Posted on Sat, Feb. 12, 2005
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/10882916.htm
French Mumia backers get Liberty Bells
Slain cop's wife outraged by city's gesture
By CHRIS BRENNAN
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."
Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Faulkner in 1981.
"This man stood over him and shot him, point-blank, in the face," Maureen Faulkner said. "For them to give them replicas of the Liberty Bell and welcome them with open arms, I think it's an embarrassment for the city."
Faulkner said she planned to call Street on Monday to protest the city's actions.
"This is a disgrace," she said. "It is a slap in the face for all of law enforcement."
Street planned to attend the meeting with the French politicians but canceled due to a busy schedule, his staff said.
Instead, Traylor was scheduled to meet in private with Connie Little, the mayor's executive assistant, and the French politicians.
But when the large crowd arrived with escorts from the Philadelphia Police Department's Civil Affairs unit after marching around City Hall chanting Abu-Jamal's name, Street's staff decided to let them all into the mayor's reception room.
Jacky Hortaut of the National Unit Collective, a coalition of pro-Abu-Jamal groups, addressed the crowd with pointed words for the Philadelphia judicial system.
Common Pleas Court Judge Pamela Dembe postponed a hearing on Abu-Jamal's appeal yesterday, saying a ruling in a recent, unrelated case raised questions about jurisdiction. She is waiting for attorneys on both sides of the case to weigh in on that.
"We are here to denounce this discriminatory and racist justice," Hortaut said. "So we are here today to tell Mrs. Dembe that we are here to support Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose only crime has been to fight for poor people here in America."
Traylor then handed them the Liberty Bell replicas.
"We welcome you to Philadelphia," said Traylor, who serves as the city's international liaison for visiting dignitaries. "Thank you very much for coming."
Jacques Daguenet, a city councilman from Paris, then decried what he called Abu-Jamal's "racist trial." Paris made Abu-Jamal an honorary citizen in 2003.
"He is the voice of people who have nothing," Daguenet said. "We have to struggle to have him free."
Majid Wannass, a deputy for the mayor of Saint Denis, just outside of Paris, drew cheers when he told the crowd his town would rename a street for Abu-Jamal.
Hortaut, Daguenet and Wannass spoke in French with an English translator for the crowd.
Abu-Jamal was sentenced to death in 1982 but a federal judge in 2001 ruled that he should be sentenced to life in prison or granted a new trial.
Abu-Jamal is seeking a new trial while the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is seeking to reinstate the death sentence.
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