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Are you against the death penalty? Then help us in building the 8th Annual March to Stop Executions to be held here in Houston on October 27! It's easy! First print out the endorsement form below and take it to your church or community center. Then request that your local leaders get involved! Not only do we need them to endorse the march, we also need them to pledge to tell others and to bring out as many people as possible to the march. We can beat the death machine in Texas but it is going to take everyone of us to do it. This march must be a strong show of force and the only way we can do that is through each community committing to bring as many people as possible to the march. This can not work without you! Also print out this flyer to pass out. Help us organize and make this march a success! March to Stop Executions flyer March to Stop Executions flyer for campuses
An Open Letter to African American Leadership
Dear Friend: Recently the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole along with the State’s Governor blocked the execution of Kenneth Foster, Jr. just seven hours before he was scheduled to die. Foster, a young African American man from San Antonio, Texas was convicted and sentenced to death for a murder committed by one of his companions who after being found guilty of the offense and was executed in 2006. After a ten year struggle led by his family and many supporters from all over the world the Board and Governor in an unprecedented move agreed with protesters that Kenneth Foster, Jr. should never have been convicted of Capital murder under the law of parties. We agree. But what about the other 80 to 100 people on death row because of this law? What about Joseph Nichols who was put to death earlier this year under circumstances very similar to Kenneth’s case? The only way to avoid killing innocent people like Kenneth Foster, Joseph Nichols, Frances Newton, Clarence Brantley, Shaka San Kofa (Gary Graham) and Ricardo Aldape Guerra is for this State to End Executions now. That will only happen when you and I and a significant number of African Americans move visibly up front in our opposition to this blatant form of race war. Capital murder convictions in Harris and other Texas counties are race based, arbitrary, capricious and usually reserved for the accused who have little or no money for legal assistance. At a forum on the death penalty held recently at S.H.A.P.E. Community Center, a young white student from Sam Houston State in Huntsville posed a provocative question. He asked why he never saw Black people from the local Huntsville community attending protests before and after executions, when the overwhelming majority of those being executed were Black. What followed was an embarrassing silence. While no one present could answer for the Black Community of Huntsville, I immediately thought about our community—here in Houston. On August 22, 2007, Texas carried out its 400th execution. That works out to be one every eleven days in the year 2007. The majority of these are African Americans from Harris County. In fact no one state in the nation sends more people to death row than Harris County Texas--the same county whose crime lab was closed down because of its shameful history of evidence tampering and mishandling of evidence used in criminal convictions. Black Houston should be ashamed. I am ashamed. Ashamed that individuals from Western Europe, Amnesty International, Texas Innocence Network, the European Union and others outside our community are visibly in the lead on this issue. We need Black religious, civic, political, activist, student, professional, financial, union, fraternal and organizational leaders to join together in vocal opposition to this Texas Death Machine. A good start would be endorsing, supporting and joining the 8th Annual March To Stop Executions that will take place in our city Saturday, October 27, 2007. The planners meet every 2nd and 4th Mondays at S.H.A.P.E. Community Center, 3812 Live Oak at 7:00 p.m. The contact numbers are (713) 521-0384 or (713) 503-2633. The web address is www.marchtoendexecution.org We need your help in mobilizing as many marchers as physically possible to counter the often stated belief that a vast majority of Texans support the death penalty. Please join us as we march to demonstrate to the national press, Texas law makers and all on-lookers that we don’t support the death penalty in Texas or anywhere else. FREE MUMIA AND ALL DEATH ROW PRISONERS Brother Ester King
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