50C!: No. 730 "'X-623 25 February 2000 Illinois Moratorium and Cap-italist Hyp-ocrisy On January 31, after the thir­ "authority" of the state's killing teenth case came to light of a -- machine; while opinion polls death row inmate in Illinois' continue to show a majority in who had been falsely convicted, favor of the death penalty, that Republican governor George Ryan support has declined since 1996 announced a state moratorium on from 77 percent to 64 percent. executions pending a "review" of Moreover, in recent years the death penalty procedures. In the case of Pennsylvania death row . following two weeks, the Phila­ political prisoner Mumia Abu­ delphia City Council called for Jamal-whose defense has been a moratorium in Pennsylvania, taken up by trade unionists, with hearings scheduled in the black people and youth in this state legislature, and the U.S. country and around the world­ Department of Justice announced Top: Texas execution chamber. Majority of death row inmates are black and Hispanic. has thrown a spotlight on the plans to review the federal death Dennis Williams (left), Verneal Jimerson and Anthony Porter, among the 13 released from racist death penalty. penalty for racial bias. Illinois death row after proving their innocence. Our rulers want to kill Jamal It is a testament to how fla­ because they see in this eloquent grantly unjust thi~ system is that this gurney, and let's rock and roll." At a Feb­ appeals for a moratorium following the journalist, MOVE supporter and former Republican governor, a supporter of the ruary 16 press conference, President release of Anthony Porter, a black man Black Panther Party spokesman the spec­ death penalty, felt compelled to call a Clinton intoned: "I think Governor Ryan who had spent 16 years on death row-at tre of black revolution, defiant opposi­ temporary halt to executions. The string did the right thing, and it was probably a one point coming within two days of a tion to their system of racist capitalist of innocent men condemned to death and courageous thing to do, because a major­ scheduled execution-until a Northwest­ injustice. Jamal is the most prominent the repeated cop corruption and frame-up ity of the American people support capi­ ern University journalism' class proved death row inmate in America today, yet scandals in Chicago, Philadelphia and tal punishment, as I do." Clinton expli­ his innocence. In 1998, a Northwestern the Philadelphia City Council resolution Los Angeles, the NYPD's sadistic torture citly rejected a moratorium at the federal University conference on "wro~gfl:Il con­ for a moratorium conspicuously omitted of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima and level. victions" featured thirty exonerated death any reference to him. Mumia has demon­ the street execution of Amadou Diallo­ The Anti-Terrorism and Effective row inmates who told the story of their strated his innocence beyond the shadow all this and more starkly reveal the racist Death Penalty Aet enacted by Clinton ordeals. One was Ronaldo Cruz, who of a doubt. But what does this matter to nature of capitalist injustice. in 1996 gutted the habeas COlpUS right endured three trials based on lying cop the capitalist rulers? In the 1993 Herrera With a death count of 14 executioris-so of state prisoners to have federal courts testimony before he was finally released decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled far this year and 98 last year, the assem­ review their convictions and vastly after one of the cops admitted that Cruz's that executing an innocent man was not bly line of death is moving at the fastest expanded the federal death penalty, giv­ "confession" was a lie. unconstitutional. pace in over half a century. In stepping ing a green light to the state's execution On top of the 13 already freed, Ryan As Marxists, we stand for the abolition up the rate of executions and throwing mills to go full speed ahead. Now, Attor­ now faced the prospect that ten more of the death penalty on principle. We do ever more people into prison, the capital­ ney General Janet Reno is using the fed­ inmates. sent to death row by the notori­ not accord the state the right to say who ist rulers seek to contain and suppress eral laws to push for the first death pen­ ous Chicago Police Department-whose shall live and who shall die. We look not the explosive contradictions at the base alty case in Washington, D.C. in nearly 30 frame-up machine has been repeatedly to the capitalist courts and politicians but of this society produced by the growing years. Capital punishment was repealed exposed in the past few years for to the mobilization of the social power of gap between the tiny handful of filthy in that city in 1980, and residents deci­ regularly extorting "confessions" under the working class to free Mumia and rich and the masses of workers and sively rejected moves to have it reinstated torture-might have their convictions abolish the racist death penalty. However oppressed. in a 1992 referendum. Meanwhile, the overturned. Ryan's decision to call a mor­ brief the Illinois moratorium may be, and To a man, the presidential contenders Feds are demanding the death penalty for atorium also spared embarrassment to whatever reasons the Illinois state author­ of both capitalist parties, the Democrats Buford Furrow, the fascist who went on a Democratic Party kingpin and Chicago ities had in imposing it, a curtailment and Republicans, support the death pen" murderous rampage in Los Angeles last mayor Richard Daley, who presided over of state-sanctioned murder is something alty. As governor of Texas, George W. summer. The rulers use the cases of such many of those frame-up convictions when Marxists welcome. But even in France Bush has presided over.119 executions, despicable killers in order to build popu­ he served as state's attorney. and other capitalist countries where there while an adviser to Florida governor Jeb lar support for the death penalty, whose More broadly, a section of the bour­ is no death penalty, it does not change Bush last month exclaimed, "What I targets are overwhelming minority and geoisie is worried that the high-profile the fundamentally racist and oppressive hope is that we become more like Texas. poor people. exposures of a series of bogus death nature of bourgeois class rule. Bring in the witnesses, put them on a Less than a year ago, Ryan spurned row convictions will undermine the continued on page 8 ,... .8e~·are·.·:.·.. ·Eu .. c.'ea"···.·.Ullil 0 .·•• tg~:Mulll~'~~i~·.· •• ~•• :!~~iijfi~gjfIW'.~.~:er'P p.f) 0 ~ co Austria: Down With 004" /'- N 11\ N Racist Demagogue Haider! ...'6 ~. ,... ISO Political Exclusion Backfires The ostentatiously reformist Interna­ italism; we emphasized that what is nec­ tional Socialist O(ganization (ISO) usu­ essary is not impotent petitions but a ally' excludes us communists from their NYC Anti-Death Penalty Meeting mobilization of the multiracial proletar­ public events and meetings. But open iat on behalf of Jamal and against the political debate is vital among groups from members of the Campaign who inside, We protested but, unable to enter, racist death penalty. He brought up claiming to represent the left. Those who were disgusted at the ISO's political we began distributing our literature out­ the October 23 anti-Klan mobilization­ \Vant to fight for socialism must hear the exclusion and censorship. side the meeting hall and talking to peo­ which the Spartacus Youth Club helped to political contention among leftists in The event was billed as a discussion ple. We met two members of the Cam­ build and organize-as an example of order to decide which strategy to follow. on the fight against the death penalty. It paign who could not believe that we were what we mean when we talk about the This will serve to advance the fight for featured Lawrence Hayes, a former Black being excluded, but when we explained mobilization of the social power of the. socialist revolution. On the night of Feb­ Panther Party member and death row in­ that the ISO fears and loathes political working class on behalf of all the ruary 8 at a public meeting at New York mate. who was recently freed after prov­ debate, the two members grew angry and . oppressed. And, as ISO members cringed, University of the ISO's group "Campaign ing his innocence. When our comrades led us up to the event with the intention we described their role as stooges for the to End the Death Penalty," they got a les­ approached the event, they were told by of having us enter and speak. Democratic Party's defense of the Klan's son in workers democracy. And it came ISO members that we were not allowed - When we entered the room, this time "right" to "speech"-which amounts to totally unmolested, Lawrence Hayes was defending the Klan's "right" to tlMIrder already speaking. He was followed by and organize for murder. We explained a speaker from the ISO, The contrast that the death penalty and the cops and Marxism and the State between the two was quite graphic. Hayes courts who enforce it are part of the cap­ In calling for cosmetic "reforms" in the had ~ough clear-sightedness to say out­ italist state apparatus which cannot be face of blatantly racist cop terror and court right that what is necessary is a move­ reformed, but must be smashed through frame-ups, bourgeois liberals seek to but­ ment for socialism. He was scathing in workers revolution. While the ISO tress the authority of the inherently racist his criticisms not only of right-wing pol­ opposes the death penalty, it is on purely apparatus of capitalist state repression.