Campaign Update - Week of 6/25/2012

September 17 Hearing
We have roughly two months until Reggie’s hearing. Supporters have been asking what they can do. It is important to talk about the elements in Reggie’s case that plague most wrongful convictions–poor legal representation, forced confessions, prosecutorial misconduct, biased jury, etc. There is still a great need to educate the general public on the flaws of the death penalty system. That education can happen in one-on-one conversations with friends and co-workers or through blogs, letters to the editors or as an expression on a talk show. The point is to raise the death penalty in the public discourse for debate and agitation.

Other ways to support Reggie is to collect signatures for his clemency petition. A petition can be downloaded at the website. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/7ysqt4v. With summer upon us, there are a number of venues where signatures can be collected.

There are also short videos that you can circulate via email, Facebook, etc. or post to your group’s website. Here are a few you can use:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC5TWB1K5ug (Amnesty International)
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCA3vgE4gts&feature=related (Borrowed Time documentary promo)
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVSPKeDrAV4&feature=plcp (Vera Thomas on MSNBC Show)

Reggie’s Website
The website is still under new construction. The online petition is not operative and there are a number of other issues. We hope to have a new and improved site in the coming weeks so that we can keep the world abreast of Reggie’s case. We appreciate your patience.

Propofol for Lethal Injection
The decision a few weeks ago by the Missouri Department of Corrections to use an untested drug for this use is getting push-back. Also, remember that propofol must be administered and monitored by an accredited, licensed doctor. Court challenges are in the works and we will keep you posted on developments.

“Enough Already!”
Jamala Rogers, Coordinator
JUSTICE for Reggie Campaign
P. O. Box 5277
St. Louis, MO 63115
(314) 367-5959
www.justiceforreggie.com

Campaign Update - Week of 6/4/2012

Welcome New Influentials
The Justice for Reggie Campaign welcomes Calling All Crows and several of its key staffers to Reggie’s List of Influentials. The unique organization uses live music as a vehicle to engage people in social justice issues and in making a difference in the world. The group held a concert in Boston to drum up support for Reggie’s case, collecting over 300 letters. Joining the list are the group’s co-founders Chad Stokes Urmston and Sybil Gallagher along with Matt Wilheim, Chief Program Officer. We appreciate their energetic efforts and continued support.

Reggie’s List of Influentials is compromised of over 200 local and national people in the civic, education, faith, electoral and entertainment arenas. It also includes exonerated men and women who escaped the clutches of the death machine. They all have pledge to use their name, position and resources to support Reggie’s fight for justice.

Update on Drugs for Lethal Injections
Missouri: The state has revised their cocktail to include the controversial drug propofol to replace the now scarce sodium thiopental. We are hearing that court challenges are underway but we don’t what impact they will have on Missouri’s next scheduled execution in August.

National: A US district judge upheld a case earlier this year brought by death row inmates who challenged the role of the FDA in allowing imported drugs for executions without the proper testing and oversight. Knuckling over pressure from states that use the lethal injection method, the FDA is appealing that ruling.

Vera Thomas on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry Show
For those of you who may have missed it, Vera was a guest on this popular show which featured a segment on the death penalty. Here’s a link for viewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUB8-feq8lI

We are still….
…collecting signatures for Reggie’s clemency petitions.
…spreading the word about Reggie’s case of injustice.
…urging Missouri legislators to seriously consider our death penalty system.

“Enough Already!”
Jamala Rogers, Coordinator
JUSTICE for Reggie Campaign
P. O. Box 5277
St. Louis, MO 63115
(314) 367-5959
www.justiceforreggie.com