Several dozen supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal gathered outside a Philadelphia courtroom Wednesday as a judge heard arguments on whether he should get another trial.
Supporters of both Abu-Jamal and slain police officer Daniel Faulker agree the criminal justice system is "broken" — for very different reasons.
2 years ago
Abu-Jamal’s case is seen by some as a symbol of a broken criminal justice system. Supporters say he was wrongly convicted — and see him as a political prisoner.
Gwendolyn Debrow organized a bus of demonstrators to come down from New York. She’s been pushing for Abu-Jamal to be freed for two decades.
”The man has been in prison for 40 years for something that he did not do,” she said. “The police know he did not do it.”
Faulkner’s family and friends — as well as the police union — believe the case against Abu-Jamal is strong. They want him to stay in prison for the rest of his life.
Abu-Jamal supporters have also called for him to be released over medical issues.
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Patterns of misconduct in Abu-Jamal’s case have convinced people that his constitutional right to equal justice under the law was violated, argues Linn Washington.
The latest appeal filed by Mumia Abu-Jamal and a related suit brought by the widow of Officer Daniel Faulkner will now go before Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.