Thought the title of this blog was appropriate after watching a Democracy Now segment on Anthony Ray Hinton who was recently exonerated after being on Alabama's death row for 30 years. Mr. Hinton said, "I shouldn't sit on death row for 30 years. All they had to do was test the gun, but when you think you're high and mighty and above the law you don't have to answer to nobody. I got news for you, everybody that played a part in sending me to death row you will answer to God".
Convicted of murdering 2 fast food managers in 2 separate robberies when he was 29 years old in 1985. The only evidence were bullets that allegedly had markings that matched a revolver that belonged to Hinton's mother. No finger prints or eyewitnesses. After being convicted it was found that the bullets at the scene did not match the gun Hinton was accused of using. Mr. Hinton's conviction was thrown out last year. Mr. Hinton could not afford a defense lawyer and was appointed incompetent council. Hinton is the longest death row prisoner ever to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence.
Amy Goodman asked Mr. Hinton what it felt like to be "Free",, I thought,, Mr. Hinton has been let out of jail but, he is no way Free. Mr. Hinton's Lawyer, Bryan Stevenson said there are people on death row "Dying for legal council". Mr. Stevenson took on Tony Ray Hinton's case in 1999, said the system "TREATS YOU BETTER IF YOU'RE RICH AND GUILTY THAN IF YOU'RE POOR AND INNOCENT".
They falsely claimed the bullets could be linked to a single weapon and that that weapon was Mr. Hinton's. Mr. Hinton's inadequate lawyer, who was only paid $1600 to represent him, couldn't get an expert to disprove the matching bullet theory and Mr. Hinton was convicted. If Mr. Hinton had adequate resources he would have never been convicted.
Years later the evidence was found that the bullets could not match the gun and that it wasn't Mr. Hinton's gun the state REFUSED to retest the new evidence! "It was Indifference, it was irresponsible, it was unconscionable that they chose to RISK EXECUTING AN INNOCENT MAN OVER RISKING THE PERCEPTION THAT THEY WERE MAKING A MISTAKE". It was a rare occurrence to get the U. S Supreme court to intervene and had they not the risk of a wrongful execution would have been very high. "There's been No accountability, the "experts have not been held accountable, the prosecutors have not been held accountable ,there's been no apology, no offer of assistance." "RACE WAS A FACTOR HERE TOO, I Can't leave that out", said Mr. Hinton's attorney Bryan Stevenson. Investigators that were on the case were charged in Federal court for torturing black prisoners using cattle prods to interrogate black prisoners. The prosecutor said he could tell Mr. Hinton was "evil just by looking at his face". The presumption of guilt before a trial gets assigned to too many black people in this country.
"They couldn't take my soul", said Anthony Ray Hinton. Humor was his biggest asset while in prison.
In 2002 states evidence of a match discredited by 3 highly qualified firearms examiners including the former chief of the FBI's firearms tool marks unit testified that the bullets from all 3 crimes could not be matched to a single gun much less to Anthony's mother's gun. This is the evidence the state REFUSED to retest and the Supreme court overturned. There are NO laws that say the state HAS to retest exonerated evidence, "We rely on the INTEGRITY of the Prosecution and Law Enforcement". "There was an absence of Good will", said Mr. Stevenson.
Let's take a closer look at that,, what is automatically based on ASSUMPTION,, that Mr. Hinton is Presumed GUILTY and "Evil by looking at his face" because he's black,, is what Mr. Stevenson said before, and the Prosecution and "Law Enforcement" are PRESUMED to have Integrity and Good Will?? Like the Cop who shot Walter Scott and said he "feared for his life"and he's automatically believed because he's a cop?? An autopsy can't find that Mr. Scott was at least 15 Ft away when he was shot in the back?? Cops don't Lie? Prosecutors and "law enforcement are not lacking in integrity? An average person can't be Decent? And a Gov official can't be crooked? Boy! what a LACK of FITNESS and Being PRESENT. The BASICS are Missing!
Those in positions of "authority" are asleep and UNCONSCIOUS because once you get into power positions you can and get away with it.They already have their minds made up then make the Outcome match their presumptions,, instead of doing their JOBS and looking at the situation and the people while they're actually AWAKE. There's NO point to any of it then because everything is already planned out!
Mr. Hinton passed a Polygraph test when he was first arrested and the results were IGNORED! Mr. Hinton was locked in a warehouse 15 miles away working when one of the shootings took place. Witnesses saw Mr. Hinton clock into work at the time of one of the shootings, his boss gave him his work instructions for the night, Mr. Hinton was seen at work over the next several hours by his Supervisor, "There was NO WAY he could have committed this crime and the Prosecution "KNEW THAT".
There is No incentive for Prosecutors and "law enforcement" to be careful and hold themselves to standards because they KNOW that nothing will happen to them if they don't!
NOT THE SAME FOR YOU AND ME!
In the Second segment about Mr. Glenn Ford, who was wrongly imprisoned and on death row for 30 years!Convicted of murdering 2 fast food managers in 2 separate robberies when he was 29 years old in 1985. The only evidence were bullets that allegedly had markings that matched a revolver that belonged to Hinton's mother. No finger prints or eyewitnesses. After being convicted it was found that the bullets at the scene did not match the gun Hinton was accused of using. Mr. Hinton's conviction was thrown out last year. Mr. Hinton could not afford a defense lawyer and was appointed incompetent council. Hinton is the longest death row prisoner ever to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence.
Amy Goodman asked Mr. Hinton what it felt like to be "Free",, I thought,, Mr. Hinton has been let out of jail but, he is no way Free. Mr. Hinton's Lawyer, Bryan Stevenson said there are people on death row "Dying for legal council". Mr. Stevenson took on Tony Ray Hinton's case in 1999, said the system "TREATS YOU BETTER IF YOU'RE RICH AND GUILTY THAN IF YOU'RE POOR AND INNOCENT".
They falsely claimed the bullets could be linked to a single weapon and that that weapon was Mr. Hinton's. Mr. Hinton's inadequate lawyer, who was only paid $1600 to represent him, couldn't get an expert to disprove the matching bullet theory and Mr. Hinton was convicted. If Mr. Hinton had adequate resources he would have never been convicted.
Years later the evidence was found that the bullets could not match the gun and that it wasn't Mr. Hinton's gun the state REFUSED to retest the new evidence! "It was Indifference, it was irresponsible, it was unconscionable that they chose to RISK EXECUTING AN INNOCENT MAN OVER RISKING THE PERCEPTION THAT THEY WERE MAKING A MISTAKE". It was a rare occurrence to get the U. S Supreme court to intervene and had they not the risk of a wrongful execution would have been very high. "There's been No accountability, the "experts have not been held accountable, the prosecutors have not been held accountable ,there's been no apology, no offer of assistance." "RACE WAS A FACTOR HERE TOO, I Can't leave that out", said Mr. Hinton's attorney Bryan Stevenson. Investigators that were on the case were charged in Federal court for torturing black prisoners using cattle prods to interrogate black prisoners. The prosecutor said he could tell Mr. Hinton was "evil just by looking at his face". The presumption of guilt before a trial gets assigned to too many black people in this country.
"They couldn't take my soul", said Anthony Ray Hinton. Humor was his biggest asset while in prison.
In 2002 states evidence of a match discredited by 3 highly qualified firearms examiners including the former chief of the FBI's firearms tool marks unit testified that the bullets from all 3 crimes could not be matched to a single gun much less to Anthony's mother's gun. This is the evidence the state REFUSED to retest and the Supreme court overturned. There are NO laws that say the state HAS to retest exonerated evidence, "We rely on the INTEGRITY of the Prosecution and Law Enforcement". "There was an absence of Good will", said Mr. Stevenson.
Let's take a closer look at that,, what is automatically based on ASSUMPTION,, that Mr. Hinton is Presumed GUILTY and "Evil by looking at his face" because he's black,, is what Mr. Stevenson said before, and the Prosecution and "Law Enforcement" are PRESUMED to have Integrity and Good Will?? Like the Cop who shot Walter Scott and said he "feared for his life"and he's automatically believed because he's a cop?? An autopsy can't find that Mr. Scott was at least 15 Ft away when he was shot in the back?? Cops don't Lie? Prosecutors and "law enforcement are not lacking in integrity? An average person can't be Decent? And a Gov official can't be crooked? Boy! what a LACK of FITNESS and Being PRESENT. The BASICS are Missing!
Those in positions of "authority" are asleep and UNCONSCIOUS because once you get into power positions you can and get away with it.They already have their minds made up then make the Outcome match their presumptions,, instead of doing their JOBS and looking at the situation and the people while they're actually AWAKE. There's NO point to any of it then because everything is already planned out!
The prosecutor wanted to see if they could "Get Away" with holding onto Mr. Hinton's conviction. "it really is SHAMEFUL", Mr. Stevenson. Some states have Conviction Integrity Units.
There is No incentive for Prosecutors and "law enforcement" to be careful and hold themselves to standards because they KNOW that nothing will happen to them if they don't!
NOT THE SAME FOR YOU AND ME!
This Country went from a prison population of 300,00 in 1972 to up to 2.3 MILLION people today. We have more Innocent people in jail than ever before in History. "We've invested in prisons, we've invested in Policing, in Prosecutors, No one is investing in Defending people from wrongful convictions.They don't have a right to council, they can't get to court", Mr Stevenson.
Prosecutor Shroud had said that Mr. Ford was given very inexperienced council to try his case. Council that had never tried a Capital case at all. The Prosecutor, Marty Stroud, said although he believed Mr Ford to be guilty, didn't feel Mr Ford was receiving adequate council.
Mr. Ford was tried by an All white jury for fatally shooting a jewelry store owner in 1983. In 2013 an informant told prosecutors that one of the brothers originally implicated in the crime in which prosecution repressed evidence, had admitted to shooting the jewelry story owner. Had the Prosecutor, Mr Shroud, known the evidence at the time, not only would Mr Ford not have been convicted, there would have been insufficient evidence for an arrest warrant, a very "stunning statement to make 30 years after the fact", Marty Shroud. "There was NOT even Probable cause to ARREST Mr. Ford never mind, try, convict him and send him to death row!"
Glenn Ford was given another death sentence when he got out, third stage lung cancer, now stage 4 which spread to his bones, Lymph and spine and is now in Hospice in New Orleans. Mr. Ford filed a federal lawsuit claiming prison officials and medical authorities knew he had cancer in 2011 and denied him treatment!
When Glenn Ford tried to get compensation for 330k when he got out, the maximum he's "allowed" to ask for, which is Nothing for the 3 decades he spent in prison, 10k a decade, he was DENIED by the Judge saying, Mr Ford was involved in other "lesser crimes". I mean, the system just Can't Fk people enough! Even when he's been found Innocent! and spent 39 years in Jail for something he didn't do, the system STILL finds a way to keep Fking people to cover up their OWN Guilt and incompetence! I'm SO SICK OF IT! THEY are the ones who should be in Jail for destroying a man's life by ignoring Blatant evidence and they continue screwing Over Mr Ford!. It's NEVER THEM,, it's ALWAYS YOU! Even when you're INNOCENT, you're STILL GUILTY!
Attorney Shroud, made a public apology to Mr. Ford for all the harm he cause to him and his family.
Both lawyers in both segments talked about "mistakes" that were made by the legislature, "people make mistakes", they said.
Mr. Ford said of being on Death Row for 30 years,, "It separates you, Can you imagine going 20 some odd years No Human contact".
I called this post Necrophilia because even after all the judges, prosecutors, the legislature did to them, once the "prisoners" are released they're still getting screwed over! The system can't screw people over enough! They'll screw you to death and Still screw you! That's what this system does. It hold s ALL the cards, It's never held accountable the way it scrutinizes and brutalizes the rest of us. Capitalism, which is All the "just-us" system is, is just looking to cash in and exploit people, not really find the truth, especially with people of color. Whether those in the positions of judge, lawyer or legislature are aware of it or not, they are Clearly Not held to the same laws as everyone else. When it's clearly them, they flip it, and point the finger at someone else of lesser "power".
Was it a "mistake" that Mr. Ford was given unqualified council to represent him? Was it a "mistake" that the court Refused to retry the case when new evidence was discovered?
In the case of Mr. Ford, was it a "mistake" that the eyewitness was threatened to lie then keep that lie for 39 years?
Is it a "mistake" that prisons are FILLED with people who commit non crimes? Is the Correction Corporation of America a "mistake?" Was it a "mistake" that the NYPD enforced a quota system on their cops that carry over into the next month if they don't meet it the previous month? Essentially leaving an unsuspecting public easy prey? Was it a "mistake" in Ferguson, MO. that turned the entire town into a Debtors Prison specifically targeting people of color and putting all kinds of fines & fees attached to non crimes so the person could never be free of debt.
Mistake or no mistake, the behaviors the system makes is far worse than the normal actions the public behaves in and I don't see any judge, lawyer or legislator going to jail for their "mistake!"
This is PURE BULL!! It's a CLEAR case of One set of rules for the "rulers" and another for the most vulnerable.
Why didn't anyone who made a "mistake" by putting clearly innocent people in jail for 30 years go to jail? They clearly don't bother to care about doing a quality job.
Glenn Ford was given another death sentence when he got out, third stage lung cancer, now stage 4 which spread to his bones, Lymph and spine and is now in Hospice in New Orleans. Mr. Ford filed a federal lawsuit claiming prison officials and medical authorities knew he had cancer in 2011 and denied him treatment!
When Glenn Ford tried to get compensation for 330k when he got out, the maximum he's "allowed" to ask for, which is Nothing for the 3 decades he spent in prison, 10k a decade, he was DENIED by the Judge saying, Mr Ford was involved in other "lesser crimes". I mean, the system just Can't Fk people enough! Even when he's been found Innocent! and spent 39 years in Jail for something he didn't do, the system STILL finds a way to keep Fking people to cover up their OWN Guilt and incompetence! I'm SO SICK OF IT! THEY are the ones who should be in Jail for destroying a man's life by ignoring Blatant evidence and they continue screwing Over Mr Ford!. It's NEVER THEM,, it's ALWAYS YOU! Even when you're INNOCENT, you're STILL GUILTY!
Attorney Shroud, made a public apology to Mr. Ford for all the harm he cause to him and his family.
Both lawyers in both segments talked about "mistakes" that were made by the legislature, "people make mistakes", they said.
Mr. Ford said of being on Death Row for 30 years,, "It separates you, Can you imagine going 20 some odd years No Human contact".
I called this post Necrophilia because even after all the judges, prosecutors, the legislature did to them, once the "prisoners" are released they're still getting screwed over! The system can't screw people over enough! They'll screw you to death and Still screw you! That's what this system does. It hold s ALL the cards, It's never held accountable the way it scrutinizes and brutalizes the rest of us. Capitalism, which is All the "just-us" system is, is just looking to cash in and exploit people, not really find the truth, especially with people of color. Whether those in the positions of judge, lawyer or legislature are aware of it or not, they are Clearly Not held to the same laws as everyone else. When it's clearly them, they flip it, and point the finger at someone else of lesser "power".
Was it a "mistake" that Mr. Ford was given unqualified council to represent him? Was it a "mistake" that the court Refused to retry the case when new evidence was discovered?
In the case of Mr. Ford, was it a "mistake" that the eyewitness was threatened to lie then keep that lie for 39 years?
Is it a "mistake" that prisons are FILLED with people who commit non crimes? Is the Correction Corporation of America a "mistake?" Was it a "mistake" that the NYPD enforced a quota system on their cops that carry over into the next month if they don't meet it the previous month? Essentially leaving an unsuspecting public easy prey? Was it a "mistake" in Ferguson, MO. that turned the entire town into a Debtors Prison specifically targeting people of color and putting all kinds of fines & fees attached to non crimes so the person could never be free of debt.
Mistake or no mistake, the behaviors the system makes is far worse than the normal actions the public behaves in and I don't see any judge, lawyer or legislator going to jail for their "mistake!"
This is PURE BULL!! It's a CLEAR case of One set of rules for the "rulers" and another for the most vulnerable.
Why didn't anyone who made a "mistake" by putting clearly innocent people in jail for 30 years go to jail? They clearly don't bother to care about doing a quality job.
No comments:
Post a Comment