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Jury Deliberates for 7 Hours, Lynch Mob finds Ajamu & Moses Guilty!

The struggle to "Free Ajamu" Must Continue, 'til it's won!

Comrade Ajamu Bandele's (right) fight for his freedom came to an abrupt end today. Through the sham called the "judicial process" the first of several obstacles was of the 41 potential jurors, only one was African and there were no Latinos; this despite the fact that the trial took place in a city where Africans makes up 25% of the population (this not including the Latino population).

Second, of all the testimony provided by the State, none of the police that took part in the bust, saw what happened! Not one said, "I saw Moses buy drugs from Orlando". Every cop said, "I couldn't see what happened in the truck, it was dark". Lastly, Moses Coleman gave a heroic testimony that through the prosecution off. Attorney Comery with the DA's office, was so arrogant the she anticipated being able to make Moses look stupid, but he wiped the courtroom floor up with her! He is a true African Hero!

The State is the State!

It is important for us to have the capacity to defend ourselves as every attorney, judge, police officer, and military personel are a part of the State apparatus. The defense attorney, Jay Whittle, deliberately sabatoged what was an easy case to win. He made no objections throughout the trial and he raised not one word about Ajamu's political work, even as the prosecutor opened the door for it. Lastly, he convinced Ajamu not to testify under the guise that he would raise his work, his schooling, and his family in his closing statement, none of which he did. He did the prosecutor's job for her! We have to make a struggle to find "progressive" attorneys as the State increases its attacks on the movement.

Further Evidence of the Attacks on the right to "Free Speech"

On day one of the trial, an arrogant Judge Snyder caved to the request made by Prosecutor Comery to force the gallery of supporters to remove their "Free Ajamu" t-shirts; this despite acknowledging that Supreme Court ruled that "supporters" could where items into the courtroom. He basically said, "although the Supreme Court said it's okay, I'm still gonna make you take them off". This action set the stage for the subsequent "railroad" that took place.

"They Have Not Won a Victory, Only Further Exposed Their Corruption"

I want to personally thank all those who contributed to this campaign and say that WE WILL WIN. We will be immediately filing the post- trial motions, for retrial and an appeal. You can still contribute to the "Free Ajamu" legal defense by purchasing your official "Free Ajamu" t-shirt today for only $15.

Click here to purchase a Free Ajamu t-shirt

Demand the Right to Free Speech and Political Association, Free Ajamu Bandele aka Orlando Gibson

InPDUM Continues Fierce Struggle In York

Since the arrest of Ajamu Bandele (aka Orlando Gibson), president of the York branch of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM), October 29th, the InPDUM has been waging a relentless campaign to free Ajamu from the clutches of the York County police and York City administration that has in its interest, the need to stop Ajamu’s ability to expose the culture of corruption in York.

Corrupt State Attacks Organizers

As the president of InPDUM-York, Ajamu led fierce struggle against the 222 Corridor "anti-gang" Initiative - a federal government campaign that waged an outright attack on the democratic rights of the African Community. As a part of that struggle, Ajamu and the other York City organizers launched the “Catch 22” Campaign in opposition to the 222 Corridor Initiative, which involved a petition drive, The Black Community Issues Forum, and the highly successful “I Ain’t No Gangster” Rally that mobilized more than 100 Africans to voice their outrage around the city’s attacks on the impoverished Black community of York.

End The Culture Of Corruption

The State has no case! However, desperate to end his work that was exposing this culture of corruption in York, they will stop at nothing to railroad Ajamu. It is about protecting the economic interests of the rich and ruling elite of York who have the government in their pocket. The York County Prison is the cash cow of York’s economy, with a “stimulus plan” for York County that provides $80,000 a day from the federal government for holding 1250 inmates. Ajamu’s work was exposing this parasitic relationship that the city has to the African Community.

Defend Comrade Ajamu Bandele

Brothers, sisters, friends and allies, this attack by the State is an attack on the rights of Black people to Free Speech and self-determination. This attack is an anti-democratic assault on OUR rights to get organized. We have to defend this brother as diligently as has he has defended the African community. We have to let the State know that they will not be able to conduct “Business as Usual” in their attempts to railroad brother Ajamu.

BackGround

On Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Comrade Ajamu Bandele (aka Orlando Gibson), International Outreach Director of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, was kidnapped by a special counterinsurgent task force of the York Police Department in York, Pennsylvania and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

While the State claims that its arrest of Comrade Ajamu represents a "war on drugs", "war on gangs" and "war on crime", his arrest comes at a time in which Ajamu was doing serious political work in the city of York to expose the State's "war on drugs, gangs and crime" as a war on the African community! Before emerging as part of the international leadership structure of InPDUM, Ajamu was leading the African community of York in fierce struggle against "Corridor 222 Anti-Gang Initiative" -- a federal government "anti-gang" task force initiative to strip the African community in various cities across the U.S. of what little democratic rights we have managed to achieve. Through this York-InPDUM campaign and others like it, Ajamu had gained a reputation for criticizing the State for orchestrating and profiting from and orchestrating the same drug economy that it is accusing Ajamu of participating in!

Comrades, brothers and sisters, we know that Ajamu is a victim of a set up -- not unlike the set up that 1.5 million Africans in U.S. prisons are now victims of. Not only is Ajamu innocent of the allegations the State has made against him, but there is a person who has stepped forward and assumed responsibility for bringing marijuana in Ajamu's presence without his knowledge. Ajamu's arrest takes on even greater significance because of his political work. It comes at a time in which the U.S. capitalist-colonialist government is suffering a deep and profound economic and political crisis. This crisis stems from the resistance of African and other oppressed people in demand of the resources and self determination that U.S. imperialism has stolen from us. The Uhuru Movement and comrades like Ajamu represent that crisis for imperialism.

The industry of imprisoning African people is the primary means through which U.S. imperialism plans to resolve this crisis -- both from the vast profits it gains off the free labor of African people in prisons as well as the fact that the prisons serve to contain one of the most dynamic and courageous sectors of the African population in this country. The State understands very well that if Ajamu was not behind bars he would be bringing masses of African people into the revolution. It is clear that Ajamu's arrest represents an attack on the Uhuru Movement!

In its desperation to keep Ajamu off the streets the State has even denied him bail until he stands trial. Although the ransom has been set for $12,500, the Pennsylvania State Parole has placed a detainer on his bond -- preventing him from returning to the community to continue his political work and caring for his 7 year old son Quazil.