Activists hope to prevent Tupac Shakur’s stepfather Mutulu Shakur from dying in prison.
According to NBC News, Tupac’s stepfather has a rare form of blood cancer that’s incurable. Mutulu’s attorney Brad Thomson said doctors determined his client only had six months to live in May.
“His health situation is extremely dire right now,” Thomson told NBC News. “He’s very much on an end-of-life trajectory. We’re looking at a matter of months at the most but, realistically, it could be a matter of days or weeks.”
The lawyer continued, “At this point, the issue is getting him released so he can say goodbye to his loved ones, his family, his children, and grandchildren. To be surrounded by loved ones, so he can die in dignity, peace and comfort outside of prison.”
Thomson and supporters such as Jomo Muhammad, who is part of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, are campaigning for Mutulu’s release. Tupac’s 71-year-old stepfather has spent more than 35 years in prison.
Mutulu was convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, in 1988. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison for leading revolutionaries in a series of armed robberies, one of which left three people dead.
Supporters say Mutulu’s actions were political, not criminal. He was also convicted for helping Tupac’s mother Assata Shakur escape prison in 1979.
Mutulu, who was diagnosed with myeloma in 2019, previously sought a “compassionate release” in May 2020. A judge denied his request but said he could apply again if his health got worse.