PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer, has gotten the support of big names like Colin Kaepernick in recent weeks, just as he releases another book from prison.
This week, a coalition of groups dedicated to gaining freedom for Abu-Jamal held a press conference in West Philadelphia. They announced that Abu-Jamal released a new book, "Perfecting Tyranny," written with filmmaker Stephen Vittoria. Its release comes on the heels of growing support by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who spoke out last month, calling for Jamal’s release.
"I'm here to say free Mumia," Kaepernick said. "How many years of his life has been stolen away from him, his community and his loved ones? Mumia has been in prison longer than I've been alive."
"His support for Mumia ties our struggle now to the struggle of previous generations," said Ted Kelly of the Workers World Party, "to the Black Panthers, to the MOVE organizations."
Abu-Jamal was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1981 shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. Following a long series of appeals, prosecutors decided to drop their pursuit of the death penalty in 2011, opting instead for a life sentence.
A Facebook page dedicated to Faulkner posted that Kaepernick lacked knowledge of the case and that his ignorance is a disgrace. "Perfecting Tyranny" is the third of a trio of books released by Abu-Jamal from prison.