A tribute to Veronica Jones and Pamela Jenkins
David
A TRIBUTE TO TWO COURAGEOUS BLACK SISTERS;
VERONICA JONES AND PAMELA JENKINS
Dave Silver June 1997
Veronica Jones and Pamela Jenkins experienced and were victims of a
mean predatory racist system that oppressed and exploited these young
women. Forced to be prostitutes by their grinding poverty they were
abused by the police, judge, prosecutors and other men who regarded
them as their property. Both have taken the stand to tell the truth
about that dark night in 1981 when Mumia Abu-Jamal was shot and later
convicted of murdering Officer Daniel Faulkner and put on death row.
Veronica Jones, called by the defense, told homicide investigators at
her initial interview that one or more people ran from the scene. She
was working the streets as a prostitute and her vantage point at the
opposite end of Locust Street gave her a clear view looking westward
where the police car had stopped. The police pursued this investigation
by arresting Veronica, threatening her with hard time and an offer of
immunity from arrest and protection when she went back on the streets.
Veronica retracted her story.In her words they were trying to to get
me to say something the other girl said. I couldn t do that. They
threatened reprisals if she did not cooperate with the police and D.A.
were too much for Veronica to overcome.
After arduous investigative work the defense located Veronica who had
completely turned her life around bringing up children with loving care
and holding a regular job. She came forward this time, 15 years later
and stuck to her original story that one or more people fled the scene
and Mumia could not have done the shooting. This angered the hanging
judge Sabo and Veronica was put in handcuffs and held for a brief
period in jail.
I met this warm and sensitive woman on two occasions, embraced her and
felt her dignity in standing up to the oppressors. The Bruderhoof,
that collective of German sisters and brothers who really practice
liberation theology have strongly supported a new trial and freedom for
Mumia have generously provided sanctuary for Veronica.
I watched and listened to Pamela s testimony through a glass partition
in the workplace of the hanging judge in the Criminal Court Justice
Center at Filbert and Juniper streets. . She too had an extremely
difficult life leading to teen age prostituion and drug addiction. She
stood under the hostile glare of the judge and arrogant questioning by
the Assistant D.A.. During the hearing she was in custody of the
Philadelphia Department of Correction. This was a pay back for her
willingness to testify that Cynthia White a prostitute known as Lucky
on the streets, and the star prosecution witness against Mumia, was
successfully pressured by police to lie on the witness stand. Pamela
became a a key government informant and witness in the massive police
corruption scandal in the 39th precinct. She revealed that the police
routinely pay addicts to get their fix in exchange for false
testimony.
Pamela spoke to Mumia s lawyers while in jail where she gave and
signed statements that supported Mumia s innocence. The arrogant
Assistant D.A. focused on Pamela s troubled life that included theft of
a picture in a retail store and ignoring a bench warrant in an
unrelated case. In addition she feels frightened for her life and her
young daughter s welfare as she lives in the 39th precinct.
This powerful voice for Mumia stunned the court when on March 5th she
testified that she ran into the missing witness Cynthia White who upon
recognizing Pamela fled the scene by hopping into a pickup truck
driven by former Philadelphia police officers whom she knew and
recognized. Pamela was 15 at the time of Faulkner s murder and said
that the police coerced her to testify against Mumia but had refused.
After the attemtp to discredit her testimony came to an end with I
have nothing further your honor, Defense Attorney Leonard Weinglass
asked Pamela if she expected to go back to jail and be there for some
time. Yes she answered. Do you have anything to gain by testifying as
you have? No I do not. Do you fear reprisals for coming forward and
telling your story. Yes I do. They ve done all they can do to me and
I'm not going to sit by and watch this man be killed.
The courage and dignity of these two women are so powerful as to have
led to the prosecutor s claim that Cynthia White, a paid police
informant has been dead since 1992. For as Attorney Weinglass said just
as they were forced to release political prisoner Geronimo ji-jagga
Pratt, if we can find Cynthia and she takes the stand and
acnkowledges she was coerced, then the case is over.
The best way we can honor the example of Veronica Jones and Pamela
Jenkins is by keeping the pressure on until Mumia is free.
For more information and how you can help contact ;
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
at (215)476-8812 or 476-7551 or (203) 846-1937 Pam Africa or Susan Burnet
Committee to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal (212) 740-4157 Safiya Bukhari Alston
or Equal Justice U.S.A. (301) 699-0042