Question
What is Ben & Jerry's association with Mumia Abu-Jamal?
Answer
The employees of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. have deep and heartfelt sympathy for Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, his family and his fellow officers, regarding his tragic death approximately 25 years ago on December 9, 1981. The loss of anyone's life is reprehensible. The loss of a law enforcement officer's life in the line of duty is particularly egregious.
Unfortunately, there continues to be misinformation and false statements concerning Ben & Jerry's and this tragedy. To set the record straight, neither Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. nor the Ben & Jerry's Foundation have ever taken a position - formal or informal - on any aspect of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case. Any comment to the contrary is both false and irresponsible.
There are multiple falsehoods being circulated, primarily on the Internet. One is that Ben & Jerry's made contributions to groups involved in this case. Ben & Jerry's has never made any such contributions. The other falsehood involves allegations that Ben & Jerry's has an ice cream flavor whose name is connected to this case. That is both totally false and absurd.
Misunderstanding regarding Ben & Jerry's connection with this case may have stemmed from the fact that Ben Cohen, one of our co-founders, acting as a private citizen, joined hundreds of other people in signing a petition in 1995 asking that the system of American justice be followed fully in the case, as he would hope for any of us. Mr. Cohen made his decision to sign as a private citizen, stating "I am in no position to judge his guilt or innocence. For all I know, a new and impartial trial could find him guilty again. But the American system of justice must be fair and must be perceived as fair." Contrary to statements circulated on the internet, Mr. Cohen has not contributed money to a legal fund for Mumia Abu-Jamal.
We trust that this will clear up any confusion or misunderstandings regarding this issue.
Ben & Jerry's
