It was not unexpected that the Supreme Court would deny my
appeal. The Supreme Court hears only a tiny percent of the
cases that are brought before it, roughly 75 out of 7,000 in one
semester or a term of the court. I entertained no expectations
that mine would be granted. We have to remember that we
are working with a conservative court that has worked
deciduously in the Bush and Reagan administrations and
now in the Clinton administration to narrow the chances of
anyone having had their case heard, not just a prisoner on
death row. Even the most charitable observer must agree
that by virtue of the court taking such a small fraction of the
important cases that are filed before it, it is impossible to
ignore the fact that many grave injustices are going unresolved.
Given the tone and tenor of recent Supreme Court opinions
there is even a sense of relief that they didn't grant my third
appeal. And the trend is increasingly in favor of the State,
the trend is increasingly to disfavor the defendant and the
accused. Certainly there are exceptions, but that's the undeniable
trend, the expansion of state power and police power in the
retractions of prisoners' rights.
The struggle continued, the same old forces are still at work.
Look what happened when I called into WBAI. I was literally
pulled off the air a few weeks ago. The recent Phillip Block
debacle reflects too how desperate the state is and their
desperation is really an acknowledgement that none of them
believed Phil's confession story to begin with. Still we can't
forget the old saying that the truth shall set you free. I still
believe that. I'd be a fool not to.
October 4, 1999 -
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October 4, 1999
TO: MUMIA SUPPORTERS
FROM: DANIEL WILLIAMS AND LEONARD WEINGLASS
RE: DENIAL OF CERT.
Today, the United States Supreme Court failed to seize an
opportunity to do justice and to end a 17-year nightmare. An
opportunity to vindicate a well-established right, secured within
the Constitution itself, has been squandered. We are sorely
disappointed in the Supreme Court's unwillingness to give Mumia
a hearing in that court, even though the record is crystal clear
as to what happened in Mumia's trial. Mumia was unquestionably
stripped unjustifiably of his right to represent himself.
He had decided to represent himself after it became apparent that
his court-appointed lawyer was unwilling and incapable of representing
him adequately. Yet, at the very moment that the trial began, Mumia's
right to handle his own case was taken from him and the case placed
back into the hands of his incompetent defense counsel who did not
even expect that he would be trying the case.
When Mumia refused to sit in silence as his rights were being abridged,
he was forcibly removed from the trial proceedings.
All that we asked of the Supreme Court was to put this case on its
docket so these incontrovertible facts could be evaluated in the light
of the Constitution. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court let this golden
moment pass, and we must now present these, and other claims concerning
Mumia's innocence, to the federal courts. We are finalizing our federal
habeas petition and shall file it shortly. Although disappointed by the
Supreme Court's lack of courage and resolve, we are hopeful that the light
we see in front of us is the light of justice.
(end statement)
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International Concerned Family & Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 19709 - Philadelphia, PA 19143
Ph: 215-476-8812 / Fax: 215-476-7551
Web: www.mumia.org / E-mail: mumia@webcom.com
MUMIA MUST LIVE! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!