The Jericho Movement, also called “the Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners” or “the National Jericho Movement,” 1 is a radical activist organization focused on the recognition and amnesty for people whom it calls U.S.-held “political prisoners,” mainly activists and revolutionaries who belonged to radical-left groups such as The Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Army, La Raza Unida, and the New Afrika Movement. 2
Background
The Jericho Movement began with a national march on the White House during spring break of 1998. The “Jericho98 march” was initially started by political prisoners Jalil Muntaqim, Baba Herman Ferguson, and Safiya Bukhari and was organized by over 50 groups rallying for the recognition and amnesty for U.S.-held political prisoners. 3 These “political prisoners” were mostly activists and revolutionaries of the 1960s and 1970s who belonged to radical groups such as The Black Panther Party, La Raza Unida, Black Liberation Army, New Afrika movement, and Earth Liberation Front (ELF). 4
The Jericho Movement has chapters called Jericho Organizing Committees across the United States. As of April 2023, Jericho Movement had 13 chapters in the United States. 5 Jericho maintains a list of claimed political prisoners, visits and writes to them, advocates for their amnesty, continues to educate people about their existence, and advocates for their medical needs. 6 The organization continues to raise funds to support the political prisoners and their families. 7
Founders
Founder Jalil Muntaqim (formerly Anthony Bottom) was a member of The Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. He was arrested at a shoot-out with San Francisco police. 8
Founder Baba Herman Ferguson was a “progressive Black Nationalist educator” in the New York City school system, and a member of Republic of New Afrika. He was imprisoned for attempted assassination and fleeing the country to avoid arrest. 9
Founder Safiya Bukhari was a member of The Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army and vice president of the Republic of New Afrika. 10 She was imprisoned for armed robbery. 11
The Republic of New Afrika was a Black nationalist and separatist organization with the goals of creating an independent country in southeastern United States and obtaining billions of dollars in reparations to the descendants of slaves. 12
Prisoners
Persons who are identified on the Jericho Movement site as “political prisoners” include many well-known radicals from the 1960s and 1970s, including Mumia Abu-Jamal, Al-Amin Jamil Abdullah, Leonard Peltier, and Abdullah Malik Ka’Bah. 13
Mumia Abu-Jamal was one of the founding members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party and convicted of murdering a police officer. 14 Al-Amin Jamil Abdullah, or H. Rap Brown, was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During his tenure he changed the “N’ in the organization’s name from “Nonviolent” to “National” and aligned with the Black Panther Party. 15 Leonard Peltier was a Native American activist convicted of the murder of two FBI agents in 1977. 16 Abdullah Malik Ka’Bah, who was born Jeff Fort, was a co-founder and leader of a notorious Chicago street gang and was sentenced to 80 years in prison for committing acts of domestic terrorism. 17
Programs
The amnesty campaign includes identifying, researching, and locating alleged political prisoners, creating dossiers on each of them, and developing the case for amnesty for each one. 18
The educational campaign’s focus is to educate people about the existence of “political prisoners” in the U.S. so as to encourage them to write to the prisoners, donate to the movement, volunteer to work for the movement, or organize speaking engagements in their communities. 19
The Jericho Legal Defense Fund provides funds to political prisoners to support their legal defense. 20
The Jericho Medical Project is focused on ensuring that the political prisoners get medical care while in prison. 21 It includes campaigns for prisoners’ medical needs, including requests for phone calls to wardens, governors, and state Departments of Corrections. 22
Stop Cop City
The Jericho Movement joined in the Stop Cop City campaign against the development of a police training center in Atlanta, colloquially referred to as “Cop City.” As of April 2023, it was encouraging members to sign petitions, attend rallies, send letters to donor corporations, and post on social media in support of the protests. 23 Jericho Movement chairperson Jihad Abdulmumit refers to the police training center project as a “slow and steady building of infrastructure and systems to oppress and control Black, Brown, and Indigenous people” and a “step toward the creation of a police state.” 24
The Jericho Movement newsletter reports that in March 2023, two members of the Boston Jericho chapter “were abducted by the police at Weelaunee people’s park music festival and are being held without bond on bogus domestic terrorism charges.” 25 News reports on the incident indicate that it was a violent protest with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, bricks, and large rocks thrown at police officers and construction equipment. During the violent protest, 23 people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism. 26
Partners
Partners included on the Jericho Movement website include Black Alliance for Peace, Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Critical Resistance (CR), Freedom Archives, National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms, NYC Antifa, Al-Awda (Palestinian Right to Return Coalition), and US Human Rights Network. 27
The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, which is a prisoner-led section of the radical socialist labor union Industrial Workers of the World, lists Jericho Movement as a partner organization. 28
The Jericho Movement is also listed as a partner organization for several groups connected to Islamist terrorist and extremist groups. One partner is Palestinian NGO Addameer (also known as the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association), which has ties to the terrorist organization-designated Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Many of Addameer’s employees are also members of the PFLP. Jericho is also partnered with the Campaign to Free Ahmad Saadat, which advocates for the release of PFLP General-Secretary Ahmad Saadat whom is imprisoned by Israel. 29 Jericho is also listed as a “confederation” member of the Sankore Institute of Islamic African Studies International, an Islamist extremist group that advocates for members to, “pray for the destruction of the West.” 30 The Jericho Movement had previously advocated for the release of terror-linked prisoners Aafia Siddiqui and Tarek Mehanna, whom joined terrorist group Al Qaeda overseas to kill, “Americans and Muslim allies of the United States. 31
Funding
The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) is the fiscal sponsor for Jericho Movement, so it does not have its own tax-exempt status. IFCO offers fiscal sponsorship services to “grassroots progressive organizations.” 32
Leadership
Jihad Abdulmumit is chairperson of the Jericho Movement. He is a board member of the radical left public interest law firm Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) and a former member of The Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. 33
References
- Jihad Abdulmumit. “The National Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners.” San Francisco BayView. January 1, 2018. https://sfbayview.com/2018/01/the-national-jericho-movement-to-free-all-political-prisoners/
- “About.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/about
- “Amnesty and Freedom for All Political Prisoners.” New York City Jericho Movement – What is Jericho? Accessed April 27, 2023. https://jerichony.org/jericho.html#:~:text=At%20the%20present%20time%20there%20are%20Jericho%20Organizing,Italy%2C%20and%20regional%20committees%20functioning%20across%20the%20country.
- “Prisoners.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/prisoners
- “Chapters & Affiliates.” The Jericho Movement – Chapters. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/chapters
- Jihad Abdulmumit. “The National Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners.” San Francisco BayView. January 1, 2018. https://sfbayview.com/2018/01/the-national-jericho-movement-to-free-all-political-prisoners/
- “The Dragons Fire – The National Jericho Movement Newsletter Vol. 61.” New York City Jericho Movement. March 15 – April 15, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.jerichony.org/images38/National_Jericho_Newsletter_March-15-April-15-2023_Vol_61.pdf
- “Jalil Muntaqim – Voice of Liberation.” The Freedom Archives. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.freedomarchives.org/Jalil.html#:~:text=The%20Jericho%20Amnesty%20Movement%20aims%20to%20gain%20the,because%20of%20the%20political%20nature%20of%20their%20cases.
- “The Republic of New Afrika – Baba Herman Ferguson.” New Afrikan Spirituality. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://newafrikanspirituality.weebly.com/herman-ferguson.html
- Safiya Bukhari. “Black History: ‘Lest we forget’ by Safiya Bukhari.” Liberation. February 25, 2020. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.liberationnews.org/black-history-lest-we-forget-by-safiya-bukhari/
- Herb Boyd. “Freedom fighter Safiya Bukhari and a voice for political prisoners.” New York Amsterdam News. September 18, 2015. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2015/09/18/freedom-fighter-safiya-bukhari-and-voice-political/
- Eric Greve. “Republic of New Africa (1968- ).” Black Past. March 10, 2012. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/republic-new-africa-1968/
- [1] “Prisoners.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/prisoners
- “Mumia Abu-Jamal.” Britannica. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mumia-Abu-Jamal
- [1] “SNCC.” History Channel. Updated August 24, 2021. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sncc#SNCC%20Emerges%20from%20The%20Sit-In%20Movement
- “Leonard Peltier.” Britannica. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leonard-Peltier
- Samuel Momodu. Black Past. December 30, 2019. Accessed April 26, 2023. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/jeff-fort-1947/
- “About.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/about
- “About.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/about
- “About.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/about
- “About.” The Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/about
- “Update and Urgent Health Call-In Campaign for Political Prisoner Ed Poindexter.” The Jericho Movement – News. April 18, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/news/update-and-urgent-health-call-campaign-political-prisoner-ed-poindexter
- “Community Calls for Action.” The Dragons Fire – The National Jericho Movement Newsletter Vol. 60. Feb 15 – March 15, 2023. New York City Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023.
- “Chairperson’s Corner.” The Dragons Fire – The National Jericho Movement Newsletter Vol. 60. Feb 15 – March 15, 2023. New York City Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023.
- “Chapter Reports – Boston Jericho.” The Dragons Fire – The National Jericho Movement Newsletter Vol. 60. Feb 15 – March 15, 2023. New York City Jericho Movement. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.jerichony.org/images38/National_Jericho_Newsletter_Feb-15-March-15-2023_Vol_60.pdf
- Rebekah Riess, Dakin Andone and Nick Valencia. “23 face domestic terrorism charges after arrests in ‘Cop City’ protests at planned police training site in Atlanta.” CNN. March 8, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/us/atlanta-cop-city-protests/index.html
- “Partners.” The Jericho Movement – About. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.thejerichomovement.com/partners
- “Supporters.” Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee – About. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://incarceratedworkers.org/supporters
- Mauro, Ryan. “Antifa Money Launderers Fund Jihad Ally.” Capital Research Center, October 5, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/antifa-money-launderers-fund-jihad-ally/
- Mauro, Ryan. “Antifa Money Launderers Fund Jihad Ally.” Capital Research Center, October 5, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/antifa-money-launderers-fund-jihad-ally/
- Mauro, Ryan. “Antifa Money Launderers Fund Jihad Ally.” Capital Research Center, October 5, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/antifa-money-launderers-fund-jihad-ally/
- “Fiscal Sponsorship.” IFCO – Our Work. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://ifconews.org/our-work/fiscal-sponsorship/
- “Board and Staff.” Abolitionist Law Center – About Us. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/about/board-and-staff/