-Martin Luther King Jr - Washington DC July 19, 1962
Osiris Abu Ameer
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A SINGLE FOOTSTEP
As I pace the floor, contemplating life's end, I wonder, "is this for real or is this some sorta outer space vortex in time which has captured my physical container ?"
Could all my life's walk
be meant to end by the state's machinery of death ? I once
read, "where there is fear, there can be no faith." My faith has
resolved to cement my fearlessness, foolish or not. Yea, though I
walk through the Valley of Death, I shall have no fear. Neo-slavery
has enlightened my soul and strengthened my spirit. No earthly trauma
can impact my psyche. 8 x 365 have been the days of my fateful walk.
My feet are still grounded, even though the path grows ever so short.
The question is, to where does it lead ? To contemplate such a destiny
is to be of a "higher source." Since I am but a man, I concede
my impotence in such matters. There was a time when my path was somewhat
clear to me, yet in actuality it was an illusion. A dream chased
by the Lumpen, only to be captured as fools gold, appraised to be worth
less !
Yet, I continued to elude
my own logic, tragically bringing about my present. No sorrow, only
hope, plans and more walks. Nothing has murdered my inner foundation,
laid by the multitude of my ancestors slaughtered on the long journey over,
mentally and physically mutated into a people with no land, no identity,
no future, no present, vicariously existing in a race not of its own hue.
Nothing has transformed my essence into a defeatist ideology to which I
dare not resist. Nothing has suppressed or repressed the revolution
that is innate in the genes of my nature which are onamove to freedom.
My walk has been long
and arduous but I still have my feet. My walk has been traveled on
treacherous terrain but my soulful legs have begun to trot. I'm alive,
I live, I die, only to be reborn by the second. I struggle, I fight,
only to win. Win my freedom ! It wars on and I shall be free
!
-Osiris - 12/19/98 3:00 am
WRITTEN FOR PETER CAVANNA AT THE Bruderhof on 4/21/99; 4pm
I desire to be free yet I am shackled My natural being longs for the rights of every human being yet I am imprisoned. This demon they call the Death Penalty; it definitely kills. It kills souls.
Not long after coming to Death Row, you die. Your body dies, your mind dies, your spirit dies, only by the Love of Humanity are we that dwell in Earth's Hell, alive.
We are, in a sense, reborn. Each letter from our friends, family and the Beloved Community of Brothers are we yet reborn.
I read in the Bible where Jesus said, " I am the resurrection and the Life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies and those who live and believe in me will never die" (John 11:25-26).
I liken the support and courage of those
that support us and their strength and determination to this belief, that
we will never die, as long as we believe!
The struggle continues and we will
win, even if it kills us
Ona Move
Osiris Abu Ameer
RONALD GIBSON BQ5220
175 Progress Drive.
Waynesburg,Pa. 15370-8090 USA
| NOTE:
JUSTICE RONALD CASTILLE,NOW SITS ON PA.'S SUPREME COURT AFTER LEAVING
THE PHILADELPHIA'S D.A.'S OFFICE AS HEAD DISTRICT ATTORNEY. |
If every exit is an entry to somewhere else, then Osiris Abu Ameer has kicked down the door to another worldly place to which noone ever truly leaves or returns. With almost nine years as a denizen of Death Row, that other place has become a harsh reality. A look into the madness that is becoming sanity far too often in these good ole United States of America ! Osiris hit rock bottom in a "free" world when falling prey to what has enguled an entire generation of black youth and continues to decimate the Black family. He chased "The American Dream" on a fast track. From early childhood, Osiris conformed to the American way of life, going to school, doing well in school and keeping out of trouble. Growing up o nthe ghetto steets of North Philadelphia, where the American dream on a fasttrack, is multiplied tenfold, Osiris became a statistic. He became the 5% of American that are responsible for all the "crime" in this great country, doomed to the revolving door of county jails and state prisons. Yet, for Osiris, the revolving door may never turn again. Osiris is condemned to die in a state that is steadfast in its thirst for blood, unquenched, in its lustful desire for the death of the flesh. No, there may never be another revolving door for him to walk the 'free' world. On December 26, 1990, he exited that world and entered into an unholy place unaffectionately known as 'The Row'. Now, at 31, Osiris is in a fight for his life ! A fight to regain his freedom ! Only through his strong desire for truth and justice does he continue to maintain his sanity. Here is a brief look into his journey...and of my struggle to free the man that I love ....
"Truth crushed to the Earth will rise again" - H. Rap Brown
-The Phoenix
Born on June 24, 1968, Osiris Abu Ameer (formerly Ronald Gibson) was marred from the start. During a difficult delivery, the doctors had to use forcepts to pull him out. They slipped, catching his eye and causing him to be born with a black eye. A premature baby, he also suffered bronchial pneumonia at an early age. Born to a mother that was a teen alcoholic, he managed to grow into a healthy, athletic young man with the support of a big, extended family.
Osiris stood out in school, both in academics and athletics. Through the persistance of his mother, he was enrolled at J.R. Masterman Middle School in Philadelphia (number one ranking in academia). He went to his neighborhood high school where he became class president and continued to excell, graduating 3rd in his class.
Throughout high school, Osiris worked at the Social Security Administration building as a clerk through the work study program offered by his school. He kept the position after graduation from high school.
Although Osiris attended the community college of Pennsylvania for one year with the hope of transferring to Temple University, this dream was never realized after a motorcycle accident resulting in serious injuries caused him to drop out of school. He never returned to pursue his dreams.
In the summer of 1987, Osiris being a product of the streets became what is commonly known as a 'hustler.' After working his way up the 'street corporate ladder,' he became his own boss. That came with a price. He was subjected to constant threats and shakedowns, not by his cohorts in crime, but by the same people who were sworn to uphold the law - the police !
After years in the street game, he became very well known to the law and the lawless. During these times, he was arrested on several occasions by the (now infamous) 39th district police on various charges which ranged from assault to possession; all of which were bogus. The arrests were mostly an effort to force him to become the ultimate street scum - a 'rat'. This meant informing on several drug dealers in the neighborhood.
In the midst of all the chaos, Osiris became a proud father and provided for his child.
On December 26, 1990, Osiris was arrested for the murders of an off duty police officer and a young woman inside of Woody's Bar in West Philadelphia. A co-defendant, Gregory Tancemore, reportedly committed suicide in a hostage, stand off situation.
Throughout the case against Osiris, there was a cloud of fairness. A young black man in racist Philadelphia, accused of murdering a Philadelphia police officer ? The deck was stacked against him. What made the case even more unfair was the fact that Osiris was known to police from the 39th Districts file on him and reports done on him by the Five Squad within the 39th District. Also, the fact that the police commissioner himself made Osiris' case a personal thing by reporting that Osiris had an 'extensive' criminal record, all of which were cases from the 39th district. During the trial, the police presence in the court room was like a blue shirted, armed fortress, which was designed to instill fear not only in the jurors but to anyone that was witness to such a spectacle. This caused any reasonable juror to think twice about any decision that would seem in any way lenient towards Osiris. To say that the judge in the case was fair would be an absolute lie ! Not only was he unfair but he was absolutely prosecutorial. Through the judges decisions during a trial, you either get a semblance of fairness or unfairness. Not one decision was granted on Osiris' behalf. The honorable Ricardo Jackson had not a semblance of honor ! Like many young poor black men in America Osiris was at first saddled with a court appointed attorney who was ineffective to say the least. After months of trying, Osiris' family managed to get him an attorney by pooling their resources. This turned out to be an error also because the lawyer that they could afford turned out to be nothing but, what one family member called an old shyster out to get a few bucks. Hampered even further by the fact that the judge refused to grant the new attorney a continuance to investigate any new witnesses or even prepare a case. He was forced to go to trial with a lawyer who had about 48 hours to prepare, in a capital case ! Handcuffed by another unfair decision by the judge he had to, in effect piece together a case, with no clear strategy or defense.
The following are some of the biased newspaper articles that were written in the Philadelphia newspapers. Not mentioned is the third man involved in the case who was arrested on the same day as Osiris. The third mans statement at trial to Osiris and his lawyerwhich would have been very helpful to his defence. After trial evidence was found that the other suspect in the case may have been an informant for the police department.
Also enclosed are the
articles that detail the 39th Districts involvement in not only drug cases
but a number of homicide cases. As you can see from these articles
that the scandal has reached all parts of the government in Pennsylvania
and all the way up to the governors office!
| News Articles about Osiris and the 39th District |
We are simply seeking to bring into full realization the American dream - a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity of priveledge and property widely distributed. A dream of a land where men no longer argue that the color of a mans skin determines the content of his character, the dream of a land where every man will respect the dignity of human personality - this is the dream. When it is realized, the jangling discords of our nation will be transformed into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood, and men everywhere will know that America is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.
-Martin Luther King Jr - Washington DC July 19, 1962
Osiris, His Grandfather Lavesta and little sister "Reety"
" A CHILD COMES INTO
THE WORLD WITH HIS HANDS CLENCHED WANTING EVERYTHING
AND A MAN LEAVES THE
WORLD WITH HIS HANDS WIDE OPEN, WANTING NOTHING. "
- The Talmud
The images below were deleted by NBCi in April 2001
At SCI Greene
Read . . .
| Unfair and Partial |
| Poems by Osiris |
| News Articles about Osiris and the 39th District |
