STOP COOPER'S EXECUTION-*ACT TODAY*!!!!

[gman]

Everyone please take a quick break from what you're doing and go to the other message board and find my post "Stop the Execution of Kevin Cooper". Action is required *RIGHT NOW*, tomorrow is too late, later today may be too late. All the info and numbers you need are in my posts, it won't take you but a couple of minutes to call, fax or e-mail the CA Attorney General, so if you're opposed to the racist death penalty, THERE IS NO EXCUSE NOT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT *RIGHT NOW*!!! Thanks.

[gman]

Only nine views of this topic?
I would've thought the *ACT TODAY* part of the message might have convinced people it was worth reading immediately.
Or would people rather debate endlessly about more abstract issues than take a minute or two to do something CONCRETE that might actually make a difference NOW?
Not accusing anybody, just asking a question.

[Ras_Legacy]

I got a few questions: First, I didn't see this post until 800 am today (2-11) and I see that Kevin Cooper is still breathin. Is there anything I can do to still help him out? I will become involved if i know what to do, so add my email to ya list and notify I!!!

Second, how many people out there are falsely accused and condemned to death? How many of our brethren are on death row falsely? How can ya tell if it is false accusations of Babylon or true evil in the heart of brethren?

[Bantu_Kelani]

Too bad no focus is being placed on the fact the foundation for the laws of the United Sates government enable the death, without challenge, of thousands of Africans and people of color. Many things show evidence of racism, as it chronic in the American society yet the cowardly white Africanist-denial lads go about telling that the Blacks who ask for justice based on the Law of the Supreme Court of the Unites Sates suffer from "Racist and Victim Mentality"? 40 percent of African American males are in the criminal justice system; either by being on probation, on parole or in prisons, many on Death Rows for years! There is a real problem! In NY State the rate of incarceration for women of color has gone up about 800%! Where is the outcry over that?? The fact is here. White males rule the world. As so, they run the U.S. and if you don't believe me, ask them! As a congressman in one southern stated was heard proclaiming I quote: "this is the white man's country our forefathers created this nation for the white man".

When are we going to wake up and realize that that white folks commit the vast majority of crimes in America, but on average are less likely to get the harsh punishment that Black and people of color get? Once again a Black man is going to be assassinated by the American Court although the record, education, and abilities of this Black man are flawless. So Cognitive Dissonance strikes again! It's a damn shame what these Republicans and Democrats are now going to make this PERFECTLY acceptable. Each of us who doesn't scream against these racism and slanderous assassinations of black people, and doesn't support Kevin Cooper, are standing on a thin layer that is cracked and breaking all around us. Cognitive dissonance indeed!

Thank you Gman for relating the event.  I emailed every sympathetic ear all over the world to bring Kevin Cooper to his or her attention.

Bantu Kelani.

[Oshun_Auset]

I e-mailed it out too, it might have been 9 qualitative views you got...people who notified others...

[gman]

For Ras Legacy and anyone else interested:
  Kevin Cooper has been granted a stay of execution and a review of some of the evidencin his case has been ordered. For more details go to http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/ (Campaign to End the Death Penalty). For specific ways you can get involved go to http://www.nodeathpenalty.org/getinv.html
and
http://www.savekevincooper.org (this wasn't working last I checked but it might be back up now).
It's important to keep the pressure on in this case. Without all the folks who called, e-mailed and demonstrated, Kevin Cooper would certainly be dead as we speak. NUFF RESPECK TO ALL WHO E-MAILED, and sorry to sound all self-righteous and accusatory in my message- I don't do enough about these issues myself so I have no right to be self-righteous.
I got e-mail about the case from the AWOL magazine listserve. e-mail Mario Africa (mario@objector.org) and he'll put you on the list. Mario is a member of the MOVE organization who were bombed by the Philly police on May 13, 1985, when 11 men, women and children were burned to death by a C-4 bomb. 9 MOVE members have been imprisoned since 1978 on completely trumped-up charges (one, Merle Africa, passed on in prison in 1998). For more info about MOVE, go to http://www.onamove.org   And for updates on Mumia Abu-Jamal's case and to read his articles, go to http://www.mumia.org
Lastly, AWOL magazine is a great project published from Philly and focusing on anti-militarism and related issues. Each issue also contains a CD with all types of music, poetry, etc. They need people to submit articles and music and they need folks to distribute the mag. Go to http://awol.objector.org/   (I'll also post that on the arts & music section and on the other message board later).
To reply to your other question (briefly cos I have to run): To judge from the amount of people who have been released after years on death row due to new evidence being uncovered, etc, you figure there must be many more who have been put to death and many more awaiting death. Some cases are very clear-cut, like Mumia's for example. He's innocent and even if he was 'guilty', he would be 'guilty' of defending his little brother from a cop engaged in beating him over the head with a metal flashlight, a potentially deadly weapon. Other cases are shadowy and of course in some cases people really are guilty. But the only way to ensure no one innocent gets put to death is to entirely eliminate the racist, classist death penalty. The gov't is the biggest murderer of all and has no right to put anyone to death, guilty or innocent.

[gman]

Re the above message: Merle Africa passed on in prison in 1998. Somehow the 8 got replaced by a smiley face. Obviously it ain't nothing to smile about.

[Ayinde]

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[gman]

Thanks Ayinde.

[livelyup]

Greetings all,

i have just checked the kevin cooper web site and it is back up and running as of this morning (australian time..). It has an article from the socialist worker dated 13 Feb which outlines what seems to be the latest information. There has also been a reasonable amount of press coverage of the case as far away as here. ther has been something of a growing intrest on the part of the australian press in the often racist and flawed application of the death penalty in the US. This is something of a change as usually people being executed in other countries barely rate a few lines on a slow day.

Pressure has an effect, however gradual it may be..

love and life
paul

[Ras_Legacy]

Thank u for the links to the Kevin Cooper sites. I will become more involved. I think it is sad that these stories are not shared more often. On some television shows on CourtTV, they show people who have been saved from death because of new DNA evidence, but these people are seldom people of color. Hopefully, there will be more activism around these cases!
Thanks again for the info!

Legacy