This government has been trying to murder Mumia for 34 years. The power of this movement stopped his execution in 1995 and 1999, and got him off of death row. Now they’re deliberately trying to murder him through medical neglect and intentional torture. This situation is urgent and couldn’t be more serious. Mumia is currently in a wheelchair, two days ago he couldn’t stand up, his speech is slurred, and he can barely hold a bottle of water. This isn’t just medical neglect, this is a continuation of the premeditated murder that was set in place when Mumia was shot in the chest, was rammed headfirst into a steel pole, and was then railroaded through the courts and onto deathrow. Just two months ago Phil Africa died under similar suspicious circumstances. We have absolutely no time to waste.

People must treat this as if Mumia’s death warrant has been signed and the execution date is tomorrow, because that’s their intention. They have absolutely no intention of freeing Mumia, and they have no interest in letting him live a long life in prison continuing to be an example of resistance for the world. They want Mumia dead, and if they can do it by medical neglect they will. The only reason Mumia wasn’t executed in 1995, the only reason he was moved off of death row is because the pressure for justice for Mumia was too strong. The only way Mumia is going to live through this attack on his life is if all people step up and immediately demand healthier diet for Mumia and the ability to have outside medical care. We aren’t asking for anything here that hasn’t been done in Pennsylvania prisons before. There are diets in place for people dealing with health problems and they aren’t even giving him that. Since he was prematurely taken from the hospital and put back in the prison where these problems started his blood sugar levels have been rising because they are only giving him foods like pasta that are dangerous with diabetes.

Their intention with all of these side attacks is to distract people from the main point, which is that Mumia is innocent and shouldn’t have served one day in prison in the first place. The sacrifice that Mumia and the MOVE 9 are making, and that Phil and Merle Africa have already given their lives for, is for the benefit of everyone. People must stand up and reciprocate that commitment, today. If you don’t act today his death warrant could be carried out tomorrow.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMumiaAbuJamal

PLEASE VISIT THE INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN – WE ARE TRYING TO RAISE FUNDS TO GET MUMIA THE MEDICAL ATTENTION HE NEEDS.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was rushed to the hospital Monday, March 30 after passing out at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Mahanoy. At admission, he was diagnosed with diabetic shock, with an extremely dangerous blood sugar level of 779 (for reference: coma can set in at 800). By Tuesday, March 31, afternoon, it was down to 333, still in the danger zone. He was disappeared and denied all visits for 20 hours (or even the knowledge that his family was outside), while shackled to his bed (and remains shackled). Family members were given NO information, not even told he was at the hospital – they found out on their own.

UPDATES:

Saturday, April 4:

WE ARE GOING BACK TO CAMP HILL ON MONDAY, APRIL 6, TO FOLLOW UP WITH PA DOC SECRETARY, JOHN WETZEL!  JOIN US IF YOU CAN! CALL (212) 330-8029 IF YOU CAN JOIN US.  THE PRESSURE MUST CONTINUE!

Yesterday,  Saturday April 3, a caravan of about 15 cars  coming from Philadelphia, NYC, and DC gathered at Mahanoy Prison in a dramatic presence on the road.  With banners, signs, videos, interviews, and chanting the prison was well aware of our presence.  We were demanding that Mumia’s family and supporters be allowed in and that Mumia be seen by outside doctors to treat his very serious medical problems.

philly_stu_union(@pastpostal65)

group_prison(@pastpostal65)

The prison initially refused to allow anyone in, but with increasing phone calls and our physical presence they ultimately relented and allowed five visitors to come in for one hour. Though not enough, this was surely a victory and surely a response to the relentless international pressure which continued through the time we were at the prison.  After much negotiating and arbitrary changing rules, the five people did enter.

Their report was very troubling.  On the positive side, our people, including Mumia’s brother, Keith, got into the prison and actually saw Mumia, and let him know about the worldwide support.  They said Mumia’s spirit remains strong, and that he was completely alert, and responsive.  On the negative side, Mumia was brought in in a wheelchair, his blood sugar went up again, he is very weak, he has lost an enormous amount of weight, approximately 80 pounds or so in three months, and he is clearly uncomfortable.  The diet he is being given is completely inappropriate, and dangerous, for someone suffering from such a life threatening condition of diabetes.

mumia_update(@pastpostal65:Mumia’s visitors report to supporters. Slurring words, in a wheelchair, said “I believe in the power of the people.”)

We then went to Camp Hill, headquarters of the Department of Corrections of Pennsylvania, right outside Harrisburg.  With our banners, t shirts, sweatshirts, cameras etc, arriving at about 4 PM when they were closing, we were more than visible.  The usual “No, no one is available”, etc. etc. and our usual “We demand that we meet with the Secretary Wetzel or his representative now” scenario played out and we did get a meeting.  It was a stand up, disrespectful way of meeting with us, but nonetheless we met with the Press Secretary and let her know in no uncertain terms that we want outside doctors to see Mumia, evaluate and treat him, and that the prison system has so far brought him close to death.  We were very insistent with this one demand:  we want outside medical doctors to evaluate and treat Mumia immediately. We said we would return on Monday to follow up on this demand.

pam_secretary(@pastpostal65: Prison press scty taking complaints fm Pam Africa – we want mtg Monday! #savemumia)

suzanne_secretary(@pastpostal65: Dr Susanne Ross telling Prison Rep. Mumia needs real care. #savemumia)

kamal_dpt_correctional(@pastpostal65)

group_dpt_correctional(@pastpostal65)

Phone calls to Wetzel’s office in particular, but also to Kerestes should continue as much as possible reiterating this demand:  Mumia is deathly ill, the prison system has made him sicker and sicker, and has certainly not shown any signs of helping him recover his health.  We, therefore, demand that outside doctors of Mumia’s choosing be allowed to evaluate and treat him immediately. Cite institutional connections if you can.

PA  Secretary of Department of Corrections John Wetzel:  717 728 4109, Ra-crpadocsecretary@pa.gov

Superintendent of SCI Mahanoy, John Kerestes: 570 773 2158

In the face of this life threatening crisis for Mumia,, caused by the Department of Corrections willfully, in yet another attempt to silence Mumia once and for all, the international movement in support of Mumia, has been amazing!  With demonstrations in Berlin and Paris two days ago, that we know of, three demonstrations yesterday between Mahanoy and Camp Hill, Philadelphia, and New York, we are surely on the move!  We will be planning more activities and an overall all out battle plan!  In the meantime, we will be confronting Wetzel at Camp Hill again on Monday, April 6.  Please join us if you can.

Thursday, April 2:

There is an online campaign to raise $20,000 for the following:

    • Pay for lifesaving medical care from Mumia’s doctors who he wishes to consult with
    • Increase our legal and medical campaign to ensure Mumia and his family will be given all new information on Mumia’s condition
    • Obtain Mumia’s medical records for review (his records cost $1.50/page)
    • Cover costs for Mumia’s family, friends and core organizers as they travel to the Medical Center in Pottsville, PA and the prison in Frackville, PA
    • Cover legal fees for Mumia’s attorney

At 7pm last night, April 1, Mumia Abu-Jamal was transferred back to the infirmary at SCI Mahanoy- the same prison infirmary that failed to identify his diabetes, gravely misdiagnosed him, and gave him severely detrimental treatment.

CALL NOW to demand that Mumia’s family, attorney and sister Pam Africa be allowed visitation in the infirmary: 570-773-2158 x 8102

Wednesday, April 1:

Mumia’s youngest brother, Bill Cook, and his oldest son, Jamal Hart, have been able to visit him today for 30 minutes each. Mumia’s condition was distressing. Jamal Hart left the room after ten minutes, distressed that his father was in pain. Bill Cook reports that Mumia was very ill. He had labored breathing, was in pain, thirsty, and he was shaking. He also had difficulty getting out of bed. He was chained with one hand to the rail. Except for the two short visits on Monday and Tuesday, he was without any family contact. He was denied all other visits including legal visits.

As of today, a new prison rule is going to prevent his wife Wadiya and his brother Keith from visiting again for an entire week. The new rule states that only one visit per week per immediate family member will be allowed. This also means that there will be many times when we will not have any contact with Mumia during this critical week. Please do continue calling the prison and medical center to demand that Wadiya and Keith can visit Mumia again this week!

Tuesday, March 31:

Thanks to the deluge of calls to Pa. prison officials demanding that Mumia’s family be allowed to visit him, his wife Wadiya and brother Keith Cook were granted 30-minute hospital visits on Tuesday (March 31) morning. They reported that he was coherent, alert, and eating heartily, but weak. But there’s no guarantee as to when and how often they can return, nor when his lawyer can see him.

HOW TO TAKE ACTION:

We need everyone to keep calling the Pa. prison authorities to demand that his case be reviewed by doctors representing his family (also give his birth name, Wesley Cook).

  • Corrections Secretary John Wetzel, 717-728-4109 or ra-crpadocsecretary@pa.gov
  • Pennsylvania Bureau of Health Care Director Chris Oppman, 717-728-5311
  • Schuylkill Medical Center Superintendent Mark Lory, 570-621-5000
  • Mahanoy State Correctional Institute Superintendent John Kerestes, 570-773-2158

The fight-back is strong and continues:

  • There is a large international campaign to get Mumia the care he needs.
  • There was a press conference on the afternoon of March 31 outside the hospital, featuring his family, lawyer, and supporters drew significant corporate media coverage. See AP account here.
  • “Family and friends are not leaving Pottsville. Mumia is not out of danger and we will remain vigilant and mobilized.”

BACKGROUND:

  • For the past three months Mumia has been suffering from an extreme eczema outbreak, with raw, blistered and bloody skin. During this time, Mumia alerted several supporters and prison doctors about the depths of his concern. Not only did they fail to adequately address the situation, but, as Pam Africa said, “They gave him the wrong medication which made his condition worse.”
  • Bret Grote, one of Mumia’s attorneys, with the Abolition Law Center, said: “Mumia does not have a history of diabetes, but had been experiencing a series of symptoms that should have alerted medical staff at the prison to the onset of the disease. Instead, he was not given comprehensive diagnostic treatment and a medical crisis emerged that could have resulted in his slipping into a diabetic coma or worse.”
  • Pam Africa of MOVE said, “Prison officials are lying.  Mumia is going through torture at the hands of Department of Corrections through medical neglect. It is clear to people that they want to kill Mumia. Inmates on the inside who questioned what was happening have been subjected to direct retaliation by the superintendent. They have been moving concerned inmates out of Mumia’s unit in an effort to both bury and keep this critical information from the public.”
  • In December, in alarmingly similar circumstances, political prisoner Phil Africa of the MOVE organization was suddenly hospitalized and denied family visits as well as medical updates, and within a week he died.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

As Bret Grote wrote today: “The state keeps trying to kill Mumia – spied on by the FBI since he was 15, shot in the chest and severely beaten on December 9, 1981, framed for a killing he did not commit and put on death row, held in solitary confinement under threat of execution for 30 years, and now denied competent, basic medical care. He is alive because the movement has fought like hell to make it so. The government of the united states of apartheid can never be trusted to protect the rights or respect the lives of Black people or those held in prison. Never forgive, never forget. Stay alert and ready to act. Free Mumia!”

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