Malik Shabazz, a fearless Detroit activist who has confronted drug dealers, city leaders, and bad businesses for decades, is back in the hospital after he had a massive heart attack in June 2023.
Shabazz, the founder of the New Black Panther Party/New Marcus Garvey Movement, was admitted to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit for unknown medical issues on Thursday, a day after he attended Mayor Mike Duggan’s announcement that he wasn’t running for reelection.
Shabazz underwent a respiratory procedure on Tuesday, which is his birthday, says Sam Riddle, a fellow activist and spokesman for the Shabazz family. During the procedure, a considerable amount of fluid was removed from Shabazz, who is in stable condition.
During Duggan’s announcement last week, the mayor thanked Shabazz for serving the community.
Shabazz and the mayor have known each other since Duggan was the Wayne County prosecutor from 2001 to 2004. Shabazz has been a strong ally of Duggan’s during his three terms as mayor.
Riddle says Shabazz’s “indomitable spirit keeps him going.”
“His commitment to Detroit and the people of Detroit is second to none,” Riddle tells Metro Times. “But as a community, we need to protect Malik and make sure he gets the rest and care he needs.”
After his heart attack last year, Shabazz was in critical condition for nearly two months and fought off an infection caused by a heart pump. Doctors removed his breathing tube on July 12 and implanted a permanent heart pump on Aug. 1. About a month later, he was transferred to a rehabilitation center, where he was learning to walk again.
In an October phone interview with Metro Times, Shabazz was grateful and determined to get back on his feet.
“I’m in the biggest battle of my life,” Shabazz said at the time. “I was truly dead. God brought me back. The ancestors brought me back to continue this great work. This is a sign that I was chosen to do this work.”
