Officer Daniel Faulkner- The Victim
Mumia Abu Jamal- The Murderer
In the early morning hours of December 9, 1981, Philadelphia PD Officer, Daniel Faulkner was shot down and killed while making a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by William Cook. During the stop, a scuffle between Cook and Faulkner ensued. At this point, Cook's brother, Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook), joined the fray from a nearby parking lot. When it was over, Officer Faulkner was mortally wounded by shots fired from a gun recovered at the scene, which had been purchased by Mumia in 1979. Several spent cartridges were also recovered. Mumia was arrested at the scene as he lay wounded on the sidewalk by shots fired by Faulkner's weapon. Four eyewitnesses to the incident identified Mumia as the shooter. In addition, two other witnesses at the hospital where Mumia was being treated for his wounds, heard him state, "I shot the motherf-----, and I hope the motherf----- dies."
Subsequent investigation connected the bullets from Faulkner's body with the weapon belonging to Mumia that was recovered at the scene. At his trial, Mumia, who was initially allowed to represent himself, disrupted the courtroom with his outbursts until he was removed. He was convicted and given the death penalty.
Yet, Mumia was the ideal sympathetic figure for the far left in America and abroad. A Black Panther Party member, he represented, to the left, the archtypical oppressed African-American, victimized by the brutal white police. Various individuals and organizations came to his defense. They questioned the reliability of the evidence and truthfullness of the witnesses.
As the years passed and the appeals mounted, Mumia never lost his support of America's university radicals, black nationalist groups and many Hollywood celebrities, like Ed Asner and Susan Sarandon. In addition, Desmond Tutu of South Africa has rallied to his cause as has Amnesty International. The European community, not to be left out, has also jumped to his defense. Mumia is an honorary citizen of more than 20 cities around the world including Paris, Montreal and Palermo. He has received various "human rights" awards and been allowed to broadcast a commencement speech at an American university from his prison cell.
The judicial system has dragged on all these years debating the conviction and the death penalty. As of this writing, Mumia still sits on death row while his supporters attempt to gain a new trial based on "new evidence" they say would exonerate him.
Now comes a new book by Faulkner's widow, Maureen, entitled, "Murdered by Mumia", co-written with conservative talk show commentator, Michael Smerconish. In her book, Faulkner argues against the support that Mumia has enjoyed from certain segments of the public, that Mumia is guilty and should, indeed, be executed for his crime. Predictably, the left-wing press is now attacking her. The Atlantic Free Press, for example, referred to the book written by Faulkner and "right-wing, Bill O'Reilly wannabe", Michael Smerconish.
On December 6, Faulkner was interviewed on the "Today" show by Matt Lauer, as Mumia supporters demonstrated on the street outside the studio, in effect, spitting in the face of the widow. Lauer, as might be expected, took a decidedly pro-Mumia approach in his interview, questioning Smerconish's motives, and referring to the demonstrators outside, asked Faulkner if she ever considered that they might be right. He also asked Faulkner this question: "Do you allow yourself to consider the fact that perhaps he didn't do this?"
This obscene nonsense has been going on for 25 years now. Not only has justice been delayed for so long, but supposedly serious people actually believe this puke is innocent. Do any of these people care a whit about Officer Faulkner, who had his life taken away at 25? Do any of them care a whit about his widow? No, they don't. They reserve their sympathy for a murderer who gives them the chance to indulge their belief that America is an evil and racist country. I have nothing but contempt for Mumia's supporters. In the case of the people in the entertainment community, I will refuse to patronize any film or show that they appear in. They are beyond disgust.
4 comments:
There was good reason for Matt Lauer to challenge Faulkner and Smerconish about their fraudulent "evidence." Check out my article which debunks MURDERED BY MUMIA and please try and find one factual error in my essay:
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=5165
Mr Bennett,
Checking on your writings reveals that for you, Mumia is just one of many issues. The fact is that you are a far-left radical who is against everything our country stands for (as exemplified by your "destroy capitalism" email address.
I outlined the evidence in my posting, which seems pretty slam dunk to me and to the jurors who heard the case. I am not impressed with your so-called new evidence that has "surfaced" after 25 years (most certainly manufactured).
Further, I don't care how many European cities name their streets after Mumia. They know nothing about the case. They, like you, just want another example of "American racism and imperialism" to use to bash us with.
If you were honest with yourself, you would recognize that you and your ilk are just using this case to further your message of "racist white american cops brutalizing innocent blacks". In your hearts, you know Mumia is guilty, but you don't care. You have your agenda.
It is unfair for you to use my politics against me. I asked you to address the facts in my essay. For example, how can you cite the alleged "hospital confession" when not one person officialy reported it to police for over 2 months! That is incredible. Do you really believe that confession. DO you dispute anything below here that I wrote on the confession?
The alleged "hospital confession," where Abu-Jamal reportedly declared, "I shot the motherf***er and I hope the motherf***er dies," was first officially reported to police over two months later, by hospital guards Priscilla Durham and James LeGrand (Feb. 9, 1982), P.O. Gary Wakshul (Feb.11), P.O. Gary Bell (Feb.25), and P.O. Thomas M. Bray (March 1). Only 2 of these five witnesses were called by the DA: Gary Bell (Faulkner's partner and "best friend") and Priscilla Durham.
---Gary Bell testified that the 2 month lapse resulted from him being so upset over the death of Faulkner.
---Priscilla Durham testified, and added for the first time, that she had reported the confession to her supervisor the next day. Neither her supervisor, nor the alleged handwritten statement were presented in court. The DA sent an officer to the hospital, returning with a suspicious typed version. Sabo accepted the paper (not signed or dated) despite both Durham's disavowal, and the defense's protest that authorship and authenticity were unproven.
---Gary Wakshul was not a prosecution witness, and on the final day of testimony in 1982, Abu-Jamal's lawyer discovered Wakshul's statement from Dec. 9 (Abu-Jamal's supporters cite this late discovery as one of many examples of incompetent representation--to which defense attorney Anthony Jackson testified about at the 1995 PCRA hearings). After riding with Abu-Jamal to the hospital and guarding him until his treatment, Wakshul reported: "the negro male made no comment." When the defense immediately sought to call Wakshul as a witness, the DA reported that he was on vacation. On grounds that it was too late in the trial, Sabo denied the defense request to locate him for testimony. Subsequently, the jury never heard from Wakshul or about his written report. When an outraged Abu-Jamal protested, Sabo cruelly declared: "You and your attorney goofed."
---At the 1995 PCRA Hearings, Wakshul testified that both his contradictory Dec. 9 "the negro male made no comment" report and the 2 month delay were simply bad mistakes. He repeated his earlier February 11, 1982 statement given to the police IAB investigator: "I didn't realize it had any importance until that day."
---Wakshul also testified to being home for his 1982 vacation—in accordance with explicit instructions to stay in town for the trial so that he could testify if called. After studying the alleged confession, Amnesty International concluded that: "The likelihood of two police officers and a security guard forgetting or neglecting to report the confession of a suspect in the killing of another police officer for more than two months strains credulity."
Mr Bennett,
I am not going to get into an-going debate with you over the evidence in this case. You have had years to try and blow smoke over the evidence.
Testimony of witnesses is often the most suspect. (I know, I am retired law enforcement). What is clear is that Mumia was at the scene, indeed shot by Faulkner, with his own gun beside him (Mumia). Bullets taken from Faulkner matched Mumia's gun. Then there were the witnesses to the incident.
I am sure you and your colleagues have come up with explanations for all this, developed over the past 25 years (which can be done in almost any case by good conspiracy theorists). I really don't care to hear any more.
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