanic. Refused to swear on-the-Bible claiming God said, don’t’ swear, after refusing to rise when the Judge entered. Today, it's quaint for Quakers to stand until a judge enters, affirming-not-swearing to the truth.

Third-Worlder's modernize, ignoring pollution. – MOVE suddenly looking good; John Africa's hate for civilization, signifying living simply, supporting the ecology of the planet. Originally, diaperless children! Curse-words abounding! Especially later, when being dragged to the paddy-wagon or struggling to avoid camera mug-shots. Prisoners mumbled support, infuriating guards.

A news report of Move members beat up in court, for no reason at all, left me and others scratching our heads in disbelief, until Mumia’s report of curse words uttered that ended with bits of skin, blood and deadlocks on a cold empty courtroom floor. A newspaper reported, neighbors watched police, surround Mumia's mother's apartment, in a crowded public-housing high-rise, badgering her, over his reporting.

I volunteered at Community underground Newspaper where we became overjoyed that (then) calm, soft-voiced Mumia joined our staff. Suddenly, curse-words peppered his writings. Then murder charges. Mumia screamed a worldwide conspiracy, by civilization to sacrifice a cop as an excuse to silence him.

NAACP protesters picketed at the Round House over Mumia’s brother Billy's $50,000 bail for going up a one-way street.

Mumia’s lawyer Tony Jackson, ignored Mumia’s claim that Officer Faulkner was assassinated by another police officer. Mumia tried to tell the jury directly but Judge Sabo bound and gagged Mumia to shut him up. Arnold Beverly (2001) claimed Faulkner was a snitch, claiming he 3, assassinated an already wounded Faulkner. This fit Mumia's memories. Mumia stopped conspiracy-talk, becoming soft-spoken again. Beverly gave a brand-new explanation to the events for Mumia and Move besides civilization trying to preserve itself, and they have been acting quite differently ever since.

Lawyers urged against pursuing it. Cuba and the USSR stopped defending Mumia. Did Beverly intentionally confuse international support? Does FBI files contain hidden data?

When traffic was slowed by cursing protesters surrounded by police, those delayed often concluded that Mumia did it. Ironically, Move now defends themselves with the Internet, and neighbors say they’re pleasant to be around.

Mumia's brother Billy (2001 affidavit) was surprised to have been stopped by a policeman he didn't know since he thought he knew them all. Billy had good friends in the police department and refused to blame his brother or rat on his police friends (torn loyalties creating a judging act).

Officer Faulkner falsely dispatched he was stopping a Volkswagen going the wrong way on Locust Street, but it faced the right way after the altercation. Did some prearranged plan go wrong? Was Danny trying to prove he was one of the boys despite being a snitch?

Writing this manuscript I suddenly realize that if Move’s original commune was allowed to survive, while the local Black kids who admired Move grew up, we’d have a more freedom oriented world today. I been having a similar thought concerning the Black Muslim’s. If Elijah Mohammad’s original dream of transforming the West wasn’t scorned by other Muslims perhaps with the help of the CIA or Masad, we would never have had bin Laden, and perhaps when it comes to the Black Muslims some of this history could be undone. Black Muslims respect the beliefs of true Muslims never trying to make true Muslims join their streamlined version of the faith. The aggressively proselytizing Black Muslims were systematically making both Black and White Americans sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians.

Maybe comparing the two groups visions can help us deal with al Qaeda. The new Taliban taxes drugs rather than banning them. Spys don’t have to cut their beards, and I wonder if, like the 9/11 hijackers, they are allowed to drink and smoke, if it is part of their cover. The Taliban may not yet tax brothels, but if bin Laden is right that the last 1000 years was a war between the Muslims and the West where the Muslims couldn’t keep focused and the next millennium will be different, is the any possibility that with centuries of up coming war, brothels wouldn’t also be taxed rather than banned. Where babies will be raised and live a life in disguise, with little knowledge of the faith, their only purpose in life, a final act as a suicide bomber, perhaps being born from egg and sperm stolen or cloned from the West.

Mumia's writings gives us a black eye? But in Russia or Arab kingdoms, many crave the right to shout impeachment or communicate the way Mumia does. Does Move’s amateurish original efforts to prove due process was a joke by cursing at police officers, defense lawyers, and judges, have a lesson we can learn for dealing with al Qaida’s professional efforts to stop the system from working?

Sentenced to 6 to 23 months for interfering in an arrest. But released after new pictures came out showing his innocence. Kanegis’s First Lawyer Tony Jackson was Mumia’s first lawyer.


REFERENCES

DATED BUT THOUGH REVIEW OF MUMIA CASE All the reviews of Mumia, emphasized his years as a Black Panther instead of the extreme tension between Philadelphia and Move right before he was accused of murder, the following original Village Voice story is an exception. I hope at least this reference link could be published along with my article.
www.villagevoice.com/news/9947,noel,10342,1.html

NEW-JERSEY-CRIME-LINE~NJ-SPEAKOUT-PUBLICATION~vol-1-no-4~by-Jose-Santiago, police-abuse-expert.
www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/newjersey/nj-crime-4

Scroll down to the last 3 letters for important local insight
www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/08/23/letters-to-the-editor

Mumia, Move and my saga living nearby
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_richard__071005_mumia_2c_move_and_my_s.htm

One Bullet = Nine Convictions
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_richardk_071204_one_bullet__3d_nine_co.htm

Background-article-by-Professor-Linn-Washington-then-a-reporter-who-worked-the-same-stories-as-Mumia
QUAKER SEEKING REEL JUSTICE FROM JUDGE
By LINN WASHINGTON, Daily News Staff Writer
Source: Philadelphia Daily News (PA); 735 words.
Published: 1984-03-05 Section: LOCAL | Page 4 | Edition: 4STAR

When Mumia was in the hospital, Philadelphia was focused on what Billy, his brother, would say. But Billy was in jail with $50.000 bail for going the wrong way on a one way street. There was a spirited NAACP picket in front of the roundhouse over the high bail for such a small charge. Now 20 years later, the police dispatch tapes are available where it’s claimed that Officer Faulkner never said he was stopping a car for going the wrong way on Locust Street. How would the NAACP be picketing something that didn’t occur? A private investigator is badly needed.
http://abu-jamal-news.com/docs/BCwebsite.pdf

NY-Times--reference
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=THE+TALK+OF+INDEPENDENCE+MALL%3B+AT+%27AMERICA%27S+SOAPBOX