John Wetzel

Mumia ordered back to infirmary April 27th and being held incommunicado! Call now!

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:
Quick 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.

Tues. April 7th: Demand Mumia See a Diabetes Specialist!

Here is a report from Mumia’s visitors yesterday: Pam Africa, Johanna Fernandez and Abdul Jon.

“Mumia was very ill when we saw him last Friday, April 3, 2015. For that reason, Pam Africa insisted that we return to SCI Mahanoy today, Monday, April 6, to check on him.

His blood sugar registered in the mid 200s today and continues to fluctuate, and although Mumia is still very weak, he was better than on Friday. He told us that the doctors gave him a double shot of insulin right before he came out for the visit, likely in an effort to make him appear temporarily more energetic than he is. This concerns us because insulin overdose is a possibility in these instances. Again Mumia has not yet been seen by a diabetes specialist, although the general practitioner told him today that perhaps he needs to see a nutritionist. This is a sign that our muckraking is working, since the news has gotten around that he was given spaghetti for lunch when his blood sugar registered at 336.

However, despite this modest progress Mumia struggled to get out of his wheelchair so that we could take a photo of him. He remained in the wheelchair for the rest of the visit.

Mumia also told us that his mind is filled with a million things each day, but he only has the mental and physical capacity to focus on just one thought. He said that he has learned that because he has always had a strong constitution, he had failed to appreciate the centrality of life’s energy force to living. He also shared something that must have been profoundly humiliating and difficult to come to terms with.

Last Thursday, Mumia tried to go to the bathroom in the infirmary. Because he was so weak, he was not able to sustain himself on his feet. He slid down to the floor and waited there, helplessly and unable to call for assistance, for 45 minutes until he was found by a doctor and another prisoner.

We shared a touching moment with Mumia in an effort to raise his spirits. Two teachers delivered letters to us that their students had written to Mumia. One batch came from a 3rd grade class taught by Ms. Marylin Zuniga in Orange, New Jersey. The other batch was from a group of high school students in the Philadelphia Student Union, which fights for school reform and is led by Mr. Hiram Rivera.

It had been a long time since we had seen Mumia smile. He chuckled as he read excerpts from these touching letters.

We share these photos to give you a sense of the gravity of Mumia’s condition. He has lost over 50lbs and his entire body is covered with a hard, leathery layer of jet-black skin, that is bloody, painful and itchy.

Pam Africa
Johanna Fernandez
Abdul Jon
Report from The Campaign to Bring Mumia Home

WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE.

Let SCI Mahanoy Superintendent John Kerestes and Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel know we insist that Mumia have a diabetes specialist examine and treat him.

SCI Mahanoy
Superintendent John Kerestes
(570) 773-2158

SCI Mahanoy
Chief Health Care Administrator Steinhardt
(570) 773-2158

Christopher Oppman

Director, PA Department of Corrections Health Care Services
(717) 728-5309

John Wetzel
Secretary, PA Department of Corrections
(717) 728-4109

Mon. April 6, 12 noon UPDATE. Demand “No medical execution of Mumia!”

At this moment there are dozens of protestors standing outside the front gates of Camp Hill, headquarters of the Department of Corrections of Pennsylvania, right outside Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Secretary of Department of Corrections, John Wetzel, refuses to meet with protestors claiming “you do not have an appointment.” Of course, he is refusing to give an appointment to anyone who is trying to help Mumia access proper health care. Call the Dept. of Corrections (DOC) and demand Mumia be seen by an independent diabetes specialist doctor (Endocrinologist) and a Dermatologist, for a useful examination. DOC doctors with little diabetes experience are the ones who misdiagnosed Mumia in the first place and continue to neglect him and refuse a diabetic-appropriate diet for Mumia (they keep giving him pasta to eat! instead of fruit and vegetables). They are trying to kill Mumia through medical mistreatment. Call John Wetzel, Dept of Corrections at 717-728-4109. Email him: RA-CRPAdocSecretary@PA.gov. Spread the word.

At this very moment Pam Africa, Ramona Africa, Johanna Fernandez and many more are outside Mumia’s prison SCI Mahanoy with the same demands–and also trying to visit Mumia. They are very visible and effective, but need phone calls to back them up. Call Superintendent of SCI Mahanoy, John Kerestes: 570-773-2158.

For more detailed reporting see: http://www.freemumia.com/2015/04/mumia-hospitalized/

It’s Time to Stop Trying to Kill My Husband and Free Him Now!!

Wadiya Jamal
April 5, 2015

Enough is enough!!! Today is my birthday. April 24 is Mumia’s 61^st birthday. But today my husband is in critical condition in a cell in the infirmary at SCI Mahanoy. We need Mumia free and home!!!

This rotten ass system has made many attempts on my husband’s life when his only crime is that on December 9, 1981 he survived a cop’s gunshot to the chest through his lungs to the liver, a serious ass whipping by cops on the street of 13th and Locust, then cops surrounding his hospital bed stepping on his urine bag making the poison go back up into his body.

He is innocent in the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner and the cops on the scene all knew that. But Mumia was convicted for a murder he did not commit and sentenced to death.

For over 30 years my husband was on death row in solitary confinement!!! where he was caged 24 hours a day, in his cell and even when outside. In general population these past three years, he has yet to receive his correct diet,!!! He developed a skin disease that spread over his whole body, treated with wrong medicine that he was allergic to, had pneumonia and last Monday, March 30, he went into diabetic shock with a blood sugar level of a deadly high of 779 and rushed to the hospital and put into the ICU on an insulin drip.

During these years on death row and now slow death row, Mumia has lost his mother, his sister, a brother, our brother Jahlani, my mother, my father, and our baby girl Goldii who was very active in trying to free him ’til the end of her life. Every single one of them expected to see him come home a free man, because like us all they believe in his innocence. May Allah bless and have mercy on their sweet souls!!!!

The prison didn’t even let me know my husband had been rushed to the hospital and put into the ICU. I was told by Rachel Wolkenstein and then I called to find out what happened and where Mumia was taken. And then the prison blocked my visit at the hospital until the international campaign flooded the prison and PA Department of Corrections with protest calls. Guards stood outside the hospital room and one was inside the room with Mumia. I was shocked at his condition, he had lost over 40 pounds, was weak, barely able to sit up and keep his head up, handcuffed to his chair, with labored breathing, and dry mouth. I told him about all the love outpouring for him and that the world is watching!!!

News media waited outside the hospital for our report after Mumia’s brother Keith Cook and I visited Mumia. It took all my strength and the memory of our daughter Goldii for me to be able to speak to the press after seeing my very ill, weak husband. The press did report Mumia’s serious medical condition … But the press wouldn’t report my statement that Mumia is innocent, he should never have been arrested or convicted!!! He should never have been in prison. This medical condition should never have happened. Mumia needs to be free!!!

The prison Superintendent promised that Keith and I and other family members would be able to visit Mumia again the next day. But when we arrived for the visit, we were refused, with the new “Mumia rule” that a person could have only one visit a week with a prisoner. After more protests, the prison allowed Mumia’s eldest son, Jamal Hart, who had driven over 400 miles, and his younger brother, Bill Cook to visit. They described Mumia as in worse condition than he was the day before. Jamal came out, saying, “I couldn’t stand there and watch my father in pain. I kissed and hugged him and left.”

Jamal and I had medical consults with the attending doctors and the ICU nurse. They described my husband’s arrival in the ICU with a blood sugar level of 779, an abnormal kidney, and dangerously high sodium levels. They had Mumia on an insulin drip and later tested him for gallstones, which they found he had. When asked, the hospital admitted that they didn’t have a diabetes specialist. That morning his blood sugar level was still a very high 333. The attending doctor told us they needed his bed in the ICU for other patients. But the kidney doctor said that he would check my husband the next morning as to whether his kidney function was normal.

Yet, just a few hours later, without letting us know, Mumia was sent back to the prison, without an expert medical diagnosis or a treatment plan or his sugar levels under control. He was transferred back to the prison infirmary with a temperature of 102 degrees, to the same people who knew for weeks and didn’t treat his “new onset diabetes” before he collapsed and went into diabetic shock.

This is execution by medical neglect and mistreatment.

On Thursday, April 2, 2015, I spoke with the Chief Health Care Administrator at SCI Mahanoy who gave me a report and said that I could call and get medical updates on Mumia’s health day or night. But from my first call late Thursday night through this weekend, my attempts to reach the infirmary were blocked.

On Friday, April 3, 2015, some family and friends were able to visit Mumia. Instead of allowing visits in the infirmary, they had Mumia brought down to the general visiting room in a wheelchair. He had to go through security checks between the infirmary and the visiting area, meaning taking his clothes on and off and a body search.

His brother Keith Cook, who had seen Mumia on Tuesday said Mumia appeared worse. My sister, Rachel Wolkenstein, said Mumia appeared very sick, and was so weak he was barely able to hold a pen to sign a legal document. Mumia told those visiting, also including Mike Africa, Abdul John and Johanna Fernandez, that his morning blood sugar was 186 and spiked again to around 330 after a lunch of spaghetti! Mumia was very tired but alert and asked about the court hearing on the “Silencing Act” went and whether there was a decision yet.

We have no new information on Mumia’s condition. Pam Africa and Johanna Fernandez are attempting to visit him Monday, April 6. I will be visiting on Thursday.

Diabetes is a deadly disease. My mother had diabetes. It requires constant care and healthy food. It can lead to loss of eyesight, nerve damage, amputation and loss of kidney function. Mumia has had problems with his feet and leg for years, also not adequately treated.

Send your letters and cards with love and news to Mumia. His address is: Mumia Abu-Jamal, #AM 8335, SCI Mahanoy, 301 Morea Dr., Frackville, PA 17932.

To all those people around the world who have stated their love and support for Mumia over the years, please, please, please ACT NOW!!!!

MUMIA MUST LIVE!!!! . HE NEEDS MEDICAL CARE AND ATTENTION. WE NEED TO FIGHT FOR HIM TO GET THAT CARE NOW. BUT WE NEED TO FIGHT TO GET MUMIA OUT OF PRISON, FREE AND HOME, NOW!!!

Wadiya Jamal, with Big Pride

Send your message back to me via my Facebook “in box” at: http://Facebook.com/WadiyaJamal

Write to me at: Wadiya Jamal, PO Box 19404, Kingsessing Station, Philadelphia, Pa. 19143-9998

WE NEED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE.

Let SCI Mahanoy Superintendent John Kerestes and Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel know we insist that Mumia have a diabetes specialist examine and treat him.

SCI Mahanoy
Superintendent John Kerestes
(570) 773-2158

SCI Mahanoy
Chief Health Care Administrator Steinhardt
(570) 773-2158

Christopher Oppman
Director, PA Department of Corrections Health Care Services
(717) 728-5309

John Wetzel
Secretary, PA Department of Corrections
(717) 728-4109
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Support and Contribute to the Indiegogo online campaign to raise money to help pay from the legal and medical campaign for Mumia, including costs for Mumia’s family, friends and core organizers to travel to see Mumia.
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“My father is still considered to be a dangerous individual … his mind is what they fear, there is over-whelming evidence that would exonerate him of his conviction.
“He is an innocent man and the commonwealth has always known this, but being too Black, too smart, and too strong … The government will silence anyone that possesses the power to open the minds of the people.” —Goldii (Mumia’s daughter Samiya)

Samiya (Goldii) Performs at Mumia’s 55th
Birthday & Book Release Party (2009)

Phil Africa Still Being Held Incommunicado!

As was stated earlier we are being left in the dark on Phil Africa’s condition and we have to keep the pressure on prison officials so that he be able to talk to his wife and family. We are asking people on 1/8/15 to flood the phone and email lines of Pennsylvania Department Of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel at

Phone (717) 728-2573.

Call and state that we want answers into the health and well being of William “Phil” Africa, Am 4984 and that his wife and family be given full information into his health, status, AND that he be allowed to call his Move Family.

John Wetzel

Wadiya Jamal April 5, 2015

Wadiya Jamal
April 5, 2015