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mumia's account
Affadavit/Declaration of Mumia Abu-Jamal
I, Mumia Abu-Jamal, declare:
1. I am the Petitioner in this action. If called as a witness I could and would testify to the following from my own personal knowledge:
2. I did not shoot Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. I had nothing to do with the killing of Officer Faulkner. I am innocent.
3. At my trial I was denied the right to defend myself. I had no confidence in my court-appointed attorney, who never even asked me what happened the night I was shot and the police officer was killed; and I was excluded from at least half of the trial.
4. Since I was denied all my rights at my trial I did not testify. I would not be used to make it look like I had a fair trial.
5. I did not testify in the post-conviction proceedings in 1995 on the advice of my attorney, Leonard Weinglass, who specifically told me not to testify.
6. Now for the first time I have been given an opportunity to tell what happened to me in the early morning hours of December 9, 1981. This is what happened:
7. As a cabbie I often chose 13th and Locust Street because it was a popular club area with a lot of foot traffic.
8. I worked out of United Cab on the night of 12/9/81.
9. I believe I had recently returned from dropping off a fare in West Philly.
10. I was filling out my log when I heard someone shouting.
11. I glanced over in my rear view mirror and saw a flashing dome light of a police cruiser. This was not unusual.
12. I continued to fill out my log/trip sheet when I heard what sounded like gun shots.
13. I looked again into my rear view mirror and saw people running up and down Locust.
14. As I scanned I recognized my brother standing in the street staggering and dizzy.
15. I immediately exited the cab and ran to his scream.
16. As I came across the street I saw a uniformed cop turn toward me with a gun in his hand, saw a flash and went down to my knees.
17. I closed my eyes and sat still trying to breathe.
18. The next thing that I remember I felt myself being kicked, hit and being brought out of a stupor.
19. When I opened my eyes, I saw cops all around me.
20. They were hollering and cursing, grabbing and pulling on me. I felt faint and was finding it hard to breath.
21. As I looked through this cop crowd all around me, I saw my brother, blood running down his neck and a cop lying on his back on the pavement.
22. I was pulled to my feet and then rammed into a telephone pole, was beaten where I fell, and thrown into a paddy wagon.
23. I think I slept until I heard the door open and a white cop in a white shirt came in cursing and hit me in the forehead.
24. I don’t remember what he said much except a of words like black mother-fucker and what not.
25. I awoke to hear the driver speaking over the radio about his prisoner.
26. I was informed by the anonymous crackle on the radio that I was en route to the police administration building a few blocks away.
27. Then, it sounded like someone came on the radio band telling the driver to go to Jefferson Hospital.
28. Upon arrival I was thrown from the wagon to the ground and beaten.
29. I was beaten again at the doors of Jefferson.
30. Because of the blood in my lungs it was difficult to speak, and impossible to holler.
31. I never confessed to anything because I had nothing to confess to.
32. I never said I shot the policeman. I did not shoot the policeman.
33. I never said I hoped he died. I would never say something like that.
The above statement is true and correct and was executed by me on 2001, at Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.
Mumia Abu-Jamal
