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Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal are on a 103-mile, 12-day march ending Tuesday in Frackville, Pennsylvania, where he is imprisoned at the Mahanoy state prison. The march ends on the same day Abu-Jamal was arrested in 1981 for the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, for which he has always maintained his innocence. One of the best-known political prisoners in the world, Abu-Jamal was an award-winning journalist and co-founder of the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party before his incarceration, and has continued to write and speak from prison. Human rights groups say he was denied a fair trial, with evidence unearthed in 2019 showing judicial bias and police and prosecutorial misconduct. Abu-Jamal is now 71 years old, and advocates say he is being denied proper medical care in prison, permanently risking his eyesight.
"We're marching today to demand freedom for Mumia and all political prisoners," says activist Larry Hamm.
"We ration healthcare in this country, and in particular for prisoners," says Noelle Hanrahan, part of Abu-Jamal's legal team, who is demanding "that Mumia get specialist care … and that he is given the treatment that he deserves."
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The last-minute candidate scramble is part of Democrats' against-the-odds effort to flip a Republican seat after the GOP-led redrawing of the state's congressional map.
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In a statement, Habba said she resigned "to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love."
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