On Wednesday, December 3rd, organizers for March For Mumia, the epic march from Philadelphia to Frackville, Pennsylvania, will host a press conference to explain the purpose of their march and their demands to mark the halfway point of their twelve day 103 mile march.
It will take place at 11:30AM at the Berks County Courthouse, located at 633 Court Street, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Abu Jamal's personal physician Dr Ricardo Alvarez will be among the participants. Representatives from local organizations supporting AbuJamal such as Building Justice for Berk, Berks Stands Up and Berks for Palestine, are also expected to participate.
The 'March For Mumia' is a twelve day 103 mile march to dramatize the health challenges and medical neglect Abu Jamal is facing. The march is inspired by other long marches in the Social Justice tradition such as the epic Selma to Montgomery (Alabama) march for Voting Rights of 1965, such as the more recent long March to Washington from Houston to secure national recognition for Juneteenth led by octogenarian Opal Lee, such as the long march from Maine to Washington by Veterans For Peace calling for an ending to the war on Gaza, and such as the recent 67 mile New Jersey based March to Trenton (the state capital) against police brutality led by New Jersey civil rights legend Lawrence Hamm who is one of the marchers and who will also be there.
At issue centrally is the Department of Corrections (DOC) medical authorities diagnosing AbuJamal having vision issues that can lead to permanent blindness if not addressed timely. It took nine months between the diagnosis and partial treatment that almost cost Abu Jamal his sight. The diagnosis calls for 'immediate' treatment. The DOC has yet to provide the follow up procedure to complete the treatment.It took nine months between the diagnosis and partial treatment that almost cost Abu Jamal his. The DOC has yet to provide the follow up procedure to complete the treatment.
Supporters contend that this 'mistreatment' is not exceptional to Abu Jamal's case, but appears to be characteristic of how many prisoners face medical neglect, something more dangerously acute with aging prisoners.
Abu Jamal is now 71.
The march will conclude on December 9th at State Correctional Institute (SCI) Mahanoy where Abu Jamal is held. December 9th is also the 44th anniversary of the incident that led to his ordeal.
On December 9th, 1981, Philadelphia Police officer Daniel Faulkner was killed in an incident that involved several people. Abu Jamal was shot and nearly killed in the incident and charged with Faulkner's death. He was convicted on July 3, 1982 and originally sentenced to death. His death sentence was later overturned and changed to Life Without Parole.
Abu Jamal and his attorneys have been fighting to get evidence onto the legal record that would demonstrate his innocence. No judge has yet to allow such evidence yet.
Follow this effort at Marchformumia.org.