WASHINGTON, D.C. – The memo has gone out, the date has been saved.
This coming Tuesday, radicals of all stripes will descend upon the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. to rally in support of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Organizers are hoping to speak with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about why Mumia should be set free. They’re also planning acts of civil disobedience to draw media attention to their cause.
Officially known as “Occupy the Justice Department,” the event is endorsed by the usual group of malcontents, including “Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal” – a collection of left-wing teachers from across the country.
Among Mumia’s many well-wishers in the K-12 community is Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association President Bob Peterson, the entire Chicago Teachers Union, and the Rethinking Schools crew who produce anti-American lesson plans and teaching materials that are used in countless classrooms.
To understand why responsible Americans should find it troubling that Mumia has become a folk hero to much of the teaching community, a little background is in order.
Mumia was a founding member of the Philadelphia Black Panther Party, and was working as a cab driver in that city in 1981.
On the night of Dec. 9, his brother, William Cook, was pulled over by police for driving the wrong way on a one-way street without headlights. Mumia apparently came across the scene in his cab and claimed the officer was beating Cook with a flashlight.
Mumia injected himself into the struggle, which resulted in both the police officer and Mumia getting shot. The officer, Daniel Faulkner, died, and Abu-Jamal was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Three eyewitnesses testified that they saw Mumia shoot the officer. Another witness testified that he angrily confessed to the shooting in the hospital.
A gun registered to Mumia with five spent rounds was found at the scene, and bullet fragments in the cop’s body were consistent with the type used in that weapon. Neither Mumia nor his brother chose to testify at the trial.
Abu-Jamal a left-wing cause célèbre
After years of left-wing activism on his behalf, Mumia’s fortunes took an upswing five months ago when Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams dropped the death penalty against him.
Emboldened by their success, leftists have moved on to the next phase of their plan, as the organizers’ memo reveals: “Short term goal: release Mumia. Long term goal: end mass incarceration.”
The memo then devolves into a greatest hits compilation of left-wing causes.
“Twenty-first century social movements around the world are illuminating the root causes of social crises, class inequality, bigotry, human rights violations, and environmental degradation,” organizers write.
How predictable: The “Free Mumia” movement is just part of the left’s larger efforts to delegitimatize America’s free market economy. Mumia’s guilt or innocence is unimportant to these radicals. They’re only interested in his case because it serves as a useful cudgel that they can use to attack American capitalism. The leftists have determined that Mumia’s race and religious beliefs (Islam) are useful in agitating a whole bunch of people and bringing them into their anti-American fold. Should Mumia ever be set free, they’ll just move on to the next cause on their list.
We mention all this to remind readers about the type of questionable people who are teaching our children, writing the textbooks, shaping the curriculum, and leading the teacher unions.
As the memo reads, “On that day (April 24), we will say that we are all Mumia.”
They might as well say, “We are all murderers of police officers.” How charming.
By the way, the reason the “occupiers” chose April 24 is that it’s Mumia’s 58th birthday. Or as respectable people prefer to call it: “Tuesday.”