Subject: AUT: "The Easiet Road... Death" by Mumia Abu-Jamal
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 01:10:25 -0400


>THE EASIEST ROAD ... DEATH
>© 1999 Mumia Abu-Jamal, October 23, 1999
>
>For you are prisoners of war, in an enemy's country- of a war, too, that is 
>unrivaled for its injustice, cruelty, meanness --
>                      --Frederick Douglass (1850) 
>
>     It is increasingly easy to stereotype the men and women on Death row.  
>The State does it every day, as does the press.  Those banished to the most 
>exclusive club in America are deemed worthy of damnation, and in truth, all 
>are presumed guilty, for did not a jury say so?
>     Then one meets Fred Thomas, a 53-year-old great-grandfather, who was 
>projected to a jury as homeless, heartless and in the words of the DA, "a 
>predator."
>     In a brief, week-long trial that went poorly defended, a jury convicted 
>Fred of 1st degree murder, and a day later, on February 28, 1995, sent Fred 
>to Death Row in Pennsylvania.
>     Why should one care about a "homeless, heartless, predator?"  Clearly the
>jury didn't.
>     What the jury never learned was that an eyewitness, located the day 
>after the killing of a FedEx driver in the so-called "Bad lands" of North 
>Philly, gave a statement to the cops that she witnessed the shooting, named 
>two of the assailants, and described the third, none of which remotely 
>resembled Thomas.  Indeed, her statement was corroborated by another witness, 
>who saw the three men running away!
>     I know; I know; the question arises, well how did the prosecutor convict 
>this man?  Well, in their first attempt, they didn't, for the jury refused to 
>convict, and a hung jury was declared.
>     In the 2nd trial, the State provided two witnesses, both crack addicts, 
>who claimed they saw Fred fleeing the scene, but even they could not go as 
>far as saying they saw him shoot anyone, or even armed.  According to the 
>woman who did see the shooting, however, one of the assailants was related to 
>one of the two witnesses who now placed Fred at the scene.  These 
>"witnesses," both of whom had extensive criminal histories, were not asked 
>about their drug-related activities, despite repeated requests of counsel to 
>do so.  A homeless man, desperate for a dollar to survive, might rob and kill 
>a truck driver; as would a drug addict.  But Fred wasn't a homeless man, nor 
>an addict, but a hard-working man, who worked a variety of jobs to support 
>his growing family.  When a group of his former and present employers 
>appeared in court on his behalf, they were told by his counsel that they 
>weren't necessary.  They left. The jury never heard from the main witness 
>because she was threatened with the taking of her children.  At an 
>extraordinary bench warrant hearing to compel the witness's presence, the 
>State revealed an extraordinary distaste for a person who gave a statement in 
>a murder proceeding:
>
>        ADA: Well as I stated earlier, anything that the Commonwealth could 
>do to assist, of course, we will.  Back in October I brought to the Court's 
>attention that, and we shared the information with defense counsel: One, that 
>this person was on welfare under an assumed name.
>        Defense: Yes, I have that.
>        ADA: Thus, there is a real basis for a charge of welfare fraud.  We 
>actively looked for her during the various tours that my officers were 
>working.... [Pre-trial Hearing, Com. V. Thomas 2/13/95]
>
>    Again, this is a witness, not a suspect!  Contrary to popular opinion, 
>under existing rules, the processing of a death sentence is the easiest in 
>the system.  Oh yeah, the cops involved?  They are almost all doing time for 
>the corruption scandal around the 39th police district.
>    Guess who "found" the witnesses?
>    Guess who prepped them?
>    And guess who advised others not to show up?
>    The infamous 39th District, which has a certain expertise in using drug 
>addicts and whores when they need "witnesses," are at the root of why Fred 
>Thomas is on death row, and not at home with his loving grandchildren.
>    He is innocent of murder, and as of this writing, has a date to die for 
>November 23rd, 1999.  Now, in truth, he may survive past this death warrant, 
>his second.  But the question arises, will he survive Death Row?  A 53-year 
>old, he recently was diagnosed as diabetic, and is now insulin-dependant.  He 
>has one fervent hope:  
>"I hope my health don't give out, so I can live long enough to prove my 
>innocence."
>
>© MAJ 1999
>
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"i feel i can't stop screaming!" --elliot



				


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