AMERICAN LEFT HISTORY

This space is dedicated to the proposition that we need to know the history of the struggles on the left and of earlier progressive movements here and world-wide. If we can learn from the mistakes made in the past (as well as what went right) we can move forward in the future to create a more just and equitable society. We will be reviewing books, CDs, and movies we believe everyone needs to read, hear and look at as well as making commentary from time to time. Greg Green, site manager

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Mumia: Urgent action needed for lifesaving medical treatment

Mumia: Urgent action needed for lifesaving medical treatment

Dear Friends:

Please see email below from Prison Radio. Mumia is still being denied life-saving health care by prison authorities, and his situation is increasingly grave. Action is needed to keep up the pressure to save Mumia’s life. Please see Prison Radio’s Action Guide below for ways you can help. Share with friends and urge people in your networks to support.
Watch the video appeal below here.

PAYDAY

Mumia Abu Jamal

We are in court demanding immediate lifesaving medical treatment for Mumia Abu-Jamal, and we are going to win.

Yesterday, Mumia's lawyers Bret Grote, Legal Director of the Abolitionist Law Center, and co-counsel Robert Boyle filed a preliminary injunction in Abu-Jamal v. Kerestes with Judge Robert Mariani of the Middle District Federal U.S. Court (see link below).

The injunction seeks a federal court order to ensure that prison medical staff provide immediate lifesaving treatment to Mumia.

Hear from Emory Douglas on how you can fight for Mumia.

The prison administration is simply denying Mumia all treatment. Let me be clear: Mumia is weak, his lower extremities still swollen, his skin still severely compromised and raw, and his hepatitis C active and damaging his organs.

Given the severity of Mumia's organ failure (his skin) and indications of additional potential organ damage, our legal action states that withholding treatment is causing immediate and irreparable harm.

Prison officials have refused to conduct additional viral load blood panels, reveal or conduct additional organ damage assessments, and they are refusing to prescribe simple medications to reduce Mumia's painful and dangerous skin eruptions.

And in an effort to further delay treatment, attorneys for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections have filed briefs opposing the class action lawsuit for hepatitis C treatment filed in June. We expect they will oppose our injunction filed yesterday as well.

Treatment for hep C has a 95% cure rate.

By withholding medication, the DOC would like to see this become a death sentence.

In addition to the hepatitis C antiviral cure, we are demanding that prison medical personnel re-proscribe Protopic ointment and the mineral supplement Zinc (220 mlligrams per day) as recommended by his physicians to provide immediate relief to Mumia's skin rashes- which have become open wounds.

As Mumia's legal team fights tirelessly for Mumia's life, we more than ever need your assistance. We need to raise $5,317 in the next 5 days to make it half-way to our goal for this stage of Mumia's legal and political campaign.

We are amplifying the call for:

1. Immediate treatment of Hep C with the latest Anti-viral drugs that have a 95% cure rate.
2. Treatment of Mumia's skin condition by re-proscribing protopic cream and zinc supplements.
3. In-person medical exams by Mumia's independent physicians.

Help us make these demands reality by giving to Mumia's medical and legal fund now, and by calling the numbers listed in our Action Guide.

Every action and every gift makes a difference.

bit.ly/fight4mumia

See the preliminary injunction filed yesterday here.