I was a prosecutor in a case that used race-based testimony to sentence Duane Buck to death. Now, I’m calling for the state of Texas to spare his life and grant him a fair sentence.

Sign My Petition

—

In 1997, I was one of the prosecutors in a court case that used race-based testimony to sentence to death Duane Buck, who’s black.

At the time, I was an Assistant District Attorney in Harris County, Texas and Mr. Buck was being tried for murder. During the trial, an “expert” witness named Dr. Walter Quijano was permitted to testify that being black increases the likelihood of ‘future dangerousness’. That testimony in part led to the jury sentencing Mr. Buck to death.

Mr. Buck committed a terrible crime and deserves to be punished, but he does not deserve to be sentenced to death because of the color of his skin. That’s why I started a petition on Change.org calling on Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson to allow Duane Buck a resentencing hearing so he can serve a sentence based on his crime and not his race. Click here to sign my petition now.

Three years after Mr. Buck’s trial, the Texas Attorney General actually promised that he’d get a new, fair sentencing hearing. This was along with six other men who were sentenced unfairly because of similar testimonies in their own trials. Those six other men have received their hearings, but not Mr. Buck.

I started my petition in the hopes that District Attorney Anderson will act to make sure that our justice system is not tainted by unconstitutional considerations of race — and that begins by having a new, color-blind sentencing hearing for Duane Buck. Please click here to sign my petition now, calling on District Attorney Mike Anderson to grant Duane Buck a resentencing hearing.

Thank you.

Linda Geffin Senior Assistant County Attorney Houston, Texas

Hank Skinner is scheduled to die on November 9. But the state of Texas may execute him without even conducting DNA tests on all of the evidence from his trial, despite a decade of requests from Hank and his lawyers.

Hank has been on death row since 1995 for the murders of his girlfriend and her two adult sons, and has steadfastly professed his innocence. Since his conviction, the star witness against Hank has recanted her testimony, and others have implicated another man as the killer.

Hank has just 8 days to live. His family created an organization called “Justice 4 Hank,” and they’re fighting for a DNA test for Hank. They started a petition on Change.org asking the Gray County District Attorney and the courts to order full DNA tests to determine if Hank is actually guilty — and to prevent Texas from possibly executing an innocent man. Click here to add your name to the petition.

At the time of his trial, the prosecution conducted DNA tests on the clothes Hank was wearing — but declined to test the rest of the physical evidence, including a rape kit, the murder weapons, several hairs clutched in the victim’s hand, and a bloody windbreaker that strongly resembles that of the man accused by others of being the true murderer.

Since the year 2000, Hank has been requesting that the office of the District Attorney that prosecuted him order DNA tests on the remaining evidence. But the DA’s office has continuously denied those requests, saying Hank should have requested the tests before his trial.

The Gray County District Attorney’s office has neglected to order these tests for more than a decade without consequences. By signing this petition, you can let members of that office know that their actions are being watched, and that it is unacceptable to send a potentially innocent man to his death without collecting all the relevant evidence.

Hank could die as soon as next week. Please sign the Change.org petition created by “Justice 4 Hank” and demand the Gray County District Attorney order a DNA test on the rest of the evidence before the execution. Click here to add your name:

http://www.change.org/petitions/in-the-interest-of-justice-grant-dna-testing-to-hank-skinner

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team

P.S. Big news! The New York Times is reporting that Bank of America is dropping its $5 fee after a massive Change.org petition by Molly Katchpole against the banking giant. It’s an amazing moment that proves that together we’re mightier than even the biggest corporations