Monthly Archives: February 2019

Mumia Abu-Jamal : Remarks to the RebLaw Conference

Mumia Abu-Jamal made a speech to the Rebellious Lawyering Conference at Yale Law School on February 15, 2019. Audio of the speech is available at Prison Radio.

A transcript of Mumia’s remarks is below.

Click here for a PDF of the transcript

Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Speech to the RebLaw Conference – “Rebel Lawyers”
February 15, 2019

Dear friends at Yale Law School, dear Rebel Lawyers – On a Move!

I greet you all, as I attempt to address the issue of Rebel Lawyers. When I think of the term, the first thing that comes to mind are jailhouse lawyers. They are, by definition, rebels who oppose the prison-industrial complex, especially in the courts. Jailhouse lawyers fight for freedom, for themselves and others, and sometimes they prevail. Some jailhouse lawyers, like John and Mo Africa of the MOVE Organization, defended themselves at trial, and won acquittals. Because such men and women aren’t trained in the law, and do their work using logic and sheer will, they fall under the description of Rebel Lawyers, I think.

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LAC Letter to the Rebellious Lawyering Conference

The Rebellious Lawyering (“RebLaw”) Conference at Yale Law School recently rescinded its offer to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to serve as keynote speaker, after pressure brought from a group of Harvard University students opposed to the exclusion of Mumia from the conference.

The LAC has written a letter to RebLaw, which is reproduced below.

Click here for a PDF of the letter to RebLaw

February 11, 2019

The Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal congratulates the Rebellious Lawyering (“RebLaw”) Conference on making the principled decision to disinvite Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner from making the 2019 RebLaw keynote address.

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The Excuses of Larry Krasner

[The following article is posted for informational purposes only.]

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/02/the-excuses-of-larry-krasner

THE EXCUSES OF LARRY KRASNER

We can’t blindly trust people in power when they refuse to explain themselves…

Larry Krasner was elected district attorney of Philadelphia in 2018 with a radically progressive mandate. As a former public defender and civil rights lawyer, he has been long critical of the criminal punishment system. He’s perhaps the most “progressive prosecutor” in the country, and has already effectively decriminalized marijuana, sued Big Pharma companies, and required his deputies to consider the costs of mass incarceration in their sentencing recommendations. Activist Shaun King has said Krasner was “exceeding expectations” and that his sentencing memorandum was a “dream come true.” But recently, Krasner has received criticism from fellow reformers, after announcing that his office would challenge a judge’s decision in favor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Black Panther controversially imprisoned for the 1981 murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner.

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Krasner: Mumia’s Appeal is “Nuanced”

[The following article is posted for informational purposes only. Mumia’s appeal is not “nuanced”. The evidence makes out a clear case of factual innocence. Any “nuance” in the situation likely derives from Justice Ron Castille’s presence on Krasner’s transition team when Krasner became Philadelphia District Attorney.]

https://theintercept.com/2019/02/09/larry-krasner-mumia-abu-jamal/

LARRY KRASNER RESPONDS TO PROGRESSIVE CRITICS: MUMIA ABU-JAMAL APPEAL IS “INCREDIBLY COMPLEX AND NUANCED”


February 9 2019, 5:22 a.m.

IN HIS FIRST public comments about his office’s January decision to fight a new appeal from incarcerated activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked for patience from critics.

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Arizona Prisoner Dies from Hepatitis C After Filing Notice “I Am Being Killed”

These articles from the Phoenix New Times and AZCentral show the rampant medical mistreatment in the Arizona prison system for Hepatitis C. Five death row inmates since 2014 in the Arizona prison system have died from Hepatitis C-related issues.

Mumia narrowly escaped death a few years ago from a Hepatitis C infection, which the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections refused to diagnose and treat. The Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia participated in the international campaign to save Mumia’s life, organizing demonstrations at the JP Morgan’s annual biotech conference at the Westin St. Francis, as well as Gilead Sciences’ headquarters in Union City in January 2016. Gilead manufactures Harvoni, which cures Hepatitis C. The company charges upwards of $ 10,000 for each pill ($95,000 for a 12-week course of treatment).

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-prisoner-dies-after-writing-being-killed-in-court-document-11200551

Arizona Prisoner Dies After Writing ‘I Am Being Killed’ in Court Document

STEVEN HSIEH | FEBRUARY 7, 2019 | 12:12PM

An Arizona state inmate died of health complications six weeks after he filed a court document claiming that he was “being killed” due to inadequate medical care.

Richard Washington died on January 31 in the prison infirmary, according to a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Corrections. He died of complications related to diabetes, hypertension, and hepatitis C, according to an investigator with the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s office.

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