NYS Parole Board’s War Against Political Prisoner Jalil Muntaqim

New York State Political Prisoner Jalil Muntaqim was recently denied parole for the 8th time by the New York State Parole Board. Jalil first became eligible for parole in 2002, and has been denied parole from that time to the present. At this point there is no longer a need to discuss Jalil’s accomplishments and why he should be home. Instead, let’s talk about the forces that are working to influence the parole denials of Jalil Muntaqim.

Law Enforcement officials across the country, spearheaded by The New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA), have led a nationwide media campaign against Jalil and Herman Bell, his co-defendant. The PBA has labeled them in the eyes of the public as violent sixties radicals who murdered two NYC police officers in cold blood. Police unions in San Francisco, Chicago, New Jersey and Florida have all mobilized their ranks and have publicly petitioned the New York State Parole Board to deny parole for both Jalil and Herman.

People, you don’t have to believe us. You can look on pro-police websites such as http://www.sfpoa.org and http://www.nycpba.org. The Fraternal Order of Police, the same group that has lobbied publicly for close to three decades for the execution of Mumia Abu Jamal, have also lobbied to help keep Jalil and Herman in prison. In fact, Sally Velasquez-Thompson, who is an active member of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Detective Endowment Association, was one of the parole officers assigned to Jalil’s parole hearing in 2012. This shows the clear connection between the police and parole board. This is similar to the parole hearings of The Move 9, where two of the parole officers involved in their hearings are former police officers.

People should be outraged by this, especially if you live in New York State, because your tax dollars are paying the salaries of these legalized terrorists called The New York State Parole Board. Instead of the interest of the community calling for parole for Jalil being taken into consideration, the opinion of the police – the same police who brutalize, murder, and maim Blacks, Latinos, and poor whites – is given a platform at Jalil’s and other political prisoners parole hearings. They get the say so on this because they are the police.

At this point Jalil is not only held as a political prisoner. He is also now a hostage of the New York State Parole Board and the New York City Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

This has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with hate and vengeance. Jalil is being made to pay for taking a stand against this corrupt government just like the rest of our imprisoned freedom fighters who took a stand against this rotten corrupt government.

It’s time to stand up and fight back. If we are as loving and courageous as our Freedom Fighters, we will be able to bring them back to their community and their loved ones, where they belong.

The PBA wants to retroactively sentence our beloved Freedom Fighters to life with parole, but this is not what the law says.*Jalil, Herman Bell, Robert Seth Hayes Mohamman Koti and Maliki Shakur Latine have all been denied parole multiple times due to the pernicious influence of the PBA over the parole board.* Even their own propaganda against Jalil proves that it is his ideas they are truly afraid of.

The system tries to create the illusion that it is omnipotent, but there are a
lot of cracks in the wall, so let’s keep pushing until all the walls come
tumbling down!

Free Jalil Muntaqim and All Political Prisoners and POWs!