From the Darkness Shines a Light: A Mural for Mumia Abu-Jamal (December 2022)

I spent today with a couple artists on 52nd Street in West Philadelphia as we put up a mural for Mumia Abu-Jamal, an award winning journalist, a veteran Black Panther, and above all a great-grandfather who has been incarcerated for over 40 years despite newly discovered evidence pointing to gross judicial and prosecutorial misconduct in this 1982 trial.

Mumia currently has a PCRA appeal (Post Conviction Relief Act) in the courts and this Friday, December 16th, Judge Lucretia Clemons is expected to dismiss the case, citing the evidence as “immaterial”. Evidence such as newly found documents showing the prosecution struck Black jurors based on race (a Batson v. Kentucky violation) as well as star witnesses being bribed to give testimony (a Brady v. Maryland violation), on top of the fact that during the 1982 trial, Judge Albert Sabo was overheard saying “I’m going to help them (the jury) fry the n****r.” It wasn’t until 2001 that his death sentence was overturned, and yet he still remains in a cell. Fifteen of the officers who responded to the crime scene to arrest Mumia were later convicted of evidence tampering in other cases. And yet we are expected to believe he received proper due process.

At 68 years of age and in declining health, it is time for Mumia to come home to his family. I will be livestreaming directly from the courthouse at 8:30a this Friday. Link in bio along with other resources related to his case, including an amicus brief filed by the United Nations in support of Mumia.

lovenotphear.com

Mural made possible by:
@lovenotphear
@justkeebs
@oneartcommunitycenter
@borisbernard
Lamar Warren
Sam Rodriguez