Still Guilty As Sin After All These Years

The Supreme Court has refused to hear arguments for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, who became an icon for the anti-capital punishment movement although he murdered a Philadelphia police officer in cold blood in 1981.

Abu-Jamal's death sentence was overturned in March by a federal court in Philadelphia, which found that the jury in the case had been incorrectly instructed. The judges voted two-to-one to uphold his conviction, however, while his lawyers are now fighting a life sentence and want to bring him back before a jury for a new trial.

In the 27 years since the murder, Abu-Jamal has become a jailhouse pundit and international cause célèbre, a darling of Amensty International and lightning rod for opponents and proponents of the death penalty. He enjoys little support in Philadelphia, but the further one gets from there the more people consider him to be the victim of a racist political prosecution. Among his celebrity supporters are Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Michael Moore and Spike Lee.

Unlike any of those people, I knew Abu-Jamal. I too am against the death penalty. But this unapologetic scumbag deserves to live out his remaining years behind bars.