Monday, February 14, 2005
With bells on
More than twenty years ago, Mumia abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Philadelphia cop Daniel Faulkner. Abu-Jamal's trial wasn't without controversy, and his conviction has become something of a cause in lefty internationalist circles, apparently particularly in France. The City of Paris, for example, made Abu-Jamal an honorary citizen.
Anyway, here come some French activists and politicians to Philadelphia to appeal for a new trial for Abu-Jamal, and the city's government -- the same government that employed the murdered police officer and the prosecutor who won Abu-Jamal's conviction -- welcomes them with open arms, tiny little Liberty Bell replicas, and general pandering to the city's own activists.
French politicians and activists seeking a new trial and freedom for convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal were welcomed in a Friday rally at City Hall and given replicas of the Liberty Bell.
Mjenzi Traylor, the city's first deputy director of commerce, told the crowd of about 150 that he was there to "make certain that we are receiving the message that you would like for us to deliver to Mayor Street."
Maureen Faulkner, the widow of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, later called that greeting an "absolute outrage."
I know nothing about the merits of the Abu-Jamal trial or whether justice was done. (There's a lot of stuff here that suggests it was.) I do know that the mayor of Philadelphia owes it to its cops -- not just Daniel Faulkner, but all its cops -- to refrain from exploiting the Faulkner/Abu-Jamal controversy for political advantage. That there is some controversy over the conviction of Abu-Jamal does not justify licking the boots of foreign leftists or pandering for votes from the angry wing of Philadelphia's black community. The prosecution of cop-killers is a serious thing, and no mayor should ever act otherwise.
Captain Ed is also annoyed, as is Michelle Malkin, who has the mayor's email address.
3 Comments:
By 
Sluggo, at
Tue Feb 15, 11:19:00 AM:
Mumia is stone guilty. Once all the phoney arguments in his favor (bad judge, no money for defense, inconclusive ballistics, new 'witnesses') are swatted away by the facts, they're left with an essential post-modern defense. He should be acquitted because he represents defiance of oppression.
By 
, at
Tue Feb 15, 11:30:00 AM:
If you think that you get a lot of hits from an Instalanche, keep on writing about this topic and you'll get tons more. This whole situation has taken on a life of its own, and causists and protesters found Mumia to fill a void then other topics of interest waned. It strikes me that he was guilty, but because he is articulate he found his supporters, including many in Hollywood. Those supporters have not really found a meaningful counterweight, but perhaps the blogosphere can help here.
The Centrist
By , at
Tue Feb 15, 12:07:00 PM:
Just when I thought my opinion of France couldn't get any lower.
