Anatomy of a Racist Frame-Up
The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Appendix No. 7: Declaration of Yvette Williams
I, YVETTE WILLIAMS, declare:
If called as a witness in this case I would truthfully and
accurately testify to the following from my own personal knowledge.
I was in jail with Cynthia White in December of 1981 after Police
Officer Daniel Faulkner was shot and killed. Cynthia White told me the police
were making her lie and say she saw Mr. Jamal shoot Officer Faulkner when she
really did not see who did it. She said she knew Mumia from seeing him drive a
cab.
I was in jail with Cynthia White and knew she was a prostitute in
center city Philadelphia around 13th Street. She used a lot of different names
besides Cynthia White one of them was Lucky which is
what I called her. She liked to wear a lot of different wigs. The word on the
street was that she was a snitch for the police. Cynthia and I met due to being
in jail for not wanting to testify in homicides.
In December of 1981, Lucky (Cynthia White) was locked up in
PC (protective custody) in the hole for women,
G Rear. I was in jail because the cops thought that I knew
something about a homicideI didntbut they wanted to get
information out of me.
Our cells were directly across from each other. Sometimes the
inmates would use me as a runner passing contraband between inmates
in the hole and inmates in population, and I would stop and talk with Lucky
when I went to her cell. I had been involved in violent crime and was
interested in what prostitution was all about so I was asking Lucky about it,
considering it as an occupation. She was nervous and frightened and glad to
have someone to talk to. She was always crying and sad. She told me she was
scared for her life. I asked her, Scared of who? she stated,
The guards and vice.
When Lucky told me she didnt even see who shot Officer
Faulkner, I asked her why she was lying on that man (Mumia
Abu-Jamal). She told me it was because for the police and vice threatened her
life. Additionally, the police were giving her money for tricks. The way she
talked, we were talking Gs ($1,000.00). She also said she was
terrified of what the police would do to her if she didnt say that Mumia
shot Officer Faulkner. According to Lucky, the police told her they would
consolidate all her cases and send her up (Muncy), a womens
prison, for a long time if she didnt testify to what they told her to
say. Lucky told me she had a lot of open cases and out-of-state warrants and
was scared of going to Muncy. She was scared that her pimp would get
pissed off at all the money he was losing when she was locked up, and off
the street. She was afraid that when she got out he would beat her up or kill
her.
Lucky was worried the police would kill her if she didnt say
what they wanted. She was scared of what the MOVE people would do to her after
she testified against Mumia, but MOVE never threatened Lucky while
incarcerated. She was scared when she told me all of this plus she was crying
and shaking. Whenever she talked about testifying against Mumia Abu-Jamal, and
how the police were making her lie, she was nervous and very excited and I
could tell how scared she was from the way she was talking and crying.
Lucky told me that what really happened that night was that she
was on the stroll (looking for and serving customers) in the area
of 13th and Locust when Officer Faulkner got shot, but she definitely did not
see who did it. She also told me that she had a drug habit and was high on
drugs when it happened. She tried to run away after the shooting, but the cops
grabbed her and wouldnt let her go. They took her in the car first and
told her that she saw Mumia shoot Officer Faulkner.
While Lucky and I were locked up in the
hole, the detectives would come to the jail a lot and get her out
to talk to her. When she came back she always had things they wouldnt let
us have in there, like cigarettes and candy and even hoagies, syringes and
white powders. They would let her out for two (2) hours recreation time during
times the womens jail was on lock down for count.
I feel like Ive almost had a nervous
breakdown over keeping quiet about this all these years. I didnt say
anything because I was afraid. I was afraid of the police. Theyre
dangerous. They can hurt you and get away with it. I know, Ive been
trouble with the law and they know me. Im still afraid of what they could
do, but when Mr. Jamals case was on TV and in The Daily News, in the
middle of December of last year, I couldnt get it out of my mind, I kept
thinking that man could die because of all the lies that Lucky told on that
witness stand and Mrs. Faulkner would never know the truth.
I read in the papers that Mr. Jamals lawyer was in
California, but I didnt have long distance service. When I saw that Mr.
Jamal had a lawyer in Philadelphia named J. Michael Farrell, I looked him up in
the phone book yellow pages and called his office on December 18 or 19, 2001. I
talked to one of Mr. Farrells assistants and told him I had information
about how Cynthia White lied at Mumias trial. He took my number and told
me someone would call me back.
Two or three days later, I got a call from Mr.
Mike Newman, who told me he was a private investigator for Mumia
Abu-Jamals attorneys. I gave him the same basic information that is in
this declaration. He called me back a couple of times with more questions,
asking for more details.
Before calling attorney Farrells office on
December 18 or 19, 2001, I never had any contact of any kind with any of Mumia
Abu-Jamals attorneys, past or present. Before talking to Mr. Newman, as
explained above, I never had any contact with any of the investigators,
assistants or other agents of Mumia Abu-Jamals attorneys. I do not know
Mr. Mumia Abu-Jamal. I never met him, spoke to him, or had any contact with
him.
I have carefully read this declaration before signing it to be
sure that it is truthful and accurate.
This declaration is made subject to the penalties
provided for in Pa. Cons. Stats. Sec. l8 C.S.A. 4904 for unsworn false
statements to the authorities.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the law
of the Unite States of America that the foregoing declaration is true and
correct and was executed by me on [28 January 2002] at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
(signed)
YVETTE WILLIAMS
|