CNN Death Row Stories Documentaries

On Sunday, March 9th, CNN will premiere its original series Death Row Stories, described by CNN as:

Death Row Stories is a series of one-hour documentaries. Each episode attempts to unravel the truth behind a different capital murder case. Executive produced by Alex Gibney and Robert Redford and narrated by Susan Sarandon, these stories call into question various beliefs surrounding America's justice system and the death penalty.

Director Alex Gibney said, “The series provides stark examples of the struggle between the powerful and the powerless.  The stakes – life or death – couldn’t be higher.”

We see this as more evidence of a change in the debate around capital punishment and a shift away from this practice. Will you help us get the word out to your networks and ask everyone you know to watch it?

NCADP staff will be watching and tweeting about the show using the hastags #deathrowstories and #90millionstrong. Please watch and tweet your comments too!

We encourage you to host a watch party either virtually or at your home. Send us a picture if you do, and we will post it!

We also encourage you to post your reflection and a summary of the episode on Facebook to share with your network. Be sure to tag us so we can share your post!

The momentum away from the death penalty is undeniable! This is not the type of thing that we would have expected to see seven years ago, but with more states taking a closer look at the practice and concluding that it is unworkable it is certainly timely.

Death Row Stories will screen every Sunday for five weeks starting this Sunday, March 9th at 9pm ET/PT. Be a part of the conversation!

Here are two other easy ways you can plug into the growing national dialogue about the flaws and failure of the death penalty:

1. Express why you are among the 90 million Americans who believe the death penalty is wrong by posting your statement to our Tumblr page if you have not done so already.
2. Contact friends and family in New Hampshire! The state House of Representatives is set to debate and vote on a death penalty repeal bill onWednesday, March 12th. Please tell people you know in New Hampshire to contact their representatives today to express their support for ending the death penalty.

We look forward to hearing from you!
Anita

Anita Grabowski
Communications Director
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Truth Emerges re Willingham Execution

WRONGFUL EXECUTION -- Cameron Todd Willingham was an innocent man who Texas executed on February 17, 2004. The Innocence Project recently uncovered evidence that Webb, the state's witness against Willingham, was promised a reduced sentence to implicate Willingham. Willingham was convicted for arson deaths of his three children by (1) faulty science and (2) Webb's testimony. Saying "DEATH to the DEATH PENALTY" is the only way to guarantee that innocent people are never executed.

Webb recanted prior to Willingham’s execution, stating that he had been forced by John Jackson, the then-district attorney, to provide false testimony in exchange for favorable treatment in the form of a reduced robbery charge in his own criminal case. Willingham’s lawyer was never told of Webb’s recantation. Willingham was murdered by Texas, and John Jackson became a judge. He has now retired.

Innocence Project reports developments in "New Evidence Emerges in Texas Wrongful Execution Case"
http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Evidence_Emerges_in_Texas_Wrongful_Execution_Case.php

NY Times reported that Willingham's cousin Patricia Cox said that if an exoneration does occur, the family has no plans to press for damages. “We’re not asking compensation,” she said. “We’re asking justice.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/us/evidence-of-concealed-jailhouse-deal-raises-questions-about-a-texas-execution.html

The University of Michigan Law School Innocence Clinic says most wrongful convictions are caused by:

• Eyewitness Misidentification 
• Junk Science 
• False Confessions 
• Government Misconduct 
• Lying Snitches 
• Bad Lawyering

Willingham was wrongfully convicted and executed because of junk science, government misconduct, and a lying snitch who later recanted his testimony, but the justice system was not interested in the truth. 

Other articles by this writer about Willingham's murder by Texas:

The Wrongful Execution of Cameron Todd Willingham

http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/execution-of-cameron-todd-willingham.html

Cameron Todd Willingham's Wrongful Execution - and Others

http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/cameron-todd-willinghams-wrongful.html
Also featured by "Break All Chains" blog

http://breakallchains.blogspot.com/2009/11/cameron-todd-willinghams-wrongful.html

Help Todd Willingham Rest in Peace - Clear the Name of Wrongly Executed Texan ~ Care2 News

http://www.ddb.aspca.org/news/member/513396753/1247802

Thank you to all employees and supporters of the Innocence Project who fight wrongful executions every day.

10 Things Anyone Can Do To Help Exonerate Innocent People and 

Prevent Wrongful Convictions

http://www.innocenceproject.org/fix/What-can-I-do.php

MaryLovesJustice Neal

Director of Davis-MacPhail Truth Committee

http://DMTruth.blogspot.com

MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com

Phone 678.531.0262 

The Willingham Family

Censoring Anti-DP Advocacy at Facebook

I just posted in my Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) group at Facebook, but it appears that NSA doesn't like for us to talk about executing mentally ill people. The government does not mind doing it, but after the deed is done, no more is to be said about such executions. I always have the hardest time keeping Brandon Rhode's picture posted - a mentally challenged young man murdered by the State of Georgia with execution drugs purchased out of the back of a London bicycle shop. I copied this from my activity log to show that I did indeed post information and a picture of Brandon Rhode. Look at the Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill group at Facebook and see if you see it there. It should be on top as of January 20, 2014 - MLK Day.

This is precisely why we are going to Occupy Silicon Valley April 4. Internet censorship is equal to Nazi book burning.

Mary posted a photo to Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill's timeline. 1:38am

In 2010, Georgia executed Brandon Joseph Rhode, a 31-year-old mentally challenged man who committed a murder as a teen. His mother was an alcoholic, and Brandon was born brain damaged. None of this mattered to Georgia. Wikipedia reports, "Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can stunt fetal growth or weight, create distinctive facial stigmata, damage neurons and brain structures, which can result in psychological or behavioral problems, and cause other physical damage."

Mary Neal
MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com
678.531.0262

Timothy Johnson: Innocent Man Released from GA Death Row After 29 Years

Timothy Johnson has been released after having spent 29 years on Georgia's death row. Death Penalty Information Center carried the following information about Johnson:

Timothy Johnson was acquitted of murder charges and released from prison in Georgia on December 5, twenty-nine years after being charged with a murder and robbery at a convenience store. Johnson had originally pled guilty to the crimes in exchange for the prosecution's agreement not to seek the death penalty. The Georgia Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2006 because he was not properly informed of his constitutional protection against self-incrimination and his right to confront witnesses against him. The jury deliberated for only about an hour before rendering the acquittal. His family greeted him upon his release. “My heart is overwhelmed for him,” said his uncle, Willie Wilson. “I’m just elated.”

(B. Purser, "After 29 years in jail, Timothy Johnson is free," Macon Telegraph, December 6, 2013). See Innocence and Arbitrariness. The case illustrates the danger of using the death penalty as a plea-bargaining incentive. Defendants sometimes plead guilty to a crime they did not commit in order to avoid the possibility of a death sentence.

See the next article in the Davis/MacPhail Truth Committee blog, "Democide: Government Murders" at
http://dmtruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/democide-government-murders.html

Johnson hugs his family and gives thanks to God after winning prison release after 29 years of death row.

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) provides valuable information on death row inmates and their cases. It also offers historical information and statistics about capital punishment in the USA. I highly recommend DPIC for persons and corporations making a list or worthy organizations to receive charitable contributions this holiday season. A PayPal depository is on its website at http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/donate-dpic

Death Penalty Information Center
1015 18th Street NW, Suite 704 | Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-289-2275 | Fax: 202-289-7336
Email: dpic@deathpenaltyinfo.org

The Death Penalty Information Center is a national non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. Founded in 1990, the Center promotes informed discussion of the death penalty by preparing in-depth reports, conducting briefings for journalists, and serving as a resource to those working on this issue. Please direct media inquiries to Elaine de Leon, Communications Director, at 202-289-4022 or edeleon@deathpenaltyinfo.org.

Mary Neal, director of

~Davis/MacPhail Truth Committee

~Human Rights for Prisoners March

~Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill

~Dog Justice for Mentally Ill

Democide: Government Murders

DEMOCIDE is an opportunity for the government to show its mastery over the general populace, not unlike slave owners used to do. Slave masters called all the plantation slaves together to see a lynching happen. That way, slaves, who greatly outnumbered the slave owner and his supervisors, were terrorized and kept "in their places." So it is with the death penalty today. The slave owners feared the slaves' superior numbers, just as oppressive elitists fear the poor and working classes today.

The reason why prosecutors object to prisoners taking DNA tests or having new trials with substantial new evidence (that arrived after conviction) is because innocence does not really matter to them. Periodic executions like Willie Lynch suggested in the 1700s are for keeping slaves subdued. Through capital punishment, America's "lower classes" are treated like slaves, including everyone who works for a living and citizens who have a fixed income, i.e., people who cannot live off their dividends and inheritances. If murder was really offensive to masters over the criminal justice system, I would not be censored and stalked for asking why and how my mentally disabled brother was murdered after 18 days of secret arrest (kidnapping) in Memphis Shelby County Jail in 2003.

Capital punishment is not a deterrent to crimes, and neither is it uniformly applied for similar crimes. It was never meant to be. DP is merely an act of terrorism used to keep hundreds of millions of people respectful to government power. That is why capital punishment is limited to poor and working class persons and has a significantly higher rate of incidence among non-whites. Those are the people most oppressed and therefore most feared by oppressors - elitist white supremacists who benefit by keeping millions of people subservient.

Prosecution for murder and most other crimes in America depends on who the victims and defendants are in terms of wealth and class, skin hue, and how close the next election is. While inmates are tortured on death row, counting off their days until their own murders, police officers (government representatives) earn vacations by killing unarmed Americans - especially the mentally ill, who comprise over fifty percent of all police violence victims. Soldiers are awarded medals for killing people who pose no threat to this country. During the average convicted killer's term on death row in the United States, the government kills tens of thousands of people in wars and police violence. Democide is also murder. DEATH TO THE DEATH PENALTY.

Democide is used to demonstrate government mastery and prevent slave rebellions like those pictured.

This writer wrote another article with "democide" in its title. Please read it and tell me what you think. Do you agree that before America bombs another country for "killing its own citizens" we should have an accurate count of all the U.S. citizens killed by police? Nobody keeps track of that, and it would be useful information. 

"Democide: Death by Gov't in USA and Syria"
http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/democide-death-by-govt-in-usa-and-syria.html

MaryLovesJustice
MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com
 

Mary Neal: If I Die Before I Awake

1.  Response to: YOUR BROTHER IS IN A BETTER PLACE, YOU WILL MEET HIM AGAIN. IF YOU CONFRONT THE POLICE, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO DIE. YOUR BROTHER THINKS WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS GOOD BUT HE WANTS YOU TO CONSIDER WHAT AND WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH. TAKE IT EASY SIS, IM OK HE SAYS. BUT KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AGAIN, MAYBE IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT. THE CREATOR BLESSES YOU!

2.  Perhaps you believe my advocacy for justice only regards the secret arrest and murder of Larry Neal. Did you know there are 1.25 million mentally ill people imprisoned in America who should be in treatment instead? Do you realize that at least 50% of all victims of police violence are mentally ill? I use Larry's murder cover-up conspiracy as a worst-case scenario of what happens to the mentally challenged in America. All of the police officers I polled told me that they feel jails and prisons are inappropriate for acute mental patients. I think they appreciate the work I do to help decriminalize mental illness in America. After all, mental illness affects 1 in 5 people in America, meaning the police officers themselves are likely to have someone they love who struggles with mental illness, also.

3.  Mental illness is everybody's problem. We all live, shop, work, and attend school together. Community safety is enhanced when mental illness is dealt with as a health condition and not by the criminal justice system. Imprisoning people for behavior that resulted from a psychiatric crisis costs taxpayers significant amounts of money - $163,000 per year for each inmate in NY City - but it does not deliver any psychiatric benefits to jailed sick people. I believe most mental patients exit jails and prisons in worse psychiatric condition than when they entered.

4.  I am not free to simply quit my advocacy for the mentally ill, as you seem to suggest. Neither did I choose it. God chose me for this work when he allowed Memphis Shelby County Jail to secretly arrest Larry Neal (a kidnapping), keep him 18 days while denying he was incarcerated, then kill my disabled brother in 2003 by yet undisclosed means. I find it unacceptable that neither the jail nor the USDOJ that was in overview of the jail (after its lawsuit by the United States), will investigate Larry's secret murder or pay damages to his family. Instead, terrorism and censorship are applied, like the KKK in the 1940s. God said I must speak for the poor and oppressed and all who are appointed to destruction (Pv. 31:8-9). And I will continue to do that until my personal justice quest comes to a successful conclusion. If I obey God, my safety is His issue. In God I trust.

5.  Larry Neal, a heart patient, was hospitalized for over 20 years for acute mental illness, and his government covers up his murder instead of rendering justice. Larry's murder reveals that America has a system of Apartheid in its justice system that is applied to disabled people and to black citizens. We should all be glad to have that attitude revealed and demand its expulsion. If you wish to learn more about the mentally ill behind bars or facing incidents of police violence, please view my blog "Dog Justice for Mentally Ill" and search online for "Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill."

6.  Thank you for your concern and "message from Larry." My advocacy is not just for him; it is my ministry. When God is ready for me to stop, He will resolve my personal justice quest. Until then, I resolve to do His will and continue to give Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill. God's Word said, "Speak, and do not be afraid" ~Acts 18:9.

7.  I have no intention of "confronting the police," as the YouTube writer alleged. My pen is my only weapon. But if this or any government administration in Washington and officials in Georgia (the state where I live, proclaimed the nation's most corrupt), would rather see me dead than allow me to have free speech and freedom of press to advocate for mentally ill people who are imprisoned and regularly brutalized or killed by police, God may choose to martyr Mary Neal in order to accomplish His purpose. I have no doubt that such a government action would trigger the Streisand Effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect . 

8.  My murder or harm to my family members (a continuous threat) would only promote the causes I advocate for: decriminalize mental illness, end capital punishment, eradicate racism and class prejudice from the U.S. justice system, expose The (Johnnie) Cochran Firm frauds against Africans in America, and promote peace on earth and goodwill toward men. Among my rewards would include my best sellers and award-winning films, which would be read and viewed in every library and nation in the world. Some people accomplish more in death than in life. Although "like anyone, I want to live; longevity has it's place" (MLK), I have no doubt that I would be one of those. Blessings.

9.  This was my response to a comment placed on my MaryLovesJustice YouTube account: YOUR BROTHER IS IN A BETTER PLACE, YOU WILL MEET HIM AGAIN. IF YOU CONFRONT THE POLICE, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO DIE. YOUR BROTHER THINKS WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS GOOD BUT HE WANTS YOU TO CONSIDER WHAT AND WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH. TAKE IT EASY SIS, IM OK HE SAYS. BUT KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AGAIN, MAYBE IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT. THE CREATOR BLESSES YOU!

10.  The message in this statement is good news to God's beloved but terrorism to the damned. (Ten numbered paragraphs, one link, one graphic)

Second Anniversary of Troy Davis Execution

Troy Anthony Davis 

Welcome to the Davis/MacPhail Truth Committee blog. September 21 was the second anniversary of the Troy Anthony Davis execution. He was executed in Georgia without irrefutable proof of guilt. In fact, millions of people believe Davis was innocent.  In this blog, we examine the circumstances that led to the execution of Troy Davis on September 21, 2011, and protest capital punishment, especially for potentially innocent persons. We endeavor to do as Troy Davis asked with his final words. Let us continue to fight this fight!
WORLD DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY, October 10, 2013 
http://www.worldcoalition.org/

Two Petitions for Justice for Troy Davis and Officer MacPhail

Petition to re-investigate the murder of Officer MacPhail (GoPetition.com)
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/re-investigate-officer-macphail-s-murder.html

Petition to re-investigate the murder of Officer MacPhail (Change.org)

http://www.change.org/petitions/georgia-bureau-of-investigations-gbi-and-u-s-dept-of-justice-usdoj-re-investigate-officer-mark-macphail-s-murder

DAVIS SAID, "All I can ask is that each of you look deeper into this case, so that you really will finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends that you all continue to pray, that you all continue to forgive. Continue to fight this fight. For those about to take my life, may God have mercy on all of your souls. God bless you all."

Troy Davis' Last Words Released By Georgia Department Of Corrections (AUDIO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/troy-davis-execution-last-words_n_1000648.html

Troy Davis execution goes ahead despite serious doubts about his guilt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/22/troy-davis-execution-last-words

Troy Davis, In His Final Words, "I Am Innocent" (AUDIO) Read more:
http://globalgrind.com/news/troy-davis-execution-i-am-innocent-final-words-audio#ixzz1b9kIU8jJ

GlobalGrind.com - Troy Davis Execution "I am innocent" Final Words Audio
http://globalgrind.com/news/troy-davis-execution-i-am-innocent-final-words-audio

UPCOMING EXECUTIONS 

Death Penalty Information Center

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/upcoming-executions

PETITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
http://petitions.halabol.com/2012/12/17/abolish-death-penalty

NEW BOOK - "I AM TROY DAVIS"
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/9/19/read_new_book_i_am_troy_davis_published_on_second_anniversary_of_his_execution

Mary Neal, director

Davis/MacPhail Truth Committee

MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com