Philadelphia police held a silent vigil Sunday in protest of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal's commencement speech at a small Vermont college.

Abu-Jamal, a onetime death row inmate, is serving a life sentence for the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

His taped remarks were slated to be played at 4 p.m. Sunday for graduates of Goddard College, his alma mater, where he earned a degree while in prison.

At that time, members of the Fraternal Order of Police and two cadet classes assembled at Faulkner's memorial plaque at 13th and Locust Streets, where Faulkner died when he was shot. They stood at attention for 25 minutes — the approximate duration of Abu-Jamal's speech. About 400 people attended the vigil, including a group of family members of Officer John Pawlowski, who was killed in 2009.

“We need to demonstrate how ludicrous this is,” said Chief Inspector Anthony Boyle in an interview before the vigil. “We knew that just by standing here silently we will be louder than the message he sends. It will be a positive message and a more important message.”

State Rep. Mike Vereb said he plans to introduce legislation that would allow family members to challenge a prison's decision to allow prisoner contact in certain circumstances.

No law permits a legal challenge in a situation like this, Vereb said.

“It's another example of a guy tearing the scab off of (widow) Maureen Faulkner's wound, and we think addressing public gatherings, colleges, is a bit of a stretch of what the privileges of communicating out of prison are.”

Goddard, a small school of about 600 students, does not have tests or grades and holds 20 commencement ceremonies a year so each degree program can design its own graduation ceremony and choose its speaker. Students and staff spend only eight days twice a year on campus.

Abu-Jamal's speech was for a ceremony of 20 graduating students.

Abu-Jamal has attracted international support for claims he was victimized by a racist criminal justice system. A radio show, documentaries and books have helped publicize his case.

Maureen Faulkner did not attend the vigil but in a post on the “Justice for Daniel Faulkner” Facebook page, she said the college's decision is another “assault” on her family.

The school has said the graduates chose Abu-Jamal as a way to “engage and think radically and critically,” an explanation Maureen Faulkner rejects.

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