Tuesday, April 28, 2015

New statement on Mumia Situation

Statement from the MOVE Organization and International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal
Ona MOVE!
On 4/27/15 our brother, Mumia Abu Jamal was ordered back to the infirmary at SCI Mahanoy in Pennsylvania. Ever since yesterday Mumia has been held incommunicado at the hands of prison officials. At this point we do not know what is happening with Mumia. Yesterday his lawyer, Bret Grote was not allowed in to see him-- his own lawyer! Mumia’s attorney, Bret Grote and a member of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, Johanna Fernandez, both people who are supposed to have authorized access inside the prison at any time according to the DOC rules were denied. Prison officials want to keep Mumia isolated from outside visitors and to keep pictures of the medical neglect being inflicted upon Mumia by prison officials from being seen by the public. These sadists do not wanna be exposed for their role in premeditated murder. What the police failed to do on 12/9/81 and what this government failed to do in 8/1995 and 10/1999 prison officials are trying to do now and that’s murder Mumia. They are keeping him isolated from the world and slowly killing him. We cannot allow this to happen and it’s up to us to stop the state from committing murder just like we did in 95 and 99! Keep the pressure on! We must speak out for our freedom fighter brother Mumia, just as he has always spoke out for us. We can’t afford to relax with this situation for one minute. Make no mistake: they will murder Mumia if they think they can get away with it.

From Prison Radio:
Cheat Sheet to calling Prison & State Officials
Often when we call in, prison and state officials have taken their lines off the hook. Know that every single call matters, even when they don't pick up. Here are three numbers that usually work; please focus on calling:
John Wetzel, PA Secretary of Corrections: (717) 728-4109
Governor Tom Wolf: (717) 787-2500
SCI Mahanoy: (570) 773-2158, then dial zero
Wetzel's number will go to voicemail. Wolf's number will usually be answered. Mahanoy, extension 0, will usually be answered. We’re asking everyone to call these numbers repeatedly for 15 minutes per day.
If you get voicemail, leave a message.
If answered, say as much as you can before they end the call. Please call that same number and do it again. Our experience is that after calling the same number multiple times, whomever answers the phone will eventually talk to you, if only to try to persuade you to stop calling. This is your opportunity to fully state your concern and demands for freedom and lifesaving medical care.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

MOVE and ICFFMAJ statement on the prison's attempt to murder Mumia

MOVE and ICFFMAJ Statement on the Prison's Attempt to Murder Mumia
This government is actively killing Mumia right now at SCI Mahanoy. When Mumia was transferred to general population in December of 2012, Maureen Faulkner and the Fraternal Order of Police made it clear that they intended for him to die there. Maureen Faulkner stated that now the time “doesn't seem so far off” before Mumia “stands before his ultimate judge.” She hinted that she hoped he'd be killed by another inmate. They are currently carrying out that exact plan with prison doctors! Mumia was held in isolation for thirty years. When they saw that he had emerged from that strong, healthy, and determined, they decided to come at him another way. Despite being shot and beaten on December 9th, 1981, Mumia survived. They failed at executing him despite two execution dates, and after thirty years of isolation they couldn't break his spirit. Mumia's medical condition goes far beyond medical neglect or incompetence-- this is deliberate murder.
Mumia's wife, Wadiya Jamal, visited him twice this week and witnessed that his condition is way worse than the previous week. Mumia came into the visiting room walking baby steps, in severe pain, and talking slowly and quietly. His face was sunken in, his skin is blackened like a burn victim with open wounds, and his arms, torso, legs and testicles are severely swollen with skin that is tightened and hard from swelling. Sitting down and standing up are both painful.
Prison doctors say they don't know exactly what's wrong with Mumia and yet they won't allow outside doctors in to see him. It isn't that they don't know, it's that they know exactly what's happening and it is exactly what they intend to happen! One of the drugs Mumia is being given, Cyclosporine, is known to lower the immune system and to cause many of the symptoms Mumia is being tortured by: chills, aches, problems with speech or walking, muscle weakness, tremors or muscle spasms. Mumia is suffering horribly and he is stuck choosing between having no medical care or being treated by the people employed by an institution which is set on his murder. The only solution is for Mumia to be home with his family!
It's no accident that this attack on Mumia comes as people are rising up across the country to protest the police murders of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Freddie Gray and many more. Mumia's voice has been key in educating the world about these killings and in uniting people in struggle. As masses of people are rising up in rebellion they need Mumia silenced more now than ever. We must unite like never before to fight against this police terrorism and bring Mumia home! Mumia has given his life for this movement, he has sacrificed everything for true justice, now is the time to pay it back!
************************************************
Please call these numbers, and any other numbers you have for the Prison and the Governor.
Demand that Mumia Abu-Jamal see an outside doctor ASAP. Right Now!
John Kerestes, Superintendent SCI Mahanoy: 570-773-2158 x8102 |570-783-2008 Fax | 301 Morea Road, Frackville PA 17932
Tom Wolf, PA Gvrnr: 717-787-2500 | governor@PA.gov | 508 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg PA 17120
John Wetzel, PA DOC: 717-728-4109 | 717-728-4178 Fax | ra-contactdoc@poc.gov | 1920 Technology Pkwy, Mechanicsburg PA 17050
Susan McNaughton, DOC Press secretary 717-728-4025. PA Docsmcnaughton@pa.gov

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Mumia is in grave danger


Mumia's condition 


grave: Take Action

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Prison                                                            Radio Website
Dateline: Friday April 24th, 8:45pm

Dear friend,


Mumia Abu-Jamal was seen today by his wife and his condition has worsened. He is gravely ill.  We are asking everyone to call the prison. Right now. It may be late, but call whenever you get this. 

Mumia needs 24 hour care and supervision. He can not be in this condition in general population. In this state he may not be able ask for help, he may lose consciousness. He is too weak. (He was released from the infirmary two days ago).

His condition: He is extremely swollen in his neck, chest, legs, and his skin is worse than ever with open sores. He was not in a wheelchair, but can only take baby steps. He is very weak. He was nodding off during the visit. He was not able to eat- he was fed with a spoon. These are symptoms that could be associated with hyper glucose levels, diabetic shock, diabetic coma, and with kidney stress and failure. 

Please call these numbers, and any other numbers you have for the Prison and the Governor.

Demand that Mumia Abu-Jamal see a doctor ASAP. Right Now!
Demand that the prison officials call his wife Wadiya Jamal and his lawyer Bret Grote immediately.
Demand that he be seen immediately, and the not be left to go into a diabetic coma.
 

 
  1. John Kerestes, Superintendent SCI Mahanoy: 570-773-2158 x8102 |570-783-2008 Fax | 301 Morea Road, Frackville PA 17932
  2. Tom Wolf, PA Gvrnr: 717-787-2500 governor@PA.gov | 508 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg PA 17120
  3. John Wetzel, PA DOC: 717-728-4109 | 717-728-4178 Fax | ra-contactdoc@poc.gov | 1920 Technology Pkwy, Mechanicsburg PA 17050
  4. Susan McNaughton, DOC Press secretary 717-728-4025.  PA Docsmcnaughton@pa.gov
 

We need your help right now.  Please forward this far and wide.
We need more phone numbers to call inside SCI Mahanoy. If you have one send them to us info@prisonradio.org.


Every call matters.  Every action matters.  We need to be in the streets. Call your friends, your neighbors. Take action.

freemumia.com   prisonradio.org   bringmumiahome.com

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Mumia update 4 / 7 / 15

Mumia is in very poor health and has been back in the prison infirmary since Wednesday, April 2, 2015.  His transfer back to the prison is an attempt to sever Mumia from the widespread attention this recent crisis has garnered in the media. It was also an attempt to shut down the movement’s vigil at the hospital. 

When Mumia arrived in the hospital on March 30th he was in diabetic shock. His blood sugar level was at 779.  Diabetic coma, which is potentially fatal, registers at 800.

His sodium level was alarmingly high at 168 and potentially fatal.  His sodium levels have now been normalized, but he has not yet been seen by an endocrinologist (diabetes specialist.) The doctors at the hospital reiterated that there was no diabetes specialist available. Our major demand is that he be examined immediately by an independent team of medical specialists, chosem by his family and supporters. 


A small group of family and supporters visited with Mumia in the prison on April 3rd. At that time he seemed sicker and less alert than when we saw him in the hospital. His blood sugar on that day was at 336. He has lost approximately 50lbs since we last saw him in January. He was in a wheel chair, his speech was intermittently slurred, and by the end of the one-hour visit he had difficulty breathing.

Sing the petition here to get him immediate, independent and specialized medical assistance.
CALL AND CONTACT NOW:
Secretary of PA Corrections, John E. Wetzel
Governor Tom Wolf
phone: 717 787-2500   fax: 717 772-8284
SCI-Mahanoy Superintendent John Kerestes


TIMELINE OF EVENTS


1.  In early January of this year Mumia had to be shaken out of a deep sleep by guards during count. For not being awake during count he was punished for two weeks. No visitors, phone calls or yard were allowed.  This was the beginning of a precipitous decline in his health.

2. During those two weeks he became ill with a severe skin disorder that was diagnosed as eczema by the doctors in the prison infirmary. Mumia refused visitors because he was in pain, his skin was leathery, raw, and bloody, and he was falling asleep during visits.

3. The medication he was given produced a severe reaction. His skin ruptured. He was placed in the infirmary for two weeks. During this time he was given a battery of medical tests including, since February, three blood tests.

4. On the morning of Monday, March 30th Mumia walked to the infirmary where he fainted. He was taken to the ICU of a nearby hospital, the Schuylkill Medical Center. When he arrived at the hospital he was in diabetic shock. His blood sugar level was 779.  Had it been 800, he would have been in a coma. He remained shackled to the bedpost during his entire stay.

5. On that same day, March 30th, Heidi Boghosian (former Director, National Lawyers Guild, Mumia’s Legal Team) and Johanna Fernandez (Professor of History, Baruch College, Mumia’s Legal Team) arrived at the prison for a visit. They were deeply concerned about his health after a phone conversation Fernandez had with Mumia on Friday, March 27th during which his voice sounded severely stressed. Upon arrival at the prison they were told that they couldn't see him. They pressed the issue and were finally told that he was hospitalized. They immediately alerted his wife and supporters. His wife called the prison and found out that he had been transferred to a local hospital and was in diabetic shock. 

6. Boghosian and Fernandez found the hospital and went to the ICU where they immediately encountered a phalanx of prison guards watching over one of the rooms in the ICU. A nurse confirmed that Mumia was there.

7. On that same day the Third Circuit Court was hearing arguments on the constitutionality of the Revictimization Relief Act, otherwise known as the Mumia Silencing Law.

The court hearing was taking place about an hour away in Harrisburg, PA. A carload of supporters including Pam Africa (International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal), Noelle Hanrahan (Prison Radio) and Mumia's Brother Keith Cook joined Boghosian and Fernandez, at the ICU

8. His brother, Keith Cook, was not allowed in, nor did he get any substantive information about Mumia's medical condition.

9. Supporters stayed at the hospital and kept watch in the waiting room of the ICU. Later the next day, March 31, his wife Wadiya Jamal and brother Keith Cook were allowed a 30-minute visit each, separately.

10. After a campaign of calls, the doctors/nurses finally started talking to his family. Medical staff informed us that had Mumia arrived 10 minutes later, he would have fallen into a diabetic coma. They also said that his sodium level was extremely high at 168.


11. Pam Africa called a press conference in front of the hospital. Approximately eight media outlets, including the AP and Philadelphia affiliates showed up and reported sympathetically on the story. One example can be found here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/family-mumia-abu-jamal-treated-diabetes-complications-30032185

12. The next day, on Wednesday, April 1, the prison changed the rules and did not allow his wife and oldest brother in. We pressed to have other members of his family see him. Mumia's younger brother, Bill Cook, and his son, Jamal Hart, were allowed very short visits. His son stormed out of the room in shock at his father's condition. He was distressed to see his father shackled, in pain and distress. Bill Cook reported that Mumia was shaking throughout the visit, that his breathing was labored, and that he was in generally terrible shape.

13. That same day, on Wed April 1, at 7PM Mumia was transferred back to the prison's infirmary. 


14. On Thursday, April 2, his family and supporters were denied visits in the prison because, according to prison officials, his medical condition did not allow it. On that same day, Mumia collapsed in the prison infirmary bathroom and was found 45 minutes later on the floor by a doctor and another prisoner.

15. On Friday April 3rd, after pressure mounted against the changing policies of the prison (non-stop calls to the prison and an on-site demonstrations) the prison allowed five people to visit him together for one hour. Mumia was brought to the visiting room in a wheel chair.  Given his condition, the visit should have taken place in the infirmary. His spirit was strong, but his body was clearly in need of urgent medical attention. As of today, he has not yet been seen by a diabetes specialist and his blood sugar continues to fluxuate dangerously, reaching 336 on April 3rd.   Yet, in spite of this dangerously high level he was given spaghetti for lunch.  He was very weak and had difficulty breathing by the end of the one-hour visit. His skin is completely disfigured—hardened and jet black all over his body, except for his face. His speech was slurred during parts of our conversation, he was trembling and had difficulty breathing by the end of the visit.  Since January he has lost at least 80lbs.

16. Mumia needs to see a diabetes specialist (endocrinologist), dermatologist, and nutritionist immediately, chosen by his family and closest supporters.  Mumia is innocent and needs to be brought home immediately.  

17. There are an estimated 80,000 prisoners with diabetes in the US prisons, and medical neglect of prisoners is rampant. We call for a full investigation of prison healthcare in Pennsylvania. The state’s medical services are for profit and have been so neglectful and abusive that its entire healthcare operations warrant independent review. The unexpected and unexplained sudden death of Phil Africa of the MOVE 9 last year, while he was under prison medical supervision, is but one of many examples of the physical jeopardy, even mortal danger, faced by prisoners across the nation undergoin

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Keep The Pressure on Pennsylvania Prison Officials FOR MUMIA

 DOC Main No.: 001-717-728-2573
• E-mail: Superintendent John Kerestes: 570-773 2158,  ra-contactdoc@pa.gov
• E-mail Secretary Wetzel: 717-728 4109ra-crpadocsecretary@pa.gov

2. Gouverneur Thomas Wolf:
GOV. OFFICE BY PHONE: 001-717-787-2500
GOV. OFFICE BY FAX: 001-717-772-8284
GOV. OFFICE BY EMAIL: governor@pa.gov

Further there is:
To reach the Office of Special Investigations and Intelligence directly without being worried about anonymity, call:
(717) 728-2033

MONDAY-FRIDAY8:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

IN WRITING:
Written reports of alleged employee-on-inmate abuse also may be sent to:
OSII EMAIL:  RA-REPORTINMATEABUSE@PA.GOV


MAKE YOUR CALLS , EMAILS, FAXES, ETC  FOR MUMIA

Saturday, April 4, 2015

The Move Organization and International Concerned Family and Friends Statement On The Current Situation At Hand With Mumia

MUMIA'S LIFE IN DANGER: FROM ICFFMAJ AND MOVE
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.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

4/1 Mumia Update

UPDATE: Prison just created atrocious hospital visitation rules: 1 visit per week from each family member! His brother and wife are currently being denied access!
We need to continue calling and pressuring SCI Mahanoy Superintendent Kerestes to allow family visits while Mumia is in critical condition. Please make the calls. They were incredibly successful yesterday!
Say you are calling about prisoner Wesley Cook, ‪#‎AM8335‬
Mahanoy State Correctional Institute Superintendent John Kerestes, 570-773-2158
Pennsylvania Bureau of Health Care Director Chris Oppman, 717-728-5311
Corrections Secretary John Wetzel, 717-728-4109
Schuylkill Medical Center Superintendent Mark Lory, 570-621-5000