Original Post Date
2001-07-23 11:00 PM
Original Body
pstrongibReViewSforTheRevOluTiOn/b A PNN column for all your literary,visual and audio art needs../i/strong/p
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pby George Tirado /p
pIf you don't know that 175 Progress Drive isbr /
death row, then you would never know that Mumia Abubr /
Jamal lives there . If you don't know his storybr /
it is simple. Mumia was convicted in 1982 of thebr /
killing of Dan Falkner a Philadelphia cop in a trialbr /
that was mostly fiction. He was convicted, and givenbr /
the strongest possible sentence; Death. /p
pAs Assatta Shakur puts it early on the CD."I understood why thebr /
United States government wants to put him to death,br /
Why because it is simple, he is dangerous to every mindbr /
closed to change, to a racist government that hasbr /
taken from him his first amendment right to freebr /
speech, his family, and if they had their way, hisbr /
life./p
pEvery piece on this CD, is a voice screaming tobr /
be heard whether it is spoken word by Marc Bamuthibr /
Joseph talking about gun shots in "All I Hear",. tobr /
Michael Franti who reads "Manhood" , to Martin Espadabr /
reading "Another Nameless Prostitute says the man isbr /
Innocent" It is the pain I feel that is shown herebr /
people crying out one way or another for Justice./p
p But what I find comforting is the fact thatbr /
actors, rap and rock stars would put their ownbr /
reputations on the line for this man, why because hisbr /
voice is so comforting./p
pThere's something about this CD. so that when youbr /
have heard enough there still is more, and I findbr /
myself staring off cringing and frightened from what I*mbr /
hearing. How prison officials move a death rowbr /
prisoner, Dan Hill, to a cell block in a city prison whichbr /
happens to house the man who killed his daughter.br /
Hoping one will kill the other for sport, or how lawyersbr /
tell their own clients they don’t like them and eitherbr /
because of drugs or alcohol fall asleep in court and pay no attention to their clients.br /
Even in court case*s dealing with the death penalty./p
p Mumia is a social conscience here to reeducate usbr /
and reverse what corporate American media has done tobr /
us. His is the still voice in the storm of Racism loudbr /
enough to start a social conscience in the communitybr /
of color that has not been seen in years since thebr /
60’s./p
p If it were up to me I would send a copy of thisbr /
CD. To the board of Education in Oakland to Mayorbr /
Jerry Brown and the rest of the people who feel Mumiabr /
is not enough of a hero to speak to our kids graduatingbr /
from high school. Would they rather have our kids lookbr /
up to dope dealers, racists or something worse,br /
politicians ?. This man needs to be free. /p
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