Escalate the Struggle for Mumia Abu-Jamal
A Message from Carl Dix
Revolutionary Worker #982, November 15, 1998
IT'S TIME TO ESCALATE our struggle and stop the state from executing our comrade brother Mumia. As it was in August 1995, the main thing standing between the state's murderous hand and Mumia's life is our struggle. The October 29 unanimous ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reject Mumia's appeal of an unjust conviction is a burning outrage, and a dangerous threat to Mumia's life. It signals that high levels of the government have decided to press ahead with their legal assassination of this revolutionary. We must meet this menacing move by the authorities with the most diverse and determined resistance, and URGENTLY.
We won't let the system commit the crime of stealing Mumia's life from us. They have already stolen 17 years of his youth. Mumia's railroad concentrates the WHOLE HISTORY and PRESENT REALITY of the way Black people have been fucked over by the capitalistic power structure in this country. His is the story of every Black man, woman and child who has suffered the foul treatment by racist courts, judges, cops and media that is called justice in Amerikkka.
Revolutionaries like Mumia must not be silenced or killed for their beliefs but must be defended. Mumia's story is that of an unrepentant voice for justice and liberation for ALL those victimized by the Amerikkkan nightmare. His is the story of how the U.S. government deals with political opponents, especially revolutionaries who love and are loved by those on the bottom of this society. Just like the slave owners who killed rebel slaves to stop them from infecting others with their message of freedom, the current rulers of this country want to murder Mumia to silence his voice.
Mumia has given his heart to the people, and we intend to answer in kind. From age 15 in the Black Panther Party, to lock down in Amerika's deepest hell hole dungeon--death row--Mumia has never turned his back on the people. Keeping it real right now means we gotta throw ourselves heart and soul into stopping his execution and continuing the fight to free our brother.
This is a special moment and message to young rebels: Mumia has given a lot of love and inspiration to you--the new generation that the system has criminalized. His heart beats especially for you. His strength has fired up many a young mind with new hopes and dreams of a better future. What happens to Mumia will have a major effect on what kind of world you're gonna face. In the fight for Mumia's life, you got a glimpse of how these hopes and dreams can take shape when people of all races, from all walks of life, united to fight the power. In 1995, you got a taste of the power of the people when our righteous struggle stopped the government's hand from killing Mumia--just 10 days before his execution date! Now is the time for your fierce rebel energy to rip and roar and take this battle higher. It's one of those historic moments where the new generation of fighters has to step up and decide the direction of things to come.
The deafening silence of the system's media about this latest turn in Mumia's case tells us just what time it is. It tells us they plan to carry out their cold blooded murder of Mumia on the QT. We need to bust open this silence as part of our immediate goal in this battle so that Mumia's name and story becomes a household word to millions. Throughout society, the fight to stop the execution of Mumia has to become so powerful that the government feels they have to overturn the Pennsylvania court decision, or else face the anger and disillusionment of millions against their system. We need to turn our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces into centers of struggle so that millions will come to know Mumia's story and the stakes in fighting for his life, and take an active stand in this battle for justice.
Just what kind of a system would brutalize and torment a courageous and caring brother like Mumia for so many years, and would refuse to deliver justice in the face of a mountain of evidence exposing the state's ragged railroad and proving his innocence? It's a power structure that don't give a damn about the truth or justice, or even abiding by their own rules. It's a dog-eat-dog system that has always used and abused millions and that doesn't deserve to exist. It's a hateful system that will never change and must be overthrown by mass armed revolution.
To get to the point when we can bring an end to this evil system means we can't let them crush our hope. It means we can't let the oppressor murder our revolutionary heroes and leaders. It means when the system throws down a challenge as they're doing with Mumia's life, we got to pick up the challenge and put their murdering plans on the run. This is the only way we can build up the people's strength and organization for the future showdown with the system and put ourselves in the best position to win.
This article is posted in English and Spanish on Revolutionary Worker Online
http://rwor.org
Write: Box 3486, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: 773-227-4066 Fax: 773-227-4497
(The RW Online does not currently communicate via email.)