> Good argument, but I'd add another factor which contributed to Mumia's
> being railroaded: his involvement with MOVE.
>
> MOVE might be regarded as a radical movement only by the most generous
> of standards. By and large, they were a fanatical "back to nature" sect
> led by an unstable figure known as John Africa. At the time, they'd
> managed to a) live under extremely squalid conditions in several group
> homes, b) threaten local residents with shotguns, and broadcast dogma
> through loudspeakers throughout the neighborhood, and c) kill a police
> officer during a shootout. I know people who lived in that area at the
> time: it wasn't much different than having a Christian Identity
> separatist camp on their block, except that the CI people'd probably be
> better about cleaning up after themselves.
>
> MOVE's certainly calmed down, but having had most of your movement
> killed by the Philly cops tends to have that effect.
Exactly. Mumia's involvement with MOVE is crucial for understanding why the government railroaded Mumia through the courts. Another big factor has to be that Mumia is an articulate and talented journalist. Those with power have always feared those who spoke truth to power.
And like Leonard Peltier's case, you have to wonder if Mumia was also sacrificed in order to deflect attention from the City of Philadelphia's embrassing attack on MOVE.
<< Chuck0 >>
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"...ironically, perhaps, the best organised dissenters in the world today are anarchists, who are busily undermining capitalism while the rest of the left is still trying to form committees."
-- Jeremy Hardy, The Guardian (UK)