Jan. 16
VIRGINIA:
Bill to place moratorium on death penalty fails in committee
A bill to propose a moratorium on the death penalty in Virginia has failed
before a Senate committee.
Richmond Democrat Henry Marsh's bill died on a voice vote after a North
Carolina man wrongly convicted and sent to death row in that state
testified in support of the measure.
Another witness, Ida Reid, the sister of the last convict executed in
Virginia, testified that Virginia's justice system is too flawed to put
life-or-death faith in the capital punishment verdicts it renders. James
Reid was executed in 2004 for killing an elderly woman in her home in
1996.
(source: Associated Press)
CALIFORNIA:
Friends of Tookie Facing Charges
On December 8, 2005, these men (including my uncle) were taken from their
cells by guards in riot gear and told that they were going to be
questioned and investigated under the charges that they were conspiring to
incite a riot and harm guards following the execution of Tookie
Dear Friends,
My name is Gloria Ross and my uncle, Anthony Ross is an inmate on San
Quentin's Death Row. I have very unfortunate news regarding the situation
of approximately eight (8) inmates (figure is yet to be verified) sitting
on San Quentin's death row who were very good friends of Stan Tookie
Williams.
On December 8, 2005, these men (including my uncle) were taken from their
cells by guards in riot gear and told that they were going to be
questioned and investigated under the charges that they were conspiring to
incite a riot and harm guards following the execution of Tookie. San
Quentin charges that they have a confidential source to prove their
claims. They are currently being held in solitary confinement in San
Quentin's Adjustment Center. They are being denied access to their
property. As of yet, there has been no formal investigation and the
inmates have not received questioning or a polygraph test.
I just visited my uncle, Anthony Ross, he has lost a lot of weight and his
health is steadily deteriorating. His friend, Steve Champion, is also in
the hole.
They have requested that individuals and organizations contact San
Quentin's warden at (415) 454-1460. These calls should stress that there
are individuals AND ORGANIZATIONS on the outside very concerned about
their well-being. As long as they are aware that folks have an eye out,
they are less likely to abuse their power further.
Thanks so much for your support. Please feel free to call or write me if
you have any concerns or questions.
Gloria Ross
(source: SF Bay Area)
****************
Death with indignity
Condemned inmate Clarence Ray Allen turns 76 today. If all goes as
planned, it will be the last day of his life.
At 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, Allen is scheduled to become the 13th murderer to
be killed by the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977.
It seems that each execution comes with its distinct set of absurdities
that raise the question of what, if anything, the state of California is
accomplishing with these spectacles. But none has been quite as absurd as
this one.
Allen, who suffered a heart attack on Sept. 2, would be dead already
without the efforts of the prison medical staff to save him.
Unlike Stanley Tookie Williams, the Crips gang founder who was executed by
lethal injection on Dec. 13, Allen has not attracted a phalanx of
celebrities to his cause. Unlike Williams, a physically buffed and coolly
articulate portrait of proud defiance, Allen has a frail voice and failing
health. His eyesight is almost shot, his hearing is deteriorating and his
ability to walk has been sapped by advanced diabetes.
About the only similarity between Williams and Allen is that each has
maintained his innocence -- though both of their cases have been through
long appellate processes to no avail. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected
clemency for Williams and Allen.
There seems to be little doubt about Allen's guilt or the rottenness of
his crimes. He was sent to prison for his role in the 1974 killing of his
son's 17-year-old girlfriend, a potential witness against Allen in a
market burglary. From prison, he was convicted in connection with the 1980
slayings of 3 people, including a man who had testified against him in the
original murder case.
Clarence Ray Allen is a despicable, barbaric character. He belongs in
prison. But Californians will not wait for a natural end to his sorry
life. Just after midnight, he will be pulled out of his wheelchair and
ushered to his San Quentin deathbed for an injection of lethal poison. In
the great scorecard of humanity, will it matter whether the guards are
gentle or rough in the final moments? Does California get extra points for
sparing him from a silent, ordinary death by heart failure on Sept. 2? Was
it cruel or compassionate to schedule his death exactly one minute after
his birthday?
Set aside the moral issues. Will Allen's execution deter a single killer?
Consider this: Allen was responsible for one killing when there was no
death penalty in California -- and 3 more after it was reinstated.
(source: Editorial, San Francisco Chronicle)
