Photos: Prison Radio
Shaka (Marvin Pete Walker, Jr.) was 19 when he was charged with murder and sentenced to death by an all-white jury.
Now at 63 he has spent the last 43 yrs, his entire adult life, in a tiny cell on San Quentin’s death row. His conviction has been tossed 3 times, most recently, in 2020 for striking Blacks from the jury.
Shaka was hospitalized for nine days in critical condition with COVID, one of hundreds exposed because CDCR (California Dept of Corrections) disregarded medical experts and transferred 200 people to San Quentin in the first months of the pandemic. Shaka is a survivor. He is battling stroke symptoms and two recent heart attacks.
Marvin’s family above
After much consideration, Marvin “Shaka” Walker has accepted a plea bargain from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office. He is eligible for expedited parole (because he was a teenager when arrested). After four decades inside prison, we expect that with significant community support and programming, he will be released and return home to his family and friends.
We are all right there with Shaka, as he has been for us these many decades. If each of us can think of how we can support him in this time of transition, that would be wonderful.
If you are in California you can visit and write, and help him with his studies. He is preparing for his GED and Associates Degree. It is important to show up in court, and pack the court room on June 22nd. If you can’t make that date if you are too far away to come for the hearing, please consider donating to his legal defense fund and reentry fund.
It means a great deal to have family and friends and supporters in the courtroom, as we continue on this journey home.
It is time to bring our Shaka and all of our elders home. Please join us.
Make a contribution to Shaka’s legal and re-entry fund.
