Brick-by-Brick, Wall-by-Wall...

Presently, I am staring at a 5-series BMW in the position of the VW (oddly, another German automobile) with a beat up, broken down Ford Contour directly behind it in place of the squad car. Behind that car, a man leans into the window of a yellow Ford Mustang either selling dope or taking stock of the evening's festivities. Pedestrians pass me by, unaware of what happened in this very spot, exactly twenty-six years ago. On this night, I have seen no less than thirty passers-by in ten minutes. The sounds of Philadelphia provide the soundtrack to an early morning. Loud humanoids pouring out from around Bump provide the entertainment. That's what happened at 13th and Locust on December 9th, 2007. Those are the facts of tonight and they're undisputed. The facts of what happened twenty-six years ago, though, have been in dispute from the moment the hammer hit the primer.

The only real facts of the Daniel Faulkner murder are that there are no "facts," as generally understood. The entire record is tainted with distortions of the truth as told by parties who have personal, vested interests at stake (on both sides of the coin). Certainly, the Philadelphia Police Department is going to stand behind one of its own and lionize their fallen comrade. At the time, they also engaged in what has since become the norm with "high-profile" crimes: rushing the investigation (many times to its detriment) to assign a face to the crime.

There are only four people who know, for certain, who fired the shots on that December morning in 1981, and two of those people are no longer living - though only one was investigated and subsequently processed. Police lineups aside, neither William Cook (Mumia Abu-Jamal's brother) nor Kenneth Freeman (a suspected second passenger in the pulled-over Volkswagon - whose surname is the irony of all ironies in this case) were ever pursued as potential murderers. Why investigate alternative suspects when you already have one black man in custody? The public will surely line up to accept the nomination of another black murderer, certainly one who was formerly a member of the Black Panthers (but was not a member at the time of the incident) and absolutely one who allegedly murdered a police officer.

No one knows for sure who fired the shots that took Officer Faulkner's life, but many speak as though they do, including his widow. It's curious that she engages in practices identical to those which she seemingly abhors, such as hiring a plane to fly over a publishing office, accusing the publishers of supporting a "cop-killer," or publishing a memoir telling the "real" story (though she wasn’t present at the scene of the crime), or even her interview on The Today Show where the most hypocritical statement she has issued to date left her mouth, chastizing those who support Mumia Abu-Jamal for "trying [the case] in the court of public opinion." Somehow, though, her publishing efforts are not a trial in the court of public opinion, nor are her numerous efforts across the country to advance the "Fry Mumia" movement.

The funny thing about America is that you are only free up until the point where enacting your freedom twinges a nerve, or touches upon something that is generally looked upon as "taboo" (many would say that my critical remarks about Ms. Faulkner are just that).

I do not know for sure what happened. I do not know whether Mumia Abu-Jamal committed the crime and has thusly served the time. What I do know is that the procedural deficiencies inherent to Mumia Abu-Jamal's trial are glaring, the attitude and actions of the presiding judge were despicable, and the blind "rush-to-judgment" unjust. That is what is lost inside of the "Free Mumia" movement, the general injustices suffered by everyone in this case, not just Mumia Abu-Jamal or Officer Daniel Faulkner. It's shameful that those within the movement fail to see both sides of the coin. It damages the credibility of anyone who takes a stance in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal. As a result of the larger movement's aggression, those who intelligently support Mumia Abu-Jamal are viewed as "anti-police" or endorsing the murder of police officers, generally.

It's high-time for people to get out of their armchairs, stop pointing fingers or waving banners and do something to either free Mumia Abu-Jamal, justly and fully confirm his guilt, or apprehend/determine the actual murderer. Maybe it's because this has played out for twenty-six years (and counting), but something tells me that there is more to this than meets the eye - the problem is that not a single person has attempted to digest the images that go farther than that meeting point; everyone is too busy protesting to bring forward a productive investigation or, at least, a just investigation.

Mumia Abu-Jamal deserves more than this.

The citizens of Philadelphia deserve more than this.

Maureen Faulkner deserves more than this.

Most importantly, though, the late Officer Daniel Faulkner deserves more than this.

Rest in peace, Officer Daniel Faulkner, your service will be forever remembered.