Advocates March 103 Miles Demanding Medical Care and Freedom for Mumia abu-Jamal
A 103-mile march concluded today in Frackville, Pennsylvania, as dozens of supporters rallied for improved medical care and the release of Mumia abu-Jamal, the internationally known journalist and former Black Panther member, currently incarcerated at SCI Mahanoy. The demonstration underscores long-standing concerns about the 71-year-old’s health and the fairness of his 1981 conviction in the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, a charge Abu-Jamal maintains he did not commit.
Abu-Jamal’s case has drawn global attention for decades, with Amnesty International and numerous human rights organizations citing concerns about a flawed trial process. Evidence uncovered in 2019 by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner‘s office revealed notes from key witnesses requesting payment,raising questions about potential witness tampering and prosecutorial misconduct.
For nearly three decades, Abu-Jamal faced the threat of execution, but in 2011, a federal appeals court upheld the overturning of his death sentence due too improper jury instructions. He was afterward moved from death row to the general prison population and received a life sentence. Despite this shift,advocates argue that Abu-jamal continues to face systemic neglect within the prison system.
Recently, Abu-Jamal experienced eight months of blindness before receiving cataract surgery, but his legal team warns that he requires further medical intervention to prevent permanent vision loss. “They know who’s blind in prison,” stated one of Abu-Jamal’s attorneys, Noelle Hanrahan, founder of Prison Radio, during a recent interview. “They are refusing care to save money for Wellpath.” wellpath, the contracted healthcare provider, has been accused of limiting specialist care for prisoners, prioritizing on-site monitoring over comprehensive treatment.
The march to SCI Mahanoy was spurred, in part, by the recent loss of Imam Jamil Abdullah al-amin, another prominent activist who died in prison. “We’re taking that long walk, because the walk for freedom is a long walk,” explained Larry Hamm, chair of the People’s Organization for Progress, and a participant in the march. “And we do it with an intense, extra motivated passion, because we just lost a bold freedom fighter… So, never can we allow the state to take any more of our freedom fighters.”
Abu-Jamal himself addressed the importance of fighting for one’s health and dignity within the prison system in a recent commentary recorded for Prison Radio, titled “Mumia’s Vision: A Message for the Movement.” He explained his initial reluctance to disclose his vision problems, fearing it would be perceived as weakness in the heavily male prison habitat. He detailed the frustratingly slow response he received from prison medical staff, noting that it was onyl after outside specialists intervened that he finally received cataract surgery. “I have been, for all intents and purposes, unable to read, unable to write,” Abu-Jamal stated. “The television is my radio now.”
Hanrahan outlined three potential avenues for Abu-jamal’s release: a post-conviction relief request, a petition to the pardon board, or compassionate release.She emphasized the need for sustained pressure on District attorney Krasner to reopen the case,acknowledging the political complexities involved. “Mumia is the third rail in Philadelphia,” Hanrahan said. “We have an obligation to make it impossible for him to not support us.”
As the march concluded, Hamm, who shares a birth month and age with Abu-Jamal, reiterated the call for comprehensive medical care for Abu-Jamal and all aging prisoners. Advocates are demanding specialist care for Abu-Jamal’s glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, conditions that could lead to permanent blindness if left untreated.
Hanrahan concluded with a message of hope and determination: “It’s relief from the inside out. This was built by prisoners… We are going to win and create the world that we deserve.”
Keep reading
