[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 22557-22562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CONDEMNING ST. DENIS, FRANCE, FOR NAMING STREET IN HONOR OF MUMIA ABU-
                                 JAMAL

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and

[[Page 22558]]

agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1082) condemning the decision by the 
city of St. Denis, France, to name a street in honor of Mumia Abu-
Jamal, the convicted murderer of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny 
Faulkner.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 1082

       Whereas on the night of December 9, 1981, Police Officer 
     Danny Faulkner was shot and killed in cold blood during a 
     traffic stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
       Whereas in the process of arresting the driver of a car 
     traveling the wrong way down a one-way street, the driver's 
     brother appeared from across the street and proceeded to open 
     fire on Officer Faulkner while his back was turned away; the 
     driver's brother was identified as Mumia Abu-Jamal;
       Whereas Mumia Abu-Jamal struck Officer Faulkner four times 
     in the back with his gun; although seriously injured, Officer 
     Faulkner returned fire, striking his attacker; undeterred, 
     Mumia Abu-Jamal stood over Officer Faulkner and shot him in 
     the face, mortally wounding him; Mumia Abu-Jamal attempted to 
     flee, but collapsed several feet from the slain Officer 
     Faulkner, murder weapon in hand;
       Whereas Mumia Abu-Jamal was charged and convicted of first 
     degree murder by a jury of his peers; although Mumia Abu-
     Jamal has had numerous legal appeals, including appeals to 
     the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court of Appeal, the 
     Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, and the United States 
     Supreme Court, his conviction has been upheld each time;
       Whereas on April 29, 2006, the municipal government of St. 
     Denis, a suburb of Paris, dedicated a street in the honor of 
     Mumia Abu-Jamal;
       Whereas December 9, 2006, marks the 25th anniversary of 
     Officer Danny Faulkner's murder at the hand of Mumia Abu-
     Jamal; and
       Whereas the official recognition and celebration of a 
     convicted murderer of a United States police officer is an 
     affront to law enforcement officers across the Nation: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer 
     Danny Faulkner;
       (2) urges the municipal government of St. Denis to take 
     immediate action to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal 
     and, if such action is not taken by the municipal government 
     of St. Denis, urges the Government of France to take 
     appropriate action against the city of St. Denis to change 
     the name of Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal; and
       (3) commends all police officers in the United States and 
     throughout the world for their commitment to public service 
     and public safety.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Conyers) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 1082 
currently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1082, the 
resolution that condemns the decision by the city of St. Denis, France, 
to name a street in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the convicted murderer of 
Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. In 1981, Officer Faulkner 
was shot multiple times by Abu-Jamal, who was then convicted and 
sentenced to death. Although Abu-Jamal's conviction was upheld on 
appeal, the death sentence was overturned on habeas review in 2001, 20 
years after the crime was committed.
  The city of St. Denis exhibited gross disregard for the family of 
Officer Faulkner, the city of Philadelphia and the families of slain 
law enforcement officers all over the United States when it callously 
announced the naming of a street to honor Abu-Jamal during the 2006 
National Police Week.
  House Resolution 1082 condemns the heinous murder of Officer Daniel 
Faulkner and urges the city of St. Denis to reconsider the decision to 
name a street after a convicted police murderer. Should the city of St. 
Denis fail to act, the resolution asks the government of France to take 
action to correct this injustice and concludes by commending all police 
officers for their commitment to public service and safety.
  This resolution has received the support of the Fraternal Order of 
Police and the National Troopers Coalition.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Fitzpatrick) for his leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to 
support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I am today joined by a number of my colleagues in expressing strong 
opposition to this measure in the manner in which it comes before us 
today.
  This proposal, introduced only 2 weeks ago, has conveniently made its 
way here to the House floor without the benefit of a single hearing, 
markup or any other consideration or discussion by our committee.
  Now, one could understand the need to circumvent the safeguards 
embodied in the traditional legislative process if this measure 
proposed to solve some of the problems of the 46 million Americans who 
every day go without health insurance.
  One could also understand the need to rush the bill through if it 
sought to improve our local schools, proposed to make college more 
affordable, or attempted to enhance the standard of living of roughly 
38 million people in America who currently live in poverty.
  Unfortunately, this bill fails to address any pressing public policy 
problems, but instead its sole aim is to influence the decisions of a 
local government located several thousand miles away in Paris, France.
  As many may know, the details surrounding the conviction of Mumia 
Abu-Jamal for the murder of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner are filled 
with a great deal of controversy. Legal experts have questioned the 
numerous irregularities that occurred during the course of the trial, 
including the failure to conduct adequate ballistic tests on Abu-
Jamal's gun and the clearly contradictory testimony given by at least 
two of the prosecution witnesses.
  Yet and still, and regardless of one's personal feeling with respect 
to Abu-Jamal's guilt or innocence, we should not be using the precious 
time we have to address the needs of the American people with a 
resolution such as this.
  Let us agree to let the French Government focus on the needs of its 
people while we focus on the needs of everyday, hardworking people here 
in America.
  We can start by providing better jobs, better schools, more 
affordable health care, not by passing this resolution.
  I must note that since his imprisonment, Abu-Jamal has continued his 
political activism and has completed his bachelor of arts from Goddard 
College, has earned a master of arts from California State University, 
and from his cell has made commencement speeches to graduating classes 
in a number of colleges across the country. He was a guest speaker on 
the immortal techniques on the musical album. The organization, Access 
of Justice, interviewed him for their job. Vanity Fair wrote that a 
supporter of Mumia's, Phillip Block, visited him in prison and asked 
Jamal whether he regretted shooting a cop, to which Mumia allegedly 
answered yes. Block, who otherwise supported Mumia, stated he came 
forward after he grew concerned about the vilification of Officer 
Faulkner, and this story goes on.
  I think this is not one of the great suspension matters which we 
should be bringing to the floor at this particular time.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), the author of the resolution.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on the night of 
December 9, 1981, Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner made a 
routine traffic stop when the driver of a Volkswagon was spotted 
driving the wrong way down a one-way street. While attempting to take 
the driver of the vehicle

[[Page 22559]]

into custody, the brother of the driver appeared from across the street 
and opened fire on Officer Faulkner while his back was turned away.
  The shooter's name was Weslie Cook, who was also known by his alias, 
Mumia Abu-Jamal. Not only did Mumia shoot Danny Faulkner in the back, 
but in a final moment of what can only be described as contempt and 
cold hatred, he stood over Officer Faulkner's prone body and fired 
again, the bullet striking Faulkner in the head, which instantly killed 
him.
  During the altercation, Officer Faulkner was able to return fire, his 
shots wounding Mumia Abu-Jamal enough to keep him from leaving the 
scene of the murder. Police arrived on the scene and found Mumia with 
the murder weapon close by.
  Soon after the crime, Mr. Speaker, Mumia was tried by a jury of his 
peers. Four eyewitnesses confirmed that Abu-Jamal was in fact Officer 
Faulkner's murderer, and not even his own brother William Cook agreed 
to testify in his defense. The jury deliberated only 2 days before 
convicting Abu-Jamal of first degree murder.
  Although Mumia tried many times to have his conviction overturned by 
Pennsylvania's commonwealth court, the Pennsylvania supreme court, and 
even the United States Supreme Court, Mumia Abu-Jamal's conviction 
stood firm and, in fact, still stands today.
  The murder of Officer Faulkner has been burnt into the memory of his 
colleagues, friends, family and into the thoughts of countless police 
officers across the country as a senseless act of violence.
  However, something strange happened during Mumia's trial and 
subsequent appeals. He became something of a celebrity to the extreme 
fringe left. Free Mumia movements started to spring up across the 
country. Activists started calling him a political prisoner.

                              {time}  1430

  Word spread, and soon his name became known across the world, leading 
us to this moment and the consideration of this House resolution.
  In early May of this year, I read a disturbing story in the 
Philadelphia Enquirer. The story reported that on April 29, the 
Parisian suburb St. Denis named a street of their city in honor of 
Mumia Abu-Jamal. I was shocked and I was disgusted.
  The man who, in 1970 as a founding member of the Black Panthers in 
Philadelphia, wrote, ``I for one feel like putting down my pen. Let's 
write epithets for Pigs!'' was being honored as a political prisoner. 
According to the Enquirer article, Suzanne Ross, the cochair of the 
Free Mumia Coalition of New York City, said that ``in France, they see 
him as a towering figure.'' Well, Ms. Rosen, in the United States the 
vast majority of Americans see him for what he is: a heartless and 
unrepentant cop killer.
  I was so disturbed by this story that I felt compelled to introduce 
legislation, not just 2 weeks ago, but back in May, to condemn the 
decision of the city of St. Denis to name a street after this criminal 
and to urge them to immediately rename the street. If such an action is 
not taken, the legislation calls on the Government of France to correct 
the ill-conceived decision of the city and of the municipal government.
  Finally, the bill condemns the murder of Daniel Faulkner, and 
recognizes the sacrifice and commitment law enforcement officers across 
the world show each day in securing the public safety and the order of 
the law. I also want to recognize representatives of the law 
enforcement community who have worked tirelessly to tell Danny 
Faulkner's story and to pursue justice in his case, including the 
Philadelphia FOP and its president, Bobby Eddis; the Pennsylvania FOP, 
and its national organization.
  Mr. Speaker, Mumia Abu-Jamal is not a political prisoner. He is a 
murderer with a penchant for public relations. He has been able to sway 
extreme liberal and Socialist groups to his side in a sick effort to 
ride his story of political oppression to freedom. Apparently, the city 
government of St. Denis has swallowed this lie, hook, line and sinker. 
It is an affront to Officer Daniel Faulkner's memory, to his widow 
Maureen, and everyone who puts on a uniform.
  As we approach the 25th anniversary of Officer Faulkner's murder, I 
call on all my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation. We 
must stand together as one and send a strong message to the world that 
cop killers deserve to be punished, not to be celebrated.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may need to the 
gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Bobby Scott, a distinguished member of the 
Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, we are all saddened by the death of a police officer cut 
down in the line of duty, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, 
and coworkers. We all want to see justice for victims and for society 
for such a tragic loss. Yet, we must leave the search for justice to 
our courts to apply our constitutional system of administering justice.
  There have been advocates and interested parties on both sides of the 
issue of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case from the beginning. Regardless of 
one's views of the merits or the lack of merits of this case, the 
contentions in the pending case, the Congress of the United States is 
not the proper forum to debate or determine the merits of this case. 
The existing appealable issues in the case are now pending before the 
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and Congress 
should not attempt to wield the court's gavel or presuppose its 
decision. And this is not an automatic go-through-the-motions appeal. 
The Federal District Court upheld the conviction, though it did 
overturn the death penalty in the case. Abu-Jamal is appealing the part 
of the case upholding the conviction; the State is appealing the part 
overturning the death sentence. So there are clearly judicial issues on 
both sides, and Congress should not interject itself on a matter 
pending before a court of law established to resolve the merits of 
legal issues.
  I thought we had learned from the Terry Schiavo case why Congress 
should not seek to serve as a judicial appeal arena on emotionally 
charged issues. Of course, the recent record reflects issues to strip 
Federal courts of jurisdiction to even hear cases related to emotion-
laden issues, which would suggest that we have not learned our lesson. 
But I do remain hopeful. Let the judiciary do its job. Any suggestion 
that the legislative branch can or should fix or have a say in a 
pending case before the courts not only demeans the judicial branch, 
but it diminishes respect for the law.
  Nor should Congress seek to respond to or otherwise address the 
actions of a municipality in a foreign sovereign nation, and certainly 
not in the matter contemplating holding the nation accountable for the 
ministerial actions of its subordinate jurisdictions, as this 
resolution attempts to do. We should not expect the United States to be 
urged by a foreign legislative body, as the resolution says, to take 
appropriate action against one of our municipalities when the foreign 
government disagrees with the action taken by one of those cities.
  There are many advocates for overturning the death sentence in this 
case, here in the United States as well as other countries. I 
understand some of those advocates are planning a rally in Philadelphia 
on December 9, the anniversary of his arrest. The city of Philadelphia 
will undoubtedly approve a permit for that rally. Now, are we going to 
pass a resolution condemning the city of Philadelphia for approving a 
rally in favor of Abu-Jamal, or should we take Federal action 
appropriate against the city for taking that action?
  We also know that the city of San Francisco has made Abu-Jamal an 
honorary citizen. Are we going to take Federal action against San 
Francisco because of that action?
  And what standard are we setting by this resolution? Municipalities 
around the world and right here in the United States take actions that 
many of us may disagree with. You would think that some in Congress 
would agree or disagree with many of the resolutions

[[Page 22560]]

passed by municipalities expressing their opposition to the USA PATRIOT 
Act or their opposition to the war in Iraq. Are we going to urge the 
United States to take appropriate action against those cities for 
criticizing the United States and its military actions? And do we 
create the opposite effect of the apparent attempt of the resolution by 
calling even more attention to the otherwise obscure event that is the 
subject of this resolution? Frankly, I had never heard of the action of 
the city of St. Denis before I saw this resolution, and I suspect few 
people in the United States or anywhere else had ever heard of this 
action. By complaining about those giving attention to the case and the 
issues through this resolution, we are simply giving more attention to 
it.
  The death penalty is a controversial issue in this country and around 
the world. It is an issue of conscience by many here as well as abroad, 
regardless of how heinous a crime for which someone may have been 
sentenced to death. The United States is one of few major countries in 
the world where the death penalty is still applied. Amnesty 
International and other human rights groups criticize the United States 
policies on the death penalty as inhumane and inconsistent with 
international human rights standards, and we encounter many 
difficulties in getting international cooperation because of it. When 
we try to have a captured capital crime defendant extradited from 
another country back to the United States, we routinely face opposition 
from countries of origin and other countries because we have the death 
penalty. In fact, a letter from St. Denis has mentioned their 
opposition to the death penalty as one of the reasons for their action.
  And so we should not be shocked by those who are facing death 
penalties when they are designated as martyrs of what some consider to 
be a barbaric and archaic practice. Mr. Speaker, because we should not, 
as the resolution says, urge the Government of France to take 
appropriate action against the city of St. Denis, when we haven't even 
done the same against cities right here in the United States, and 
because this case is pending in the Third Circuit, we should reject 
this resolution.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, as a citizen of the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania, I rise today to speak in favor of House Resolution 1082. 
When I first read or heard that the leadership of the Paris suburb of 
St. Denis had decided to name a street in that municipality for Mumia 
Abu-Jamal, I thought I had just disappeared down Lewis and Carroll's 
rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Everything had gone topsy-turvy; 
left had become right, up was down, and, most significantly, right was 
now wrong.
  Mumia Abu-Jamal is a man to be condemned, not honored. On December 9, 
1981, he shot Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner. He shot him 
in the back, then he shot him four more times. The last round from a 
38-caliber handgun struck the officer in the face and killed him. Four 
eyewitnesses at the scene saw him do it and testified as such in a 
court of law. Abu-Jamal was apprehended at the scene, and his 38, 
containing five spent shell casings, was found there as well. And I 
won't even get into the alleged hospital confession.
  Abu-Jamal was tried by a jury of his peers in a Philadelphia 
courtroom. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 
death. Philadelphia's Democratic District Attorney Lynn Abraham called 
it ``the most open and shut murder case'' that she had ever seen. In 
fact, current Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Ed Rendell was district 
attorney at the time, and his office tried that case.
  Abu-Jamal also admitted to shooting the officer. And while this 
confession and a death sentence that he received has been the subject 
of subsequent appeals, every court that has looked at this case has 
affirmed the jury's finding that Abu-Jamal murdered Officer Faulkner.
  Abu-Jamal, a cop killer, is now feted as a minor celebrity by people 
like Fidel Castro, a few Hollywood movie stars, and of course the 
leadership of a small suburb of Paris, France. And some people have 
argued that they support Abu-Jamal because they oppose the death 
penalty. May I say, rather respectfully, that the Jamal case is not the 
case to make that case against the death penalty. We have a death 
penalty statute in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania precisely because 
of cases like this one.
  The man that he executed, meanwhile, a true hero who protected and 
served the people of Philadelphia, is dead, and his widow Maureen 
continues to grieve for him. I have met with Maureen when I served in 
the Pennsylvania General Assembly. I know that she misses Danny every 
day. Only the Mad Hatter could make sense of a scenario like this.
  Please, I urge every Member of this House to vote in favor of this 
resolution sponsored by my good friends and colleagues Mike Fitzpatrick 
and Allyson Schwartz.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman, Ms. Schwartz, 4 
minutes.
  Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  I rise today in strong opposition to the decision by the city of St. 
Denis, France to dedicate a street in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the 
convicted murderer of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.
  Every day, law enforcement officers selflessly risk their lives to 
protect us and our communities, and 25 years ago Officer Faulkner paid 
the ultimate price for his service to the city of Philadelphia.
  On December 9, 1991, Officer Faulkner was shot to death during a 
traffic stop at 12th and Walnut Street. Officer Faulkner was a 
respected and loved member of the Philadelphia community, a loving 
husband to his wife Maureen. He was only 25 years old when he was 
murdered.
  The city of Philadelphia is still mourning the loss of Officer 
Faulkner, yet some have allowed Mumia Abu-Jamal, his convicted 
murderer, to become an international cause celebre. Most recently, the 
French city of St. Denis named a street after this man.
  Abu-Jamal was found guilty by a jury of his peers, a sentence that 
has been upheld by State and Federal courts. It is unfortunate that 
elected officials in France, who surely understand the importance of 
honoring those who risk their lives to preserve the rule of law, pay 
tribute to such a man. In the United States, naming of public places 
such as buildings and streets is an honor reserved for individuals who 
have brought significant contributions to their communities, to our 
Nation, or to the society at large.
  Perhaps the mayor and elected officials of St. Denis could learn from 
the city of Philadelphia, which in the year 2000 named a portion of the 
Roseville Boulevard in my district in remembrance of Officer Faulkner. 
Or perhaps the mayor will respond to the collective outrage expressed 
today by the U.S. House of Representatives when it passes this 
resolution; because he did not, when I wrote to him earlier this year 
to express my strong opposition to his actions. Instead, I received a 
response making clear that the city would not be deterred.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow Officer Faulkner's public service to be 
diminished by the actions of a foreign city. The resolution before us 
remembers his service to our community and to our Nation. It condemns 
those involved in his murder and the city of St. Denis for celebrating 
them. And it recognizes that while 25 years have passed since Officer 
Faulkner's passing, he has not been forgotten.
  Sadly, since Officer Faulkner's murder, 110 brave law enforcement 
officers have given their lives serving and protecting the communities 
of my State. I want to take this opportunity to reflect and remember 
the four officers we lost just this last year: Pennsylvania State 
Police Corporal Joseph Pokorny; Reading Police Officer Scott Wertz; 
Upper Saucon Township Police Officer David Petzold; and Police Officer, 
in Philadelphia, Gary Skerski. Gary Skerski was a constituent of mine. 
He had befriended my staff, and he was a

[[Page 22561]]

beloved member of our community. I know how much he is missed by his 
wife Ann and their two young children as well as the residents of Port 
Richmond, the Philadelphia neighborhood where he lived and was so 
involved. I know the St. Denis actions are an offense not only to 
Daniel Faulkner and his family, but also to the Philadelphia Fraternal 
Order of Police and to Officer Skerski and all of our Nation's fallen 
heroes.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to send a message 
to the leaders of St. Denis that police officers, not cop killers, are 
heroes worthy of our respect, admiration, and remembrance.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a letter 
provided by the French Embassy from the city of St. Denis from their 
mayor.

                                                 November 7, 2006.
     Martin Bozmarov,
     Attorney,
     Issy-Les-Moulineaux.
       Dear Mr. Bozmarov: On behalf of the Philadelphia City 
     Council, you informed me that a delegation from that council, 
     headed by its chairman, will be coming to Saint-Denis to ask 
     the City of Saint-Denis to reconsider naming one of our 
     streets ``Mumia Abu-Jamal.'' You also informed me that the 
     delegation would like to address the Saint-Denis City Council 
     meeting of November 30.
       This request calls for an explanation of the reasons 
     underlying the city's decision to name one of its streets 
     after Mumia Abu-Jamal.
       As you know, Mumia Abu-Jamal has proclaimed his innocence 
     for nearly a quarter century. He has always denied firing the 
     shots that resulted in the death of police officer Daniel 
     Faulkner on December 9, 1981. His defenders, as well as the 
     movements and associations that have rallied on his behalf, 
     have accumulated a considerable number of elements that 
     justify his request for a new trial.
       These have largely highlighted the unfair nature of the 
     investigation: the lack of ballistics tests, the failure to 
     take fingerprints, the failure to secure the area and perform 
     other tests. It seems that important witnesses were bribed, 
     excluded or intimidated. Several police reports were 
     contradictory. And the American press itself asserted that 
     Judge Sabo had exerted pressure in demanding the death 
     penalty against Mr. Abu-Jamal on July 3, 1982.
       Even more troubling, a man who acknowledged he was Mr. 
     Faulkner's killer never testified in court, on the pretext 
     that his confession did not come within the deadline for the 
     proceedings.
       All of these aspects largely justify the doubts that exist 
     with respect to Mr. Abu-Jamal's guilt and the growing 
     movement supporting him, to which we wanted to contribute.
       Our action also expresses our total opposition to the death 
     penalty, which threatens Mr. Abu-Jamal each day. For even 
     now, despite all the international agreements on human 
     rights, the death penalty continues to be handed down in a 
     majority of American states.
       Several dozen American prisoners are on death row. There 
     are more than 60 in Texas alone. Executions are still taking 
     place, and it takes the courageous mobilization of a part of 
     U.S. public opinion to rescue certain convicts from this 
     barbarous practice.
       It is in this context that Mumia Abu-Jamal has become one 
     of the emblematic figures in the fight for justice and for 
     the abolition of the death penalty in the United States and 
     throughout the world. And it is precisely this fight that we 
     wanted to support in naming one of our city streets after 
     him.
       In this movement, the town of Saint-Denis is not alone. You 
     are aware that committees supporting this prisoner from 
     Philadelphia have been formed in many communities of France 
     and other European countries. You also know that Mumia Abu-
     Jamal has been made an honorary citizen of Paris, that French 
     parliamentarians have visited him regularly in prison, and 
     that each year, concerts, demonstrations, marches and 
     assemblies are organized in his support.
       In fact, this is not the first time that international 
     public opinion has rallied in support of American citizens 
     who appear to be unjustly accused in their own country. That 
     was the case for Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti between 
     1920 and 1927, for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were 
     executed by electric chair in 1953, and in 1973 for Angela 
     Davis, who was initially convicted of murder before being 
     fully acquitted.
       In these circumstances, we are happy that the inauguration 
     of a Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal in Saint-Denis lends additional 
     support to this fight. We are proud of this act and have no 
     intention of reversing it.
       As for the City Council session of November 30, I would 
     like to remind you that it is public and therefore open to 
     anyone who would like to attend. However, only members of the 
     City Council are authorized to take the floor.
       Finally, I would like to mention that quite recently, 
     during a mission to the United States in the course of which 
     he met with Mumia Abu-Jamal, our deputy Patrick Braouezec was 
     not received by the mayor of Philadelphia, even though he had 
     an appointment.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Didier Paillard.

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution does one thing, and that is it tells a 
suburb of Paris to butt out in terms of making a statement relative to 
how the criminal justice system processed the case of the murder of 
Officer Faulkner.
  This is not an issue of whether or not the Federal Government or any 
of the States should have the death penalty, and I come from a 
noncapital punishment State. Whether or not a State has the death 
penalty is a decision that is to be made by their elected 
representatives. The elected representatives of my State since 1853 
have chosen not to impose capital punishment.
  But in this case the death sentence was reversed in 2001, so that is 
a settled issue. Mumia Abu-Jamal is not going to be put to death.
  Now 5 years after this happens, the city of St. Denis decides to name 
a street after a convicted cop killer. I would like to know what the 
French would think if we started naming streets anywhere in the United 
States for people who had been convicted of murdering their police 
officers. I think they would tell us it is none of our business, and 
they would be right.
  What this resolution says is that the city of St. Denis should not 
decide to honor and glorify somebody that a jury of 12 unanimously 
beyond a reasonable doubt said murdered Officer Faulkner. That is all 
the resolution says. I think that in terms of saying that we Americans 
can solve our problems within our own constitutional system, we ought 
to be allowed to do so without some foreign country glorifying a person 
who has been convicted not only of first degree murder, but first 
degree murder against a public safety officer whose sworn duty it was 
to protect the citizens of our country. This resolution should be 
approved. I ask for a ``yes'' vote.
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my 
disappointment about H. Res. 1082, a resolution condemning the decision 
by St. Denis, France to name a street after Mumia Abu-Jamal, being 
rushed to the House floor as a suspension bill.
  The resolution condemns the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer 
Danny Faulkner and urges the municipal government of St. Denis, France, 
to change the name of a street named after Mumia Abu Jamal immediately. 
It also urges the French government to take appropriate action against 
the city to change the name of the street.
  I do not support the killing of police officers or any law 
enforcement officials and my heart goes out to the family of Officer 
Danny Faulkner. However, I respect the rights of other countries and 
sovereign nations. I do not believe it is the place of the United 
States House of Representatives to dictate street names in France or 
any other country.
  I also respect the balance of powers in our Nation and the 
jurisdiction of our courts. Appeals by both the prosecution and the 
defense are scheduled to be reviewed by the Third Circuit Court of 
Appeals next year. As Members of Congress, I do not believe it is our 
place to interject our views on a particular case currently pending in 
the Federal Courts.
  With only 3 legislative days left in the 109th Congress, there are 
far more pressing issues we should be addressing, such as education, 
health care and minimum wage. This resolution invokes too many 
controversial and sensitive issues to be simply placed on the 
suspension calendar without any hearings and limited debate.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1082.
  The question was taken.

[[Page 22562]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those voting have responded in the affirmative.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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