PRINTER'S NO. 4078
No. 608 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY O'BRIEN, McGEEHAN, PERZEL, WOGAN, J. TAYLOR,
S. MILLER, McGILL, KELLER, BUTKOVITZ, ORIE, FLEAGLE,
HUTCHINSON, GEORGE, SURRA, STRITTMATTER AND SAMUELSON,
OCTOBER 10, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, OCTOBER 10, 2000
A RESOLUTION
1 Paying tribute to Maureen Faulkner for her remarkable courage,
2 loyalty, love and devotion to justice.
3 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner, the youngest of five children of
4 Jim and Anna Mae Foley, fell in love with and married a gallant
5 and dashing police officer named Daniel J. Faulkner; and
6 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner's dream of spending her life with
7 her husband and filling their lives with children was destroyed
8 one year later when she learned that her husband had been
9 ruthlessly murdered and executed by Mumia Abu-Jamal; and
10 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner moved to California as a young
11 widow at age 25 in order to try to put her life together again;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner realized that she was not going to
14 be able to put this painful tragedy behind her, when, ten years
15 later, she learned of an article written by her husband's
16 murderer in the Yale Law Journal; and
17 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner began to fight back publicly
1 against her husband's killer and his supporters in a variety of
2 ways, including, but not limited to:
3 (1) The delivery of over 20,000 signatures to former
4 Governor Robert Casey, urging him to carry out the death
5 sentence on her husband's murderer.
6 (2) The hiring of an airplane to fly around the Addison
7 Wesley Publishing Company in Massachusetts with a banner
8 condemning that company's support for Mumia Abu-Jamal by
9 publishing his book.
10 (3) A return to Philadelphia in order to attend court
11 sessions in which Mumia Abu-Jamal was attempting to obtain
12 postconviction relief.
13 (4) A visit to the University of California in order to
14 confront the murderer's attorney, Leonard Weinglass, who was
15 promoting Mumia Abu-Jamal's cause to a number of students at
16 the University, and where she demanded and received equal
17 time from the students.
18 (5) A visit to Evergreen College in Washington State to
19 protest the selection of her husband's murderer as a
20 commencement speaker.
21 (6) Attendance at numerous events in order to raise
22 money for the Justice for Police Officer Daniel Faulkner
23 organization in order to combat the smear and misinformation
24 campaign that is being waged by Mumia Abu-Jamal's supporters;
25 and
26 WHEREAS, Maureen Faulkner embodies the virtues of courage,
27 loyalty, love and devotion to justice in their highest form in
28 devoting her life to seeking justice against her husband's
29 killer and in protecting Daniel J. Faulkner's richly deserved
30 reputation as one of the finest and most courageous individuals
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1 ever to serve on the Philadelphia Police Force; therefore be it
2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
3 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania pay tribute to Maureen Faulkner for
4 her remarkable courage, loyalty, love and devotion to justice;
5 and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That a copy of this document be transmitted to
7 Maureen Faulkner.
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