Yes. No one in my jury knew who Mumia was, and it was not spelled out during the trial.

I thought it important to lay the groundwork, not to say that Mumia was innocent but rather to say that it was a heated issue.

During voir dire, one of the jurors was a 18-year old girl from Gresham who was sobbing and feared that she would lose her job at the Taco Bell. The judge firmly assured her that would be impossible, and if she did lose her job, to let him know so that he could appoint a lawyer for her lawsuit.