Post by CCADP on Aug 27, 2005 20:30:47 GMT -5
Advocates race against time----Volunteer group that wants to save death
row inmate Frances Newton cranks up efforts
Frances Newton has lived on death row for nearly 17 years.
Those who want to save her life have 2 1/2 weeks left.
"We're under a time deadline," local activist Gloria Rubac acknowledged
this week. "With Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham, executed in 2000 after an
intense, high-profile campaign to spare his life) we worked for years and
years. We're contacting people who can help. Whether we get them or not,
we are going to proceed.
"We're doing stuff as fast as we can."
Newton, 40, faces lethal injection Sept. 14 for the murders in 1987 of her
husband and two children. As her attorneys press her case to appeals
judges and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, a volunteer group known
as the Committee to Free Frances Newton is anxiously trying to get a
high-profile person, such as actor Danny Glover, social activist Bianca
Jagger or the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to lend their name to the movement.
Rubac said the committee didn't start working on the case until late last
summer, when Newton's family approached members of the local anti-death
penalty movement. At the time, Newton faced a December execution date.
Gov. Rick Perry eventually granted her a short reprieve to have some
evidence retested.
Public displays
As the legal efforts continue, the volunteers are taking the case to the
court of public opinion. They held a protest Monday in downtown Houston
and plan to march in Austin today. Collectively, nearly 4,000 letters,
faxes and e-mails, overwhelmingly opposed to the execution, have already
landed in the governor's office.
But unlike some previous high-profile Texas cases - from Graham to
Clarence Brandley, who was freed from death row in 1990, to the media
frenzy surrounding Karla Faye Tucker's execution in 1998 - the Newton saga
has yet to capture much public attention.
"I don't know what it is, but this case doesn't appear to be attracting
the kind of passion," said Texas Southern University political scientist
Sanders Anderson. "In the case of Clarence Brandley, there were people
wearing T-shirts to junior high school saying 'Don't Let a Good Man Die.'
The (Newton) effort seems to be coming late and is smaller."
Newton was convicted of capital murder in the April 1987 slayings of her
husband, Adrian Newton, 23, and their children, Alton, 7, and Farrah, 21
months. Prosecutors argued money was a motive, showing that Newton had
purchased life insurance policies for herself, her husband and children
just 3 weeks before the killings.
Newton's defense centered on her husband's drug-dealing, suggesting he and
the children were killed over a drug debt.
Short notice
The Rev. Michael P. Williams was approached just a few months ago. He got
a note shortly before service one Sunday morning at Joy Tabernacle from
supporters wanting a chance to tell the congregation about the case.
Williams had never met Jewel Nelms, Newton's mother, or anyone else
affiliated with efforts to stop the approaching execution. In the privacy
of his study, he was persuaded to let the advocates address the
congregation and leave their literature.
"Who wouldn't hear a mother's plea? I think people were deeply moved by
the mother's appeal and sense that her daughter had not received justice,"
said Williams, who recalled that a large number of parishioners raised
their hands to get more information about the case. "There was a sense
that she deserved another trial."
Public demonstrations, especially when an inmate proclaims innocence, are
common in the anti-death penalty movement. In the case of Brandley, who
spent almost a decade on death row, they proved to be helpful. But the
marches, rallies and Hollywood celebrities weren't enough to save Graham a
decade later.
Modern technology
What the Newton activists lack in time, or profile, they are making up for
by using technology unavailable during those earlier efforts.
Homemade signs, massive phone lists and bullhorns were once the hallmarks
of their demonstrations. Today, Internet users can visit
www.freefrances.org to find flattering pictures of Newton, future public
events and information on how to donate money.
At Monday's midmorning vigil outside the Harris County Criminal Justice
Center, volunteers handed out color postcards addressed to the governor's
office. They also are promoting a DVD about the case that can be
purchased.
Activist Njeri Shakur recalled the campaign to save Graham.
Attracts newcomers
"All we had was our voices, and we were learning the fax machine. We were
relying on phone trees. It was a lot of footwork," she said. "Now, with a
simple e-mail, the message can be picked up and sent from country to
country. We are more sophisticated."
The movement also has attracted newcomers such as Nadine Morandi, whose
demonstration experience had been limited to a few war protests. Now, she
has handed out postcards at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and she plans to
attend the Austin rally today.
"We have so little time, we have to give it all the time we have," she
said. "It's important to let her know that people care about her."
"I'm a firm believer in the power of public opinion," said Massoud Nayeri,
another newcomer to the anti-death penalty movement. "It's like Cindy
Sheehan (of the ongoing anti-war protest in Crawford). She's speaking from
the heart for all mothers. We're doing the same for Frances."
RESOURCES
The approach of Frances Newton's scheduled Sept. 14 execution has sparked
interest from a variety of sources.
- Web site: www.freefrances.org
- March and rally: 2 p.m. today in Austin
- Texans speak out: Through Friday, Gov. Rick Perry's office had received
1,806 pieces of correspondence from Texas, all opposed to the execution.
- From other states and internatinally: The governor's office had received
2,281 pieces of correspondence, all opposing it.
(source: Houston Chronicle)
row inmate Frances Newton cranks up efforts
Frances Newton has lived on death row for nearly 17 years.
Those who want to save her life have 2 1/2 weeks left.
"We're under a time deadline," local activist Gloria Rubac acknowledged
this week. "With Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham, executed in 2000 after an
intense, high-profile campaign to spare his life) we worked for years and
years. We're contacting people who can help. Whether we get them or not,
we are going to proceed.
"We're doing stuff as fast as we can."
Newton, 40, faces lethal injection Sept. 14 for the murders in 1987 of her
husband and two children. As her attorneys press her case to appeals
judges and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, a volunteer group known
as the Committee to Free Frances Newton is anxiously trying to get a
high-profile person, such as actor Danny Glover, social activist Bianca
Jagger or the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to lend their name to the movement.
Rubac said the committee didn't start working on the case until late last
summer, when Newton's family approached members of the local anti-death
penalty movement. At the time, Newton faced a December execution date.
Gov. Rick Perry eventually granted her a short reprieve to have some
evidence retested.
Public displays
As the legal efforts continue, the volunteers are taking the case to the
court of public opinion. They held a protest Monday in downtown Houston
and plan to march in Austin today. Collectively, nearly 4,000 letters,
faxes and e-mails, overwhelmingly opposed to the execution, have already
landed in the governor's office.
But unlike some previous high-profile Texas cases - from Graham to
Clarence Brandley, who was freed from death row in 1990, to the media
frenzy surrounding Karla Faye Tucker's execution in 1998 - the Newton saga
has yet to capture much public attention.
"I don't know what it is, but this case doesn't appear to be attracting
the kind of passion," said Texas Southern University political scientist
Sanders Anderson. "In the case of Clarence Brandley, there were people
wearing T-shirts to junior high school saying 'Don't Let a Good Man Die.'
The (Newton) effort seems to be coming late and is smaller."
Newton was convicted of capital murder in the April 1987 slayings of her
husband, Adrian Newton, 23, and their children, Alton, 7, and Farrah, 21
months. Prosecutors argued money was a motive, showing that Newton had
purchased life insurance policies for herself, her husband and children
just 3 weeks before the killings.
Newton's defense centered on her husband's drug-dealing, suggesting he and
the children were killed over a drug debt.
Short notice
The Rev. Michael P. Williams was approached just a few months ago. He got
a note shortly before service one Sunday morning at Joy Tabernacle from
supporters wanting a chance to tell the congregation about the case.
Williams had never met Jewel Nelms, Newton's mother, or anyone else
affiliated with efforts to stop the approaching execution. In the privacy
of his study, he was persuaded to let the advocates address the
congregation and leave their literature.
"Who wouldn't hear a mother's plea? I think people were deeply moved by
the mother's appeal and sense that her daughter had not received justice,"
said Williams, who recalled that a large number of parishioners raised
their hands to get more information about the case. "There was a sense
that she deserved another trial."
Public demonstrations, especially when an inmate proclaims innocence, are
common in the anti-death penalty movement. In the case of Brandley, who
spent almost a decade on death row, they proved to be helpful. But the
marches, rallies and Hollywood celebrities weren't enough to save Graham a
decade later.
Modern technology
What the Newton activists lack in time, or profile, they are making up for
by using technology unavailable during those earlier efforts.
Homemade signs, massive phone lists and bullhorns were once the hallmarks
of their demonstrations. Today, Internet users can visit
www.freefrances.org to find flattering pictures of Newton, future public
events and information on how to donate money.
At Monday's midmorning vigil outside the Harris County Criminal Justice
Center, volunteers handed out color postcards addressed to the governor's
office. They also are promoting a DVD about the case that can be
purchased.
Activist Njeri Shakur recalled the campaign to save Graham.
Attracts newcomers
"All we had was our voices, and we were learning the fax machine. We were
relying on phone trees. It was a lot of footwork," she said. "Now, with a
simple e-mail, the message can be picked up and sent from country to
country. We are more sophisticated."
The movement also has attracted newcomers such as Nadine Morandi, whose
demonstration experience had been limited to a few war protests. Now, she
has handed out postcards at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and she plans to
attend the Austin rally today.
"We have so little time, we have to give it all the time we have," she
said. "It's important to let her know that people care about her."
"I'm a firm believer in the power of public opinion," said Massoud Nayeri,
another newcomer to the anti-death penalty movement. "It's like Cindy
Sheehan (of the ongoing anti-war protest in Crawford). She's speaking from
the heart for all mothers. We're doing the same for Frances."
RESOURCES
The approach of Frances Newton's scheduled Sept. 14 execution has sparked
interest from a variety of sources.
- Web site: www.freefrances.org
- March and rally: 2 p.m. today in Austin
- Texans speak out: Through Friday, Gov. Rick Perry's office had received
1,806 pieces of correspondence from Texas, all opposed to the execution.
- From other states and internatinally: The governor's office had received
2,281 pieces of correspondence, all opposing it.
(source: Houston Chronicle)