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From	muriel@sherwood.it
Date	Fri, 29 Oct 1999 12:48:59 +0200 (W. Europe Daylight Time)
Subject	globe_l: mumia: "the easiest road...death"

THE EASIEST ROAD ... DEATH>>[col. writ. 10/23/99]    =A9 1999 Mumia Abu-Jamal>
>	For you are prisoners of war, in an enemy's country-of a
>war, too, that is unrivalled for its injustice, cruelty, meanness --
>		--Frederick Douglass (1850)=20>
>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 Fre=d
>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==2E
>		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 officer=s
>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."


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