by Tanya L. Thornton, ©April 5, 2005
(Rogers LaCaze at the time he met
Antoinette Frank)
Possible RELEASE Content (so far)
The articles on this page have been gathered from submissions sent in by the incarcerated themselves, from activists working on their behalf, gathered from websites, e-mail groups, or from activists in the struggle for criminal-justice reform. Before they will become official articles of The RELEASE, they will be verified to the best of our ability. Also, a reprint permission will have to be obtained regarding many of these articles.
The main purposes of this page are to seek reprint permission and to give sponsors (either donators or advertisers) a clear idea of the type of quality and urgency of material they will be sponsoring so that they may be better encouraged to contribute funding to the printing and shipping of the publication. This material IS NOT meant to be publicized outside of the scope of these purposes.
All interested sponsors will be informed of the official articles when said articles have been selected by the partners of this project. Articles too long to be completed in the printed publication will be completed on the Web.
Many articles are not in normal print-ready form and are intended to convey the general content to potential sponsors as well as to the articles' authors, whereupon the authors will have the option of rewriting the articles in a finished and/or updated manner.
1) Media
Slant; Brainwashing of the most subtle type, The case of Rogers J. LaCaze Sr.
by Tanya L. Thornton, ©April 5, 2005
(Rogers LaCaze at the time he met
Antoinette Frank)
Do you believe when someone has been convicted of a crime they are guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt? Had you asked me that question six months ago. I
would have said yes! I was very naive to what was really going on in the
"Criminal Injustice System." When we read about a crime in a reputable
newspaper, or see the news coverage, we mostly assume it's the truth. Why would
anyone exaggerate the truth or just out-right omit it? That is a question I
never thought to ask. The purpose for this article is to draw attention to
"The media slant; brainwashing of the most subtle type."
Before I met Rogers LaCaze, I never questioned the fairness of the judicial
system or the slant in the media. That is until now.
This started as a project for an oral presentation (in social problems) on capital punishment. To add realism, I decided to contact a death row prisoner. I went on the Internet and found literally thousands of prisoner pen pal ads. The person that caught my attention was Rogers LaCaze Sr. I wrote and asked him if he would help me with my presentation. I received a reply from him a week or so later. He didn't go into his case at all; he said it was very high profile. Unfortunately, it's what was not publicized that failed to give an accurate summation of the events that led up to the crime.
You may be asking, what led me to believe that a condemned murderer is truly innocent? After reading page after page of trial transcripts and affidavits, I wholeheartedly believe in his innocence. After visiting with Rogers and his family I am even more convinced. It is my desire that I may be able to make you more aware of the prejudice that is created by the sensationalist media.
Roger's co-defendant's obsession for him began a little more than three months before the crime. He met 23-year-old police officer Antoinette Frank after he was badly injured in an unrelated shooting. He was freshly 18, very attractive, and somewhat flattered by an older woman's attention. I believe this is when she set out to pull him into her chaotic world.
Antoinette started giving him money, even offering him her bank card and pin number. She rented him luxury vehicles and bought him expensive clothing. In order to pursue her obsession with Rogers, she purchased them both cell phones and pagers, even though Rogers already had his own pager. She attempted to involve herself in the lives of everyone close to him. Antoinette tried to sabotage his relationships with many of his close friends, especially his daughter's mother, wanting him all to herself. Not being successful is what may have put her into vengeance mode.
Antoinette did not initially allow Rogers to associate with her police friends. Two days before the murders, however, she seemingly flaunted him in front of everyone, even allowing him to drive her squad car. Although Rogers now says, "It was right under my nose the whole time and I couldn't smell it," at the time it didn't occur to him that she might be setting him up.
Rogers was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree murder of a police officer. The alleged motive for the crime was $10,000, which the Kim Ahn restaurant owners claimed was stolen. What the media failed to tell, is there is no proof this $10,000 even existed, much less that it had been stolen. No money was ever recovered; consequently, the charges of armed robbery were dropped.
Two of the slain victims were the restaurant owner's children. The other victim was Ronald Williams, a New Orleans police officer who was on a security detail at the Kim Ahn. Antoinette shared this detail, with him and fellow officer Stanley Mollier. It is important to note, that there was no love lost between Antoinette and Williams. In fact, Stanley Mollier testified in Antoinette's trial that she threatened to "take him (Williams) out." Antoinette felt that they were sabotaging her with the restaurant owners and cheating her out of her share of details. These details were important at that time, because the New Orleans Police Department was one of the most under paid forces in the country. Antoinette made approximately $8.65 per hour as a beat cop, while she made $35.00 per hour working security at the restaurant. It's also no surprise to note that Internal Affairs was investigating the mass amount of police corruption that was taking place at that time.
In my opinion this high profile case is one of lies, deceit, and police corruption at the very least. Antoinette Frank is the only police officer ever convicted of killing a fellow officer in the history of the United States. Needless to say, the media attention was enormous, and much of what was reported was erroneous or misleading. What do you think the probability was of jurors in Rogers' trial not being negatively influenced by all the publicity? The judge, nonetheless, denied the defense's motion for a change of venue. It seems virtually impossible that Rogers could have received a fair trial under these circumstances.
While working her scheduled beat, Antoinette called the restaurant several times requesting to work the security detail that evening. Each time she was informed that Williams was working. After she got off duty around 11:15pm she first stopped at home to change clothes. Then she went to pick up Rogers at his home. From there, they proceeded to the Kim Ahn, where Rogers remained in the car while Antoinette went inside to get sodas. They left the restaurant about 11:40pm with plans of going to a midnight movie at a nearby plaza, upon arrival, however, Antoinette decided to skip the movie and go back to the Kim Ahn to eat.
They got back to the restaurant at roughly 12:00am. Their food was ready and in a carryout container when they got there. Antoinette and Rogers sat at a table and began to eat their meal. Rogers wanted to leave shortly there after because an employee was sweeping the floor near their table. Antoinette dropped Rogers off at his home around 12:20am.
Within 10 minutes of arriving at home Rogers contacted his brother. Around 12:40am they left together to pick up a female friend. The three of them went to a local pool hall, where they remained until about 2:00am.
No one knows exactly what Antoinette was doing during this time; though, before the crime, Rogers made several unsuccessful attempts to contact her via their cell phones. At approximately 1:35am Antoinette Frank returned to the Kim Ahn Restaurant with at least one accomplice. The state asserted this was Rogers LaCaze.
Although, Rogers was unsuccessful in reaching Antoinette via their cell phones at 1:44am, he did make contact with her at 1:49am, only one minute after the first 911 call reporting the crime. Rogers and his brother dropped the young lady off at her home at approximately 2:10am.
One of the three survivors was only identified by her first name and was not subpoenaed to testify at the trial. According to Chau, Antoinette Frank came back to the Kim Anh the third time backing her car into a parking spot in the front lot. She approached the front door and shook it, attempting to get in, but the door was locked. Chau was screaming, "Don't open the door! Let me hide the money!" Chau was concerned that Antoinette had come back yet another time, so she ran to the back to hide the money in the microwave oven. When Chau went back toward the front of the restaurant, she was met by Antoinette who was rushing at her and her brother Quoc and pushing them back into the kitchen. With all the commotion going on, it remains to be seen how a trained police officer who was working a security detail in that very restaurant, would not have attempted to intervene.
Everyone except Ronald Williams and his assailant were in the kitchen when the first round of shots was fired. No one saw who shot Ronald Williams. No one even saw who came in behind Antoinette Frank.
After Antoinette heard the shots, she ran into the front. Chau, Quoc and another employee used this opportunity to escape, hiding in the walk in cooler. Two of Chau and Quoc's siblings remained in the kitchen. Antoinette returned to the kitchen with a black male and began rummaging around, as if looking for something. Chau and Quoc heard several more shots being fired. Antoinette later confessed to killing their brother and sister.
Shortly there after, Antoinette and her accomplice left the scene. Chau waited until she saw Antoinette's vehicle leave before she ventured out of hiding to attempt to call 911. The nervous girl was unable to successfully reach 911, so she called a friend and had them call on her behalf. Immediately after, Quoc left the Kim Ahn and called 911 from a nearby friend's house.
According to the State, Antoinette left the Kim Ahn and took Rogers to his home on Cindy Place. Following their scenario, Antoinette proceeded to the 7th district police station on Dwyer Rd. We do know that she traded her personal car for a squad car and returned to the scene of the crime. She arrived there shortly before the first police officers arrived in response to the 911 call. However, the State's theory falls short, because it is highly unlikely that it happened like that. The first 911 call was made at 1:48am. We know that the first police unit to respond was at 1:52am. Cindy Place is 3.4 miles from the Kim Ahn. The 7th district police station is 1.6 miles from Cindy Place, and the 7th district is 2.5 miles from the Kim Ahn Restaurant. Total miles traveled, according to the state, is 7.5 miles.
We know that Antoinette went inside the police station and had a conversation with the desk officer about where she could find keys to a squad car. He pointed her toward the back of the precinct where she located them hanging on a key board. We also know she was inside the Kim Ahn Restaurant before 1:52am. So considering that Antoinette was driving a broken-down 20-year-old Ford Elite on city streets, it hardly seems possible that she drove in excess of 112 miles per hour the entire way. Also, according to their theory, it does not take into account the time it took to drop Rogers off nor go into the police station to get the keys to a squad car. With all that she still managed to make it back to the Kim Ahn well before the first police officers arrived on the scene at 1:52am.
Only 39 minutes after the murders someone used Ronald Williams credit card to purchase gas (pay at the pump) at a self-serve station. Detectives approached the attendant 24 days later and led him into an identification by asking, "Do you see anyone in these pictures you know?" The attendant knew Rogers because he had recently gotten into a heated argument with him after he had made improper sexual innuendoes toward Rogers' lady friend. He certainly had a motive to want to see Rogers behind bars the rest of his life. He identified Rogers as someone he knew, though he stated he didn't know his name. Even so, he acknowledged that he had repeatedly allowed Rogers into unauthorized areas of his workplace. His alleged story 24 days later was that he had seen Rogers pumping gas with an unidentified female passenger with shoulder length hair. If this were true, then who was this unknown female? Antoinette was still at the scene of the crime. And if this attendant had truly seen Rogers, then why didn't he immediately notify the police? After all, Rogers' picture was all over the newspapers and television.
Rogers was at his brother's place watching t.v. when he received a page from his mother. After calling her, he discovered that the police wanted to question him. Rogers spoke with one of the officers and gave him directions to where he was located. They picked him up a short time later and drove him to the police station, arriving at around 4:00am.
Four police detectives played their usually game of attempting to make Rogers sweat before trying to interrogate him. When they finally approached Rogers and questioned him, they were not satisfied with his responses. They repeatedly told him they did not want him to confess to shooting anyone; they just wanted him to place himself at the scene of the crime. Rogers insisted that he absolutely did not participate in this crime in anyway. The detectives became angry and began brutalizing him. Three of the officers watched while the African American detective randomly punched, slapped and kicked Rogers for several hours. After tracing an imprint of Rogers' shoe one of the officers hit him in the head with it. He was also repeatedly smacked in the face with a phonebook.
The beating worsened after Rogers' hands tested negative for gunshot residue. One detective stated, "We know you ain't the shooter, mother fucker. Give us the fucking shooter.' They made Rogers kneel on the floor while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Each time he failed to answer a question to their liking they kicked him in his buttocks.
One of the detectives even left the room after the black detective pulled out a 9-millimeter hand gun. He showed Rogers that the gun was loaded and said, "Put your hands up." Rogers asked why. The detective replied, "You said your cuffs were too tight didn't you?". Rogers said, "No." Then the detective said, "Yeah you did and when I went to loosen them you, reached for my gun."
At this time the detective turned off the lights and placed the barrel of the 9-millimeter hand gun to Rogers' forehead. Fearing for his life, at 8:50am Rogers told them what they wanted to hear. Though Rogers never confessed to shooting anyone, he was coerced into saying that he was at the scene of the crime.
An Orleans Parish Prison nurse examined Rogers after he was beaten into making a false statement. She told Rogers during the examination that she would be willing to testify on his behalf. The defense subpoenaed her and was planning to question her as to the extent of his injuries. When she was called to testify the court was informed that she was en route, but for some unknown reason she was never recalled.
Additional points not addressed in the media:
1) Rogers had 4 alibi witnesses who place him somewhere else at the time of the
homicide.
2) Though gunshot residue testing was done on Rogers' hands during
interrogation, the negative results there of were never submitted as evidence.
3) Rogers clothing was free from gunshot residue and blood, even though Williams
was shot at a distance of 18 inches or less.
4) Though the crime scene was very gory none of the shoe prints at the scene
matched Rogers'.
5) The murder weapon and Williams credit card was never recovered.
6) The year this crime occurred was the worst year for corruption in New
Orleans. There were at least 10 arrests within the department in 1995.
Defense attorney, Willie Turk, claimed Ronald Williams was under a federal
investigation in connection with unspecified crimes. After defense subpoenaed
files from the US Attorney's office and the FBI. Judge Marullo cited Turk for
contempt court. He sentenced him to the maximum sentence possible. Unfortunately
the courts did not allow any testimony concerning allegations of police
corruption.
Rogers was largely condemned by slanted media portrayal before he even stepped
into the court room. The reality is much of what happened is secret, hidden,
lost or under a judge's gag order, and sadly it simply was unreported by the
news media. Unfortunately, they do not regularly convey evidence of police and
judicial corruption fearing retribution much like what Willie Turk suffered when
he tried to bring the truth to light. This mutual back-scratching between the
media, police and judicial system is more common than the average person
comprehends. This cover-up is in part why Rogers LaCaze is languishing away on
death row for a crime he did not commit.
Postscript:
Rogers has been diligently fighting to get his conviction and death sentence
overturned and remanded to a new trial. His post-conviction battle is proving
difficult because the court cannot locate his entire transcript. Numerous pages
of oral testimony are missing as well as an entire day of audio tapes. According
to the Louisiana Constitution, Article I, §19, every defendant has the
constitutional right to judicial review based on a complete record of the
proceedings. In State v. Ford, 338 So.2d 107, 110 (La. 1976), a second-degree
murder conviction in which appellate council did not appear as trial council and
the court reporter failed to record the testimony of four state witnesses, voir
dire, and the State's opening statement, we held: "Without a complete
record from which a transcript for appeal may be prepared, a defendant's right
of appellate review is rendered meaningless. In the interest of justice requires
that the defendant be afforded a new, fully recorded trial."
Tanya L. Thornton
damnimthiq0675@yahoo.com
http://BattleCryOfInnocence.com
This is Rogers now, age 28.
Please help us free him from
This wrongful conviction.
Questions or comments please email me at
Xjustice4_Rogers@yahoo.com or you can write Rogers personally at:
Rogers LaCaze Sr. #356705
Death Row L-B-5
Louisiana State Prison
Angola, LA 70712
(Editor's Note: See LaCaze's death row listing at www.naacpldf.org/content/pdf/pubs/drusa/DRUSA_Fall_2004.pdf.)
2) Kenny
Richey, Innocent Scot on Death Row
www.kennyrichey.org
In
the early hours of 30th June 1986, a fire started in an upper flat in a Columbus
Grove apartment building in Ohio. The flames rapidly spread, engulfing the
living room then the hallway before firemen extinguished the blaze.
Minutes later, the body of a child was carried out. Confined in her room, she had died of smoke inhalation.
Hope Collins, the divorced mother of the child, had left her flat, driving off with her boyfriend to spend the night at his house.
It is well documented that Hope regularly left her child unattended, sometimes feeding the child adult sleeping pills before doing so, the Putnam Child Welfare Services contacted her on two occasions regarding her practices that were reported by a neighbor. However, no action was taken.
After the fire, when threatened with arrest for neglecting her child, thereby being responsible for the girl's death,. Hope claimed that she left her child in the care of Kenny Richey, a friend and one of several people who attended a party that occurred on the breezeway between Hope and her participating neighbor's flat before the fire. Hope claimed she asked Kenny to watch her child moments before she climbed into her boyfriend's truck.
Kenny Richey maintains that he did not agree to baby-sit Hope's child because he was too drunk from the party.
Two witnesses were present - Hope's boyfriend and his friend who sat in the passenger seat. Both these men denied hearing Hope ask Kenny to watch her child.
A third witness, a resident of the building, observed from behind her bedroom window. Although this witness heard nothing but roar of the truck's engine that awoke her, she observed Hope climbing into the truck then saw Kenny (who was obviously drunk) stumble from the pavement and collapse in some bushes where he lay for ten minutes. Becoming concerned, this witness testified that she was about to leave her flat to check on Kenny's condition when finally got to his feet and wobbled from her view.
This was the last person who saw Kenny before the fire caused pandemonium in the apartment complex.
Hours later, when Hope Collins was told about the fire and the death of her child, she did not make any comment nor ask the police officer about the whereabouts of any babysitter who she would much later claim had been caring for her child.
Upon arriving at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, where her child had been
taken, Hope told a Doctor Thomas Dickey that her girl had previously set fires
in her flat (although this fact became known to the prosecutor, it was never
mentioned during Kenny's trial).
MYTHS
1) Hope's daughter Cynthia was never left 'home alone'.
2) Hope never drugged her child, so she could go out and party.
3) Cynthia never started any fires
4) Gas containers (petrol cans) with fingerprints were found at the scene.
FACTS
1) Child Welfare Services contacted Hope on 2 separate occasions in respect to issues surrounding the care of her daughter, Cynthia Collins
2) Hope Collins, drugged Cynthia with a drug called, Adapin.
3) Cynthia started 2 separate fires, each were documented by the same local fire services who attended the fatal fire
4) No gas container, tins of paint or paint thinner were found in the fire's remains. Nor were any containers ever found on the scene whatsoever.
Kenneth T Richey A194 764
DR MAN CI, cell#2062
PO BOX 788
MANSFIELD
OHIO 44901
3) Leon
Benson, Falsely Convicted of Murder in Marion County, Indiana
DEFENDANT’S NAME: Leon
Benson
D.O.B. 1/9/76
RACE: African American
IDOC# 995256
AGE AT TIME OF CRIME: 22
PROJECTED RELEASE DATE: 2029
DATE OF CRIME IN QUESTION: 8/8/98
VICTIM: Kasey Schoen
RACE OF VICTIM: White
RELATIONSHIP TO DEFENDANT: None. Leon Benson never even knew what Kasey Schoen looked like until he saw crime scene photos.
ALLEGED OFFENSE: Ct. I Murder, Ct. II Carrying a handgun without a license (though no gun was found on Leon Benson and the murder weapon was never recovered).
ACTUAL ALLEGATIONS: The State claimed that Leon Benson did knowingly kill another human being, namely Kasey Schoen, by shooting a deadly weapon, which is a handgun, at and against the person of Kasey Schoen, causing Kasey Schoen to die.
TRIAL: Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. Commenced May 24, 1999 and ended with a hung jury verdict May 25, 1999. 2nd Trial commenced July 6, 1999 and ended with a guilty verdict on July 8, 1999.
TRIAL JUDGE: Honorable Robyn Moberly, Judge Presiding, Criminal Division Room #2, Marion County 46204.
PROSECUTOR: Randy Head, County Bldg, Room 560, 200 East Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Timothy J. Miller, 424 East Wabash Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
PLEA: Not Guilty
RACIAL MAKEUP OF JURY: 11 white, 1 black
CONFESSION: no
ACCOMPLICES: no
SCIENTIFIC OR PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: none
CRIME: On
August 8, 1998, between the hours of 2:30 AM and 4:00 PM, Kasey Schoen was shot
and killed in his pickup truck, which was parked in front of the Damien Center
at the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, near downtown Indianapolis.
Kasey Schoen had been shot while he sat in the driver’s seat of the
truck, with the engine running, the transmission placed in drive, and his foot
still on the break.
1.
The trial court erred when it permitted the state to confront its own
witness with a theory that the witness was testifying falsely.
2.
The trial court erred in excluding James Hendrix’s testimony as to what
could be observed from the vantage points of the states eyewitness.
3.
The trial court erred and committed reversible error and violated Benson’s
right to due process when it questioned a witness in a manner which implicated
Benson as the shooter, destroyed Benson’s presumption of innocence and in
effect, relieved the state of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
4.
The prosecutor committed fundamental error by injecting several
evidentiary harpoons into the proceedings when he discredited Benson and his
witnesses with prejudicial accusations which were unsubstantiated in the record.
1.
Ineffective Assistance of Appeal Counsel (for failing to raise
ineffective assistance of counsel on Direct Appeal)
2.
Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel
a.
Failure to object to trial courts erroneous jury instruction
b.
Failure to object to the Judge’s referral to Benson as the shooter
during trial.
c.
Failure to object to State’s implication of a drug relationship between
Benson and several witnesses when there was no such evidence to establish this.
d.
Failure to object to the State’s reading of Donald Brooks’ unsworn
pre-trial statement after Brooks denied the allegations he provided in this
statement. Also, trial counsel
failed to object to admitting this unsworn pre-trial statement into evidence
after Brooks had adamantly stated at the trial that he did not witness Leon
Benson shooting Kasey Schoen.
e.
Trial counsel discredited his own client and his presumption of innocence
when he referred to Benson as the shooter during a closing statement.
f.
Failure to adequately prepare for the trial.
g.
Failure to subpoena the detective who interviewed the State’s
eyewitness shortly after the crime occurred, who would have provided proof of
the inconsistencies between her original statement and her testimony at the
trial.
h.
Failure to subpoena Crime Lab specialist who made the crime scene diagram
when there was major discrepancy of distance between Christy Schmitt and victim’s
truck.
i.
Failure to subpoena eyewitness who saw Benson in another location at the
time of the shooting. This witness
was present at the first trial that resulted in a hung jury.
j.
Failure to subpoena Latasha Sheppard, who had reported that her 380
automatic handgun was stolen by her then boyfriend, Joseph Webster, three days
before Kasey Schoen was murdered. There
were two Crime Stoppers reports connecting Joseph Webster as the murderer of
Kasey Schoen. The gun reported
stolen was the same type of gun used in the Kasey Schoen murder.
k.
Failure to subpoena Dakarai Fulton, an eyewitness to the shooting who
gave a pretrial statement and made a positive identification of Joseph Webster
as the shooter. Fulton also saw Webster earlier in the day waving a 380
automatic handgun.
l.
Failure to use Expert Eyewitness testimony that would have brought
scientific facts on eyewitness testimony to the jury.
This testimony was critical to Benson’s defense in dealing with Christy
Schmitt’s testimonial inconsistencies.
3. Trial
court erred in providing a jury instruction that improperly
highlighted the testimony of a single eyewitness affecting Benson’s
substantive rights.
4.
Incredible Dubious Eyewitness: the
unreliability of the testimony of the States sole eyewitness, Christy Schmitt.
5.
Prosecutorial Misconduct: the State presented testimony it knew to be
misleading or false. The court
failed to correct Schmitt’s false testimony when it had discovery evidence
that contradicted the testimony she gave during the trial.
It is our contention that the State failed to provide Leon Benson’s
constitutional right to a fair and impartial trial by permitting perjured
identification eyewitness testimony, and by not allowing Benson to properly
challenge the credibility of the State’s only eyewitness against him.
Furthermore, the State vindictively injected evidentiary harpoons into
the trial proceedings against Benson and his witnesses with prejudicial
accusations that had no factual foundation within the record, undermining the
only exculpatory evidence offered by Benson’s defense.
The ineffective assistance of trial counsel, in alliance with an unfair
trial, unjustly made Leon Benson a vicarious liability to a murder conviction
and 60 years in prison.
Please contact us if you would like further information or
if you can help assist Leon Benson in his quest for justice.
Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give.
Carla Andrews
PO BOX 672
Jasper, IN 47547
carlaaders@hotmail.com
Leon Benson #995256
W.V.C.F. A-110
PO BOX 1111
Carlisle, IN 47838
4) Christopher
B. Dunn, Wrongfully Convicted, Sentenced to Life in Prison
by Carla Andrews
Accused
of murder, Christopher Dunn was represented by a public defender who did not
utilize witnesses, phone records, crime scene analysis and forensic testing --
all elements that would have proven Chris' innocence.
Chris was convicted solely on the testimony of two State witnesses, both gang
members, one of whom received parole instead of prison time in exchange for his
testimony. Since then, he has gotten signed affidavits from witnesses claiming
to have heard the State witnesses confess that Chris did not commit the murder.
Other significant facts follow.
1) The victim, also a gang member, had shot a rival gang member the day before. The high probability of retaliation was not raised by Chris' lawyer.
2) At the time of the murder, Chris was in the company of eight people, blocks away from the crime scene. His lawyer did not make use of these alibis.
3) He was also on the phone with a hospitalized friend at the time of the murder, but his attorney made little effort to contact this friend, and obtained no phone records, nor testimony of the nurses who initially took his call.
4) There was no physical evidence linking Chris to the crime. However, at Chris' trial police produced a gun they claimed was the murder weapon. No ballistics tests were conducted, and the bullets that killed the victim were not matched to the gun. A t-shirt, which the prosecution said he was wearing during the crime, was never tested for gun residue. Chris' defense made no objection.
5) Chris was convicted as a lone gunman firing three shots. However, the crime scene was littered with many more bullet casings. Witnesses claimed to have heard more than three shots.
Can you help? Do you know of someone who can? Do you have questions about the
case? Please write to Chris directly at:
Christopher B. Dunn
181654 3A-211
Jefferson City Correctional Center
8200 Fenceline Rd.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Appeals, trial transcripts, reports and other documentation is available to
anyone who may be willing to help Chris' case. Media attention is encouraged.
Chris is willing to be interviewed, as is the webmaster and many of his other
supporters.
At his appeal stage, Chris' counsel was promoted, abandoning him to new
counsel who did not even request an extension to become familiar with Chris'
case.Chris filed his appeal pro se, with no legal training. He made mistakes --
the motion was long and sometimes difficult to understand, and was summarily
denied.
Can you help Chris by contributing to the Christopher Dunn Defense Fund? Any
amount helps!
www.christopherdunn.org
Update! Christopher Dunn has obtained more
evidence that proves he is innocent of Recco Rogers' murder. The victim's
autopsy records show that the killing shot could not have possibly been fired
from where witnesses claimed the killer, whom they identified as Christopher,
stood. Witnesses say the killer stood and shot from the victim's right front
side, 13 feet from the seated victim. However, the killing bullet entered the
lower back left side of the victim's head, traveling upward to rest in the upper
right brain.
Also, Christopher has located three witnesses
that were never contacted by his defense attorney. Another new witness is
willing to testify, and has written and signed an affidavit. The victim's older
brother also witnessed the crime, but was not called to testify. In addition,
Christopher possesses two audio tape transcripts that clearly contradict two
witnesses' police report statements. Please contact Christopher for copies of
documentation and more information.
5) INNOCENT
DUTCH CITIZEN WRONGLY IMPRISONED IN UNITED STATES NEEDS YOUR HELP!
by the Committee to Free Harry Bout
Dear Madame,
Sir,
Harry Bout
is a Dutch national who has been incarcerated in a Michigan State Prison since
April 5,1985. Harry was falsely accused, and wrongly convicted of first degree
murder even though the evidence against him did not support such a conviction.
Please see the photographic proof of Harry's innocence that the jurors were not
allowed to see at his trial, at website:
http://www.geocities.com/freeharrybout
http://www.injusticeline.com/bout.html
For
the more detailed information about Harry's case, please see the Factual
Background Section of the Harry Bout. case at: http://www.innocencedenied.com.
Harry was
sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a crime he
could not nave committed and he has no current prospects to live any part of his
life outside prison walls. In addition to problems surrounding the facts
underlying Harry's conviction Harry's rights, and those of the Dutch Government,
under the Vienna Convention, were also vio1ated. As a consequence, the defense
of Harry's case was not of the quality that he would have had if the Dutch
Government had been allowed to intervene and assist on his behalf. Thus far, the
judicial system has ignored Harry's requests for a new trial and has minimized
the importance of the treaty violations.
Harry
did not commit murder and he is dedicated to proving his innocence and returning
home to The Netherlands. However, to accomplish this goal Harry needs financial
assistance to pay lawyers and other legal costs. Any amount of money that you
can provide for ms benefit would be helpful. Donations may be made to:
Committee to
Free Harry Bout
1125 Progress Avenue
Lincoln Park, Michigan 48146 U.S.A.
We
appreciate any financial contribution that. you can provide in the struggle to
prove Harry's innocence so he may return home to the Netherlands. We also
appreciate any ideas or advice to bring attention to the website information.
This is extremely important to us.
Sincerely
yours,
Committee to Free Harry Bout
6) Petition
to Free Michael Mouncer
by Susan Christen
I had
a dream...
...to make an ill, marvelous, old man happy. Now he left us, but the
dream has remained: that his son, my Sweetheart, comes home soon.
Merl Moncer fought almost 13 years against the unfair condemnation of his son Michael. Even when his physical strength decreased, he did everything to help and to support him.
Michael
was prosecuted by Florida State Attorney Timothy F. Kelly (soon afterwards
he was fired) of the 6th Judicial Circuit of Pinellas County, because he
sold some, alleged stolen old car parts (what was never checked or
proved). No one killed, or raped, or hurt. His lawyer, a green divorce
lawyer, had no experience with criminal cases and so he was sentenced to 30
years because Michael did not agree with the suggested 17 years.
Michael
is a lovable, sensitive man. When he was condemned on April 23rd, 1991, he was a
young man, today he stands in the middle of his life and belongs for a long time
no more in prison. We love each other from whole heart, we want to marry and
grow old together. Please, help me to release Michael. Please sign my
petition and forward it to all your contacts.
Many
thanks!
God bless you
Susan Christen
The Story:
Michael has now been in prison since April 23, 1991. He was only 25 years old
when he was vindictively prosecuted by Florida State Attorney Timothy F. Kelly
of the 6th Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County Florida.
Michael was an avid Mustang collector and restorer for years. Michael traded an old Mustang transmission for the parts and the day he left home to trade, Michaels father have told him to get the transmission out of the garage and he said:“ Don’t worry Dad I'm trading it today".
A guy named Jerry called and wanted to talk to Michael, but Michael was not at Home. So father Moncer gave Michael the message. And Jerry called back a little later. He traded the transmission and Michael was arrested later for attempting to sell the parts he had traded for. The transmission according to Mike was worth as much or more than the car parts. He traded the transmission for the car parts because this was the only person who was interested in it.
Attorney Timothy F. Kelly tried to convict Michael once before this case and
lost so he was out to get Mike and this was the time that the Habitual Offender
sentencing was being used so much. Michael was in a youthful offender camp when
he was 17 and just a few months away from the 5 year statute to try him as
Habitual. In Florida if you get into trouble twice within 5 years you can and
more often than not be sentenced as a Habitual Offender, so we have a 2 strikes
and you’re out policy here. That is why Attorney Kelly made it a point to
Railroad Michael on this present dealing in stolen property offense during the
1991 trial. Later, Michael was arrested for the used automotive parts. Timothy
F. Kelly now says to himself, “I’ve got him now” and demands a 30 year
NON-VIOLENT Habitual Sentence after Michael is found guilty of selling the
stolen automotive parts but NOT GUILTY of Grand Theft of the parts. This is a
case about Personal Pride on the State Attorney’s part, not a Professional
Duty to serve the People of Florida. Furthermore, Michael WAS NOT on probation
at this time.
The vindictiveness in this case is overwhelming. Consider the fact that Attorney
Kelly was seeking a sentence of 7 years NON-HABITUAL on the 1989 offense, of
which Michael was found NOT GUILTY by Trial by Jury. Michael has never had one
act of violence. His problems are all related to petty theft. And now he demands
a 30 year NON-VIOLENT Habitual Sentence!
The used automotive parts were some old parts that Michael had received in a trade. Michael would have had to know the parts were stolen in order to find him guilty of dealing. Florida Law states that one knows or should have known the property was stolen for a finding of guilty in dealing in stolen property. The Judge, Horace A. Andrews stated that Michael should have known they were stolen. But Michael was found not guilty of stealing these parts. How many of us go to Flea Markets, Garage Sales and auctions everyday and purchase property that may in fact be stolen? The only way to know if it is stolen would have to be told or to have stolen the property themselves. Michael was neither told it was stolen, nor did he steal it.
Michael had a Court Appointed Divorce Attorney (not to be confused with a Public Defender) to represent him, who probably knew less about criminal law than most of us. He was appointed just two months before the trial with no time to prepare a defense and not enough experience to ask for a continuance to prepare. Or the Court Appointed Attorney did not want a continuance because the State only paid him $910 to defend Michael in a 30 year criminal case and he did not want to spend very much time on it. On the other hand, State’s Attorney Kelly, a seasoned Criminal Prosecutor with many convictions under his belt, looked at them as sitting ducks. Now knowing, that he would finally get his vindictive revenge against Michael, for the trial that he lost before. However, the Court feels that they provided Michael with adequate Representation.
Michael is in his 14th year of imprisonment with a release date of 2012, with gain time off for good behavior. His Institutional record speaks for itself. For 13 years he has been Outstanding in all aspects of his confinement. He has had all outstanding, above average, exemplary etc. progress reports and has been told by many prison Officers and Officials that he is rehabilitated and does not belong in prison any longer. But most of these people are afraid they may lose their jobs if they were to show an interest in helping Michael.
This measure of punishment is unfair and inhumane. 13 years Prison is enough.
Michael is 39 years old now and he stands in the middle of his life. He could be a useful member of our society. But his days, weeks, months and years melt away behind grey walls. Michael's life becomes senseless wasted!
Liberty and Justice for Michael M. Moncer (Petition):
To: Governor Jeb Bush:
Michael Moncer has been locked up for 13 long years in a Prison in Florida. He
was 25 years old when he was prosecuted by Florida State Attorney Timothy F.
Kelly of the 6th Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County Florida. The prison
sentence length: 30 Years, for trading an old Mustang
transmission for some other parts. When he tried to sell them, it was discovered
they were stolen.
The prosecutor NEVER proved that Mike knew that they were stolen. Mike had a
court appointed divorce attorney to represent him.
Michael was already prosecuted in 1989 by Mr. Kelly but the jury found him NOT
GUILTY.
Perhaps this is the reason why Mr. Kelly wanted to take revenge and convict
Michael to 30 years of prison…for dealing in stolen property!!!
This measure of punishment is unfair and inhumane. 13 years Prison is enough.
Michael is 38 years old now and he stands in the middle of his life. He could be
a useful member of our society but his days, weeks, months
and years melt away in a grey prison. I'm very sad because Michael's life
becomes senselessly wasted.
In my opinion Michael has served his sentence! I hope this is also YOUR opinion
and you sign for Michaels Liberty and Justice!
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
http://www.petitiononline.com/060492dc/petition.html
http://www.freedom4michael.ch.vu
freedom4michael@gmx.ch
Please write to:
MICHAEL M. MONCER 233767
Sumter C. I. F-2109-L
PO Box 667
Bushnell FL
33513-0667
7)
Dr. Mutulu Shakur. The Struggle to Free a New
Afrikan
www.mutulushakur.com
Date
of Birth: August 8, 1950
Nationality: New Afrikan
Incarcerated at: Atlanta, GA
Dr. Mutulu Shakur is a New Afrikan (Black) man
whose primary work has been in the area of health. He is a doctor of acupuncture
and was a co-founder and director of two institutions devoted to improving
health care in the Black community.
Mutulu Shakur was born on August 8, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland as Jeral Wayne
Williams. At age 7 he moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York City with his mother
and younger sister. Shakur's political and social consciousness began to develop
early in his life. His mother suffered not only from being Black and female, but
was also blind. These elements constituted Shakur's first confrontation with the
state, while assisting his mother to negotiate through the maze that made up the
social service system. Through this experience Shakur learned that the system
did not operate in the interests of Black people and that Black people must
control the institutions that affect their lives.
Since the age 16, Dr. Shakur has been a part
of the New Afrikan Independence Movement. As a part of this movement Dr. Shakur
has been a target of the illegal Counterintelligence Program carried out by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (COINTELPRO). This was a secret police strategy
used in the U.S. starting in the 1960's to destroy/neutralize progressive and
revolutionary organizations. It is believed that Dr. Shakur's resistance to this
program led to his arrest and trial.
During the late sixties Dr. Shakur was also politically active and worked with
the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), a Black Nationalist group which
struggled for Black self-determination and socialist change in America. He was
also a member of the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika which
endorsed the founding of an independent New Afrikan (Black) Republic and the
establishment of an independent Black state in the southern U.S. Dr Shakur also
worked very closely with the Black Panther Party supporting his brother Lummumba
Shakur and Zayid.
In 1970 Dr. Shakur was employed by the Lincoln Detox (detoxification) Community
(addiction treatment) Program as a political education instructor. His role
evolved to include counseling and treatment of withdrawal symptoms with
acupuncture. Dr. Shakur became certified and licensed to practice acupuncture in
the State of California in 1976. Eventually he became the Program's Assistant
Director and remained associated with the program until 1978.
From 1978 to 1982, Dr. Shakur was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Black
Acupuncture Advisory Association of North America (BAAANA) and the Harlem
Institute of Acupuncture. Where, at Lincoln, Dr. Shakur had managed a detox
program recognized as the largest and most effective of its kind by the National
Institute of Drug Abuse, National Acupuncture Research Society and the World
Academic Society of Acupuncture, at BAAANA he continued his remarkable work and
also treated thousands of poor and elderly patients who would otherwise have no
access to treatment of this type. Many community leaders, political activists,
lawyers and doctors were served by BAAANA and over one hundred medical students
were trained in the discipline of acupuncture.
By the late 1970's Dr. Shakur's work in acupuncture and drug detoxification was
both nationally and internationally known and he was invited to address members
of the medical community around the world. Dr. Shakur lectured on his work at
many medical conferences, and was invited to the People's Republic of China. In
addition in his work for the Charles Cobb Commission for Racial Justice for the
National Council of Churches he developed their anti-drug program.
Dr. Shakur has furthermore been a dedicated worker and champion in the struggle
against political imprisonment and political convictions of Black Activists in
America. He was the founding member of the National Committee to Free Political
Prisoners. He has been a leader in the struggle against the illegal U.S. and
local American law enforcement programs designed to destroy the Black movement
in America and has worked to expose and to stop the secret American war against
its Black colony.
Through his political work, Dr. Shakur has been associated with the Committee to
Defend Herman Ferguson, a Black activist and educator charged with conspiracy in
the RAM conspiracy case of the 1960's; the National Task Force for COINTELPRO
Litigation and Research, which researched and initiated suits against the FBI
and American law enforcement agencies for criminal acts, spying and
counter-insurgency warfare tactics; and the National Conference of Black
Lawyers. He has also endorsed support for the legal defense of political
prisoners and prisoners of war, including Imari Obadele, Ph.D., Rev. Ben Chavis,
Geronimo (Pratt) JiJaga of the Black Panther Party, and Assata Shakur and
Sundiata Acoli of the Black Liberation Army.
In March 1982, Dr. Shakur and 10 others were indicted by a federal grand jury
under a set of U.S. conspiracy laws called "Racketeer Influenced and
Corrupt Organization" (RICO) laws. These conspiracy laws were ostensibly
developed to aid the government in its prosecution of organized crime figures;
however, they have been used with varying degrees of success against
revolutionary organizations. Dr. Shakur was charged with conspiracy and
participation in a clandestine paramilitary unit that carried out actual and
attempted expropriations from several banks. Eight (8) incidents were alleged to
have occurred between December 1976 to October 1981. In addition he was charged
with participation in the 1979 prison escape of Assata Shakur, who is now in
exile in Cuba. (the question of Dr. Shakur being charged with participation when
in fact they alleged he masterminded her escape creates the true fact of
cointelpro).
After 5 years underground, Dr. Shakur was arrested on February 12, 1986.
Dr. Shakur is the father of six children. His son Tupac
was assassinated in 1996. He has solid evidence that it was a continuation of
COINTELPRO. The F.B.I., the Federal Bureau of Prisons with law enforcement made
every effort to keep him separated from his son Tupac.
LEGAL CASE: Basic Facts:
Arrested: February 12, 1986
Charges:
Conspiracy to aid bank expropriation, Dr. Shakur was charged under the U. S.
conspiracy laws known as "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organization" or 'RICO' laws (8 counts). The U.S. government alleged that
Mutulu's political associates constituted a racketeering enterprise. Aiding in
the escape of Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard)
Jurisdiction:
U.S. Federal Court
Disposition:
Conviction on all counts - 60 years imprisonment.
Case Status:
Fighting a parole board decision of another parole hearing in 15 years; filed a
2241 habus corpus motion, pending judicial decision in 11th circuit.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
1. Evidence, which was illegally seized, was allowed to be presented by the
prosecuting attorney.
2. Explosives were allowed to be presented in evidence despite the fact that
there were no bombings charged against Dr. Shakur.
3. A sitting juror was re-admitted after confessing to having discussed the case
outside the jury room with an embittered x-juror which is a human rights
violation.
4. Despite the juror's admission of having discussed the case outside the jury
room, the judge refused a thorough inquiry.
5. Evidence used to convict Dr. Shakur was seized from the alleged home of
Marilyn Buck. There was no proof to link Dr. Shakur to the evidence used against
him.
6. The U.S. government presented testimony of a paid informant who claimed to
have participated in the actions for which Dr. Shakur was indicted. Tyrone Rison
received $110,000 in material benefits and a reduced sentence for his testimony.
He is presently released from prison.
7. Dr. Shakur submitted a Prisoner of War petition stating the nature of the
charges against him coupled with his years of resistance to political oppression
required that his case be heard before an international court. The judge denied
the motion.
8. The Court allowed prosecutor to put before the jury Dr. Shakur's Prisoner of
War (P.O.W.) claim without allowing Dr. Shakur to present any evidence and
without the Judge instructing the jury as to the law.
9. In his sentencing statement Judge Charles Haight conceded that Dr. Shakur was
illegally targeted by the FBI's Counterintelligence Program.
The Criminal Charges
In reference to discussing Mutulu Shakur's criminal case, three matters tell the
real story:
1. For years before the indictment Dr. Shakur was a target of the F.B.I. and
other police agencies, and was Subject to their illegal acts as he exercised his
constitutional rights as an activist in the Black movement. Thus the trial judge
found that
"Dr. Shakur while exercising constitutional liberties was illegally pursued
by federal law enforcement officers."
and further:
"the rights of Dr. Shakur ... were violated by the COINTELPRO
program."
The COINTELPRO program was a program initiated by the F.B.I. to neutralize
leaders of the Black movement.
2. The government tried desperately to get hard evidence of Dr. Shakur
committing a crime - but there was none. The government's case consisted of 115
witnesses and 532 exhibits. It utilized its technical and scientific resources
in an effort to obtain evidence against Dr. Shakur, including electronic
telephone interceptions, electronic eavesdropping at premises, fingerprint
searches and hair and blood analyses. It conducted searches of no less than
twelve premises, examining and analyzing everything and anything in those
premises. The result of all this vast governmental search for evidence was a
striking absence of any evidence at trial connecting Dr. Shakur with the charged
criminal conduct:
* No evidence from any electronic telephone interceptions;
* No evidence from any electronic eavesdropping at premises;
* No evidence of any fingerprint of appellant Shakur on any weapon represented
by the government to be involved in any of the charged crimes;
* No evidence of any fingerprint of appellant Shakur at any crime scene;
* No evidence of any fingerprint of appellant Shakur on any immovable object at
any house alleged to have, been used by the charged criminal enterprise;
* No evidence of any hair of appellant Shakur at any crime scene;
* No evidence of any fingerprint or hair of appellant Shakur on any vehicle
alleged to have been used by the charged criminal enterprise;
* No eyewitness identification of appellant Shakur at any crime scene by any
third party;
* No evidence indicating ownership or possession by appellant Shakur of any
weapon represented by the government to be involved in any of the charged
crimes.
In fact, the government's case rested upon one witness, Tyron Rison, who, the
government conceded murdered a guard at a Bronx bank robbery, and whose deal
with the government resulted in his release from prison after six years in jail.
3. The political context of the charges and trial was admitted by everyone. The
prosecutor told the jury it was "political views which motivated" the
charged acts. The Court of Appeals, which affirmed Dr. Shakur's conviction,
described him as participating in a group “organized in the mid-1970s to
further its conception of the Black struggle in America.” Yet, the political
context was ruled irrelevant in determining what the prosecution against Dr.
Shakur was really aimed at or what Dr. Shakur was really about while being
accused of criminal acts.
To write to Mutulu use the regular address:
Mutulu Shakur #83205-012
601 McDonough Blvd SE
Atlanta, GA 30315
Family and Friends of Mutulu Shakur
P.O. Box 3171
NY, NY 10027
(212) 631-1078
MutuluShakur@hotmail.com
8)
My Brother Was a Blood Cow for the Arkansas
Department of Correction
by Linda Tant Miller
This
was my beloved brother, Robert B. Tant, Jr., (Bud). He was an inmate at the
infamous Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction, where plasma
from inmates was harvested and sold for the production of medicines.
Bud had hepatitis B and C but didn't know it. However, according to John Byus, Medical Administrator of the Arkansas Department of Correction THEY knew it - and yet they harvested his plasma and that of other inmates they knew to be infected with hepatitis, HIV and every other blood-borne disease known to man.
They sold this plasma, knowing that it would be pooled in vats containing hundreds of gallons of plasma which would also become infected, and then be processed into blood-based medicines such as cryoprecipitate, as well as Factors 8 and 9, all of which are used to control hemorrhages. The blood clotting medicines were not heat-treated to kill pathogens, as were other human plasma-based medicines such as gamma globulin and serum albumin, so when clotting agents were administered to millions of hemorrhaging patients, they were infected with deadly blood-borne diseases.
As of 1999, the World Health Organization estimated that at least one million people throughout the world - including the USA - had been DIRECTLY infected with hepatitis and/or HIV through use of blood-based products made from human blood plasma, milked from prisoners. The WHO didn't speculate on how many cross-infections might have occurred from this primary victim base, and was also unaware at that time that as many as 3,000,000 young mothers and infants in Japan may have become infected with these deadly viruses through infusions of cryoprecipitate administered to control excessive bleeding during childbirth.
However high the numbers presently directly or indirectly infected through plasma originating in the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction, the toll will continue to grow exponentially until science finds vaccines against or cures for the plague unleashed on the planet by the Arkansas Department of Correction.
The evil men responsible for this global atrocity counted on the victims to die quickly, without ever knowing how they had been infected. When advances in medical science spoiled that plan, they counted on the world not to care.
Visit the website to learn more about the exportation of sickness and death from Arkansas prisons, which were characterized by Supreme Court Justice John Stephens as a "dark and evil world", and learn more about the monsters who still profit from this and many other crimes and injustices.
Please let them know you care.
NOTE
THE BRUISING ON HIS SIDE WHERE HE WAS ASSAULTED BY A GUARD THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO
HIS DEATH WHEN HE FELL AND WAS UNABLE TO RISE ON COMMAND. IN THE ASSUALT HIS RIB
WAS BROKEN, CAUSING HIM TO CONTRACT PNEUMONIA DUE TO REDUCED BREATHING CAPACITY.
WHILE SHAKING VIOLENTLY DURING ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS A FEW DAYS AFTER HIS
RIB WAS FRACTURED A "NURSE" AT THE DIAGNOSTIC UNIT SLAPPED HIM IN THE
HEAD FOR SPILLING JUICE SHE HAD GIVEN HIM TO TAKE A PILL WITH. THE LUMP ON HIS
STOMACH IS FROM HERNIA SURGERY AFTER WHICH HE WAS NOT PROVIDED MEDICATION FOR
NAUSEA. IN THE THROES OF VIOLENT VOMITING HE RUPTURED INTERNAL STITCHES AND DIED
WITH THE RESULTANT, MUCH WORSE HERNIA
Linda Tant Miller
8611 270th Ave., E.
Buckley, WA 98321
lcmiller@tx3.net
http://geocities.com/bloodcows
9)
Rudy
Delgado’s body was misplaced by Texas Dept. of Corrections for almost a week
in May of 2000. At the family’s insistence and with the help of a funeral home
in Dallas, the body was located and brought back home. These photos were taken
by the horrified funeral director to show the family why Rudy’s casket could
not be opened at his funeral. The funeral director tried in vain to restore his
face but had to give up. One of his eyes was not even located. The face was
disfigured to the point that it was hard to even tell his face from the back of
his head. The first photo shows that his face was ripped off his skull, only his
throat is visible.
Rudy was forty years old. According to a news story about Rudy's murder, it was
witnessed by 26 prisoners and two Correctional Officers. What was done to Rudy
took time to accomplish. The fact that this atrocity occurred in front of two
officers who let it happen makes Texas Dept. of Justice as much responsible for
his death and mutilation as is the perpetrator.
Rudy's family feels that distribution of these photos may help justice to be
served for Rudy and for the others in his situation.
Please click the top button on this page (www.geocities.com/prisonmurder/rudy_delgado.html)
to send a message to the Governor of Texas and ask him to investigate Rudy's
brutal murder while guards stood and watched. Ask him to STOP PRISON MURDER.
Thank you.
10) Retaining Prisoners After Parole
April,
26, 2004
Keith,
Hello.
My name is Raymond Stephens an inmate at Cummins Prison in Arkansas. I’m a pen
pal with Ms. Leonna Abraham Brandao. There a problem with the prison system here
in Arkansas. I was gave a 15 year sentence for kidnapping also I have 5 years
for sexual abuse and 5m for stalking. The last 2 were ran cc. That way the only
thing that I’m doing time on is the kidnapping.
Last year
when I went up for parole I got turned down for another year even with this
being my first time in prison. Here is the problem. I go up for parole this year
I make it but I have to take a program called R.S.V.P. It will take another year
after making parole to complete this program. I started back in 2002 trying to
get into this an I have been turned down every time I have tried no matter what
I said or admitted I was still turned down. I have the paperwork to show this.
When someone come into the prison system in Arkansas the people in charge know
what program an inmate needs to take before they can have parole. But no one
will be put into these programs until after they make parole. That way the
prison can hold an inmate from 90 days to a year or more after they make parole!
This is in order to make more money off that inmate while at the same time
telling the free world people that the prisons are over-crowded so that A.D.C.
can get more money from the state and the free world! There are people sitting
here at Cummins that made parole a year to two years back. But A.D.C. will not
let them go! The spokesperson for A.D.C. said that parole was a privilege, not a
right, according to the state of Arkansas, prisoner has no rights!
There
is a lot more I could tell you but I didn’t want to take up a lot of your
time.
Raymond
Stephens #120187
P.O. Box 500
Grady, AR 71644
April
8, 2005
Mr. Anderson,
How
are you? I keep sending things to you and Ms. Brandao, but I never see anything
being done or anything in print. I sent a package with my official case papers
from the Union County Courthouse. This paperwork shows where In got screwed on
two different ends. They changed one of my charges from Misdemeanor-Violation of
Order of Protection to Felony Stalking, 2nd degree. Neither is true because, as
the witness stated, the victim, Amanda Watson, pulled up in the drive to Bobby
Bells, I was already there.
This
was my property. Bobby Bell lives in my rent house. My mother and I own the
house and land. I received 5 years for this. When I explained this to my
attorney, he said we could beat the stalking charge but there was no need
fighting it because it wouldn't make a difference. But it did.
When
I went up for parole, I was given a one-year denial for multiple counts, which I
wouldn’t have gotten if I didn’t have this extra charge! I sent all the
paperwork to New Vision Organization and asked for help with getting this off my
record and filing a lawsuit, or at least an attorney that will help me get this
taken care of, because after coming to the ADC, nothing has been done right in
my case, and I have no money or anyone that will help me. That is why I have
been writing you people and sending paperwork on my case to you.
Please
get me some help. The prosecutor in my case, Mr. Jack Wroy, has done similar
acts to other cases and has since been relieved of his duties as prosecutor for
the District of Union County. I read this in the news because of his messing
with the cases. I don’t see how he changed mine like he did.
Thank
you,
Raymond Stephens #120187
P.O. Box 240
Tucker, ARK 72168-0240
Slave Wages
August
29, 2004
Hi,
I
decided that I have waited long enough to write. Here at Cummins unit and the
rest of Arkansas Department of Correction there is something bad going on! The
inmates at A.D.C. are in a slave camp. If we don’t work for the prison free,
then we are put in the hole for 30 days and get anywhere from 3 to 6 months
added on before we are allowed to go up for parole. Other prisons in the U.S.
pay inmates something for all the work and money they are making the prisons,
but Arkansas don’t pay us or gave us good time or anything else. If someone
from outside the state start checking into some of the things that Arkansas is
doing against us maybe something would get done to help inmates!
There
is an outside bathroom with a top on it and some inmates stand close to the
bathroom for shade when on yard call. There was a note from the warden to all
inmates if we keep standing in the shade of the bathroom he will have the top
taken off. *Here is a clipping from out of the newspaper about what A.D.C. is
going to do to us. Please tell the people and show this clipping. I need a
lawyer but don’t have the money to afford one. Is there anyone that can help
me because I would like to file a law suit against the Arkansas Department of
Corrections. Also, people that are on disability out in the world are being
forced to work in A.D.C. The state has given a person disability because they
are unable to meet the work requirements outside prison but they get to prison
and the rules change!
Raymond
Stephens #120187
P.O. Box 500
Grady, AR 71644
*Article was included—from Arkansas Democratic-Gazette, August 28, 2004
December
20, 2004
Raymond
Stephens, age 39, Black single male living in Tucker unit in Arkansas. I have a
15 year sentence for kidnapping, sexual abuse, and stalking according to the
laws in Arkansas. The woman is question was my live-in girlfriend for 5-1/2 to 6
years. We have a child together. She got sprung on crack-cocaine and that is not
all.
I
was to do 30 months before parole. This is my first time in prison and I have a
good institutional record. I have not been in any fights or anything else since
coming to prison. But Arkansas has made me serve 5 years at this present time
and I am still being denied parole! If you would like the whole story, write to:
Raymond
Stephens #120187
P.O. Box 240
Tucker, ARK 72168-0240
11) Fraudulent Parole
February
21, 2005
Hello,
my name is Bryon O’neil. My ADC# is 118841. The purpose of this letter is to
bring awareness, and possibly correct, a crime that is occurring every day at
the units of ADC. The federal government pays a housing allowance for each
inmate and also pays for certain programs. In the state of Arkansas, the GED
program in ADC is one of the programs that is run fraudulently. The RESP program
and some others are used as tools to keep people here beyond their TE dates. (TE
is transfer eligible—earliest possible release date.)
Here
I am going to show conspiracy to defraud the federal government, and the people.
Also, I am going to show how the parole board does not allow people to receive
the good time credits as outlined in the Arkansas law. (In Arkansas, these can
only apply to the TE date, and to the amount of time one must report to a parole
officer. It does not affect the amount of time on paper.)
First,
I will explain the conspiracy. The term “conspiracy” here means to cause a
tort by more than one agency working together. What has happened here is, the
court has stipulated a program on an inmate. Then, due to deliberate
indifference to the rehabilitation of inmates by the program and those in
authority within ADC. The inmate reaches his TE date without having been to the
program. Parole is either approved upon completion, deferred to complete, or one
year denial with a recommendation of the program. During all of this time, the
program is telling the inmates that people with the earliest TE dates, or flat
dates, get in first. When one gets in the program, they find there are several
people here who have between 2 and 15 years to their TE dates. Yet, at other
units, there are men who are waiting to get in here who are past their TE dates.
Second,
I will explain how this has happened to me. I am guilty of the crime I am here
for. The court stipulated RSVP. When I first got to my parent unit, I was
interviewed by a counselor from the RSVP program. (This was in December of
2000.) I February, 2001, I received an approval letter stating I am on their
approved waiting list. February of 2002, I wrote them a letter asking if there
was anything I could do to help get into the program quicker since my TE was
April, 2003. There response was that I was on the waiting list, thank you for
being patient. On December 4, 2002, I went in front of the parole board. They
deferred my parole to complete RSVP. In December, 2003, I responded to a letter
from RSVP, and, in January, 2004, I was rejected from the waiting list. So I
wrote the parole board a request for reconsideration. This was the second
request, so they responded that I was not entitled to one unless there was new
information. The day I received this letter I wrote the sex offender assessment
committee to request an assessment. Their initial response was:
“If
you have not been assessed prior to going to the board, the parole board has the
option to refer you to our program prior to your release. They will notify me if
they want you assesses prior to your parole. I will have my staff start a file
on you and we will begin to gather information on your criminal history. This
will expedite the process, should the parole board ask that you be assessed.”
This
letter was post marked June 23, 2004. On July 29, 2004, I was assessed. Shortly
after being assessed, I received a 19-page questionnaire from RSVP with a cover
letter that stated I was being considered again. On October 7, 2004, I was
shipped from Cummins unit to the Tucker Unit and entered RSVP. Since my arrival
here I have found that they keep this program full, but many of those who are
here are not going home till after my flat date. This program is supposed to be
set up for people to go from it home, so there would be no reason for a man to
come here who has no possibility of going home till 2011 or later. There is even
one man in here who has three life sentences (in Arkansas, life sentences are
equal to however long a person lives).
All
of this is information that can be verified, and it all points to a crime
against the federal government by the state of Arkansas. Is there anyone out
there who is willing to put a light on this and help men to either be put in
treatment at a time when it will allow them to be released when they first go
up, or be allowed to seek treatment after release? Since an inmate cannot force
their way into anything but trouble, they are not able to be in control of how
long it takes to get into treatment. So why are we being denied our freedom for
something that we have no control over, and those who are in control keep being
malfeasant in their duties.
Any
assistance you might give would be appreciated. We thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Bryon O. Niles #118841
ADC Tucker Unit
P.O. Box 240
Tucker, AR 72168-0240
12) Freedom "Robbed" in Armed Robbery
May
4, 2004
Greetings
and the highest regard, sir, as I attempt to communicate the following matter of
my oppression and legal duress by the State of Georgia Correctional System. I’d
first like to send my many raises for your program and operation’s existence.
Then too, thank God Almighty for the angel that is Sister Leonna Abraham Brandao.
Mr. Anderson, currently I am re-reading a copy of “The Ebon Run” news letter
and its informative suggestion is more than impressive, I must say.
This
is my present plight. Currently, I am a wrongfully accused and convicted man for
a charge of armed robbery which took place during my visit to the state of
Georgia in 1999. And I was later sentenced to 20 years to do 15 years due to the
misinformation and malfeasance practice in my case, and by the court-appointed
attorney and other persons in the DA’s Office as well as the judge who refused
to recuse herself from my case as one of 15 county jail officer’s and deputy’s
mother. The County of Cobb here in the state of Georgia is long known for its
good ol’ boys nepotism, and like Confederate plutocracy, and minorities,
particularly black prisoners, are mathematically persecuted disproportionately
as some kind of sick game, and with a demented model for a state creed as the
southern state’s Georgia being considered the apex is the “dirty-south.”
the drift is all over the judge’s floor, and is legally allowed to be tracked
upon the Constitution of the United States.
How
the world, and for sure America’s other 49 states, can allow the present state
of affairs to exist in the state of Georgia and go on with their life as usual
is only a sure show of the sign’s of the end of time and the all-time high
level of man’s wickedness to prepare for the great war between good and evil,
of which evil will surely lose.
It
is 2004 in the civilized world. But in the state of Georgia it is 1712, and
every black man, woman, and child has been ordered by their masters to report
immediately, if not sooner, to the grounds of the Jamestown …..
Keishun
Errastyle Liddy 1091993
P.O. Box 549 T.S.P.
Helena, GA 31037
13) Attorney at Thief
(Note: The name of the accused in the following article is represented by her initials To learn her name, contact Ulysses Jones.)
July
7, 2004
Dear Mr. Anderson:
Please
accept this as a formal request for your assistance. Sister Leonna Abraham
Brandao advised me that you may be able to help to assist me with exposing a
criminal lawyer in New York who literally robbed me of $6,800.00. Her name is
P.H. She was hired to represent me on my criminal appeal and failed to render
any legal services whatsoever. In fact, her negligence caused me to nearly
default on my federal habeas corpus petition. I have written several letters to
attorney P. H. requesting a refund and she has repeatedly denied my request. I
have also filed a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee outlining this
behavior which is pending. In addition, I have written to Attorney P. H.'s
employer, the League of Catholic Bishops, raising the question how this woman
can sit and judge anyone accused of wrongdoing when she has engaged in criminal
conduct herself. Mr. Anderson, I have various documents that will support my
claim and I trust in Father God that this injustice will eventually be exposed.
If you are interested and willing to publish this story, I will send you every
document in my possession that substantiates my claim against Attorney P. H.
I
thank you kindly for any attention you may be able to provide me in this matter.
I
await your earliest response.
In
Firm Faith,
Mr. Ulysses Jones #99A5333
Sing Sing Correctional Facility
354 Hunter Street
Ossining, NY 10562
Editor's note: Ulysses sent a package to back up his claims along with a letter mentioning:
July
25, 2004
Brother Keith,
Thank you
for agreeing to print my case in "The Ebon Run." I am thankful for
your sharing the sentiment pertaining to the powers that be. I am currently
aware of the selfishness and unwillingness to admit when they are wrong mindset
of those involved with the criminal justice system. Your desire to expose these
people is right on point. I am enclosing additional documents (Exhibits A
through C) that will substantiate my allegations against attorney P. H. Furthermore,
Brother Keith, I have been convicted of a crime for which I am truly innocent. I
presently have a habeas corpus petition pending in the Southern District of New
York and if--if your article could also invite any pro bono assistance with the
endeavor, I would regard it as an additional favor.
14) Down the "Hall" of Injustice
Can
American justice, American liberty,
American civilization, American law be
made to include and protect alike and forever, all American citizens in the
rights which have been guaranteed to them by organic and fundamental
laws
of the land?
Mr. John Hall A.K.A. Gregory
Hill, has been
fighting for justice for the past 18
years on a life sentence.
Because of his lack of knowledge of the
law he has been "time barred", loosing appeal rights. The
attorney representing Mr.
Hall was not given information that
could prove his innocence. There were unethical practices by the police, i.e.,
hiding exculpatory evidence and not investigating exculpatory evidence.
State and local prosecutors
misused their authority
so badly in criminal cases since
1970, that appellate courts and other
judges reversed the convictions or reduced the sentences in more than 2,000
cases. Misconduct occurred in 523 cases in Pennsylvania and 287 of them were in
Philadelphia.
Former Assistant District
Attorney, Jack McMahon,
as he trained new prosecutors
on selecting juries, in a training tape titled, "Prosecutorial Instructional Training Tape", states,
"Lets face it, there are blacks from low-income areas and you don't want
those people on juries. In selecting blacks you don't want the real educated
ones. The law says the object of getting a jury is to get a competent, fair and
impartial jury. Well that's ridiculous, you're not trying to get that, you are
there to win. The only way you're going to do your best is to get jurors that
are unfair and more likely to convict than anybody else in the room".
Mr. Hall was
tried by an impartial jury (not a jury of his peers). In Batson V. Kentucky, 476
U.S. 79,83 (1986), African Americans were excluded through peremptory
challenges. In the civil case Edmonson V. Leesville Concrete Co., 500 U.S. 614
(1991), the Supreme Court ruled that the constitution forbade the use of
peremptory challenges to exclude African Americans. Writing for the court,
justice Kennedy stated, "by enforcing a discriminatory peremptory
challenge, [ a] court has not only made itself a party to the [biased act], but
gave prestige to the alleged discrimination."
Mr. Hall's
defense was prejudiced by the trial judge. The judge became unruly and verbally
abusive towards Mr. Hall and his attorney, thereby giving the jury a negative
impression.
Numerous
challenges were presented by Mr. Hall' s attorney in regards to court
procedures. There were 21 objections for errors by the court.
Mr. Hall was
never identified as being involved in the alleged crime. The police and district
attorney withheld evidence to the fact that their witness gave an identification
of another person. Mr. Hall was denied a line-up, while the judge allowed an in
court identification at the preliminary hearing, after a witness gave an
identification of another person.
The judge
erred by allowing in court identification.
Eleven
African American jurors were struck from jury selection, without any reason
being provided for the court record.
The trial
judge severely criticized defense counsel in the presence of the jury for
requesting to cross examine a medical pathologist, as a result prejudicing the
jury towards the defense counsel and defendant. This testimony was crucial to
the defense.
The judicial
system is charged with interpreting, upholding, and enforcing the law, since
most societies claim to offer their citizens equal justice under the law. The
courts are the presumed repositories of equality and the solemn for m for the
just adjudication of the law without regard to race, color, creed, or any other
categorical distinction. Because of this role, instances of racism in the
courtroom are examples of powerful symbols that act to legitimate, reinforce,
and perpetuate the culture of racism operating in society as a whole.
Mr. Hall
presently serves as a mentor to younger and older inmates within the prisons.
He's active in coordinating self-help prison programs with outside
organizations. He's the Chairman of The Personal Growth/Cultural Awareness
Group, and also a history class facilitator.
Mr. Hall
continues to seek higher education and is committed to building a better society
and world. The support team of Mr. Hall is asking that compassionate people
write to Pennsylvania Legislators and Politicians, sign petitions, or write a
Friend of the Court Brief, demanding Freedom and Justice for an innocent man.
Comments,
Questions, Suggestions, can be sent to:
Mr.
John Hall #AS-2820
P.O. Box 9999
LaBelle, PA 15450
Please
forward all donations in care of:
John
Hall Legal Defense Fund
Sponsored by, Back to Society, Inc.,
(NJ, Chapter)
Craig Hill, Coordinator
1441 So. 9th Street
Camden, NJ 08104
John
Hall AS-2808
SCI Fayette
Box 9999
LaBelle, P A. 15450
January
4, 2005
Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters:
In an
attempt to intensify my efforts towards receiving justice in relationship to the
circumstances surrounding my imprisonment, I have put together the enclosed
informational pamphlet. Of course, due to limited space it does not contain all
the facts and details of my situation, however I have listed some basic
information.
Working in
conjunction with B. T .S. (Back to Society), a dynamic group of individuals and
myself are doing positive things within Pennsylvania and New Jersey prisons and
inner city communities, but there's much more work to be done. This is why I
must regain my freedom.
Here are a
few areas wherein I need assistance:
#1.
Publicizing my legal struggle by having my case presented to the public through
journalistic reports, websites, etc. ..
#2. Finding
qualified legal assistance.
#3.
Obtaining materials to enhance my knowledge of law.
#4.
Conducting rallies, banquets, etc. .., seeking my freedom.
#5. Donating
to my legal defense fund.
#6.
Spiritual inspiration and Pen-Pals.
Basically
anything you can think of that will help me regain my freedom will be greatly
appreciated.
Sincerely,
John Hall
May 6,
2005
Solidarity
Greeting: Mr. Anderson
Hi my name
is John Hall A Pennsylvania politically conscious prisoner, originally from new
Jersey illegally in Pennsylvania newest supermaxium institution, S.C.I. Fayette.
The greatest
damage incarceration has done to me personally is the stagnation of my
ambitions. I've never just lived for myself. To this day I cannot fathom the
culture of selfishness socially accepted here in America. Everything I do is
motivated by the desire to give to others or to help others, and I am constantly
working to assist and educate younger prisoners.
In my own
studies, I've begun to learn little bits of the law which has motivated me to
start reviewing the legal proceeding that landed me in prison. Out of documents
I was able to obtain from the courts and information in the raw books, have
found all kinds of blatant inconsistencies.
In an effort
to bring light and attention to the injustices I've faced a support campaign has
been established to help in my struggle to obtain a new trial, and we are
attempting to build a national coalition with other organizations.
To learn
more about The John Hall Freedom Campaign, give a donation or get involved with
this national movement, please contact me directly or my campaign coordinator?
Your assistance is needed now!
Thanking
you in advance!
Coordinator:
Mr. Craig Hill
1441 So. 9th Street
Camden, NJ 08104
15) Thar's Gold in Dem Thar Bars
January 29,
2005
Mr. Anderson,
Now I
have some information for you. I don’t know what you can do with it, but
whatever you do, please do not out it out there where or who you got the
information from. This information just fell into my hand. If these people were
to find out that I have this information, they’ll probably kill me or keep me
locked up forever. Therefore, do not speak on where or who you got it from. This
information will show that prisons in Georgia are just a money thing.
From:
Anonymous
B.
What the Georgia Department of
Corrections Collected from Prisoners and
Their Families in Fiscal Year 2003
(Source: Georgia Department of Corrections)
Total
Funds Collected to Pay for Prison Expenses: $ 19,332,621
Total Collected to Go into the State Treasury or Office of Planning and Budget
$13,792,429
Total
Funds Collected from Prisoners in Fiscal Year 2003: $ 33,125,050
BREAKDOWN OF REVENUE COLLECTED FROM PRISONERS AND USED TO PAY FOR PRISON
EXPENSES
Telephone
Collections: $11,233,606.
How it's supposed to be used:
Takes the place of state funds to pay for:
1) Health care services provided directly by the state
2) The contractors who provide service in the prisoner Mental Health program
3) The Substance Abuse Program for both prisoners and probationers
Prison Store
Funds: $ 2,758,994
How it's supposed to be used:
Takes the place of state funds to pay for:
1) Full-time and part-time staff at the prison commissaries.
Diversion
Center Resident Collections: $ 4,287,851
How it's supposed to be used:
Takes the place of state funds to pay for:
1) Diversion Center staff ($3,206,088)
2) Diversion Center regular operating expenses ($300,000)
3) Diversion Center supplies and materials
4) Replacement equipment for the Centers
5) Transportation of prisoners at the Diversion Center
Fees Charged
to Prisoners for Damage to State Property: $12,975
How it's supposed to be used:
1) To pay for the replacement of state property damaged by prisoners
Prisoner
Escapee and Search Fees: $27,086
How it's supposed to be used:
1) Helps with the expenses that resulted from the prisoner's escape
2) Helps to pay for supplies and equipment for Diversion and Transitional
Centers
Court Ordered Drug Testing: $1,654
How it's supposed to be used:
1) To pay for court ordered drug centers for residents at the Diversion Centers.
Prisoner
Sick Call Fees: $399,663
How it's supposed to be used:
1) Takes the place of state health services purchases for the prison healthcare
contract with the Medical College of Georgia
Prison
Account Administration Fee and Disciplinary Fees: $610,692
How it's supposed to be used:
1) Takes the place of state personal services funds
BREAKDOWN OF
REVENUE COLLECTED FROM PRISONERS IN 2003 AND TURNED OVER TO STATE OFFICES
Transitional Center Room and Board: $ 1,789,282
Probation Supervision and Crime Lab Fees: $10,537,920
Victims
Fees: $1,465,277
16) Natural-Life Wrong
Date:
(Approximately May 7, 2004)
Dear
Keith,
I’ve
been incarcerated since 1985, with a natural-life sentence. Yes, I’m a victim
of systematic injustice, If you want, in my next letter, I will give you my
story about being falsely accused for a crime that, when happened, the witnesses
saw a man 6’1” or 6’2”. I’m only 5’7”. But, due to my being
associated with certain people, the injustice that I’ve suffered is the
prosecutor’s doing what they do—lying, having others lie.
Thank
you and may the Lord bless you.
Sincerely,
James Walker
P.O. Box 2000
200 E. Supermax Rd.
Tamms, IL 62988
May 5, 2005
Dear Keith,
I’m an
inmate at Tamms C.C. (Supermax) of the
Illinois Department of Corrections. I’m being tortured to death by way of
denial of any and all treatment and medication for a chronic disease. I’ve
been in severe tormenting pain since Nov. 22, 2004, unable to function normally
(wash up, brush my teeth, eat, use the toilet, etc.) without crying and
suffering beyond words. And still neither function is done normal or proper.
I’m also
being denied the proper test needed to fully diagnose my condition. The symptoms
I've got are consistent with RA, but the IDOC Agency Medical Director Willard O.
[Elyea?] along with Tamms medical administrator Terri [Cariper?]
and Tamm’s Dr. Marvin
powers refuse to afford me the proper tests or examinations needed to properly
diagnose my condition.
My pain and
suffering is obvious and when the nurses and officers see how swollen my body is
and how I’m suffering, they can only shake their heads at how I’m being
treated. I’ve not had any or no treatment or medication since March 29, 2005.
I was told by Dr. Powers to let nature take its course and he’ll give me
medication and treatment when I really need it.
I know no
doctor in the free community who would do or say such a ludicrous thing. If
nature takes its course without treatment and medication, I will become cripple
for life or die.
I know I’m
being tortured deliberately and want the world to know. If I
become cripple for life or die from the deliberate denial of treatment,
it’s a case of attempted murder or murder and should no go unpunished.
I seek the
help of anyone concerned about how we as prisoners are being mistreated overall.
May the lord
bless and thank you.
Tamms is not
adequately equipped to deal with any kind of chronic illness.
Sincerely,
James Walker N61281
P.O. Box 2000
200 E. Supermax Rd.
Tamms, IL 62988
17) Emergency Alert
By: LuQman
Abdullah
August, 2004
Pennsylvania's
new supermaximum prison, SCI-Fayette in Western Pennsylvania is modeled after
it's counter-part, SCI-Greene, where in the middle to late 1990's prison abuse
was at its highest peak.
I am writing
to you to report the overt discrimination by the prison administration here at
SCI-Fayette. At SCI-Greene, prisoners were murdered, mutilated, and oppressed
for exercising their/our rights. The superintendent, department of corrections
central office, commissioner, legislatures, etc., denied redress for prisoners
who made initial complaints, such as myself, by drawing our complaints
meaningless. Prison administrators wore blinders to the realities of abuse and
murder within Pennsylvania's Prisons.
Society
seems to be surprised to hear that one of their own (correctional
officers/Charles Graner) who is employed at SCI-Greene is charged with abusing
Iraqi prisoners. Here at SCI-Fayette the security captain on down has been
formerly employed at SCI-Greene and currently the same situation is arising that
once was the start of the harassment, brutalization, abuse, and murders at
SCI-Greene.
John Tustin
former Lieutenant at SCI-Greene who was arrested in 1999 for aggravated and
simple assault, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and was fired for using
unnecessary force against prisoners who were being sent to the prison's
restrictive housing unit (RHU), is now a training sergeant here at SCI-Fayette.
Sgt. Tustin is responsible for framing me when I was housed at SCI-Greene in
1996-97, having me locked down in the RHO for over a year, and he has begun to
victimize me here by his constant prodding, poking, and provoking.
On 8/8/04,
while eating dinner I observed Sgt. Tustin approach another prisoner giving him
an order in a very disrespectful and threatening manner, because the prisoner
was given an extra piece of fruit. As the prisoner exited the dinning hall Sgt.
Tustin stated to the prisoner: "I don't know what you've heard about me,
but I am the wrong person to mess with, because I will get you in the RHU and
you will come up missing."
Grievances
aren't being answered by the administration which could be a deterrent to
vio1ations. Prisoner's aren't being treated with the respect due to our inherent
dignity and value as human beings, while the prison is becoming unsafe for
prisoners and the staff.
We need the
community to police the prison guards to prevent abuse and violence which was
once the rule of the day at SCI-Greene.
Please
contact your local politician, the media, and call, write, fax, the
Commissioner, Attorney General, and Governor, requesting them to monitor and
address this issue at SCI-Fayette.
To contact
LuQman write:
LuQman Abdullah
#AY-7648
P.O. Box 9999
LaBelle, PA 15450
SCI-Fayette
Institutional
Racism, The American Way
By: LuQman Abdullah
April 4,
2004 an article appeared in the Sunday Tribune Review titled: "New Fayette
Prison Houses Worst of the Worst". The article states that placement
decisions is based on inmates behavior, and that killers, rapist, and child
molesters are among the 680 inmates. The institution's spokes-woman
(superintendent's assistant and inmate grievance coordinator) Carol Scire is
also quoted as saying: "they're idiots" (referring to inmates.)
Fayette
County according to 2002 census has a total of 2,990 business establishments and
40,982 employees. Housing unit estimates base is 6614901 and the total
population is 148,644. Fayette County is considered an "un' or under'
employed" people in an economically isolated community which could benefit
from economic development and reinvestment in the area.
The
government frequently offer incentives to businesses (Department of Corrections)
for locating or remaining within their jurisdiction. Local hiring is connected
to public subsides, reaping more benefits from such expenditures. The costs are
shared among employers, jurisdictions, community-based organizations and unions.
Local hiring initiatives also save businesses money. Local hiring provides
training and jobs in economically isolated areas, ,such as Fayette County. Local
hiring increases employment levels and enhances earning potential for community
members. This has an immediate effect on resident's financial well being, and
the stability of their families. The impact of this support is long lasting. The
added training and job experience builds skills and increases resident long-term
earning potential. The more the population increases at SCI-Fayette, the larger
Fayette County Census increases, the more funding is allotted to this county.
I am an
African American Male incarcerated at SCI-Fayette for parole violation (moving
without permission and missing two weeks reporting to the parole agent),
although I'd been in society for four years on parole, never violating any rules
or regulation. While drug users and individuals with new criminal cases were
reparoled immediately after violating their parole. Also, I have
"Never" raped or molested anyone and I'm not housed at SCI-Fayette for
killing anyone, nor am I the worst of the worst.
The majority
of the inmate population is housed at SCI-Fayette because it's a new prison
(slave camp) that needed bodies; SCI-Pittsburgh is due to close, therefore many
of us were transferred to Fayette as a replacement institution, and other
prisoners are being sent here from SCI-Camp-Hill which is a classification
center. The majority of the population is young African American males and
Latino descent.
Carol Scire,
spokeswoman and inmate grievance coordinator at SCI-Fayette, proves the racism
within the Department of Corrections, especially at SCI-Fayette by her
statement: "they're idiots". She classified prisoners as idiots,
therefore it would be impossible for a prisoner to have their grievances
answered in good faith, without bias.
When racism
occurs in the prison, it is symptomatic of racist attitudes, myths, and
assumptions that constitute the ideology of societal racism. Such instances of
institutional racism also act as signals, triggering and mobilizing those racist
attitudes and stereotypes in the minds of all the staff and society, and
affecting the judgment and actions of the prison staff and people in society.
Racism is a group of assumptions about people that are expressed, often
unconsciously, in a mutually reinforcing and pervasive pattern of stigmatizing
actions that cumulate to compose an injurious whole that is greater than the sum
of its parts. Thee assumptions are based on notions, explicit or implicit of
someone as idiots, criminals, lazy, dirty, in poor control of their lives and
otherwise less than human.
Carol Scire
considers prisoners as: "a people of profound mental retardation, foolish
and/or stupid." By her racist comments, it makes things even clearer that
more is going on in the Department of Corrections than those specific comments.
She has attacked the credibility of prisoners by her stereotypical racist
notion.
Because of
the various derogatory myths about prisoners, prison staff and society has
summoned up hostile stereotypes of prisoners by simply referring to us by the
derogatory names that was part of the system of Jim Crow. Carol Scire statements
is what triggers Hate Crimes within the institution by the guards and other
staff against prisoners, which is a heinous and dangerous form of
discrimination.
Eighteenth
century Scottish philosopher, David Hume believed that there was never a
civilized nation of Africans. He said Africans are naturally inferior to whites
and implies that Africans have the sophistication of apes. This appears to be
the same mind-set of Carol Scire and the D.O.C. staff towards prisoners. Is this
why college courses were discontinued? Is this why prisoners are being used for
experimental purposes? Is this why prisoners are being treated with cruel
punishment? Being abused and brutalized by guards like John Tutsin who was fired
from SC1-Greene for abuse of his wife and prisoners, now working at SC1-Fayette?
Oh, for the record, we know that Africans are not inferior, because the Pyramids were built by "Black Egyptians" and modern science still cannot figure out how it was done! ! !
Disinformation
by the Department of Corrections is a war strategy to influence people'
'.motions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately their behavior. ..Its
called "Deception.”
18)
The
Same Ole Song: Prison Abuse
by
Joseph Nichols-Bey
Picture from www.hasanshakur.com/InterviewsJosephNBey.html
May 10, 2005
Keith,
I was asked
by a Brother here (Nanon Williams) to send you an article dealing with Prison.
Not certain this is what you have in mind. If not, nothing lost. If it is
however, please feel free to make any corrections or editing needed. I'm not a
great writer, I just do the best I can and try to continue to educate myself.
I've been
incarcerated since 1980 and most people here call me Nick-Bey or Nichols-Bey,
reflecting my Moorish Faith. Nanon has told me that you're a very active
Brother, so if there's anything I can do to assist you from this end, please
feel free to give me a shout.
In the
meantime, 1 encourage you to stay on the grind, there's a role for everyone to
play in this thing.
May you and
yours be in the best of health and spirits when this scribe reaches your
doorstep!
Peace
Brother!
Joseph Nichols-Bey #709
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351
The Same Ole Song: Prison Abuse
"Prison
is designed to break one's spirit and destroy one's resolve. To do this, the
authorities attempt to exploit every weakness, demolish every initiative, negate
all signs of individuality--all with the idea of stamping out that spark that
makes each of us human."--Nelson Mandela, Long Walk To Freedom.
I often
receive letters with questions about death row, prison. Most questions are
merely asked to stroke some curiosity, not to address problems that exist. After
almost 25-years of being here, the questions have become redundant. I have lived
through every execution that has taken place since Texas has resumed its killing
in 1982, have seen men beaten, assaulted, abused, leap into the waiting arms of
death, insanity and hopelessness...I have heard our proclaimed leaders speak
about some well-known prisoner, make promises to fight for change while
appealing to the crowd before them, then move on without a backward glance. When
the world was shocked by the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, I wasn't.
While this "Great Nation" sends military troops to make another
society better, it refuses to take the plank out of its own eye and address what
takes place within its own border. 1 have grown tired of answering questions
about prison life or death row, leaving the person I'm corresponding with
shocked that torture exist within American prisons, for even they move on
without a backward glance. I have grown tired. Whereas I once reached out to
draw attention to what is taking place in American prisons, I oftentimes felt no
one really cared about what doesn't directly affect them. I reached the point in
my life where you lose the desire and will to sacrifice anymore. Every effort
comes across as selfish because you are forced to survive for self-preservation.
Each generation should help make their society better, but I don't see that. The
same things that happened almost 25 years ago, take on a new name and different
shape, but the same problems exist. Torture exist in this country. Injustice
exist in this country. Racism still exist in this country.
What is
there to be ,said now about prison conditions which haven't already been said
100 times over! What is there to be- said for public consumption that it doesn't
already know'?! We already know that throughout this supposedly "Great
Nation," within the walls of its hundreds of prisons, things occur that
makes what took place at Abu Ghraib seem like child's play. How many deaths took
place there? Compare that number with those which occur on a daily basis at one
prison or another in this country. And we're not talking about death from
natural causes either. We already know that abuse takes place in our
institutions. People have been crying out since the murder of George Jackson,
the set-up of Assata Shakur and countless others who've spoken out and made
their pain known.
Maybe the
wrongs of history have been forgotten, has slipped our minds that what happened
yesterday still happens today. But it's easy to overlook something unless you
have a personal stake in this nightmare!
Just the
other day a young man was gassed with (6) cans of pepper spray which under any
standards of decency is way beyond over-kill. This was done supposedly because
this young man would not give the guards their handcuffs back. Now, this isn't
something which is unusual because often time you are forced to do something
drastic in order to get some assistance for whatever problems you may be
experiencing, medical and so forth, because the ranking officer's you've
requested to see in your attempts to address the problem won't come. You're
gassed and then physically extracted from your cage. In short, through you,
they've had their "recreation," their play time!
How you can
be beaten or slammed head first into the concrete floor (while handcuffed behind
your back) by one of the many racist officials because you're simply a Nigger,
Wetback or White-Trash in their warped minds. Or you're just a plain ole
"criminal" who ought too (if it was left up to them), be taken out
back and shot in the head like you would a rabid dog Have seen a man handcuffed
behind his back and pushed down the stairs resulting in a broken arm One
mentally unstable man who'd been living in his cage without light for weeks
because no-one would bring him another light bulb. So finally, in an agitated
state, he waits 'til they take him to the shower and he refuses to come but
until they bring him a new bulb. The officer leaves and ,comes back with,
supposedly, a "new" bulb for him. But he's simple minded and can't see
that he's being manipulated, so he allows them to handcuff him to bring him out
of the shower. Not three steps out of the shower and he's grabbed from behind,
picked up, turned upside down and slammed head-first to the floor, resulting in
bleeding from his right ear and a knot on his forehead. taken back to his cage
arid given no medical treatment (didn’t get his light bulb either). Another
man hangs himself because he couldn't fight the pressures the conditions place
upon one. Hung himself, and instead of trying to cut him down, instead of trying
to save his Life, show some humanity, they gassed him twice before going into
his cage And another hangs himself a month-and-a-half later. The pressures too
great for him too.
And no, it's
not just the racist sadistic guards/officials who instigate, encourage and
participate in this REAL abuse. You have your share of African-American and
Latino guards/officials who'll participate as well. Some who saw nothing wrong
with what happened with Rodney King no so long ago. It shocks you to see this at
first, throws your mind into confusion. With the history of this country, the
not so long ago turbulent history when lynchings of Black men and boys, killings
of Latinos was the accepted norm, your mind demands to know, "How can they
participate in this abuse and torture right alongside those who would do them
the same way:,"? B I flashback
to my watching the yard crew outside my window tending to the flower gardens.
How on this day, all of the faces of the prisoners doing the yard work are Black
and how the lone Officer who is overseeing (overseeing) their work is also
Black. He has boots on, with spurs and a cowboy hat pushed up and tilted back on
this head. And when he walks the thought hits me that I've never, in my entire
life, seen a Brother walk like this. It's a walk I'd always identified with
those rednecks types who looked at all Blacks as niggers, who walked with an
exaggerated "strut," chest out, head held high and tilted back,
looking down their noses at you like you're less then human, an animal. These
"Brothers" who mimic these type of Whites, they have no excuse, their
life isn't in danger if they refuse to be an overseer of the rest of the slaves.
Their self-hatred so strong until it has spilled over to them hating their own.
But this is something we already know about, isn't it? For we've seen it time
and again inside police stations. From the jailhouse to the prisons! When even
your own are abusive, where do you go to seek redress or to gain safety?
Prisoners
are human beings calling out to you, the public for decades about the abuse,
death and destruction being waged upon us within these modern day plantations.
Have cried out to you in earnest, yet you have not heard or didn’t care. But
we're always asked about the conditions, what is it like in here. Where were the
multitude of concerned voices when they were strapping Shaka Sankofa (Gary
Graham) to the gurney, that generic-assed "cross" used to crucify us
in the name of so-called justice"? I know his cry was heard because some of
our supposed “leaders" were here to witness his death. Witnessed it and
spoke publicly about how it was such a miscarriage of “justice," how they
would dedicate themselves to the cause to put a stop to this
Government-Sanctioned Murder. Yet they haven't been heard from again since that
day in any kind of committed and concrete manner And right outside the visiting
room the ranking officials of the Unit are gathered, wardens, captains, majors
and so forth. You can tell by the expressions on their faces, the language of
their bodies that they're having a good time, joking around. Hugging, handshakes
and slaps on the backs are the order of the day. One, in free-world clothes (not
the regular guards uniforms, so you know he's one of the wardens) swiftly steps
away from the circle and starts to punch and jab the air, then one strong
right-hand as if delivering the knockout" punch While on the other side of
the wall in the visiting room, the family members of one of the men scheduled to
be killed that night go through the torture of trying to say “goodbye" to
their loved-one for the very last time, to help him be strong enough to walk to
his death.
You
"try" to say goodbye, but know that you really can't because his
pending death, just hours away will be an unnatural one. One where it has been
foretold, ordained by the very same society we scream so loud about being Racist
and unjust to us. A death we feel helpless to fight against, prevent from taking
place. They wail their silent screams, tears rolling down their faces. It's not
like when someone you loved dies a sudden natural or even violent death, because
then you're taken away in a flash. You didn't have to walk their death march
with them. And yes you march that march with them, for the love in your heart
demands that you do. As the years pass and your date with death approaches, you
die a little each year as he/she does, because his/her date is yours also...Back
outside, more of those law abiding Moral Bedrocks of the community, the nation,
come to take possession of the "Body" and transport it up the road to
go through the ritual" in Huntsville. Their counterparts here meet them at
the gate and they're again caught up in their expressions of joy concerning the
"situation” taking place later, hugging, shaking hands, slapping one
another on the back, in anticipation You, the “body" exit the visiting
room chained hand and foot, an officer on each side of you. You walk down the
sidewalk with your ears burning with the comments and giggles of the trail of
upstanding citizens trooping behind you. The same upstanding citizens who
condone and participate in the abuse, mayhem, and death which haunt these
places.
The same
scene, only new faces in “some" quarters. All these years , nothing has
really changed, in here or out there, because the drama continues and the cries
continue to go unheard. So, what is there for me to tell you that we don't
already know" What is it that one in this position can say that would
compel another to move? Would it take me having to tell you that your son or
daughter, niece or nephew, aunt, uncle, brother or sister has been captured and
taken to the dungeon! No, I didn't say Correctional Institution, for those
things are to serve the purpose of helping to "correct" and
"reform" a person. Dungeons are places they take you to crush and
grind you to dust, grind one out of existence.
What are the
conditions like?! It's not as simple as crime and punishment when it's your own
doing the bleeding and dying.
19)
SAVE THE SYSTEM FROM ITSELF
by Kay Lee
29 May 2005 10:48:42
-0000
the-convicts-co-op@yahoogroups.com
[the-convicts-co-op] Digest Number 1855
Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 09:47:54 -0400
From: "Kay Lee" kaylee1@charter.net
Subject: SAVE THE SYSTEM FROM ITSELF
SAVE THE SYSTEM FROM ITSELF
How many times have we heard someone say, "prisoners
deserve what they get: if they had obeyed the laws, they wouldn't be in
prison"? That
statement should stop you in your tracks. Note: Not everyone gets what they
deserve and Warning: Innocence isn't enough to keep you out of
prison when the system is broken.
There are innocent prisoners in every state and each time one is exonerated, the
public becomes more aware that we desperately need safeguards like the innocence
projects. I am going to share info on one such project in the state of Florida.
If you'd rather support one in your own state, check with them to see what kind
of financial state they are in, for most such projects are shamefully under
funded. Kay Lee
The Florida Innocence Initiative needs us.
If you aren't convinced that innocent people are being held against their will
in jails and prisons across the nation, just look at the mistakes: According to
the Innocence Project, as of May 16, 2005, 159 innocent people on death row
alone have been EXONERATED. Florida was forced to
release it's 26th innocent person last week.
There'd be a lot more cases of such injustice found**, but the innocent person
in prison has to have a strong advocate on the outside, preferable one with some
money to fight the system for him, or he'd never be given his DNA nor get
himself back into court to be cleared. (**estimates of innocent people in
American prisons now range from 10 to 25% of the nearly 2 1/2 million prisoners
we hold.)
Every time another innocent person is found in prison and set free, the public
tends to rest assured that the system works. That's what the politicians would
have us believe, but it's just not true: Anyone with any knowledge of the
justice system knows that the system does not work in these cases: These people
are released, not because of, but in spite of the system.
The ONLY reason any of these people were validated was because someone on the
outside believed in them enough to spend their own time, energy and resources to
fight the system for DNA and a new trial.
The various innocence projects have saved society from it's folly over and over
again = at least 150 times on death row alone. Don't be fooled: Don't you think
after 10, 20, even 40 years in prison, if the system was going to let them go,
they would have? No, the reason these people ever get out is people and projects
who care more than the average bear about people in the system, their guilt or
innocence. If it had been up to the system, not one of them would have ever been
released, but thanks to a relative handful of people on the outside, justice was
finally found for 159 of them.
Florida has a group of people working for the innocents trapped in prison, but
they are about to have to close down due to lack of funding. The Nova University
Innocence Project (also in Florida), has already had to close down due to lack
of funds. I don't believe good people out here aren't interested in finding the
system's mistakes and fixing them. I believe people just may not be aware that
places like this exist nor that there is such a great need for them.
This particular project, the Florida Innocence Initiative, is looking at a
forced closure because they are running out of money. They get no public funding
for doing the state's work: They survive only on private donations and two small
private grants. If they go away, so does the Innocence Initiative and even more
innocent people will languish or die in prison.
It is highly likely that there are prisoners in custody (a suspected 600 of them
in Florida) whose rights will be extinguished if the Court fails to allow ample
time for them to file motions requesting DNA testing. Some of these cases take
up to 3 years and the courts only want to allow a year. There should be no time
limit on innocence. We need the Florida Innocence Initiative to work on this
problem before we commit more grave mistakes.
If you have any ideas for fund-raising projects, let the project know. If you
have funds you could pitch in, no matter how small (it all adds up), contact
them. Or if you know of grants they can apply for, please share your
knowledge.
This project is well worth saving. They now have a Paypal account if you'd care
to make a donation - the Paypal address is
mfontaine@innocenceproject.org.
And please pass this message along. Many innocent people are depending on us. It
could one day even be you or someone you love. THANKS.
Jenny Greenberg
Director
Michelle L. Fontaine
Assistant Director
Florida Innocence Initiative, Inc.
1720 S. Gadsden Street, Suite 207
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
(850) 561-6767
mfontaine@innocenceproject.org
(Grateful thanks to Kay Lee of Making The Walls Transparent for her help, and on
behalf of all possible Innocents on Florida Death Row, who
are yet to be helped.)
Shared by Kay Lee
kaylee1@charter.net
2683 Rockcliff Road S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30316-4013
404-212-0690
20)
CA - Inmate Family Council E-group
by "Lucky Lil"
30 May 2005 11:14:46 -0000
[the-convicts-co-op] Digest Number 1856
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 29 May 2005 11:58:27 -0700
From: "Lucky Lil" <luckylil@earthlink.net>
Subject: CA - Inmate Family Council egroup
All,
In March of 2003 each prison was mandated by California's CDC to have an Inmate
Family Council. The IFC meets regularly with the warden and
staff to address issues and concerns involving the prisoners and loved ones. The
Inmate Family Council's focus is on creating positive change that will
effect all those involved with the prison system, prisoners as well as loved
ones and as much as possible assist individuals in resolving prison-related
issues.
The Inmate Family Council egroup serves a dual purpose. One, distributing
general info relating to the CA prison system and two, a way to
contact any IFC in the State of California.
Please be aware this is a general egroup open to the public. Retaliation is
always a real concern so use common sense and caution when posting
details. Any confidential info should NOT be posted on the egroup. Confidential
info includes, prisoner contact info, your personal contact info, address or
phone number, details that would be best not known to the pubic or to CDC.
Should you need assistance let us know and we will
contact you off the egroup.
The Inmate Family Council egroup is open to the public but requires approval by
the egroup moderator. It's set this way to cut down on SPAM.
Should you be interested in joining the inmatefamilycouncil@yahoogroups.com
egroup enter your email address in the box below and press the Yahoo! Groups
Join now button.
Please feel free to forward this message on to egroups and organizations you
belong to...SPREAD THE WORD...TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Thank you,
Lil
IFC Communications Chair
Back to The RELEASE