Tuesday, June 29, 2021

(Compilation of stories about Mumia) July 3 March and Rally for Mumia, Honoring MOVE Sister Consuewella Africa

Issue #2 of the Jamal Journal has just been printed with a total of 52 pages, including 8 pages in full color (a 32 page paper accompanied by a 20 page MOVE supplemental), and will be publicly released at the July 3 event in Philadelphia! 


The July 3, March and Rally at 2pm begins across the street from North side of Philadelphia City Hall, at the Municipal Services Building, 1401 JFK Boulevard. 

Frank Rizzo Goes Down, MOVE Goes Up!

This is the former site of the Frank Rizzo statue that was removed last year by Mayor Jim Kenney, who tweeted: "The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone."

The headline of last month's article by Peter Crimmins of WHYY declared: "Murals honoring Black activists now wrap the Municipal Services Building." The new murals were unveiled during the week of May 13, 2021, and one of the murals features both Pam and Ramona Africa alongside other local Black Women community activists (see photo by Kimberly Paynter/WHYY below).


(PHOTO: The May 11, 2021 ceremonial unveiling of the new murals. From left: Dr. Ala Stanford, Ajeenah Amir, Sajda “Purple” Blackwell, artist Russell Craig, Pam Africa, Krystal Strong, YahNé Ndgo and Kezia Ridgeway, in front of the East side of the Crown mural that pays homage to their social justice work at Philadelphia’s Municipal Services Building.)

( Earlier Post from May 21)


(click on the image below for a full-size view of our article on the front page of the SFBV Newspaper, with a photo by Joe Piette of the new mural across from City Hall, featuring Ramona and Pam Africa alongside other Black women community leaders from Philadelphia.)
 
 
MAY 12 MESSAGE FROM MUMIA:  Read and listen at Prison Radio
 

(PHOTO: Handwritten note on legal pad, written 5/7/21 2pm, in the visiting room of SCI Mahanoy.)


Watch the April 15 press conference here.


RECENT NEWS:
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TAKE ACTION:  Color of Change petition to DA Krasner: Stop Defending Mumia's Unjust Conviction!  II  Let Mumia Out! (resource page for Phone call-in campaign and more)  II  Color of Change petition to PA Gov. Tom Wolf: Release Our Loved Ones!  II  Change.org petition from France for Mumia to PA Gov Wolf

(PHOTO: Screen shot of the SF Bay View National Black Newspaper's March 28 front page lead story: Pam Africa responds to DA Krasner's Feb. 3 brief. The photo shown at the top of the SFBV website is of Mumia Abu-Jamal, then and now, taken at March 12, 2021 protest outside DA Krasner's office. Pam Africa, with the Jamal Journal Newspaper in hand, presented new photos of Mumia since the recent health emergency began alongside photos of Mumia when he was healthier. Photo by Jamal Journal staff photographer Joe Piette. View more photos from March 12 here.)


WATCH:  Todd Burroughs and Michael Schiffman on Mumia's health emergency: “They’ve said it. We’re not talking symbolically here. It is the goal of the State of Pennsylvania to kill him."  II  Pam Africa interviewed by Eddie Conway: "Mumia needs everybody's help right now...Do whatever you can do."


(Recent photo of Mumia's leg: full of sores and bloody wounds like this now cover his entire body.)

--Mobilization4Mumia Press Release for Saturday, March 6 event for Mumia: Virtual street meeting to demand freedom for Mumia and all incarcerated elders!  II  Watch the March 6 video, (also embedded above)

MEDIA COVERAGE:  March 4 KPFA Hard Knock Radio interviews Johanna Fernandez: Mumia Abu-Jamal and COVID-19  II  March 8 Philadelphia Tribune  II  March 8 Workers World: Message from Dr. Ricardo Alvarez about Mumia's health

As reported by WHYY and the Philadelphia Tribune, during the March 3 press conference at DA Krasner's office, supporters received a call confirming that Mumia Abu-Jamal has now tested positive for COVID (watch the full video from the March 3 event here or embedded above).  Read the entire March 2 press release, which announced the 11am, Wednesday Feb. 3 press conference at DA Krasner's office.

(PHOTO: Johanna Fernandez of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home speaks outside of DA Krasner's office on March 3, 2021. Photo by Jamal Journal staff photographer Joe Piette --view more photos here.) 

--Listen to Pam Africa on Black Agenda Radio: Mumia says he has Covid. "His breathing feels like an elephant sitting on his lungs.”  II  Read the Philadelphia Inquirer article  II  Dave Lindorff article, "Urgent news: Demand the immediate release of imprisoned activist journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal" 

URGENT! Please call these 4 phone numbers now:

SCI Mahanoy Prison: 

(570) 773-2158

PA DOC Secretary, John Wetzel: 

(717) 728-2573

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner: 

(267) 456-1000; @DA_LarryKrasner

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf: 

(717) 787 2500

Script:

My name is _____ and I demand:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who has congestive heart failure, COVID-19, liver cirrhosis, and a worsening of the severe debilitating chronic skin condition.

2. The immediate release of all political prisoners.

3. The immediate release of all elders, aging prisoners over the age of 50, people who have contracted COVID, and all others who are especially vulnerable to death through COVID-19.

Write Mumia a personal note:

Smart Communications/PADOC

Mumia Abu-Jamal AM 8335

SCI Mahanoy  

PO Box 33028

St Petersburg, FL 33733 

Alert released March 9 by Prison Radio:

Let me be clear.

This is a life and death situation and we need to mobilize immediately.

Congestive heart failure. Unrelenting skin eruptions are causing damaged, ruptured, leathery, dry, exposed wounds. Not one spot on his body is free of dry cracked and bloody open wounds. No longer in an outside hospital, Mumia is back in the prison infirmary in excruciating discomfort and pain.

The message from his personal physician, Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, could not be clearer, “Freedom is the only treatment.”

Mumia requires: Treatment - Diagnosis – Liberation

We must not wait one moment, one day, one heartbeat. We must ACT NOW to treat these conditions: 

Congestive Heart Failure 

Covid-19 breathing difficulties

Organ failure of the skin

Mumia is being denied diagnosis and adequate treatment for his skin condition. He is held in isolation in the prison infirmary without healing salves and ointments that he had in his cell. He is also denied regular access to a phone or access to his tablet which provides the connection to his email. This communication is a vital lifeline.

Make no mistake, phone calls do work - last week your phone calls meant that he was whisked to the hospital for four days.  He was diagnosed and treated for congestive heart failure and they removed excess fluid in his body.  Those treatments must continue to be carefully monitored.

He is now in the infirmary at SCI Mahanoy: the same infirmary where he suffered medical neglect in 2014 that sent him into renal failure. That year his medical care required careful blood sugar monitoring and when he did not receive that, he went into a diabetic coma.  Abu-Jamal vs. Wetzel, a lawsuit over those conditions, is still pending.  

The Fraternal Order of Police has stated that it intends for Mumia to die alone, inside this prison.  We say no. 

CALL TO ACTION: Call, write, tweet, post and fax to demand “freedom, treatment, diagnosis, and access to his lawyers, doctors, and family for Mumia Abu-Jamal at SCI Mahanoy.”

PADOC

Phone number: 717-728-2573

Contact form: https://expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/cor/contact-us

Email address: ra-contactdoc@pa.gov, 

Twitter page: @CorrectionsPA

Facebook page: @CorrectionsPA


John Wetzel, Secretary of Corrections - name Mumia Abu-Jamal and SCI Mahanoy in subject line

Phone number: 717-728-4109

Email address: ra-crofficeofrds@pa.gov or ra-crpadocsecretary@pa.gov, 

Twitter page: @johnewetzel, @DOCSecretary


Tom Wolf, Governor

Phone number: 717-787-2500, pick option #3 for operator

Fax: 717-772-8284

Online form: https://www.governor.pa.gov/contact/

Write:

Office of the Governor

508 Main Capitol Building

Harrisburg, PA 17120

Twitter page: @GovernorTomWolf, @GovernorsOffice

Facebook page: @governorwolf, @TomWolfPA

Instagram page: @governortomwolf


Larry Krasner, District Attorney

Phone number: 215-686-8000, leave a message

Email: justice@phila.gov, DA_East@phila.gov, DA_Central@phila.gov, DA_Northwest@phila.gov, DA_South@phila.gov, DA_Southwest@phila.gov, DA_Northeast@phila.gov

Write:

Main Office

Three South Penn Square

Corner of Juniper and South Penn Square

Philadelphia, PA 19107-3499

Twitter page: @philadao

Facebook page: @philadao

Reach Philadelphia DA Krasner as he speaks at events - demand that he drop the case and free Mumia at once:

April 20 Author event at 6:30 p.m. CDT, free to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/larry-krasner-for-the-people-a-story-of-justice-and-power-tickets-142138954439

Vincent Hughes, State Senator

Phone: 215-879-7777 (District Office), 717-787-7112 (Harrisburg Office)

Fax: 215-879-7778 (District Office), 717-772-0579 (Harrisburg Office)

Write:

2401 North 54th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19131

(District Office)


545 Capitol Building

Senate Box 203007

Harrisburg, PA 17120-3007

(Harrisburg Office)

Online form: https://www.senatorhughes.com/contact/

Email: hughes@pasenate.com

 

Twitter page: @SenHughesOffice, @SenatorHughes

Facebook page: @vincent.hughes.7

Instagram page: @senhughesoffice


Cindy Bass, City Council of Philadelphia

Phone number: 215-686-3424

Fax: 215-686-1937


Online form: https://phlcouncil.com/cindybass/, contact field at the bottom

Twitter page: @cindybassphilly

Facebook page: @cindybassphilly

Instagram page: @cindybassphilly


Bernadette Mason, SCI Mahanoy Superintendent

Phone number: 570-773-2158

https://www.cor.pa.gov/Facilities/StatePrisons/Pages/Mahanoy.aspx


Office of Criminal Justice

Rachael Eisenberg

Director of Policy and Planning- Office of Criminal Justice at City of Philadelphia

Email: rachael.eisenberg@phila.gov (Director) or call (215) 686-9027

https://www.phila.gov/departments/office-of-criminal-justice/


Hashtags

#FreeMumia

#COVID19

#FreeAgingPeopleFromPrison

#FreeTheVulnerable

#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

#TreatmentisFreedom

#BlackLivesMatter

#FreeThemAll

(Recent photo of Mumia being held in the SCI Mahanoy infirmary)


Write our brother:

 (Though Mumia is incarcerated at SCI Mahanoy in Pennsylvania, all mail must be sent to the aforementioned physical address for electronic scanning. Keep in mind he only receives copies, no original mail.)


Smart Communications/PADOC

Mumia Abu-Jamal AM 8335

SCI Mahanoy  

PO Box 33028

St Petersburg, FL 33733 


Follow these and your local Mumia Abu-Jamal organization for updates and calls to action

Prison Radio

International Concerned Friends and Family of  Mumia Abu-Jamal

Campaign to Bring Mumia Home


Alert released March 3, 2021 by Prison Radio:

On Saturday Mumia Abu-Jamal was hospitalized.  When he put in a sick call slip and was seen by the SCI Mahanoy medical staff he was taken immediately to the hospital suffering chest pain and shortness of breath. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure he was given a battery of tests.  It is unclear how long Mumia was hospitalized, but by Wednesday he was in isolation in the prison's infirmary.  This diagnosis of a weakened heart requires careful monitoring and treatment. 

At the hospital his seriology blood test was positive for Covid-19. This followed three negative, or false negative COVID-19, tests  and a negative antigen test administered recently by the medical staff at SCI Mahanoy. 

After initial treatment for fluid build up in his body, he was discharged from the local private hospital and put in isolation in the prison infirmary.   On Wednesday he was able to reach his supporters who were gathering in Philadelphia at 3 Penn Sq. outside the DA's office, demanding that he receive appropriate medical attention.  He expressed his gratitude for the world wide support and attention to his and other elders with life threatening conditions in prison. 

We must remember that the prison infirmary at SCI Mahanoy is the very same place that in 2014 diagnosed Mumia as having critically low blood sugar, ie a diabetic episode or reaction to a topical steroid he was taking for a raging skin condition.  The infirmary then ignored the notation in his chart to monitor his blood sugar levels for three weeks.  It was not until  he fainted and went into renal failure that he was rushed to the hospital.  His lawsuit in that case Abu-Jamal v. Wetzel is still pending.  It took a federal civil rights lawsuit, the order of a preliminary injunction, and world wide protests for Mumia to receive the fast acting anti viral cure to his belatedly diagnosed Hepatitis C. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has repeatedly failed to provide adequate care for our family members.

We. the people, must toss aside our fears.  It is not the time to hesitate and we cannot give into despair. Decarceration is not a dream; it is a necessity.   

We need to take action now!

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