attached mail follows:
Al-Amin enters not guilty plea
By Steve Visser
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - 1.20.2001
More than 70 supporters packed a Fulton County
courtroom Friday to hear Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin
proclaim his innocence in the killing of a deputy
sheriff, and a judge set a tight schedule for hearings
to determine what evidence can be presented against
him.
Al-Amin, the former 1960s radical known as H. Rap
Brown, nodded greetings and whispered thanks to his
followers, many of whom believe he is innocent of
killing Fulton County Deputy Ricky Kinchen.
Al-Amin, who has been the imam or prayer leader at the
West End Community Mosque for 20 years, formally
entered a not guilty plea. Superior Court Judge
Stephanie Manis said she would set a trial date in
October. She expected it would take most of September
to select the jury in the hotly contested case.
Also, Chief Deputy Sheriff Claudell Jones resolved a
religious issue by telling the judge that Al-Amin --
who has been held in seclusion -- could now join
Muslim inmates in a weekly religious service. His
lawyers and Muslims had complained that the jail was
violating Al-Amin's religious rights.
The judge lightly chastised prosecutors Thomas
Robinson and Peggy Katz, the district attorney's death
penalty specialist, for not responding to the 84
motions Al-Amin lawyers filed in November.
"Ms. Katz, there is going to have to be some picking
up of the pace," Manis said. "We're going to move
along."
Perhaps the most important issue is Fulton County
Sheriff Deputy Aldranon English's identification of
Al-Amin as the man who shot Kinchen when the two
deputies were trying to arrest Al-Amin on a warrant.
Defense attorney Jack Martin wants the judge to block
English from testifying that Al-Amin was the gunman
because English had insisted the gunman's eyes were
gray while Al-Amin's are dark brown. Martin says this
indicates a strong likelihood of misidentification.
Also, before dying, Kinchen told fellow deputies he
had shot his assailant. Al-Amin was uninjured when he
was arrested March 20 in Lowndes County, Ala., where
Al-Amin organized voter registration drives in the
early 1960s.
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LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ESTABLISHED FOR IMAM JAMIL AL-AMIN
Al-salaamu alaikum wa rahmat Allah
A legal defense fund has been established to cover the
costs associated with what is expected to be a lengthy
and expensive defense of Imam Jamil Al-Amin.
The fund is based in the Community Mosque, in Atlanta's
West End neighborhood, where Imam Jamil has served for
25 years.
This fund is the only fund authorized by the legal team
representing Imam Jamil Al-Amin.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Imam Jamil Al-Amin Legal Defense Fund
547 West End Place, SW
Atlanta, GA 30310
(770)521-5386 ImamJamil@hotmail.com
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Imam Jamil Defense Committee
imamjamildefense@maktoob.com
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