Mumia Abu-Jamal (the name NPR will never again mention)
Cambridge, MA Dec 02, 2004
South End Press, a 27-year-old independent
book publisher, has learned that any advertisements promoting Mumia
Abu-Jamal have been banned on Chicago's public transit system. This
action was discovered when the Press investigated a report that a
Chicago police officer had torn down a paid advertisement on Chicago's
Red Line for the award-winning journalist's new book WE WANT FREEDOM: A
LIFE IN THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.
When asked for comment, Viacom Outdoor Marketing--a subsidiary of
Viacom, Inc. that manages the advertisements on the Chicago transit
system--informed South End Press "the CTA [Chicago Transit Authority]
can no longer accept any more advertisements on this author [Mumia
Abu-Jamal]." This is not the first time Viacom has acted to prevent even
the mention of Mumia Abu-Jamal. In 2002 Viacom-owned MTV censored a
video by Public Enemy because the song included the line "Free Mumia."
In addition to barring ads including Mumia Abu-Jamal, all South End
Press advertising will be subject to approval before posting.
The caller who brought this issue to South End's attention stated that
while riding the Chicago subway, he witnessed a police officer removing
a We Want Freedom poster from the train's interior. When he asked the
officer why, he was threatened with a citation. And this is not the
first time police have acted to suppress information on the Black
Panthers. WE WANT FREEDOM vividly recounts two occasions when the police
limited the First Amendment rights of Black Panthers. In one instance,
Mumia tells the story of when he was selling papers in downtown Oakland
and crossed the street in the middle of the block. Before he knew it,
two police officers pulled up and arrested him for jaywalking. "If we
were not selling copies of The Black Panther," asks Abu-Jamal, "would
this have happened?" His conclusion is grim: "I don't think so. They
were beating us softly."
Further investigations into the ban on Mumia Abu-Jamal are underway.
Anyone who witnessed the removal of posters for WE WANT FREEDOM, which
South End Press contracted with Viacom Outdoor Marketing to run on the
Red and Blue lines from mid-September to mid-October, is encouraged to
contact the Press.
South End Press
Alexander Dwinell
Editor/Publisher
email: southend@southendpress.org
phone: 617.547.4002 www.southendpress.org
southend@southendpress.org
============================================
Prison Radio challenges mass incarceration and racism by airing the voices of men and women in prison. Our educational materials serve
as a catalyst for public activism.
South End Press, a 27-year-old independent
book publisher, has learned that any advertisements promoting Mumia
Abu-Jamal have been banned on Chicago's public transit system. This
action was discovered when the Press investigated a report that a
Chicago police officer had torn down a paid advertisement on Chicago's
Red Line for the award-winning journalist's new book WE WANT FREEDOM: A
LIFE IN THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY.
When asked for comment, Viacom Outdoor Marketing--a subsidiary of
Viacom, Inc. that manages the advertisements on the Chicago transit
system--informed South End Press "the CTA [Chicago Transit Authority]
can no longer accept any more advertisements on this author [Mumia
Abu-Jamal]." This is not the first time Viacom has acted to prevent even
the mention of Mumia Abu-Jamal. In 2002 Viacom-owned MTV censored a
video by Public Enemy because the song included the line "Free Mumia."
In addition to barring ads including Mumia Abu-Jamal, all South End
Press advertising will be subject to approval before posting.
The caller who brought this issue to South End's attention stated that
while riding the Chicago subway, he witnessed a police officer removing
a We Want Freedom poster from the train's interior. When he asked the
officer why, he was threatened with a citation. And this is not the
first time police have acted to suppress information on the Black
Panthers. WE WANT FREEDOM vividly recounts two occasions when the police
limited the First Amendment rights of Black Panthers. In one instance,
Mumia tells the story of when he was selling papers in downtown Oakland
and crossed the street in the middle of the block. Before he knew it,
two police officers pulled up and arrested him for jaywalking. "If we
were not selling copies of The Black Panther," asks Abu-Jamal, "would
this have happened?" His conclusion is grim: "I don't think so. They
were beating us softly."
Further investigations into the ban on Mumia Abu-Jamal are underway.
Anyone who witnessed the removal of posters for WE WANT FREEDOM, which
South End Press contracted with Viacom Outdoor Marketing to run on the
Red and Blue lines from mid-September to mid-October, is encouraged to
contact the Press.
South End Press
Alexander Dwinell
Editor/Publisher
email: southend@southendpress.org
phone: 617.547.4002 www.southendpress.org
southend@southendpress.org
============================================
Prison Radio challenges mass incarceration and racism by airing the voices of men and women in prison. Our educational materials serve
as a catalyst for public activism.
posted by Matt Christie at 1:52 PM
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