> WW News Service Digest #53 > > 1) Campaign grows to stop executions > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) Death penalty foes disrupt Republican celebration > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >This digest is sent to you because you are subscribed to ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To switch to the non-digest, standard mode, E-mail to ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >Message-ID: <007901bf8a2c$3199a450$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Campaign grows to stop executions >Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 20:01:38 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Mar. 16, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >PROTESTERS TO HOUND PRO-DEATH-PENALTY CANDIDATES: >CAMPAIGN GROWS TO STOP EXECUTIONS > >By Workers World Houston bureau > >Over 300 people demonstrated at the governor's mansion in >Austin, Texas, March 4. The crowd, mostly youths, >surrounded the mansion--one square block. They chanted, >drummed and spoke, denouncing Gov. George W. Bush and >calling for a moratorium on executions. The action was >called by the Campaign to End the Death Penalty. > >Njeri Shakur of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement >received an ovation when she spoke about how death-row >prisoners Ponchai "Kamau" Wilkerson and Howard Guidry >carryied out a courageous death-row demonstration. On Feb. >21-22, Wilkerson and Guidry took a prison guard hostage for >13 hours to protest the railroading of youth onto death >row. > >The two prisoners called for a moratorium on executions. > >Shakur, along with SHAPE Community Center Director Deloyd >Parker and the National Black United Front's Kofi Tahara, >met with the two prisoners and presented their demands to >prison officials. The guard was released unharmed. > >Shakur and other speakers called for a nationwide campaign >to "hound Bush" as he campaigns for the presidency. > >Hundreds in Austin signed a petition circulated by the new >Texas Death Penalty Moratorium Committee. The committee was >initiated by former death-row prisoner Clarence Brandley, >Muhammad Mosque #45 in Houston, the Abolition Movement, >Harris County Green Party, SHAPE and others. > >Governor Bush is drawing fire worldwide for the rapid pace >of executions and lack of due process in Texas. Opponents >point to the lack of a public-defender system for indigent >prisoners--the vast majority of those who wind up facing >the death penalty. Bush vetoed legislation to create a >public defender system last year. > >He has presided over 122 executions since he took office. >Another 458 prisoners await execution. > >All the women and men on death row are poor and working- >class people. There's > > >one percent of death-row inmates are African Americans--but >only 12 percent of Texas' population are Black. > >ABOLITIONIST NJERI SHAKUR TARGETED > >On March 8, the state of Texas lashed out at Njeri Shakur. >Judge Jan Krocker charged Shakur with contempt of court and >sentenced her to 30 days in jail. > >Shakur, a grandmother, is to spend four weeks behind bars >for objecting to Krocker's racist conduct at a Feb. 8 >hearing. Krocker, who is white, let prison guards beat >African-Asian prisoner Ponchai "Kamau" Wilkerson after she >set his execution date. > >"Judge Krocker is known here in Houston," said Gloria >Rubac of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement. "Her >reputation is one of extreme brutality in a city known for >it's judicial misconduct and racism." > >Shakur's supporters say the jail sentence is retaliation >for her leadership in building community support for a >moratorium on executions. > >Representing the Abolition Movement, Shakur filed a >complaint against Wilkerson's court-appointed attorney, >Troy McKinney, with the Texas Bar Association Feb. 29. >Shakur and Millions for Mumia's Greg Butterfield said >McKinney had refused to file a petition for executive >clemency. > >Krocker told Shakur's attorney she was locking up the >abolitionist to prevent her from protesting at Wilkerson's >March 14 execution. > >Activists here said Krocker's repression won't quell the >movement to stop executions. > >"Gov. Bush wants quiet on his home front while he >campaigns for president," said Johnnie Stevens of People's >Video Network. "But he's not going to get any." > >Rubac and Stevens said their organizations would campaign >for Njeri Shakur's freedom and hound Krocker. "We are going >to expose her," Rubac said. > >Others joining in defense of Shakur include SHAPE >Community Center, the Justice for Pedro Oregon Committee, >and Houstonians United for Mumia. > >BARNES: `CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE' > >At the Austin rally a young woman spoke for the Committee >for Justice in France. The Committee for Justice raised >more that $85,000 to aid attorneys investigating the case >of Odell Barnes. > >Barnes was executed in Huntsville March 1. > >A young Black man, Barnes was proven innocent by DNA tests >paid for by the French group. The weekly Houston Press ran >a cover story on the new evidence in late January, >including the likelihood that blood on Barnes' overalls was >planted there in a police laboratory. > >The Texas courts, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and >Bush refused to act on this evidence. Bush ignored pleas >from French President Jacques Chirac and the European Union >Parliament asking for clemency. > >On the death-chamber gurney, Barnes told his family and >supporters: "I thank you for proving my innocence, although >it has not been acknowledged by the courts. > >"May you continue in the struggle," Barnes said, "and may >you change all that's being done here today and in the >past." > >Outside, death-penalty opponents rallied and chanted: >"George Bush, serial killer!" > >One in every seven people sent to death row is later >proven innocent, according to the American Civil Liberties >Union. Proof of 13 wrongful convictions of death-row >prisoners in Illinois prompted a powerful movement in that >state. Illinois' Republican governor was forced to enact a >moratorium in January. > >Calvin Jerold Burdine, a gay man whose 1983 conviction was >overturned last September, was ordered released by U.S. >District Judge David Hittner in Houston March 1. But two >days later, a federal appeals court threw out the ruling. >Burdine remains behind bars. > >Burdine's court-appointed attorney slept through much of >his trial. The attorney, Joe Cannon, did not object to the >prosecutor hurling anti-gay slurs at Burdine. > >Burdine was bashed repeatedly after going to prison. One >of his eyes was gouged out. > >His case, among others, is bringing Houston's lesbian, >gay, bi and trans community into the struggle for a >moratorium. A front-page article in the weekly Houston >Voice reported the role lesbian, gay, bi and trans people >have taken in the national movement to end the death >penalty. > >Lesbian author and anti-racist activist Minnie Bruce Pratt >reinforced the point during an appearance at Houston's >Lesbian and Gay Community Center March 5. She talked about >the need for unity between the lesbian/gay/bi/trans >struggle and the moratorium movement. Workers World Party >sponsored the meeting. > >For updates on Njeri Shakur and information on how to >support the struggle in Texas, visit the Abolition >Movement's new web site: www.geocities.com/tdpam/. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <008301bf8a2c$6a623b80$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Death penalty foes disrupt Republican celebration >Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 20:03:14 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Mar. 16, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >BUFFALO: DEATH PENALTY FOES DISRUPT REPUBLICAN CELEBRATION > >Four women members of the Buffalo, N.Y., branch of Workers World >Party disrupted the Republican celebration of the primary >victories for presidential candidate Goerge W. Bush. > >With all the media present, the women walked right in >front of the stage and held up posters reading, "Governor >Death, stop the executions," "End the racist death >penalty," and "Bush = 211 executions, a national record." > >The action so caught everyone present by surprise that the >activists were able to speak for several minutes to the >television, newspaper and radio reporters before being >escorted out by undercover sheriff's deputies. > >One of the four, Bev Heistand, declared, "All four >presidential candidates--Democrats and Republicans--support >the racist death penalty. We'll hound them wherever they >appear." > > > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
