on the black hand side

Global Day of Blogging for Justice: Save Troy Davis!

Several journalists and bloggers have joined Amnesty International and other human rights groups to call attention to the impending execution of Troy Anthony Davis who sits on Death Row in Georgia. Davis has been this close to execution three times before but was spared thanks to expert lawyering. This time Davis may be out of luck as his last extension expired last Saturday.

In spite of the fact that seven of nine witnesses in the twenty year-old case recanted and cited undue influence by law enforcement; Davis is still set to be executed. How the U.S. Supreme Court and the American justice system in general can allow this to happen is nothing short of frightening.

New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis pens an excellent article citing the facts of the case; shoddy and incomplete police investigation and the egregious decision by several Supreme Court Justices to deny Davis a hearing to present new evidence because his papers were filed late.

Where is the justice in such a decision that may result in the murder of an innocent man? Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue should do the right thing and pardon Troy Davis. It is just. It is humane. It is the right thing to do.

Save Troy Anthony Davis. Please.

The Wrongful Conviction of Gladys and Jamie Scott

You know I'm really sick and tired of these blog posts about police brutality and wrongful conviction cases. It's just wrong that people are taken advantage of by the justice system. It's also horrible when guilty folks get off for crimes that they have obviously convicted but I won't go there on this post.

This post in no way condemns the law-abiding enforcement officers or condones folks who act like idiots and need to be jailed. But there is something so insidious about police officers, lawyers, judges and other folks who taint the judicial process. In the end, Jesus, God, Allah, Jehovah or just divine order will take care of the culprits but that doesn't relinquish us of the duty to help those in need.

Enter sisters Gladys and Jamie Scott. These two women have been incarcerated for more than 14 years. They received a double life sentence for armed robbery committed on December 24, 1993. As has become typical, one of the men who actually committed the robbery later said he was coerced. All of the evidence wasn't presented. You know the rest because these cases appear to have similar recurring civil rights violations. Let me not forget to inform you that the robbery netted all of about $11.00. That's not a typographical error.

Please check out the links below to learn more about the case and spread the word about the wrongful conviction of the Scott Sisters. I know that we all must become somewhat tired with one case after another but if we put ourselves in the shoes of the Scott Sisters and their family, we'd want all the help we could get too.

Always in Light and Love….

Related Links:

The Wrongful Conviction of Jamie And Gladys Scott

Women In Prison (Where Do We Draw the Line?)

Your Black World: Interview With Nancy Lockhart On The Case Of Jamie & Gladys Scott

Transcripts:

http://www.scribd.com/share/upload/6126504/o7p18gb3d1lj07rdgfg

http://www.squidoo.com/WRONGFUL-CONVICTION-OF-JAMIE-AND-GLADYS-SCOTT

http://www.scribd.com/doc/5974654/The-Wrongful-Conviction-of-Jamie-and-Gladys-Scott

Please sign petition to Free the Scott Sisters.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Free-Jamie-Gladys/index.html

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

Justice Watch: The Case of Troy Davis

Troy Davis sits on death row in Georgia for the murder of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Davis was convicted, in 1991, based on eyewitness testimony and without any physical evidence.

All but two of the nine eyewitnesses have recanted, citing pressure by law enforcement to accuse Troy Davis. One of the two eyewitnesses who hasn’t recanted is suspected of actually committing the crime.

Troy Davis has received support from many in the United States and throughout the world. His case has been stayed three times with him coming within twenty-four hours of execution twice.

Officer MacPhail was murdered and that fact should never be forgotten. Troy Anthony Davis did not commit that murder but someone did. Law enforcement, not at the local level, must re-open the investigation of the murder of Officer Mark Allen McPhail. His family deserves the truth and his murderer should serve out the proper penalty.

Troy Davis’ family deserves justice also. He was unjustly arrested in 1989, incarcerated, tried and convicted in 1991. Witnesses have recanted. Let the man go free.

For more information and to take action in helping Troy Anthony Davis re-gain his freedom, go to Amnesty International USA.

 

 

Video by: Citizen
Music by: State Radio

 

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

 

Keep the Heat on the New York Post

Dear Friend,

The day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's "author" as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below.

In the face of intense criticism, the Post's editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming that it's not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it's impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.

Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post offer a real apology publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1802-295013

The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.

There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.

We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected, with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president.

There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.

But let's be clear who's behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.

I don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.

You can help, by making clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1802-295013

Thanks.

Murder Not Suicide: Justice for Billey Joe Johnson

On December 8th, 17-year-old Billey Joe Johnson died from a gunshot
wound to the head. Police say he killed himself with a shotgun after
being stopped for a simple traffic violation in Lucedale,
Mississippi.[1] Several things seem to cast doubt on the official
story, including an independent investigation that concluded it would
have been impossible for the shot that killed Johnson to have been
self-inflicted.

Many on the ground smell a murder and a cover-up. We don't have all the
answers, but it's clear that in the racially divided town of Lucedale,
all the ingredients exist for a miscarriage of justice.

I've joined ColorOfChange.org in demanding answers and justice for
Billey Joe's family. Together, we can help ensure that the District
Attorney feels the presence of a national spotlight, and let him know
that anything short of a thorough investigation will result in massive
attention and a call for outside intervention.

Please join me. It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/billeyjoe/?id=1802-295013

From the beginning, the District Attorney has treated the
investigation of Billey Joe's death as a suicide or the result of an
accidental self-inflicted injury. Based on his public statements and
interactions with Billey Joe's family, it appears that the District
Attorney hasn't looked into whether Billey Joe was killed by an
officer or someone else. Again, we don't have all the answers, but
here's what we do know:

- Billey Joe was at his former girlfriend's house minutes before the
killing.[2] He never entered the house, but police were called to
respond to an attempted burglary there.[3] This fact was not a part of
the original story given by the police.

- Billey Joe's family say that his ex-girlfriend had been staying at
her father's house because her mother threw her out for dating Billey
Joe (she is White and Billey Joe was Black). They said Billey Joe knew
to only go to the house when the girl's father was not present, that
the two of them were on good terms even after he had broken up with
her, and that the breakup was largely because of pressure from her
father. The family also claims that there is a relationship between
the officer present at the scene of Billey Joe's death and the girl's
father.

- A witness heard two shots, not one, at the scene where Billey Joe
died, according to an independent investigation launched by the
Mississippi NAACP. The pathologist in that investigation has indicated
that it would be impossible for a bullet from a a self-inflicted shot
to enter in the manner that it did. He also said that given the length
of Billey Joe's arms and the length of the shotgun, it would have been
impossible for him to hold the weapon and fire it at himself.

- Billey Joe was a star athlete with scholarship offers from more than
half a dozen schools. No one--including family, friends, and
coaches--could think of a reason that Billey Joe would want to end his
life.[4,5,6]

A true investigation would sort out fact from rumor. But we can't be
sure that Johnson's family will get the investigation it deserves. In
the case of the Jena 6 we saw a District Attorney and a judge
incapable of carrying out justice in a racially charged environment.
In the recent case of the murder of Oscar Grant by police (and many
like it), we see how unlikely it is for District Attorneys to do their
job when the suspect is an officer of the law. But in both these
cases, public pressure has made all the difference by shining a
spotlight on local authorities.

In the case of Billey Joe Johnson, we're looking for the truth and for
justice. A minute of your time can help ensure his family gets both:

http://www.colorofchange.org/billeyjoe/?id=1802-295013

Thanks.

References:

1. http://tinyurl.com/aul9hd
2. http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/1050689.html
3. http://www.wkrg.com/news/flash_paper/12_19_08_billy_joe_johnson/
4. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0812/17/cnr.07.html
5. http://tinyurl.com/cs7cjm
6. http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11280331

 

Happy Birthday, Dr. King: A Change Has Come

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that the United States is undergoing a transformation, right now, as I write this. The spirit of unity, respect, inclusiveness and sacrifice will be needed to carry us through the difficult times still to come. The spirit that Barack Obama embodies and spread throughout the world is reminiscent of that of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is such an exciting time for this country and let me just say, black people, in particular. Barack Obama’s election brings about a sense of pride that is difficult to explain to others. For the first time in my life, black Americans appear to really be included in this country. I have never seen so many black people carrying an American flag who were not in the military or an athlete celebrating an Olympic victory. Now, I’m not trying to get into an argument with anyone because I think the Obama presidency will affect each of differently in some respects, depending upon our personal story, but it is what it is.

When Barack Hussein Obama raises his right hand to take the oath of office as president of the United States tomorrow, it will be because of the tremendous sacrifice and courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Of course, it goes without saying that Dr. King’s legendary status was earned because of the support, courage and sacrifice of many like-minded people of all races also.

On this spectacularly awesome celebration of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2009, this historic celebration could only be the result of destiny…divine intervention…call it whatever you like.

 I’d like to think Dr. King would also like for us to move beyond the issue of black pride in our first black president and work for the betterment of this nation world. I’d like to think Dr. King would like for us to get more involved in our community consistently, not just on this Day of Service. He’d like for us to become more involved politically and in building our community and raising our next generations.

I’d like to believe that if he could speak to us today, Dr. King would say that he would like for us to be judged by the content of our character and not by our gender, sexual preference, socio-economic status or color of our skin. We are not quite there yet but we have made another step in that direction. Let’s keep on keeping on. Power to the People.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

 

© 2009, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

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Remembering Odetta, the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement

Singer and civil rights activist, Odetta, transitioned on December 2, 2008. A classically-trained singer born in Birmingham, AL on December 31, 1930, it was folk music that would establish her as an icon.

From the Tavis Smiley Show:

Odetta

original airdate January 25, 2008

Called one of the great treasures of American music, musical activist Odetta has influenced such artists as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Joan Baez. Since her '54 debut album, she's toured the world telling stories of America's southern experience in her songs. The Birmingham (AL) native sang at the March on Washington in '63, marched with Dr. King in Selma and protested against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. In '03, the Library of Congress honored the Grammy-nominated artist with its rare "Living Legend Award."

 

Click here to listen to her interview and read the transcript from the Tavis Smiley Show of January 25, 2008.

 

Related Links:

Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77

Folk legend Odetta, 75, reflects on a pioneer's life

 

 

 

 

© 2008, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

 

Am I Not Human?: Too Much to Eat for Thanksgiving

I am grateful…blessed…appreciative of all the favor bestowed upon me and my family through the years. I am thankful that both of my parents are alive and still together. I have an awesome circle of friends both offline and online; I'm even grateful for my brother and I hope he never reads that. When all is said and done, no matter how hard I try, my family has too much food leftover after Thanksgiving dinner.

There was a time when I could eat enough to put any guy to shame but now I just really don't feel like it. No matter how much I try to put it out of my consciousness, my thoughts drift back to those less fortunate: my tortured brothers in sisters Darfur; missing, murdered and malnourished children in Haiti, still displaced citizens from the Gulf Coast, and the homeless in any town anywhere in the world.

The world has been energized by the election of Barack Hussein Obama as the next president of the United States of America. It is my wish that he also make it a priority to help stop the poverty, genocide, rape and torture that many have to deal with on a daily basis all over the world. The more we talk about the horrific conditions many live in, the more we expose the horror and can do something about it. it's time for us to do something meaningful and sustaining.

These monthly blog posts are a way to send a message from a united front of concerned citizens around the world. Feel free to join us each month in this message of hope, love and respect until we can affect the change needed by our brothers and sisters in Darfur and around the world. Are they not human?

Peace and Blessings to All and Happy Day of Thanksgiving.

 

© 2008, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

Wanda Sykes: ‘Out’ and Pissed Off

Comedian Wanda Sykes recently shocked a few folks by publicly announcing her October 25^th marriage to her wife. All of that occurred as Sykes attended a protest rally in La Vegas. She's not exactly been in the closet, she just never discussed her sexual orientation. Because of the passage of Proposition 8, in California, banning same-sex marriage, Sykes and others have been protesting in an attempt to gain equal rights for homosexuals.

Sykes says she's proud to be gay. How many other closeted celebs will make that walk out of the closet and in to the light?

With blacks and Hispanics overwhelmingly supporting Proposition 8, it will be interesting to see if Sykes' career will be negatively impacted. Personally, I think she's a brilliant comedian; a little too vulgar sometimes but brilliant nonetheless. Ellen Degeneres seemed to get better as a comedian and entertainer after she came out; maybe Wanda Sykes will also. Meanwhile, prepare for Sykes to be in our faces because black and gay is not something we tend to be comfortable with as a people.

     

© 2008, on the black hand side, www.blackhandside.net

Vote for this blog for Best Pop Culture Blog and Best Blog About Stuff in the 2009 Bloggers Choice Awards.

   

 

 

Your Vote is Your Voice

The United States is less than six weeks away from its general election. If you are eligible to vote and have not registered, click on www.voteforchange.com to get registered. If you are a previously convicted felon, contact your local ACLU or go to www.aclu.org.

There are far too many unregistered Americans. We are dealing with too much foolishness now. Do you think Americans can tolerate too much more?

Register it vote and vote. Your vote is your voice; use it or lose it. That's not just a slogan; it's for real.