Tag Archives: Murder

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Stand Your Ground law – who is it really for?


just another rant …

and in memory of things we must never ever forget 5/2012

Today, as we move into 2016 the death count of not only Black Men, Women but Young teens are experiencing Police Brutality still being judged by the colour  of their skin  not as human beings who may need to be spoken to NOT rounded up. Unfortunately, there is a group of officers who believe America wants “SoftPolicing” NO we want treatment that is equal to the offense just as we expect of all things re: the enforcement of the law! anyway, i needed to repost my thoughts

We all use that cliché …”life goes on” … right. I was able to do my thing though the killing of Trayvon absolutely affected me but not until the days worn on and the main stream media had more and more parents wanting to tell their TM stories do we see that something just is not right. Americans began to hear how this “Stand your Ground” law works, applied or abused in the same state and that was a sad awakening. Shortly after the death of TM, two stories that still bother me were exposed; the first one is about a white man who was able to use SYG after looking outside his window watching two black males attempting to steal from or his truck. The story that I heard is that he left his house shot them both, claimed SYG and while he was questioned he was not convicted and yes he was on his own property.  The other story, is about a young black male who made a bad decision to go to a rave party, raided by the police. Yes, he was hiding on somebody’s property, until the chaos and police cleared out but then an older white man decided his domicile was under attack, calls the police who tell him not to go outside does and he shoots killing a 16yr old scared kid who had no gun and wasn’t trying to break in to this man’s house who successfully claims SYG. The big stink about these stories, is that these two white men from Florida claimed and were granted the use of that unknown law while an African American Floridian Mom of two is sentenced to 20yrs in prison for firing off a warning shot to scare her abusive husband. Reports are that Marissa had no arrest record and claimed self-defense. There was evidence of domestic violence by her husband and though the case was batted around for over a year due to the SYG law, Marissa was offered a deal to plead down to 3yrs. Ms. Alexander stated she was innocent, no one was hurt and the warning shot probably saved her life, Marissa’s use of SYG was denied. I cannot say I have read or listened to every story that is close or matches the Trayvon Martin case but my two stories here have a common denominator and that is most if not all who are denied the use of the “Stand Your Ground” law are all African Americans. This brings me to the Trayvon Martin care. We heard the reports that Zimmerman was not only a self-appointed block watch captain, he was a police wannabe who had priors, and it sounds like folks felt he was sort of a hothead. In my opinion, a piece of this tragic event is missing. We all know that he had been told, in my opinion … to stand down. I know too many people who feel as I do – that there are too many inconsistencies in what exactly happened on the night of and after Trayvon Martin died.  I want to know who left the scene why the investigator who wanted GZ arrested got override and the way Mr. Bonaparte behaved was not only offensive it confirmed the “nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there” attitude. We have what seems to be a group of Floridian Police behaving badly, leading to questions about the loud noise of silence and the look of a conspiracy in the making… some call the Deep South.

The idea that a law pushed by a couple of interest groups makes me wonder how many cases since, or before Trayvon Martin was killed, got dumped by this FPD or the state. I will admit; I keep saying there is something missing, the timeline is wrong and as that feeling creeped up like it does with parents of color feel; one can only hope the authorities will overcome that seemingly overwhelming lack of cohesive evidence to one of slow contemplation of right and wrong. The idea that “ stand your ground” is being claimed by Zimmerman in this case is not only offensive it does not seem to fit the description, even the folks who created “Stand your Ground” feel this law cannot be applied to the Trayvon Martin case.

I know what everyone else knows about the Trayvon Martin case. I accept that there is information that no civilian has access to; hope that prosecutors will exercise a good faith effort to make sure the person responsible; the person who was reckless, gets charged and jailed. I feel, according to the tapes and it is only my opinion but it sounded like Zimmerman stalked and killed TM because he looked shady and we all know that is not enough for a reasonably sane person to use as an excuse to kill. It was raining thus TM had a hoodie on and while gz is stalking Trayvon is telling his girlfriend someone was following him. The fact is the dispatcher told Zimmerman not to follow because they were on their way, yet he disobeys. I ask anyone reading this, why didn’t Zimmerman acknowledge himself while playing police officer or could it be maybe those %$&#@ always get away and wasn’t having any of it that night then claimed “Stand Your Ground”. We now know that the NRA and ALEC are associated with the “Stand your ground” law. I think this unknown law needs to be revisited reformed or dumped because it works — just not for African Americans. I have to say that since the death of Trayvon Martin it is eerie to hear so many examples of how the law works against people of color, specifically Black folks; Trayvon’s Mom stood up and rightly stated this was about right and wrong though Zimmerman’s own comments on that tape say much much more.

If you are in NYC, Please go the celebration !

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2 witnesses testified … Now say they lied


 

change.org
 
Two witnesses who testified against Ryan now say they didn’t tell the truth. Sign Ryan’s Dad’s petition for his son’s freedom.
Sign the Petition

Please Grant Ryan Ferguson a New Trial or Freedom!

Started by: Bruce , Oswego, Illinois

Why My Son Ryan Ferguson Should Be Granted A New Trial

My son Ryan Ferguson was convicted in 2005 for the 2001 murder of Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt. Ryan was convicted solely on the testimony of two witnesses. Both of those witnesses have since given written affidavits that their testimonies during the original trial were false. That leaves zero evidence against my son. No witnesses, no physical evidence, no DNA, no motive, in fact nothing tying him to the crime. Yet my son is currently serving a 40-year sentence for a crime he had no part in.

The fact is Ryan should never have been convicted in the first place, because the main witness in his case was never credible. The jury simply believed Chuck Erickson’s story.

Ryan and Chuck were Rock Bridge High School juniors who snuck into a bar on Halloween night 2001 and left sometime around 1:15 a.m. Ryan said he drove his friend Chuck home, then came home himself. He has never wavered from his account.

Years later Chuck – who is a troubled young man – told friends that he had ‘dreams’ about the murder. He said he initially repressed his memory of the killing but began to recall details two years later after reading news reports of the crime. Details emerged in his ‘dreams’, he claimed. He called the encounter a botched robbery hatched when he and Ryan ran out of money and wanted to keep drinking.

The police brought Chuck in for questioning after hearing about his stories. In the interrogation tapes – available online – it is clear that Chuck knows very little about the case and admits he doesn’t even know if he was there. But the police feed him key information about the murder and pressure him into confessing and implicating Ryan in the murder. There was never any physical evidence against either of them. My son Ryan had never been in any trouble with the law before this point and had no connection to the victim Kent Heitholt.

The second ‘witness’, janitor Jerry Trump, originally told friends he could not identify who he saw near the body. But during a 2004 trial he positively identified Ryan and my son was sentenced to spend the majority of his adult life behind bars.

Both Erickson and Trump now claim they were coerced into modifying their statements in favor of the prosecution of my son. Chuck blames Columbia Police interrogators for not delving into inconsistencies in his story, and Trump said Prosecutor Kevin Crane told him that it would be “helpful to him” if Trump could identify Ryan as one of the men at the crime scene. The prosecution also withheld key information that could have helped prove my son’s innocence, including further witnesses who state that Ryan wasn’t at the scene.

We now know that both key witnesses gave false testimonies. In light of these significant changes in eyewitness testimony and the lack of ANY evidence implicating Ryan, it is clear that my son deserves a new trial.

Ryan’s case has been covered extensively on NBC Dateline, CBS 48 Hours Mystery, and numerous TV news reports and magazine and newspaper articles. His story has touched millions of people across America – and the world. It has become clear to many people that Ryan has been betrayed by the Missouri justice system and deserves another shot at justice.

I ask you to please sign this petition to demand that my son Ryan be granted a new trial and the chance to rebuild his life…

Thank you,

Bill Ferguson

www.freeryanferguson.com

Free Ryan Ferguson Facebook Page

This petition was created by Injustice Anywhere for Bill Ferguson.

Click here to sign Bruce ‘s petition, “Please Grant Ryan Ferguson a New Trial or Freedom!”.

You can also check out other popular petitions on Change.org by clicking here.
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Legal to murder gay people? Michael Whitney, Change.org


 

 

 

“Yeah, I killed him, but he did worse to me.”

In 1997, a man in Queensland, Australia killed a gay man who he claimed flirted with him by bashing his head into a wall and stabbing him to death. Today, “gay panic” is still a legal defense for murder in Queensland that can result in lesser charges.

In fact, just two years ago, a man was brutally killed in a Queensland churchyard, and his killer used the “gay panic” defense in court. He was subsequently acquitted of murder.

Father Paul Kelly is a priest in the parish where that man was killed, and he started a petition on Change.org demanding that Queensland abolish the gay panic defense. It looked like Father Kelly’s petition was headed for victory, but now there’s a new Premier in Queensland, Campbell Newman, and he won’t say whether he will abolish the gay panic loophole.

Father Kelly thinks it’s crucial to build quick international pressure on Premier Newman, particularly from important Australian allies like the US — click here to add your name to Father Kelly’s petition demanding that Queensland abolish the gay panic defense.

A recent study named Queensland as Australia’s most homophobic state — 73% of gay and lesbian Queenslanders are subjected to verbal abuse or physical violence for their sexuality. Father Kelly believes that if the gay panic defense stands, Queensland’s gay community will be forced to live in terror knowing that the law is on their tormentors’ side.

“The support from people in Australia for my petition has been wonderful,” Father Kelly says, “but we need help from our friends in the US. We need to send Premier Newman a message that he is being watched, and we will not tolerate this despicable gay panic loophole.”

Click here to sign Father Kelly’s petition demanding that Queensland abolish the legal loophole that justifies the murder of gay people.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team

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Murder in the Amazon …Emma Ruby-Sachs – Avaaz.org

1 Comment

The Amazon is in serious danger — the lower house of the Brazilian congress has approved a gutting of Brazil’s forest protection laws. Unless we act now, vast tracts of our planet’s lungs could be opened up to clear-cutting devastation.

  

The Amazon forest is at risk. The Brazilian Congress has watered down strict forest protection laws and brave Brazilian activists are being murdered for speaking out. It’s time for us to take this critical battle global — if we all call on President Dilma to veto the bill, we could save the Amazon.

The move has sparked widespread anger and protests across the country. And tension is rising — in the last few weeks, several prominent environmental advocates have been murdered, purportedly by armed thugs hired by illegal loggers. The timing is critical. They’re trying to silence criticism just as the law is discussed in the Senate. But President Dilma can veto the changes, if we can persuade her to overcome political pressure and step onto the global stage as a leader.

79% of Brazilians support Dilma’s veto of the forest law changes, but their voices are being challenged by logger lobbies. It’s now up to all of us to raise the stakes and make Amazon protection a global issue. Let’s come together now in a giant call to stop the murders and illegal logging, and save the Amazon. Sign the petition below — it’ll be delivered to Dilma when we reach 500,000 signers:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon/?vl

People love Brazil! The sun, the music, the dancing, the football, the nature — it’s a country that inspires millions around the world. This is why Brazil is hosting the next World Cup, why Rio has the 2016 Olympics and next year’s Earth Summit, a meeting to stop the slow death of our planet.

Our love is not misplaced — the Amazon Is vital to life on earth — 20% of our oxygen and 60% of our freshwater comes from this magnificent rainforest.  That’s why it’s so crucial that we all protect it.

But Brazil is also a rapidly developing country, battling to lift tens of millions out of poverty, and the pressure to clear-cut and mine for profit on its political leaders is intense. This is why they’re dangerously close to buckling on environmental protections. Local activists are being murdered, intimidated and silenced, it’s up to Avaaz members across the world to stand with Brazilians and urge Brazil’s politicians to be strong.

Many of us have seen in our own countries how growth often comes at the expense of our natural heritage, our waters and air get polluted, our forests die. 

For Brazil, there is an alternative. Dilma’s predecessor massively reduced deforestation and cemented the country’s international reputation as an environmental leader, while also enjoying huge economic growth.  Let’s come together now, and urge Dilma to follow in those footsteps — sign the petition to save the Amazon, then forward this email to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon/?vl

In the last 3 years, Brazilian Avaaz members have taken massive leaps towards the world we all want: They won landmark anti-corruption legislation, and have lobbied their government to play a leadership role at the UN, protect human rights and intervene to support democracy in the Middle East, and help protect human rights in Africa and beyond.

Now, as brave Brazilian activists are being killed for protecting a critical global resource, let’s come together, and build an international movement to save the Amazon and herald Brazil as a true international leader once more. Sign the petition, then forward this email to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_amazon/?vl

With hope,

Emma, Ricken, Alice, Ben, Iain, Laura, Graziela, Luis and the rest of the Avaaz Team
MORE INFORMATION

BBC — Brazil passes ‘retrograde’ forest code:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13544000

AP — Another Amazon activist killed in logging conflict:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gpeblqINNdOyGwLJOL2QRXInY4bA?docId=CNG.b3569aafd06fe78f58be73c5faaa97a5.71

Mongabay — Majority of Brazilians reject changes in Amazon Forest Code:
http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0611-amazon_code_poll.html

Science Insider — Furor Over Proposed Brazilian Forest Law:
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/05/furor-over-proposed-brazilian.html

Guardian — Death in the Amazon: a war being fought for us all:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/jun/15/amazon-rainforest-brazil-murder

Washington Post — Brazil’s lower house approves looser forest protections:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/brazils-lower-house-approves-looser-forest-protections/2011/05/25/AGgXnaBH_story.html

Brazil’s forest bill threat to Amazon
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/05/26/brazils-forestry-bill-threat-to-amazon/
Support the Avaaz community! We’re entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way — donate here.

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Urgent: Save Troy Davis’ life -Troy Davis is about to be executed — even though he may be innocent.


In 1991, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer. Though there’s major evidence that Davis didn’t commit the crime, Georgia is prepared to put him to death. We have a good chance of stopping this — but only if we speak up now.

The fact is, no physical evidence connected Davis to the murder. Seven of the original nine witnesses have recanted, with many saying their testimony was a result of law enforcement pressure. Of the remaining witnesses, one is highly suspect and the other could be the actual culprit in the officer’s murder.

Now, despite these and other facts, the state of Georgia has taken the first steps toward Davis’ execution — and only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole stands between Davis and the lethal injection chamber.

Georgia may be about to kill an innocent man. That’s not justice. Please ask the Georgia Parole Board to spare Troy Davis’ life, before it’s too late — and it’s critical that you ask others to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/807?akid=1952.1174326.CrQTin&t=3

Since Troy Davis’ 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include:

All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim that their testimony was coerced by police officers.1

Multiple witnesses say that another man — one of the original witnesses against Davis — has claimed to have slain the fallen officer.2

The weapon used in the murder was never found. The only physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was indirect, circumstantial — and new testimony disputes Davis’s connection to that evidence.3

In light of this evidence, the Supreme Court granted Davis another chance. But instead of an actual new trial before a jury, which would mean the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor, he got an evidentiary hearing before a single federal judge where Davis’ lawyers had the burden to meet an impossibly high and undefined legal standard.

In light of this, it was sad — but no surprise — when the judge rejected the new evidence and cleared the way for Davis’ execution. However, even he acknowledged lingering doubt, noting that the case against Davis was not “ironclad.”

But “ironclad” is exactly what the evidence should be in order to put someone to death. If the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole doesn’t act to stop Davis’ execution, they’ll run a serious risk of putting an innocent man to death. That is not acceptable.

Please join us, along with our partners at Amnesty International and the NAACP, in asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to save Troy Davis’ life by commuting his sentence to life in prison. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/807?akid=1952.1174326.CrQTin&t=4

Thanks and Peace,

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

April 20th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References:

1. “Troy Davis – Finality over Fairness,” Amnesty International USA

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/808?akid=1952.1174326.CrQTin&t=7

2. See Reference 1

3. See Reference 1