National Jericho Movement

National Jericho Movement is a prisoner rights and prison abolition organization in the United States, founded in 1998. It advocates for the recognition and release of individuals it defines as political prisoners, particularly those associated with the Black Power movement and other radical social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The movement is a significant, if controversial, component of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and racial justice, extending the movement's focus to the carceral system and state repression.

Origins and founding

The National Jericho Movement was formally launched in 1998, emerging from decades of activism around incarcerated Black nationalists and revolutionary figures. Its founding was catalyzed by the high-profile case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther Party member and journalist on death row for the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. The movement's name is derived from the biblical city of Jericho, symbolizing a call to "tear down the walls" of the prison system. Key early organizers included political prisoners like Sundiata Acoli and Jalil Muntaqim (formerly Anthony Bottom), as well as external supporters from the Committee to End Marion Lockdown and other prisoner support networks. The founding conference was held in New York City, drawing activists from across the country to unify various local campaigns into a national structure.

Political objectives and campaigns

The central political objective of the National Jericho Movement is the recognition and release of all U.S. political prisoners and prisoners of war. It defines these individuals as those incarcerated due to their political beliefs and activities against what it terms U.S. "imperialism," racism, and colonialism. Its campaigns focus on pardons, commutations, and new trials. A primary ongoing campaign is for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose case became an international cause célèbre. The movement also advocates for figures such as Leonard Peltier of the American Indian Movement, Assata Shakur, and members of the Republic of New Afrika. Its methods include organizing demonstrations, rallies, and annual Jericho March events in Washington, D.C., educational outreach, and legal defense fundraising. The movement's platform is intrinsically linked to the prison abolition goals articulated by scholars like Angela Davis.

Key figures and leadership

Leadership and inspiration for the movement come from both incarcerated individuals and outside organizers. Mumia Abu-Jamal, though imprisoned, remains its most prominent symbolic figure and a prolific writer whose works are disseminated by the movement. Founding political prisoners Sundiata Acoli (a former Black Liberation Army member) and Jalil Muntaqim have provided direct guidance and ideological framing. Key external organizers have included Safiya Bukhari, a former Black Panther who co-founded the movement and served as its vice president until her death in 2003. Other significant supporters and allied voices include attorney Lynne Stewart, professor Angela Davis, and activist Pamela Africa of the MOVE organization. The movement operates through a decentralized network of local chapters and support committees across the United States.

Connection to broader civil rights activism

The National Jericho Movement positions itself as a direct continuation of the radical wings of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power movement. It connects the fate of political prisoners to historical COINTELPRO operations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which targeted groups like the Black Panther Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This frames mass incarceration and long-term imprisonment as contemporary forms of political repression. The movement's work intersects with broader prison reform and abolitionist movements, including the Critical Resistance organization and the activism surrounding the Attica Prison riot. It also aligns with international human rights frameworks, appealing to bodies like the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to classify certain U.S. inmates as political prisoners.

Legal battles and government response

The movement's advocacy has been met with significant legal and governmental opposition. Campaigns for parole hearings, retrials, and sentence reductions for individuals like Muntaqim and Acoli have involved protracted litigation in both state and federal courts. The U.S. government and law enforcement agencies, particularly the FBI and local district attorneys, have consistently opposed these efforts, arguing the prisoners were convicted for violent criminal acts, not political beliefs. Supporters have sometimes faced legal scrutiny; for example, attorney Lynne Stewart was convicted in 2005 for providing material support to terrorism related to her client Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a case that sent a chilling effect through radical legal defense circles. The movement characterizes this opposition as part of a continuing pattern of political repression.

Legacy and influence

The legacy of the National Jericho Movement lies in its sustained effort to keep the issue of political prisoners in the public consciousness and to frame incarceration as a core civil rights issue. It has influenced a younger generation of activists within the Black Lives Matter movement, who draw connections between police killings and the historical persecution of Black radicals. While the movement has not secured the mass release of its named prisoners, it has contributed to specific victories, such as the 2020 parole release of Jalil Muntaqim after 49 years in prison. Its advocacy provides a critical, radical perspective within the larger discourse on prison-industrial complex abolition and transformative justice. The movement remains a focal point for debates on memory, justice, and the long-term consequences of state surveillance and counterintelligence programs on social movements.