L's View: Mumia Abu Jamal

Sometime last month, I made a comment about Susan Sarandon being an awesome actress.  I reserve the right to think that.

I then found out that she supports the freeing of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal, financially.  Well, I did some digging and found out who else supports Mumia:

1. Ben and Jerry.  Does that mean I will stop buying their ice cream?  No.
2. Ed Asner.  Does that mean, that I will stop watching the shows he is in?  No.
3. Martin Sheen.  Ditto to Asner.
4. Rage Against the Machine.  Will I stop listening to their music?  No.
5. Whoopi Goldberg.....
6. Beastie Boys
7. Nelson Mandela
8. Danny Glover

And the list goes on....

Here's how I see this.  My brother is a cop.  A few of my friends are cops, including my former college roommate, a few friends from North Catholic, two friends' fathers, etc.

I support the police.  They have a tough job, one I thought about doing at one point, but ultimately decided to go another way.  According to the courts (and Mumia's case has been appealed and the same results given), Mumia guilty of killing Officer Daniel Faulkner.

I get that.  I am anti-Mumia.  That does not mean that I am going to stop watching movies with Mumia supporters in them, or stop buying ice cream from Mumia supporters, and so on.  I know this might make me a villain, but this is my view.

I oppose the criminal, but other people should not be criminalized for supporting a criminal.  Would you want to be criminalized for supporting a family member who was convicted of a serious crime? 

I don't think you would, but then again, I can't speak for you.  If a family member or friend were convicted of a crime, that they swear they did not commit, I will support their decision to appeal to the highest courts that would allow it, and if I were rich, I would financially support that decision.

Now, I know that all the people I listed above did not know Mumia, but they support his Constitutional rights.  And I can support that.  Some people are going to think he is innocent.  From what I have read up on, the evidence does not look supportive of Mumia's claims, but then again, there was controversy surrounding the original court case.  I will reserve my judgment of Mumia because that is not my job.  I am not God and I was not on that jury, nor was I the judge in that case. 

We all know that there are people in prison who don't belong there because they did not actually commit a crime, but were found guilty anyway.  Again, let me reiterate that it appears that Mumia is guilty.

But that doesn't mean I will stop watching Susan Sarandon movies.