Biography
Mumia Abu-Jamal was a Black Panther Party member and Philadelphia radio journalist known for his critical and outspoken commentary on issues such as racial injustice and police brutality. In 1981 he witnessed his brother engaged in a physical altercation with a police officer in their neighborhood after he was pulled over during a traffic stop. Mumia ran across the street to the scene when he was shot in the stomach by the officer the officer was shot in the head. Mumia was arrested for the officers murder. Numerous witnesses who testified they had seen Mumia shoot the officer later recanted their statements and said they were intimidated by the Philadelphia Police into making false testimony. Mumia's brother asserted the officer was shot by a friend of his named Kenneth Freeman who had been in the vehicle with him during the traffic stop and shot the officer in reaction to him shooting first at Mumia whom he saw running towards the scene. Freeman's body was later found handcuffed and naked on railroad tracks as a victim of a murder which has to this day not been solved. The court stenographer at trial would later state she herd the judge in the case refer to Mumia using the n-word and promise to help the prosecution have him executed. Mumia was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. His death sentence was later overturned and he now is serving a sentence of life in prison.
