Mumia Abu Jamal gets stay of execution; but the movement must maintain 
steam

A new Study adds nails in DARE's coffin

A South Carolina prisoner writes that prisons destroy families



Former Black Panther and death row prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal received a
stay of execution on October 26. This stay will give the courts time to
hear Mumia's appeal that 29 specific violations of his constitutional
rights should cause a new trial to be granted. This stay was entirely
expected and should not be taken as a major victory.

Mumia was framed for the righteous 1981 killing of a Philly cop engaged
in an act of police brutality. Someone else killed the cop, but the
Amerikan system of injustice - backed up by the fascist anti-crime fever
among the white petit-bourgeoisie and labor aristocracy - demands that
someone die for the killing of a pig. These fascists wish to kill Mumia
because he is a leader who generates public opinion against the system.
His political views -- including his agreement with Mao Zedong that
"political power flows from the barrel of a gun" were used as evidence
against him in his trial and in the imposition of the death penalty.

On October 13, Pennsylvania Governor Ridge signed a death warrant for
Mumia knowing full well that a habeas corpus appeal was about to be
filed. With the state portion of appeals finished and the much quicker
federal courts involved, Ridge stepped in to increase the political
pressure on Mumia. So while the stay was expected, the criminal
injustice system is steaming ahead on track to murdering this
revolutionary leader of the people.

Paperwork in the case from the defense and government will run until the
end of February 2000. A hearing in Federal Court is expected for March
2000. While this legal struggle goes on in the unjust courtroom, we must
build an even stronger movement in the streets. While few judges will be
as biased as the original trial judge, the whole system is run by the
Pigs hell-bent on murdering Mumia. It is only people in the streets that
can force the courts to look at the facts and set Mumia free.

People who see the injustice in Mumia's case must take the issue further
than the liberation of just this one man. While the injustice system is
holding 1.8 million people we can not afford to talk about just one. In
a system where imprisonment is a political tool of the imperialists all
prisoners are political prisoners. The fight to free Mumia Abu Jamal
must be a part of the fight to overthrow the system of imperialist
injustice.


VOICE
[all things censored, ramona, track 19 0:43]

This is an essay by Mumia Abu Jamal entitled "A Violent 
World". with Mumia's access to the media limited, this essay 
is read by the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League. See for 
yourself why the United Snakes wants to silence revolutionary 
leader Mumia Abu Jamal.

[Mumia Essays CD, Vol 1, Track 6 6:43]

2.3k
Study adds nails in DARE's coffin

On August 2, researchers at the University of Kentucky released a report 
showing that DARE, or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, does not work. 
DARE is a popular and well funded program by which police officers are 
put in schools, where they "teach" about the perils of drug use. The 
real use of the program is the propaganda value of making cops looks 
good. The program also affords pigs increased surveillance access in the 
schools.

In 1987, Lexington, Kentucky put DARE officers in 23 schools before they 
ran out of money. With eight schools in the city without DARE, this 
served as an effective controlled experiment. The value of DARE at 
preventing drug use was shown to be zero. Children in both sets of 
schools were equally likely to abuse drugs.

But as reported previously, evidence isn't hurting DARE's popularity 
amongst the Amerikkkan masses. While five Massachusetts cities or towns 
dropped DARE in the last few years, "93% of Massachusetts municipalities 
remain firmly within 'the DARE fold,' according to Sheila Foley, the 
program's state coordinator."

The researchers concluded "that continued enthusiasm [for DARE] shows 
Americans' stubborn resistance to apply science to drug policy."(2) The 
researchers complain that parents say: My kids couldn't use drugs, 
they've been through DARE. More disturbing are the comments of one DARE 
pig, Bob Ramocki: "The studies are more than canceled out by classroom 
experience. And all the studies have a built-in problem, he said: How do 
you measure prevention?"(2)

That's simple:  with controlled experiments. But Ramocki does get into 
the meat of the issue. The value of DARE to Amerika is not in stopping 
drug use, but in the classroom experience. The most successful aspect of 
DARE is in making the police into Officer Friendly, trusted by children. 
Children normally have no or only negative interactions with police, but 
DARE attempts to change this. By further solidifying the bond between 
youth and the police, Amerika hopes to train another generation to turn 
in their friends and contribute to the ever increasing rates of 
incarceration.


DARE fails at stopping drugs, but that's not the point. It's real 
purpose is public relations for the police and the police state. And 
that is something that Amerikkkan adults are willing to spend large sums 
of tax money for.


VOICE

2.5k
PRISONS WEAKEN FAMILY SUPPORT

Strong family support has a lot, To do with one's Rehabilitation.

During the American Slave Trade, the Slavemaster went to all extremes to 
destroy family relationships. Mothers were separated from their 
newborns. Fathers from their only child. Children were raised on 
plantations thousands of miles away from loved ones. The purpose of this 
was to destroy any kind of family bonding. The human being is a social 
being whose growth depends upon having a relationship with others. 
Family is what we're linked to emotionally and spiritually. That family 
support gives us the physical and mental vigor. Family makes us the 
individuals we are today and tomorrow.

We can see these Modern Day Prison Slave camps across this country. 
Particularly, South Carolina Slave camps have emulated the American 
Slave Trade by going to all lengths to ruin any kind of family 
relationship an inmate has with loved ones. The prison Director of South 
Carolina Slave camps has designed policies prohibiting conjugal visits, 
holding hands inside the visitation room. Inmates are forced to sit 
across the table from his wife. At one time inmates 
were allowed to have food visits with family members during the 
holidays. The food visit promoted family togetherness. These policies 
are designed to destroy relationships with family members. Inmates are 
transported outside of their region, hours away from home exclusively to 
destroy family bonding.

Having that family bonds gives one the incentive to change. You'll 
notice those who still have that family bond, regardless of hours of 
distance. Their disposition is totally different from those who don't 
have that family bond. That family bond has a tremendous impact on the 
individual, and the modern day slavemasters understand this. The family 
assist's in getting the inmate prepared for returning back to society. 

Some of you may say, "Those inmates deserve to be treated in that 
manner." I do understand what some of those inmates have done, and I can 
empathize. Something you must consider is that 95% of the inmates will 
return back to society. If 
they're denied rehabilitation -- and a great portion of that comes from 
family support. What is going to be the inmate's condition? Apparently 
the Prison Director doesn't care about the family relations, but you 
should! Many of those 
95% percent could be coming to a community near you.

Respectfully,

-- A South Carolina Prisoner, 13 August 1998