Written by Justin Acheampong

_{13th and Locust Street Intersection.}

​​13th and Locust Street marks the site of a murder and framing that led to the unjust and political imprisonment of one of Philadelphia’s most important Black radical revolutionaries—Mumia Abu Jamal. 

In order to ground this history, it is important to first understand who Mumia is and what he stood for in the city. Growing up in North Philadelphia at 7th and Wallace (see 7th and Wallace tour stop for more on Mumia’s early life), Mumia started on his journey of radicalization early: he joined the Black Panthers at the young age of 14. Mumia’s main revolutionary tool was his storytelling and commitment to telling the truth. An accomplished journalist, his skill of crafting stories to focus on the truth despite the intentions of the general public and people in power set him apart from the typical journalist. His ability as a journalist garnered Mumia praise throughout the city, with him being elected as the President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and voted by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the city’s top“personalities to watch”. 

Mumia’s focus on telling the truth with his journalism countered many of the anti-Black and white supremacist narratives around Black radicalism in the city, which helped uplift Black revolutionaries and revolutionary work. However, this also placed Mumia at odds with the Philadelphia police department and the mayor, Frank Rizzo, who is known for his anti-Black carceral policies and ideologies. This was the outcome of Mumia’s reporting on MOVE, in particular. Frank Rizzo and the city worked hard to keep the narrative surrounding MOVE negative to justify the city targeting MOVE, and Mumia’s journalism combatted these narratives leading to sympathy for MOVE’s cause and the calling out of police violence/targeting against MOVE. For example, in a press conference after August 8th, 1978, Mumia questioned Rizzo’s use of deadly force in the police siege of the Powelton Village MOVE Headquarters (see the tour stop description). The honest and sympathetic way that Mumia discussed MOVE led to MOVE members supporting him and further radicalizing him. The connection between MOVE and Mumia is essential to understanding his life and how he became a target of the system. As a testament to this relationship, Mumia even donned MOVE’s signature dreadlocks, which were not popular at the time and sported almost exclusively by MOVE members.

It is with this context that we step into what happened on December 9th, 1981. On this day, Daniel Faulkner, a 25-year-old police officer, was murdered and Mumia Abu Jamal was eventually charged with his murder and sentenced to death row, which changed to a life in prison sentence after international advocacy to save Mumia from the death penalty. However, Mumia’s conviction was riddled with holes and discrepancies that show that Mumia Abu Jamal was wrongly convicted and is being held as a political prisoner by the state of Pennsylvania due to his storytelling on MOVE. The list of the injustices riddling Mumia’s trial is long. Both of the witnesses used to testify to Mumia’s guilt were bribed. Almost all of the Black people on the jury were removed due to peremptory challenges. There were no bullet holes to corroborate stories that Mumia shot at Faulkner and missed several times. There are currently boxes of documents related to the case that were never brought to trial.  The use of false evidence, hiding evidence, and rigging juries and trials are often weapons used against Black revolutionaries so that those in power who oppose them can lock them in prison and no longer fear their power. The city and Frank Rizzo feared Mumia’s power and used the tragic murder of Daniel Faulkner to frame Mumia and undermine his influence. 

_{Protestors demand freedom for Mumia Abu-Jamal in April 2021.}

However, neither Mumia nor Philly’s Black community has allowed Mumia’s importance to the city to be derailed. Mumia has continued his truth-telling even while wrongly incarcerated, writing books like “Live from Death Row” in 1995, “WeWant Freedom” in 2004, “Have Black Lives Ever Mattered” in 2017, and his most recent, “Murder Incorporated: Perfect Tyranny” in 2021. Organizers have been working since Mumia’s imprisonment to call out the city for their injustice and grant him a retrial. Huge protests are held on July 3rd, the day of Mumia’s sentencing, April 24th, Mumia’s birthday, and December 9th, the day of Daniel Faulkner’s murder, to advocate for Mumia’s release. The MOVE organization also champions efforts to bring Mumia home, with Janine Africa saying “If they want to do anything to show people that they are sincere about resolving this situation with MOVE and the city, let Mumia out.” after the city offered an apology for the MOVE bombing with no substance to back up the claim. 

Mumia stands as an example of the power of Black revolutionaries and how the city fears that power. We will continue to stand by Mumia and advocate for his release, as he has now spent over 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Visit bringmumiahome.com for more information on Mumia and how you can join in the fight to bring Mumia home. 

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Bibliography

Allyn, Bobby. “Judge: Mumia Abu-Jamal Can Reargue Appeal in 1981 Police Slaying.” WHYY.” 2018.

Allyn, Bobby. “Krasner Reverses Position, No Longer Opposes New Hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal.” WHYY. 2019.

Allyn, Bobby. “Philly Prosecutors Discover Mysterious ‘Six Boxes’ Connected to Mumia Abu-Jamal In Storage Room.” WHYY. 2019.

“Bring Mumia Home.” Campaign to Bring Mumia Home.

Educators and Journalists for Mumia. “Big Media Must Not Ignore New Mumia Abu-Jamal Crime Scene Photos.” Dissident Voice. 2007.

Johanson, Kristen. “Pennsylvania Superior Court Rejects Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Latest Appeal.” KYW Newsradio. 2021.

Jones, Layla A. “Mumia Abu-Jamal 101: How He Ended Up In Prison, and Why MOVE Wants Him Freed.” Billy Penn at WHYY. 2021.

Meyer, Katie. “40 Years After Lumia Abu-Jamal’s Arrest, The Case Is ‘A Symbol’ of a ‘Broken’ Justice System.” WHYY. 2021.

Orso, Anna. “MOVE 101: Why, 35 Years Ago, Philadelphia Dropped A Bomb On Itself.” Billy Penn at WHYY. 2020.

“Reckoning With Frank Rizzo’s Legacy.” WHYY. 2020.

Scott, Emily. “‘We Are Here to Save a Life’: Mumia Abu-Jamal to Undergo Heart Surgery; Supporters Call for His Release.” WHYY. 2021.

Shaw, Julie. “Pa. Supreme Court Dismisses Petition to Remove DA’s Office From Handling Mumia Abu-Jamal’s Appeals.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2020.

Washington Jr., Linn and Lindorff, Dave. “Krasner’s Stance on Mumia Won’t Cost Him Reelection. But It Will Stain His Reputation as a Reformer.” WHYY. 2021.