By Betsey Piette
December 4, 2025

Philadelphia

An energetic rally and press conference outside the Berks County Courthouse in Reading, Pennsylvania, marked the mid-point in the epic 12-day March for Mumia. The march began in Philadelphia on Nov. 28 and is scheduled to end on Dec. 9 outside State Correctional Institution (SCI) Mahanoy prison in Frackville.

Participants in this historic march include many seasoned activists as well as newcomers to the movement to free political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, who has been unjustly incarcerated since 1981. Mumia was on death row until 2011, although a 2001 federal court ruling reduced his sentence to life in prison and despite ample evidence of his innocence.

The key demands of the protest include: Justice for our Elders — an end to medical neglect; Justice for all Political Prisoners — free them all now – and Justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal.  Bring him home now!

Chairing the event, Zayid Muhammid with the Peoples Organization for Progress (POP) in Newark, New Jersey, introduced Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, Mumia’s medical adviser. Alvarez opened by reminding the gathering that Mumia, a progressive journalist in Philadelphia, was targeted for speaking out against police brutality by then Mayor Frank Rizzo’s politics of revenge.

Alvarez stated: “There is no debate whether Mumia has been harmed [by the prison system]. He had hepatitis C but was denied treatment, leaving him with cirrhosis of the liver. It was only due to public support that he is alive today. Medical neglect led to him having a diabetic coma, which was the basis of his current vision issues.

“Mumia should have had treatment for vision issues — including glaucoma, secondary cataract surgery and treatment for diabetic retinopathy — over 10 months ago. Delaying care is denying care. He needs proper care to prevent blindness, but while we do this march for that, we do this as a prelude to win his freedom.”

Lawrence Hamm, Chairman of POP, addressing the crowd said: “Are we tired? No! Why? Because we have been marching from Philadelphia to Reading for a just cause. This march draws attention to the plight of Mumia and the other brothers and sisters behind the prison walls suffering from medical neglect.”

‘This system has to be abolished’

Hamm likened the prison system to an enslavement system plantation that focuses on exploitation and punishment rather than rehabilitation and declared,. “This system has to be abolished!

Other speakers included former prisoner Shawn Bridges with the Pennsylvania Prison Society and Jane Palmer with Building Justice in Berks [County]. Palmer reported that in 2010, Reading was one of the poorest cities in the U.S. with 40% of the population living below the poverty line, noting that today over 750 people are incarcerated in the county’s jail.

A number of Reading activists came out in support and greeted the marchers, including a founding member of the local chapter of the Black Panther Party and Pastor Evelyn Morrison with the Lebanon County NAACP. Members of Berks Stands Up and Berks for Palestine also participated. Several people passing by, including some with incarcerated family members, stopped to listen.

The press conference was covered by the Reading Eagle.

The day six activities followed the most difficult moments in the march on Dec. 2, when a snowstorm created extreme hardships for the marchers who were traversing a busy highway between Douglasville and Reading.

Michael Wilson of Workers World Party, who was providing support for the marchers, told this reporter, “Watching them march through the wind and snow and the rain and hills was really humbling. I tip my hat to them.”

For information and updates on the March for Mumia and to donate, visit MarchforMumia.org.