Posted on 02/12/2005 4:31:57 AM PST by dirtboy
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.
Why is that subhuman POS still alive?
Stick in the needle-take out the trash
First homosexual tourists and now cop-killer supporters. Philly is definitely off my list.
the enemy within....
What a degrading display of surrender and cringing, fawning, cowardly submission and dhimmitude; to the accursed French, no less.
How much more will it take? Bring down the institutional media culture (the "MSM") and the rest will collapse like dominoes.
Fry Mumia!
Why don't we just send the cop-killer to France since they love him so much. Bet he'd get greeted with a hero's welcome. After all, the french loved Ira Einhorn so much, bet this guy would fit right in.
Maybe he and Chirac could spend sometime watching a few Jerry Lewis films together.
If they had carried out the death sentence in a timely matter this could have all been avoided. The man is a cold blooded murderer .
Yet another reason to boycott French wine and other products.
Words fail me.
The French hate America, they care so much about a street thug cop killer they are going to name a street after him?
That is so Frenchy
French Mumia-cong invade Philly, local quislings surrender!
You know, I was born and raised in England, where hating the French is a time-honored tradition, as natural as rain and fog.
The rest of you have had to learn, but the French make it easy, don't they?
There are no words.
Actually there are but if I type them the post will be pulled and JimRob will make me stand in the corner.
I will only say this, May they get exactly what they deserve.
Yes. . .yes they do.
For an excellent reference web site, please go to http://www.danielfaulkner.com/.
The information here make it clear and plain the absolute, unquestionable guilt of that cop killer.
Wish I had a "FRY MUMIA" bumper sticker.
Wish I had a "FRY MUMIA" bumper sticker.
Quote from the web site:
>>JAMAL WAS FOUND ROUGHLY 10 FEET FROM FAULKNER'S DEAD BODY JUST 40 SECONDS AFTER THE FATAL SHOT WAS FIRED. JAMAL WAS WEARING AN EMPTY SHOULDER HOLSTER AND HAD AN EMPTIED GUN LYING AT HIS SIDE. FOUR PEOPLE, EACH OF WHOM WAS LESS THAN 60 FEET FROM THE SHOOTING, SAW JAMAL SHOOT OFFICER FAULKNER AND THREE OF THEM PHYSICALLY IDENTIFIED JAMAL AS THE KILLER AT THE CRIME SCENE. LESS THAN ONE HOUR AFTER THE SHOOTING, EACH EYEWITNESS GAVE A SIGNED WRITTEN STATEMENT DESCRIBING WHAT THEY HAD SEEN, TO FOUR DIFFERENT OFFICERS, AT FOUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. (NONE OF THESE EYEWITNESSES KNEW EACH OTHER BEFORE THE SHOOTING AND THEY HAD NO CHANCE TO COORDINATE THEIR STORIES BEFORE GIVING THEIR STATEMENTS TO POLICE.) WHEN THE POLICE FIRST ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, INSTEAD OF PROFESSING HIS INNOCENCE, MUMIA ABU-JAMAL TRIED TO PICK UP HIS GUN AND SHOOT THEM TOO.
Sorry, we didn't mean to shout. But it's annoying when some self-important organization with an anti Death Penalty agenda ignores the glaring facts while pretending to be "thorough" and "objective".<<
FRY MUMIA
So the French think killing police officer is perfectly acceptable as long as it is a black person killing a white officer?
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