Van, It is many years since you and I worked together on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mumia's life is once again in grave danger, this time due to the malign neglect of the Pennsylvania medical authorities. For three months, they have failed to diagnose and/or treat his diabetes. As a result, he collapsed unconscious, was admitted to an ICU, but now has been returned to the same infirmary that neglected him in the first place. I urge you, as one with immediate access both to President Obama and Attorney General Holder to bring this matter to their attention today. It appears that the Pennsylvania prison authority and police forces, most notably the Fraternal Order of Police, frustrated in their effort to have Abu-Jamal executed legally, are determined to execute him by medical maltreatment. I am well aware of the FOP's role in blocking Pres. Obama's nomination of Adegbile to head the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. I am also aware of the recent findings by the DOJ concerning the systematic use of brutality and lethal force by the racist Philadelphia police department. The President and Holder must act immediately to stop the medical murder of a demonstrably innocent man. When I worked as a volunteer for SNCC during the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964, we all knew that had the DOJ and FBI chosen to act, Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman would not have been killed. The government, unwilling at the time to directly face and break segregation, stood by. You must not permit a similar willful passivity to lead to Mumia's death at the hands of the Pennsylvania authorities. Holder and the DoJ have the authority to arrest the prison administrators on grounds of conspiracy to deprive Mumia of his civil rights by fatal medical neglect. Rainey and Co. were arrested long after the Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman murders. Act before Mumia is killed. Best, Bob Mandel I'm pasting in an e-mail I sent to the Governor of Pennsylvania and to the Secretary of the Department of Corrections: Governor Wolf, Upon taking office, you declared a moratorium on the death penalty, apparently recognizing the deep flaws and racial biases of the Pennsylvania judicial system. Yet now, the state's (and the nation's) best known prisoner, broadcast journalist and author Mumia Abu-Jamal, faces the imminent possibility of execution by medical neglect, tantamount to medical murder. I sent the e-mail below to Mr. Wetzel, the Secretary of the Dept. of Corrections. I urge you to intervene in this matter immediately. There is incontrovertible proof that Mr. Abu-Jamal, is innocent, a victim of the biases of the judicial system and a vendetta by the notorious Philadelphia police department and the Fraternal Order of Police. If you are to make good on your moratorium, you must act today to make sure that Mr. Abu-Jamal receives the medical care he needs and chooses and to prevent his execution at the hands of the state. Sincerely, Bob Mandel, Alameda, CA Mr. Secretary Wetzel, Responsibility for the health and well being of all inmates in the Pennsylvania prison system lies with you. Due to neglect and failure to diagnose diabetes by medical staff under your supervision, Mumia Abu-Jamal's life is in danger. Ill for over three months, Mr. Abu-Jamal collapsed, was rushed to an ICU, yet was then returned to the same prison infirmary which failed to care for him properly in the first place. Is the State of Pennsylvania, frustrated by the overturning of Mr. Abu-Jamal's death sentence, trying to execute him by medical neglect, tantamount to medical murder? Mr. Abu-Jamal's family and attorneys must be permitted to visit him immediately and on a daily basis. All of his medical records must be turned over to them. Allow Mr. Abu-Jamal's choice of specialist doctors to examine and schedule treatment for him -- NOW. Neither the prison staff at SCI Mahanoy nor the Schuylkill Medical Center has a diabetes specialist. There is precedent in Pennsylvania for this. Prisoner John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune, was allowed care by private doctors during imprisonment. Mr. Abu-Jamal deserves the same. Failure to allow him this same right will demonstrate beyond question the racist and class biases of the system you run. The Department of Justice very recently released an investigation into the Philadelphia police department documenting its systematic brutality including the repeated unwarranted use of deadly force. The Governor of your state has imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, apparently recognizing how deeply flawed and imbued with racial bias the judicial system is. Will you defy this moratorium and ignore the findings of the DoJ about the very police department which falsely imprisoned Mr. Abu-Jamal three decades ago and permit Mr. Abu-Jamal's murder? Act now! Sincerely, Bob Mandel Adult Education ESL Teacher Alameda, CA ---------- Original Message ---------- From: "Van Jones, Dream Corps" To: Bob Mandel Subject: Obama + Koch Bros + Eric Holder + Newt ?? #cut50 Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 16:59:00 +0000 Dream Corps Bob -- Last week, Rebuild The Dream & the Dream Corps co-sponsored the first-ever Bipartisan Summit on Criminal Justice Reform. The event represented a major breakthrough. To build on the momentum, we need to raise $50,000 for #cut50 -- which is Dream Corps's campaign to cut the prison population by 50 percent in the next 10 years. Please chip in. More than 600 leaders from across the political spectrum gathered in Washington D.C. to discuss the urgent need for criminal justice reform. We heard from 10 Members of Congress, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Senator Mike Lee, plus U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte. The Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, urged attendees to harness the unprecedented opportunity to overcome Washington gridlock. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal gave an emotional address sharing stories and successful policies from his home state. Labor Secretary Tom Perez said the Administration is “all in” on justice reform. President Obama even created a video just for our Summit:
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