SECTION FOURTEEN
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COLUMN
FIFTY-EIGHT, APRIL 1, 2001
(Copyright © 2001 Al Aronowitz)
FROM THE SONS OF AFRIKA
(SOA)
MAILING LIST
MUMIA FIRES LAWYER
Subject:
[soa] !*"Mumia Fires Counsel" Sally O'Brien/WBAI News Report
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 22:35:58 -0500
From: "Marpessa Kupendua" <nattyreb1@home.com>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
MAJ
fires counsel
In
a move to send shock waves throughout progressive
circles, Death Row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal has
filed a petition in the US District Court for
Pennsylvania's Eastern District to remove his
attorneys, Leonard Weinglass and Dan Williams as
counsels for his case.
At
issue, says Jamal is the fact that Attorney Dan
Williams has written a book about this internationally
recognized case without his permission or review.
Charging
this is a "conflict of interest" Mumia Abu-
Jamal has petitioned the court to grant him Pro Se
status - that is to serve as his own attorney.
In
papers sent to the US District Court last Friday,
Abu-Jamal,
who has been on Pennsylvania's death row
since 1982, asks the Court to grant his motions for
counsel withdrawal, pro se appointment and for an
extension of "sufficient time to acquire and hire
counsel."
The
papers further state that "on Saturday, February
24th, 2001, via Federal Express, the Petitioner
(Jamal) learned definitively that Mr. Williams was in
the late processes of publishing a book on the case -
purported to be "an inside account."
Supporting
his argument, Abu -Jamal cites "rule 1.8 d
of the rules of Professional Conduct" which, in part,
speaks about "prohibited transactions" among which,
the papers state, is a "prohibition against making or
negotiating a literary agreement based substantially
on information acquired by way of a lawyers'
representation."
In
1982, Mumia Abu Jamal was convicted in shooting
death of a Philadelphia police officer after a trial
that by many standards was rife with prosecutorial
misconduct. During that trial,
Mumia Abu Jamal was
denied the right to self-representation and was,
instead, given a court appointed lawyer, who, by his
own admission, was unprepared and unable to handle
such a complicated case. In
addition, during his 1995
Post Conviction Relief Appeal hearing, witnesses came
forward testifying they were coerced and intimidated
to alter their testimony. At
present, Abu-Jamal has a
Petition for habeas corpus before Federal District
Court Judge William Yohn - which if approved could
grant him a new trial.
Reached
late this afternoon, Attorney Leonard
Weinglass told WBAI News he had no comment except
to say "the important thing is that Mumia must be free
and this injustice must be corrected." "I remain
available," said Weinglass "to do whatever I can."
In
his supporting brief, Abu-Jamal argued "it is a
long-standing principle of law that where a conflict
of interest exists between a client and counsel, the
right to effective assistance of counsel is seriously
impaired."
In
the meantime, as his supporters await Mumia's
official statement, Mumia Abu-Jamal awaits word from
the US District Court in the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.
For
WBAI News, I'm Sally O'Brien.(5 March 2001)
*
* *
WBAI
(1)
Subject:
[soa] Reason for media problem at WBAI radio-NYC
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 17:45:35 -0500
From: Arlene Johnson <ajohnsonpresnsi@truedemocracy.net>
To: <soa@egroups.com>
Allow
me to share with people the reality of the community supported radio
station WBAI in New York City. WBAI receives no advertising revenue instead
relying on donations from listeners who have pledged upwards of $800,000 in
pledge drives the main one of which is conducted once per year with lesser
amounts received in other subsidiary pledge drives at other times during the
course of a year. As a resident of New York, I have personally pledged
hundreds of dollars to keep this radio station solvent and able to provide
accurate unbiased news.
Amy
Goodman, the acclaimed reporter who hosts Democracy Now each weekday
morning at 9 am for one hour provides incredible information and interviews
people who are knowledgeable throughout the world on situations ranging from
the war in Kosovo to East Timor genocide and events in the US and many other
worthy pieces of information to listeners who are eager to pay so they will
learn the reality. Many stations around the US tap in to this program, a
very popular program which garners many, many pledges when the drives are
held.
There
is another host who is on Saturday afternoons who is Grandpa Al Lewis.
You may remember him as Grandpa on the Munsters because it is the same
person. He is extremely well informed, an insatiable reader of history and
prison conditions and I personally respect
him immensely. One day one
listener said to Grandpa, "If only we could get more listeners; what can we
do to get more listeners?"
Immediately,
I said to myself, give them a free ad in True Democracy. It's a
perfect fit because they have taught me, so since I have learned details of
events which I wouldn't have learned if not for this station, I want to
reward them and keep them alive.
In
January, 2000 I offered the advertisment to the program developer who was
visibly pleased because I could hear it in his voice on the phone, but he
never gave me the ad. I tried everything I could think of to obtain the ad.
Finally,
since my lawyer said don't do the ad because the then manager,
Valerie Van Isler told me when I spoke with her that they would have to
approve any ad I composed, my lawyer said to not do the ad. To make a long
story short, I contacted a friend of mine who works in New York City and
asked her to call the current station manager on my behalf because I thought
that since that station manager is a person in whom I have had respect, she
would do the ad and Email it to me but she never did. Therefore, I wrote up
a commentary, not an ad, because I reason that I have freedom of speech and
freedom of the press guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to our Constitution
and sent it to my art director to include in True Democracy to help this
station for which I have tremendous respect.
About
two days after I sent the snail mail to my art director, my friend
sent me an Email which stated, "My sister [she works at WBAI] asked Utrice
Leid if she wanted the ad and Utrice said, no thank you."
I
have been invited to two birthday parties by Utrice Leid in as many years.
I have a snapshot of Utrice, my husband, and myself because she has always
been generous to me. She requested that I speak on the air one afternoon to
share with the listening audience the facts about the Trilateral Commission.
I
did. So, it is bewildering to me why she is conducting herself in the
manner in which she is now except to say that she is a person of color and
must be scarred to be fired as several people have been terminated including
Valerie Van Isler who was the station manager prior to December 26, 2000. I
haven't heard her side of the story but the reason why the lockouts and
firings occur is the powers that be want to eventually close down WBAI and
turn it into a music station to attract more listeners than it does as a
news and commentary station.
This
is because of the stranglehold of the media by the Trilateral
Commission which doesn't want folks like us to know the truth. Bill Clinton
appointed Mary Frances Berry who has tried to censor Amy Goodman because the
powers that be don't want Amy to disseminate the accurate information; she
has filed a grievance and for now is able to conduct her program in an
"embattled WBAI."
In
the US we are supposed to have freedom of speech and freedom of the
press. Do we? You be the judge because you can be. The fourth edition of
True Democracy will be devoted to people like Amy Goodman whom I have met
twice and respect immensely. Anyone who tries to impinge on freedom of
speech or freedom of the press is treading on thin ice because this is a
Constitutional right so we will take care of this betrayal in that edition
of my unique magazine. It should prove interesting reading because I have
quite a bit of documentation on the problems that the entire Pacifica
stations have endured because of Mary Frances Berry due to the fact that she
was beholding to Bill Clinton because he was beholding to the Trilateral
Commission.
Thank
you so much for reading this scenario of events at my favorite radio
station.
In
peace and solidarity,
Arlene
Johnson
Publisher of forthcoming True Democracy
Password: freedom (first four editions)
News Source, Inc.
The Company That Cares About People
ajohnsonpresnsi@truedemocracy.net
Please visit my Web site at http://truedemocracy.net
and become a donor if
you can.
Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin With Me!
*
* *
WBAI
(2)
Subject:
[soa] Fwd: [Open-Your-Third-Eye] Arrests at WBAI - Struggle Escalates
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 00:43:25 EST
From: charrisceada@aol.com
To: soa@yahoogroups.com
Continue
the resistance of repression and the promotion of free speech. They
are on the offensive here in Los Angeles as well, KPFK and other stations
that air the progressive thought of the people. This is just a residual of
GW's false electoral victory and the new Bush administration, to clamp down
on freedom of thought/speech and our Afro-Centric perspective and agenda. No
wonder, his daddy was the head of the CIA.
Welcome
to afazi.com, an electronic village square primarily for black women
of a certain can-do disposition, even exuberance. Afazi is a community for
those who value cool intelligence over fumes, women who crave information
that is original, useful, and fun; who appreciate the advantages of
sisterhood and community; who are focused on personal achievement but also
have time to help pull others up; who seek understanding of life's
complexities, are unafraid of contrary views, are interested in reading a
piece from Atlanta as from Timbuktu, and are willing to vacation in the
Olduvai Gorge as much as in the Caribbean.
---- http://www.afazi.com
##
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