California Prisoner’s Generosity for Gaza Rewarded With Over $100,000
As of February 29, 2024, a GoFundMe campaign had raised $102,172 for a soon-to-be-paroled California prisoner to transition from incarceration. Filmmaker Justin Mashouf, who started the page, then shut down contributions at the request of his incarcerated friend, known as “Hamza.”
Mashouf set up the fund after a request for help from Hamza—not for himself, but to send his paltry prison wages to aid civilians displaced by the Israeli military blockade of Gaza. Since Hamas militants staged a terrorist attack in October 2023 that left 1,139 Israelis dead and another 253 taken hostage, the military blockade has reportedly displaced most of the region’s two million residents.
To aid them, the prisoner sent his small paycheck, totaling just $17.74 from his 13-cent hourly wage as a janitor at California Health Care Facility in Stockton. Yet when Mashouf shared a photo of the prisoner’s pay stub on social media, the response was overwhelming—a flood of donations to help the 56-year-old transition from prison to a parole anticipated later this year, after nearly four decades behind bars.
Hamza opted to obscure his identity for fear of jeopardizing that chance at parole. But Mashouf recounted the profound effect the prisoner had. “He gave people hope by showing how selfless he is, and then they gave him hope through their kindness,” Mashouf said.
The prisoner’s story includes both a 1986 second-degree murder conviction and his embrace of Islam while incarcerated. His post-release needs—securing healthcare, housing and employment training—will be easier to meet with the donated funds, a portion of which he has earmarked for those less fortunate than himself.
Source: Washington Post
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