Abu-Jamal is a Black journalist who has been on death row in Pennsylvania since 1982, framed up on charges of killing a Philadelphia cop. Death warrants signed by Gov. Thomas Ridge in both 1995 and 1999 were stayed due to widespread political protests and legal appeals.

In Iowa, several coalitions have been organized to expose the frame-up. These include the Grinnell Coalition in Defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Drake Coalition to Save Mumia, and the Iowa City Committee to Save Mumia. The action here grew out of a march and rally attended by members of the different coalitions last November in Iowa City. The Drake University coalition formed last fall and several of its meetings were attended by more than 30 students.

At the rally, Paul Ford, a leader of the Grinnell College coalition, gave an overview of the case. He said a federal appeals judge is deciding whether or not evidence that has come out since the 1982 trial provides grounds for granting a new trial. This includes witnesses who changed their testimony and ballistic evidence that was not presented at the original trial.

Adam Larsen, a student at Roosevelt high school here, explained that Abu-Jamal has been in jail since two years before Larsen was born. He said he received a leaflet on a campus from other activists and decided it was time to get involved and take part in the fight against injustice.

Sean Parson, a student from Drake, pointed out that several states have now put moratoriums on the death penalty, with more and more evidence of innocent people being put to death and of the racial inequities in how the death penalty is administered.

Other speakers were from the Latino Leadership Project in Grinnell, St. Paul's Methodist Church in Des Moines, and the Socialist Workers Party. Besides Grinnell, Drake, and the University of Iowa, others who attended were from Roosevelt, Valley, Central Campus, and Indianola high schools, and Des Moines Area Community College.

Edwin Fruit is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1149.  
 
 
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