The WMMR vs. Rage Against The Machine/Mumia Abu Jamal Case

WMMR's Morning DJ, "Barsky"

For those of you who are not aware of it, the band Rage Against the Machine supports Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. The band has done benefit concerts to support his defense fund, as well as spoken out in his support. WMMR's morning DJ, Barsky, feels stongly about the case, so when his program director asked him to play a Rage Against The Machine song, he walked out of the station while still on the air.  Pierre Robert, the long time mid morning-afternoon DJ at WMMR did play a Rage Against The Machine song.  He then received more negative mail, e-mail, faxes and phone calls then he ever had in his 19 year career at the station. Barsky returned to work the following morning after WMMR agreed to not play any songs by the band again. I've transcribed Pierre's 13 minute speech that he read to his listeners the following morning, December 7, 1999, explaining why he played the song, and explaining his position about the case.

WMMR's DJ, "Pierre Robert"

"I’d like to take a few minutes, he (Barsky) took about 10, probably gonna take me about the same amount of time, to tell you my side of what happened yesterday when I played that Rage Against the Machine song, here at the station. It angered some of you ah... and... um, but I'd like you to hear me out, hear my side of it. It started with me on Friday night I got home and on my message machine was a message from our program director , Sam Milkman.  He mentioned Barsky’s continuing on air stance about Mumia Abu Jamal and about Rage Against the Machine. And ,um, said that considering that fact that some people think that not playing a song for political reasons could be considered as censorship, in and of itself, he suggested, in a friendly way, that since they, Rage Against the Machine were in town last night, to give a balance to things, to let you – as a listener- decide for yourself, that it might be a good idea to play the song in my Monday Marathon.  And, ah, so thinking of it terms of a freedom of speech kind of thing, it seemed to make some sense to me.  It didn’t seem to me... that big of a deal.  So he went ahead and scheduled the song, keep in mind we don’t even normally play that band or that song. I didn't know on Friday that Barsky would be walking out yesterday morning.   I also didn’t hear Barsky’s show yesterday morning, the..the talking part of it. I heard the music part on my way in, and I didn’t even realize when I got here because he had already left,that he had walked out. Ah, I was told just a few minutes before I was getting ready to play that song that he'd walked out, and I didn’t take it seriously. I didn't you know, think the extent of it was that serious, I went on to explained that Rage was in town and maybe it would be good idea to separate the politics from the music I mentioned that I had not followed the details that closely of the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.  And had not fully decided this issue for myself.  Well all of that quite clearly was a big mistake, as I look back on it 24 hours later, and then all hell broke loose. I have never received the amount of email and faxes that have...that flooded in yesterday, I'd like to share just a couple with you, they are not nice, not at all:

- “Keep supporting the violence Pierre….”said Steve K.
- “as a long term resident of the Philly area it is your duty to stand behind the people, I can't believe you haven't"   said Michael from...I've forgotten where he's from.
- “Pierre, you have made an UNFORGIVABLE mistake by playing that song.  Where’s your spine at? You are a disgrace.  A cop was killed.  My father was a cop.  Serving this city for 26 years.”
- “you f---ing blow and anybody who is stupid enough to support your station deserves to have a bullet blasted through their f---ing heads.” Real letter, I am not lying one single bit.
As it goes on...it said
"It's a disgrace, the song sucks, I think you made a bad decision" says John Higgins
"Pierre you are such a coward, how can you say you have yet to decide where you stand when this has been in the news for 5 years, you should have defended Barsky.”
 "Pierre" says the next letter from an officer, police officer "I hope that you enjoy everything that management has promised you for selling yourself out! Enjoy the rest of your career you COWARD….”
Ummm, a couple of other nice ones in here...
“Pierre, I can’t agree with your view that music and politics should be separated"
"Pierre you are a cop murdering pig supporter, people like you disgust me"
and "Pierre how are you doing sellout, I can't believe you wouldn't support another DJ at your station."
Those were some of the nice letters that I got.

 In 19 years...19 years I've been here I've neve gotten hate mail like that ever, ever, ever!  I would now like to respond to some of those points that the people brought up there OK, again I'd ask you to hear me out, this may take a while, I don't give a damn how long it takes, but I'm gonna say it all.

First, Bad Decision, unquestionably a bad decision on my part!  I should of told Sam, no, I won’t play the song.  I severely misjudged the intensity of the emotions surrounding this issue.  Also, I think Sam put me in an awkward position but, the fact of the matter is I should've said no. So I have to take the responsibility for this, and I do. I’ve always tried to do in my life and I cop to it when I make a mistake.  He (Sam) apologized earlier on the morning show as did Barsky, that was very kind of them, and I thank them I apologize to you now, if it offended you, and I hope you will accept that.

Politics and Music don’t mix, said one of the letters, complaining that I had said that.  Yesterday I made the mistake of asking you to separate politics and music.  Some of the best rock n’ roll has been laced with politics and rebellion, from the earliest days to the current time. I should have known better than to ask you make that separation.

I didn’t know the issue well enough.  Well maybe yesterday that was true but not now.  I was up all night long, I got one hour of sleep because I got every single piece of literature on this case that I could and I've been up all night reading and writing my response.  I got 1 hour of sleep from 7:30 til 8:30 this morning. So I now know about this issue and..ah I’ve never been afraid to take a stand on an issue and have done so many many times over the years, but my policy is this, when I don't know enough information about a situation and don’t have a strong command of all the information I don't talk about it. I'm sure you've been in a similar situation where you've been unwilling to, you know, to share your opinion because you haven't fully formed it yet. Well I now have the full opinion and if you'll bear with me I'll present for you.

In terms of Jamal's supporters in Hollywood, and elsewhere it seems to me that they don't argue so much about his guilt or his innocence they argue that he didn't get a fair trial. They question the judge who has sentenced more men to die, 32 or so, so far by my count, most of them black by the way, He...this judge has sentenced more men to die than any other judge currently in America. They point to some questionable eyewitnesses and some other things, no witnesses were allowed to testify about ballistics no ballistics expert or a pathologist allowed to testify. 

Some of the points, interesting as I read them, but as I read on, having said that, you have to look at the evidence.  Officer Daniel Faulkner was found shot, laying on his back, face up, a bullet hole in his upper back, and the front of his head.  He had stopped Mumia’s brother, pulled him over, for erratic driving or what ever it was. The brother's name William Cook, was standing nearby, after the thing had happened, standing up against, I guess a storefront.  Also near by, sitting on the curb was Mumia himself who had been shot by Officer Faulkner...and...shot in the chest. On the sidewalk next to him was a .38 charter arms under cover special that Jamal had bought 2 and half years before.  Jamal was also wearing a shoulder holster.  The gun had 5 empty cartridges in its chamber.  Eyewitnesses testified to seeing Mumia do it.  Also, his brother, William Cook, has never come forward to argue his innocence.  That guy has to know, he had to have seen what happened, and I read that he’s since disappeared.  Now finally, Mumia has claimed he’s innocent.  He keeps saying that, and you alway wonder, well was he or wasn't, he but what he hasn’t said in court, he has not said in his writings, he has not said in his interviews, is his version of what did then happened that night. What happened? The officers widow, Maureen Faulkner, asks, why? and I have to ask the same question. 

Which leads me to to my conclusion, that were I on that jury, I would have had to vote that he’s guilty, all the evidence seems to point to it.  Now having said that, and I do think he’s guilty, I don’t believe in the death penalty, that may piss somebody else off, I don't know, and quite frankly I don't care. It's how I believe, and it's what I think, and I've never been afraid to share my opinions.  I think the death penalty is nothing short of barbaric!  I don’t think any human being has the right to pass judgment on another human being, in that kind of a fashion, no matter how horrific the crime!  I think we just lower ourselves to the criminal level by using capital punishment. It’s not also proven to be any kind of a deterrent, it's just not.  That’s my opinion,  I’m a vegetarian for 23 years now, and I'm not afraid to share that opinion with you. I do think he's guilty though. Furthermore, by playing the song in no way, shape, or form, yesterday does that in anyway does it mean that I hate or don’t support policemen or police women.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, could be further from the truth.  I have friends in police forces from California were I'm from, to here in Lower Merion area, to South Jersey, to Center City Philadelphia, on the Philadelphia police force, good friends on that force.  I have nothing but the greatest respect for the way that the Policemen and women do their jobs and for the risks they take each and every day.  I also have tremendous sympathy for the families and friends who have lost officers in the line of duty.  Um, so that's were I stand on that Mumia and Police issue.

One of the hate letters said I don’t support my fellow employees.  That’s just not true! Quite simple, never has been, I’ve always campaigned for my friends who are my family here at the station when I thought they were mistreated, or not treated properly, I've stood up for them, and I've tried to acknowledge and support them.  I support Barsky in his opinion, I like Barsky, I think he's cool, I think he's a nice guy. And I totally support his right to make a stand. I've done it, why should he not have the right to do it? So I do support them and I support him.

Some letters said I was just doing management’s dirty work, which I got a real kick out of, that I’m in bed with them and that I’m a spineless coward, as I read to you.  Let me just set the record real straight, if I could, for a moment. I’m not afraid of management in any way, shape, or form , not one bit! When I got off the air I yelled at all 3 of the managers here, yelled at them, I don't yell at people, I don't yell at people. But I was so angry yesterday, that I felt that I was put in such a bad position that I yelled at all three of them. Um, also three years ago, I gave the big middle finger to the management at this station when I felt they totally had screwed me in my last contract negotiations, and I walked out. No DJ with the exception of yesterday's Baskey incident has ever walked out of this station in 32 years do to principle. Not one, with the exception of Barsky. I did, and I stayed out for five weeks and I never would have come back had they not come back to the bargaining table and presented me with a more respectful offer.  So I'm not afraid of management in any way, shape, or form. My contract's up even now as a matter of fact, and I still don't know if I'm gonna stay here or not.  I hope that I will, but am not afraid of management and if they try to mess with me again I'll walk out again. Furthermore, Ah..if I didn’t believe in my own personal courage and integrity, I wouldn’t be coming on the air telling you these things, and admitting my responsibility for a portion of yesterday’s incident.  No manager told me I had to do that.  I wanted to do it because I value my relationship with you.

And, lastly, about supporting violence: I never have!  If anything, I’ve taken unpopular stances against war and encourage people on a local level to try to understand each other and have respect and listen to each other and lower their prejudices and raise their...their friendship for their fellow man and woman. I've also tried to turn people on to good groups and help people and help the planet. I speak my mind because I like to do that, and I don't try to preach but yesterdays situation put me into a pretty difficult place as you can imagine, and as you heard those letters.

And the last thing I'd like to say is that my respect is for you totally as my listeners. I try to take responsibility for not thinking yesterday's events all the way through, I've apologized to you if I offended you. But make no mistake, I totally..totally value my relationship with you, the listener. To suggest anything other than that is nothing but a crock of total bullshit, and I'm sorry if that offends you, that word, but I make another apology for it. I consider you, the listener not only my customer, but more importantly my friend. Coming from California as I did 19 years ago to this city I've had the best times of my life here. Much of it has to do with the warmth that you have given to me. You are family, you are friend, you are customer, you are much more than all of that to me. So the idea that I would want to offend you or insult you is..doesn't even come in to my ah.. vocabulary. You've been with us through the ups and downs of this place, and I think we owe you big time for that. So..I..in the interest of this sharing this I offer my hand to those who sent that hate mail in to me in the hopes that we can clear this up and that you'll accept my apology. Um, I hope you do. It seems, it seems to me..um..that when you share your opinion with people and they share it back, if you listen you can heal things. I have now seen your side of the story, I hope you've seen mine. It continues to boil over there's more than I can say, I think that would wrap it up. But let me conclude by just saying that this is a great city, and I love it, and I love this station, and I have the..nothing but the highest respect for you our listeners. So, I wanted to present my side of the story, they did earlier, on the Barsky show, and so I do as well. Pierre Robert reporting, sorry that took so long but it had to be said in all of it's long winded duration. We'll pause for these messages and I think we can put this thing to bed and get on with it right after this.

 Sam Milkman's Position

What happened here at WMMR is as follows: I’m the new program director of the station. Our morning man, Barsky, is a long-term opponent of Rage Against The Machine and their misguided effort to support Mumia Abul Jamal. I, too, share his contempt for this bands' position on this issue. I'm friendly with Maureen Faulkner, and I have booked her on radio shows in New York where she's been able to put Tom Morello of Rage in his place. I introduced Mr. Barsky to Maureen so that he could have her on his show to explain to our 25-54 year old male audience the details of this issue.  That said, Mr. Barsky and I had a disagreement on WMMR Monday morning. While I fully support his opposition to Rage on this issue, I thought, in fairness to the audience it might make sense to play their record and allow the audience to decide for themselves after hearing both sides of the issue. I was wrong, and WMMR's audience voiced their opinion about that decision loud and clear.  Mr. Barsky is back on the air. Rage Against The Machine will not be heard on this station again. I sincerely apologize. I hope you understand my intention was never to support this band or this despicable cause.

Maureen Faulkner's Statement

I just wanted to thank WMMR, the Barsky Show, Ben, Pierre and Sam Milkman for all the support that you have given me and the support you have given justice for Daniel Faulkner.