Still in STL But Not Wasting Time

Nothing ever goes like you plan. I landed in Saint Louis last Sunday hoping to pickup my motorcycle from the shop and then hit the road NLT Thursday or Friday, but I am still here. I am waiting on two parts for my bike. The deal is that I am having an electrical harness installed for my Nuvi 200 GPS system and a passenger seat backrest to help better secure my 2 bags. A cable for the harness and the backrest have not arrived. So I probably will not leave until Wednesday. I haven’t been wasting time. Monday I attended a press conference concerning new deployments in the Reggie Clemons death penalty case. I did a quick interview with Virginia Druhe the Office Manager for the Veterans For Peace National Office about her personal activism. I had the pleasure to interview Montague Simmons the new chair of the Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) here in Saint Louis and I attended a Nakba or day of the catastrophe, remembrance at the Quaker House. I have made a few new connections to meet with activist in Memphis, Birmingham and Charlotte. But obviously my schedule is totally blown so I am not sure how that will turnout. Reggie Clemons (From http://www.justiceforreggie.com/?p=74) In 1991, two young women went missing after visiting the abandoned Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis Missouri — a popular hang-out with local teens — with their cousin. The cousin told the police an impossible tale: that the girls had been pushed from the bridge, but he was ordered to jump by an unknown assailant and survived the nearly 80-foot fall into strong currents with no injuries and dry hair. The police were naturally skeptical of his account and, within hours, he confessed to killing the girls. Yet this man, who is white, has never spent a day in jail. Instead, the police arrested four local youths who were also on the bridge that night. Three of the young men, all African-American, received the death sentence. The fourth young man, who is white, received a 30-year sentence and will be eligible for parole soon. Reggie Clemons is one of the youths that received the death sentence; even though prosecutors conceded that Reggie neither pushed the women nor planned their deaths. The prosecutor simply theorized that Reggie was an “accomplice” even though there is no physical evidence linking Reggie to the crime for which he received the death penalty: no fingerprints, no DNA, no hair or fiber samples. Many of Reggie’s claims have never been heard in a court of law because of procedural rules that have barred the presentation of important evidence. After reviewing the evidence, two federal judges voted to overturn his death sentence and found that Reggie was denied a fair trial. But Reggie’s sentence of death remains. Both Amnesty International and the National NAACP have taken up his cause. The press conference I attended was held in front of the courthouse where Reggie was sentenced. Amnesty announced the release of their report on the case "USA: Model Criminal Justice? Death by Prosecutorial Misconduct and a 'Stacked' Jury.” A May 15^th Huffington Post piece By Laura Moye, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director at Amnesty International USA details pat of the report and Amnesty’s involvement in the case. I have been aware of this case for years. When asked why few Black activists attend traditional peace and anti-war movement events l explain that the activist are busy addressing issues that plagued our community long before the Iraq and Aghan wars. White peace activist seldom show up for Black struggles and there is no guarantee that ending the wars will do anything to end the immediate pressures facing the community. The Reggie Clemons death penalty case is a prime example of those struggles. The women killed in April 91 Julie and Robin Kerry were sisters. Their and Reggie’s families deserve justice. There has been more than enough pain.  You can help. Please read more here.