Rap Activists Call For Mumia Abu Jamal’s Release Over Serious Health Crisis

Philadelphia journalist Mumia Abu Jamal has been incarcerated for over 40 years after being convicted of shooting an officer, Daniel Faulkner in 1981. 

It is alleged that after being stopped during a routine late-night traffic stop, he murdered the cop and sentenced to death row. 

Advocacy on his behalf helped shift this state-appointed killing unconstitutional, and the former Black radio host and author, is now serving a life sentence.

However, more activists are ringing the bells of criminal abuse, inhumane conditioning, and calling for his release as Abu-Jamal has contracted COVID-19, has congestive heart failure, and a long-term skin condition that leaves “bloodied open wounds” all over the surface of his body that might be linked to hepatitis C. 

As a result, he has lost over 30 pounds in ten days. 

Influencer Charlie Mack took to his social media accounts to bring awareness and to ask his followers to “Call the Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and demand/request the release of Mumia based on compassionate release.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Charlie Mack aka Kareem Abdullah aka Mr. Philadelphia (@charliemackfirstout)

Talib Kweli, a Brooklyn-born rapper and activist, reposted a more disturbing image on his Instagram from the @mumiaabujamalofficial profile. The caption noted how disturbing and triggering his current state is. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMQjpOvsNBn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“***Trigger Warning: This is a life and death situation and we need to mobilize immediately.

Congestive heart failure,” it states. “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,’” it continues.

Putting it plainly, the post gives folks the facts: 

“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.”

But what drives home the most, are the directives for the public, given in hopes that people take action.

 “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.’”

#FreeMumiaNow