May 12, 2013
A documentary movie about Mumia Abu-Jamal (Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary) had been scheduled to open at the Cineplex-12 Theater in Newark, N.J., this spring. The documentary has been playing to full houses on extended runs in more than 20 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including Oakland, New York, Philly, New Orleans, Seattle, D.C, and Calgary, and the Newark theater had planned a gala opening–until Shaquille O’Neal, co-owner of the theater, stepped in and cancelled it at the last minute.
Shaquille O’Neal has long been a wannabe cop. He says he was “raised” by the Newark Police; he’s a big supporter of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and a “reserve police officer” in a number of cities; on a “ride along” in Baton Rouge police internal affairs accused him (then cleared him) of flushing a suspect’s head in a toilet. His canceling of the movie furthers a 30-year campaign by the FOP to see that Mumia dies in prison.