0:08 – UpFront Spotlight – Political Prisoner You Should Know: Jamil Al-Amin, aka H. Rap Brown
For the entire month of what is known as “Black August” we’ll be highlighting different political prisoners. This week, we spotlight Imam Jamil Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, a worship leader, public speaker, activist and author. He was the fifth chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and during a short-lived (six months) alliance between SNCC and the Black Panther Party, he served as their minister of justice. In 2000, Imam Al-Amin was sentenced to life in prison for murder following the shooting of two Fulton County Sheriff’s deputies in which deputy Ricky Kinchen died. There were contradictions in the evidence and a haste to convict him argue his supporters. The surviving deputy—Aldranon English—testified that he shot the two men’s assailant—who “had grey eyes.” Imam Al-Amin’s eyes are brown, and he had no gunshot injury when he was captured four days later. Still, he was hastily convicted of murdering the deputy, and sentenced to life with no possibility of parole. Another man has since confessed to the murder. For more on Imam Jamil Al-Amin’s case we speak with his attorney and son, Kairi Al-Amin about his life sentence and where things stands today.
0:34 – August is also the “Month of Momentum: 30 Days of Actions to Close the Camps.” Community members are staging a month of daily demonstrations outside ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in San Francisco. Today, the protest will be led by SURJ/ Showing Up for Racial Justice, IJAN (International Jewish AntiZionist Network) and Jewish Voice for Peace. We’ll speak with Marge Sussman, long-time activist of Jewish Voice for Peace and Kasey Brenner, part of the mobilization committee of Showing Up For Racial Justice.