Photo: Harvey Finkle
Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal in Philadelphia in March demand hepatitis C treatment for prisoners
Phoebus Criminal Justice Initiative grantee Prison Radio has been rallying supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal to demand hepatitis C treatment for him since he fell critically ill in 2015. On March 31, the Department of Corrections lost its second appeal to deny treatment—a decision that will enable treatment for over 200 people in Pennsylvania prisons, including Abu-Jamal.
Thanks to consistent pressure by Racial & Economic Justice Fund grantee Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities, the Philadelphia Land Bank will be doubling the number of properties allocated to affordable housing in the 2017 strategic plan.
In February Future Fund grantee Girls Justice League held their second annual Turning Points Conference, titled “Escaping the Systems: Fighting for the Rights, Justice & Liberation of Girls.” The conference was led by 8th- to 12th-grade girls and featured discussions on education policy, sex and gender, and criminal justice.
Bread & Roses grantees Reconstruction Inc., Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project, Asian Americans United, Juntos, New Sanctuary Movement, and other allies collaborated to create the People’s District Attorney Platform, spotlighting the office’s importance in shaping our criminal legal system. The coalition fought for district attorney candidates to adopt the platform, which included ending targeting of black and brown communities, committing to resentencing young people facing life without parole, and increasing transparency and accountability.