User:Ephemereal/maj
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Mumia Abu-Jamal (IPA: /ˈmu.mi.ɑː ə.buʔ dʒə.ˈmɑːl/); (born Wesley Cook on April 24, 1954) is a former Black Panther Party activist, cab driver, author, and journalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, convicted for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. He is serving a presently undefined sentence of imprisonment at State Correctional Institution - Greene near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania in consequence. Originally sentenced to death, that sentence was quashed and resentencing ordered in December 2001 by a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Both he and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have appealed the ruling alternately as to the appropriateness of affirming the conviction and that of disaffirming the validity of the original sentence.
Mumia Abu-Jamal | |
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Born | (1954-04-24) April 24, 1954 (age 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1] |
Nationality | ![]() |
Education | Goddard College (BA); California State University, Dominguez Hills (MA)[2][3] |
Spouses | 1.Biba (former) 2.Marilyn "Peaches" Cook (former) 3.Wadiya (current) |
Children | 3[4] |
Parent(s) | William and Edith Cook |
His acknowledged cause célèbre has received international attention. Supporters and human rights campaigners variously assert that he is innocent, that the incident in question was a setup, that he did not receive a fair trial, and/or express their opposition to the possibility of the administration of the death penalty. Skeptics and opponents assert that he is guilty, that he received the benefit of due process and was legitimately convicted of murder. Execution proponents among these assert that under Pennsylvania law, his eventual judicial execution is warranted and mandated by the nature of his crime.[5][6][7]
The attention received has spawned controversies surrounding naming of public places; his status as an honoree of municipal, educational and civil society organizations; and his engagement as a radio commentator, writer and commencement speaker. During the period of his imprisonment he has continued his activism as a spoken word commentator and as a published author of several works - most notably Live from Death Row.