Remembering Daniel Faulkner
December 09, 2006 10:09 AM
We mark the 25th anniversary of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner's murder over at Hot Air.
Hot Air » Blog Archive » Cop killer’s anniversary
Widow Maureen Faulkner keeps the flame alive:
Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/09/2006 | Widow marks 25 years and salutes the D.A.
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Maureen Faulkner says she has spent half her life seeking peace.
She is 50 now, and it was 25 years ago today that her husband of one year, Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, was shot dead on a Center City street, a crime for which Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death.
Yesterday, Maureen Faulkner hosted a luncheon at the Union League to keep her husband's memory alive and to honor District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham for steadfastly challenging Abu-Jamal's many appeals.
Abu-Jamal's name was never mentioned at the luncheon.
Afterward, Faulkner, who never remarried and now lives in California, said she had spent "half my life" returning to Philadelphia for the appeals. "I wish that some day, I can have closure and some peace in my life from this," she said, vowing at the same time to not stop "fighting to have justice for Danny."
Today, Abu-Jamal's supporters plan to protest at City Hall to mark the anniversary of the crime that put him in jail, while Faulkner's family will attend a memorial Mass at Annunciation Church in South Philadelphia.
During the luncheon, Faulkner choked up when she addressed Abraham and thanked her for "helping my friends and family through such a long 25 years."
Abraham, for her part, called Abu-Jamal's supporters "know-nothings" and said she wanted to "make sure history is not rewritten, that it is not revised" in the Faulkner case.
Her office is currently appealing a federal judge's 2001 decision overturning Abu-Jamal's death sentence in the case. It also is challenging an appeal by Abu-Jamal's lawyers seeking to have his first-degree murder conviction thrown out.
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Michael Smerconish's book preview is here.
Philadelphia Daily News | 12/07/2006 | Michael Smerconish | BOOK PREVIEW: MAUREEN FAULKNER'S OWN STORY
More on the memorials being held this weekend.
DelcoTimes - Supporters rally for fallen officer; others cry foul
In case you missed the roll call vote on the resolution protesting the decision by the city of St. Denis to honor Faulkner's convicted Death Row murderer with a street name, here are the 31--all Democrats--who voted against the measure
OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today
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A street named Mumia Abu JamalCentre Daily news, sports, jobs, homes, cars
A street in a Paris suburb has been named in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer. "In France, they see him as a towering figure," said Suzanne Ross, co-chair of the Free Mumia Coalition of New York City, who was part of an April 29 ceremony to dedicate the Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal in the city of St. Denis.
Ross said the street is in the town's Human Rights district, which includes Nelson Mandela Stadium. Abu-Jamal, a former radio reporter and member of the Black Panther party, was sentenced to death in 1982 for the shooting of 25-year-old Daniel Faulkner. He has maintained his innocence. His writings and taped speeches have made him a cause celebre among Hollywood activists, foreign politicians and some death-penalty opponents who believe he was the victim of a racist justice system.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year agreed to consider three counts of Abu-Jamal's appeal, allegations that there was racial bias in jury selection, that the prosecutor gave an improper summation and that a judge in a previous appeal was biased.
Faulkner's widow, Maureen, called the street dedication "disgusting" and urged Philadelphia residents planning a visit to Paris this summer to cancel their trips. In 2001, the Paris City Council made Abu-Jamal an honorary citizen. "This is so unnerving for me to get this news," Faulkner said from Los Angeles, where she lives. "It's insulting to the police officers of Philadelphia that they are naming a street after a murderer."
Daniel Faulkner has been honored by a memorial plaque installed at the scene of the shooting at 13th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia.
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Daniel Faulkner's memorial page is here.
Untitled Document
They have the entire, unedited trial transcript, and links to a great many mainstream media accounts.