OFFICIAL NANCY LOCKHART .com

What To Do When Your AZZ Get's Locked Up - Escape? No?

2012-01-28T15:32:00.001-05:00

List of Pardons Included Many Tied to Power

2012-01-27T21:46:00.001-05:00

The New York Times

January 27, 2012

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and STEPHANIE SAUL

James Patterson For The New York Times

Wayne Harris, and his bulldog, Hotty Toddy,

outside of Harris' service station on Main Street

in Calhoun City in January. Mr. Harris who served

time on a marijuana conviction was recently pardoned

by outgoing Governor Haley Barbour.

JACKSON, Miss. — On a Saturday night in October 1995, a blue Toyota came hurtling down the wrong side of a county road in North Mississippi and crashed head-on into a pickup truck. Scotty Plunk, the driver of the truck, was killed. The driver of the Toyota, 19-year-old Joel Vann, had been drinking so much that he did not remember the accident.

Mr. Vann pleaded guilty to “D.U.I.-death,” and in lieu of jail attended a residential treatment program. This month he was one of 198 people pardoned by Mississippi’s governor, Haley Barbour, as he left office.

It is unclear what persuaded the governor to pardon Mr. Vann; his clemency application contains glowing references and a case study. But the letter to the governor from Mr. Vann’s father, the brother-in-law of a former Republican state committee member and contributor to Mr. Barbour, had a familiar tone.

“All is well in Corinth, and as you may know, we have two new Republican aldermen,” the letter said. It traced Mr. Vann’s path from rehabilitation through college, marriage and fatherhood before asking for “your consideration to grant Joel a pardon at the most appropriate time.”

Amy Plunk, meanwhile, said that her family had never recovered from her brother’s death. Of the mercy shown Mr. Vann, she added: “The Vanns are real prominent in the Corinth community. That’s what I suspect.”

In the furor over Mr. Barbour’s pardons — he issued 10 times as many as his four predecessors combined — beneficiaries like Mr. Vann have been overshadowed by others with higher profiles. Among them were four murderers who worked at the Governor’s Mansion and Brett Favre’s brother, who killed a friend in a drunken-driving accident.

A close look at some of the clemency applications of the nearly 200 others who were pardoned reveals that a significant share contained appeals from members of prominent Mississippi families, major Republican donors or others from the higher social strata of Mississippi life.

The governor erased records or suspended the sentences of at least 10 felons who had been students at the University of Mississippi or Mississippi State when they were arrested, including at least three who killed people while driving drunk and several others charged with selling cocaine, ecstasy and other drugs. Another pardon went to the grandson of a couple who once lived near Mr. Barbour’s family in his hometown, Yazoo City.

One beneficiary, Burton Waldon, killed an 8-month-old boy in an alcohol-induced crash in 2001. Mr. Waldon, a high school senior at the time, pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence. He is a member of the prominent Hill Brothers Construction Company family, big-money political donors who give mostly to Republicans, including Mr. Barbour. An uncle of Mr. Waldon, Kenneth W. Hill Sr., sought and received a pardon from President George W. Bush in 2006, erasing a federal income tax conviction.

Mr. Barbour declined to comment on the pardons, but a spokeswoman said that every application had been treated alike. “If you were poor or rich, you were told to go through the parole board process,” said the spokeswoman, Laura Hipp.

Ms. Hipp said that in roughly 95 percent of the cases, the governor went along with the majority recommendation of the five-member parole board he had appointed to review the requests. In some cases, the governor granted pardons that the board unanimously opposed. Grants of clemency are solely at the governor’s discretion, and he is not obligated to give his reasoning.

Many of those pardoned appear to have no special connections. Others with political ties made persuasive cases that they had led chastened lives and earned a second chance. Applications contained letters from pastors, teachers and counselors attesting to genuine redemption.

Yet in a state with the highest poverty rate in the nation, where nearly 70 percent of convicts are black, official redemption appears to have been attained disproportionately by white people and the well connected.

In some of the appeals for clemency, personal connections to Mr. Barbour were unabashedly made. “Maggi and I wanted to begin by thanking you and Marsha for a lovely and special lunch at the Mansion last Tuesday,” began a letter to the governor by a family friend of Doug Hindman, one pardon applicant. “It was very interesting to see the historical quilt upstairs.”

Mr. Hindman, the son of a cardiologist from Jackson, was arrested in 2006 after exchanging hundreds of sexually explicit messages with an undercover officer posing as an under-age girl.

The historical inequities in Mississippi justice have been chronicled by journalists and fictionalized by novelists from Faulkner to Grisham. Even today, prison terms for the same crime can vary significantly from one part of the state to another.

Mississippi’s pardon system, like those in other states, rewards applicants who have both the financial means and the connections to seek reprieves aggressively. According to the parole board, the board reviewed slightly more than 500 pardon applications during Mr. Barbour’s two terms in office, and he granted some form of clemency more than 40 percent of the time.

Many of the applications contain the type of recommendations that a poor person could be hard-pressed to collect: character references from state legislators or local elected officials.

In impoverished Tallahatchie County, Kenneth Byars provides a case in point. He is serving 33 years in prison for growing eight pounds of marijuana. Mr. Byars has been in custody for 14 years, and his earliest possible release date is 2018.

He filed for a pardon a decade ago, but said he never received a reply. The cost — nearly $1,000 and paid by his mother — kept him from reapplying this time. “My momma doesn’t get nothing but a little Social Security check,” Mr. Byars said. “I wasn’t going to put that on her again.”

Sheriff William Brewer of Tallahatchie County, who supports Mr. Byars’s release, said that Mr. Byars lacked an advocate.

The pardon application itself is simple, according to Hiram Eastland Jr., a lawyer in Greenwood, Miss., who said that everyone had access to the system. Even so, Mr. Eastland said that it was preferable to have a lawyer.

Mr. Eastland, a cousin of James O. Eastland, the powerful Democrat who served as a United States senator for 36 years until his retirement in 1978, handled three petitions, including that of Wayne Harris, a convenience store owner from Calhoun City who said he had difficulty coming up with the money to pay Mr. Eastland’s fee, which he said was $10,000. Like Mr. Byars, Mr. Harris was sentenced on a marijuana charge. Mr. Harris received letters from both the sheriff-elect and the mayor, and his petition proved successful.

Mr. Eastland’s two other clients — both serving time on murder charges — did not receive pardons, a fact that Mr. Eastland said proved that Mr. Barbour was not playing favorites.

“I know his heart,” Mr. Eastland said. “He’s really sincere when he says people deserve second chances. He granted one and denied two, as close as we are.”

In other cases, applicants relied on someone who had the connections they lacked. The file of one man, who had participated in the gang rape of a 17-year-old in 1976 , included a reference letter from his employer, a large donor to Mr. Barbour and other Republicans.

The applicant received a pardon, as did two young men who robbed a grocery store at gunpoint in 1997. While their post-prison lives appear to be commendable — one is studying for a degree in mechanical engineering at Ole Miss — their petition was reinforced by a letter from Bob Dunlap, a major donor to the Republican Party.

“Please tell Uncle Haley that one of my few talents is my ability to judge people,” read the letter on their behalf, sent to one of Mr. Barbour’s nephews at his lobbying firm in Jackson.

The victims of the crimes are unmoved by these interventions.

“As for my family,” wrote one woman in a hand-written letter to the parole board, “we as a family say no forgiveness.”

She was referring to Eldridge Bonds, known as Bubba, who in 2003 pleaded no contest to forcible sexual battery of her 14-year-old daughter in the field house of South Panola High School, where he was a popular assistant coach.

Mr. Bonds, who said in an interview that he regretted agreeing to the plea deal, included in his clemency application dozens of letters praising his character. Some were from family friends, others from former colleagues at South Panola and one, dated 2003, from the dean of the University of Mississippi’s School of Education, who said “anybody who knows Bubba does not believe that he would have ever done what the student said he did.”

Mr. Bonds pointed out in his own letter that he was the nephew of “one of the largest cotton farmers in Mississippi,” Don Waller, who also wrote a letter on his behalf. Mr. Waller is the brother of William L. Waller, a former governor who died in November.

John Champion, the district attorney, said that knowing Mr. Bonds’s family, “I suspected all along that they were going to attempt to get him a pardon.” He added, “I know that he has political connections.”

The parole board voted unanimously against his pardon, but Mr. Bonds was granted one nonetheless. “She don’t want to talk about it,” said the father of the girl at the center of the case.

Of all the pardons issued by Mr. Barbour, the case involving Harry R. Bostick, first disclosed by a blogger in Oxford, Miss., Tom Freeland, may be the most confounding.

Mr. Bostick, a former criminal investigator for the I.R.S., was sentenced in May 2010 for his third drunken driving offense — a felony — and ordered into treatment.

Several former government lawyers and law enforcement officers who worked with him on federal tax prosecutions submitted letters on his behalf. In one, a former United States attorney, Jim Greenlee, argued that Mr. Bostick had reversed his destructive course of conduct. “He now fits the criteria and meets the human factors that make his pardon a wise decision,” Mr. Greenlee wrote.

In October, Mr. Bostick, 55, was arrested again for drunken driving, this time in an accident that left an 18-year-old waitress dead. The waitress, Charity Smith, was working at Cracker Barrel to save money for college. On a Friday night, her Buick collided with Mr. Bostick’s truck.

Mr. Bostick was charged with his fourth D.U.I. On Jan. 10, he was pardoned for his prior felony D.U.I. by Mr. Barbour.

“What Haley Barbour has done has just killed us,” said Mary Ruth Ellis, 83, a neighbor and surrogate grandmother to Ms. Smith, a painter and writer. “Why was that man on the road? This is the failure of our law enforcement, in my opinion.”

Alain Delaquérière and Lisa Schwartz contributed research.

My Personal Position on Former Governor Haley Barbour, Pardons and The Scott Sisters

2012-01-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

On March 2011 the Associated Press reported that Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour told The Associated Press on Thursday he doesn't plan to pardon two sisters he released from prison earlier this year on the condition that one donates a kidney to the other.

Barbour, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, was asked what he'll say to a pardon request that the attorney for Jamie and Gladys Scott plans to file Friday.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Barbour responded.

Asked to elaborate on the possibility of a pardon, Barbour told the AP: "Tell `em don't save any space in the newspaper for that to be announced." Click below for entire story -

"Tell `em don't save any space in the newspaper for that to be announced."

Governor ' Haley Barbour Of Mississippi Calls Himself A Big Fat Red Neck

With all of this being said - I'm not understanding why anyone would have assumed that Governor Barbour would pardon the sisters. Additionally, I cannot understand why any legal professional would have encouraged their hopes. It saddens me to constantly hear that Gladys cried when she learned that they did not make the list.

It's ludicrous - Barbour said time and time again that he would NOT grant The Scott Sisters A Pardon. The former governor is a Republican for God's sake - he means what he says. I totally understand the sister's personal feelings and I hold deep sympathy for the situation, however; they have been bamboozled.

Mrs. Evelyn Rasco - the mother of Jamie and Gladys Scott contacted me for assistance in gaining freedom for her daughters. Mrs. Rasco and I created a global movement for the sisters. In other words we gained support from around the world.

In 2011, after years of working on the case, a group of prominent attorneys came forth to take their cases back to court for an exoneration. This group did not include the attorney representing them currently and the sisters opted NOT to seek this path. They seemed very assured and very reassured that they would receive a pardon.

The results unfortunately, are an indefinite suspension which is Life On Parole, Parole for Life or Paper Until They Die.

While on parole for life - fees must be paid every month. They are at VERY HIGH RISK of being thrown back into the penitentiary. One has to stop and wonder how they will survive with felonious criminal records? What employers hire felons during these oppressed economic times? Very few employers are hiring non felons. Furthermore; the sisters are Innocent!!!

At this juncture a team of well known, seasoned attorneys with experience in pardons - Hollywood actors and actresses - may gain the attention that is needed for a Pardon Based On Innocence. If this team is assembled now - there may be success in 8 years. A Pardon Based on Innocence is Very different from a full pardon. A full pardon as currently requested, claims guilt. The sisters are innocent.

The New Governor Phil Bryant has stated the following

Bryant's spokesman Mick Bullock said in an email that, "Governor Bryant has no intentions to pardon anyone." Click the link below for the entire story.

Governor Phil Bryant has no intentions to pardon anyone

Copyright © 2012 Nancy Lockhart

From Black Agenda Report - What to Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up: A Review

2012-01-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

What to Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up: A Review

Wed, 01/04/2012 - 01:42 — The G-Man

by The G-ManWith the U.S. in its fifth decade of mass Black incarceration, and preventive detention for American citizens now codified into law, it’s way past time for every person of color or political dissident to get prepared to “meet The Man.” A crusading legal analyst and activist has written a book that could serve as a first line of defense. Her advice: “Never feel that you can negotiate with the police. Keep your mouth shut!”

What to Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up: A Reviewby the G-ManThis article originally appeared in From The G Man.“I am an advocate for lowering the bar on mass incarceration and raising the bar on legal education in our communities.”

An exclusive interview by The G-ManNancy Lockhart, M.J., is a non-attorney legal analyst with a sincere passion for researching and publicizing grave issues of injustice and wrongful convictions. Lockhart is most notably recognized for her work in the Scott Sisters case. Her relentless petitioning and long-term involvement in the controversial case played a major role in having Gladys and Jamie Scott released.Lockhart created and spearheaded a grass-roots campaign along with Evelyn Rasco, the mother of the Scott sisters, in her quest for justice. The movement became a viral, global phenomenon via social networking and field organizing -- combining creative planning with online and off-line strategies.

Additionally, Lockhart launched the Compassionate Medical Release petition on behalf of Patricia Wright and others, as well as assisted in negotiating structured plea bargains. Wright, who was incarcerated in 1998 after being convicted of killing her husband, with no evidence or motive linking her to the crime, was diagnosed with fourth-stage terminal cancer while serving her sentence.

Lockhart holds a Masters of Jurisprudence from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. While attending, she supported herself by working as a consultant for the RainbowPUSH Coalition. It was at PUSH that she initially began championing the cause of the Scott Sisters.Upon graduating from the university and leaving PUSH, Lockhart continued to seek justice on behalf of the Scott Sisters. Her efforts proved successful when Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended their life sentence with the stipulation that Gladys, then 36, give Jamie, who was 38, one of her kidneys. The sisters were released in January of 2011.

From The G-Man recently conducted an exclusive interview with Lockhart to discuss her new book "Locked Up - What to Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up", a book that she believes will be crucially important to every American in the future.

G-Man:You were instrumental in the Scott Sisters case. Could you elaborate on why you decided to become a legal advocate for the sisters and their family?

Lockhart: Allow me to state this, emphatically. Advocating for the Scott Sisters was simply the right thing to do. I championed their cause because no one else had done so and apparently, no one else would. Mrs. Rasco – the mother of The Scott Sisters – was actually my first contact with the case. She fought tirelessly for 11 years (at that time) and after researching everything that she shared with me, I found that she told the truth about the trumped up charges. I realized that she was poor financially but, very rich in spirit and determination. Mrs. Rasco cared for their children when she could have easily placed them in foster care, all of which motivated me to research the case of her daughters.

G-Man: Did the case, ultimately, play a role in your decision to write the book?

Lockhart: Ultimately, the case did play a large role in my decision to write the book. I consistently receive numerous requests from individuals nationwide who unfortunately have criminal, legal issues. I was inspired by those numerous requests.

G-Man: What was the most difficult aspect of writing "Locked Up"?

Lockhart: The most difficult aspect of writing this volume was narrowing the information. What To Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up is the first in a Locked Up series. I will continue to address those issues affecting poor people, and minorities. Justice is expensive – I am an advocate for lowering the bar on mass incarceration and raising the bar on legal education in our communities. With the appropriate education, negative statistics decrease.

G-Man: Without giving too much away, can you discuss one thing people should do immediately if they're jailed?

Lockhart: Never feel that you can negotiate with the police. Keep your mouth shut! Talk only when your lawyer is present. This starts with being arrested and when jailed.

G-Man: Having spent many years as a legal analyst, what have you found to be the most disturbing and shocking element of the court system?

Lockhart: One case in particular. A young man (juvenile) was offered a plea deal to avoid a life sentence. No one was murdered. The bargain was 125 years. He is currently incarcerated. The shocking and disturbing elements for me currently are the egregious plea deals and excessive sentences.

G-Man: Do you address this issue in your book?

Lockhart: This issue is addressed, but will be elaborated on fully in the third volume of the series.

G-Man: To date, what experience or case would you cite as an absolute travesty of justice and why?

Lockhart: The Troy Davis case. There was absolutely too much doubt in Troy's case to murder him.

G-Man: Based on your knowledge and observations, regarding the rate of incarceration, do Black males or Black females face the greatest danger?

Lockhart: I believe that Black males face the greatest danger of mass incarceration although; there is a steady increase in Black women and both males and females of Hispanic decent.

G-Man: As you may be well aware, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide if juveniles should be prosecuted as adults. What is your view, particularly where heinous acts are concerned?

Lockhart: I believe that most juveniles (and adults) can be rehabilitated. On the other hand, I do not believe that proper rehabilitation exists in our country.

G-Man: The U.S. House of Representatives just passed a bill, S. 1867, which grants the president and U.S. military complete authority to arrest and indefinitely detain anyone suspected of being a terrorist or having links to terrorist organizations, including U.S. citizens, without due process. If this bill is signed into law by President Obama, would the information in your book still be applicable under the new law?

Lockhart: The information in the Locked Up series will be needed more than ever to assist in preventing wrongful convictions.

Sign Petition For Patricia Spottedcrow

2012-01-02T11:35:00.001-05:00

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

A Very Sad And Foolish Death - One Of The Many Reasons Our Youth Should Read Locked Up - What To Do When Your AZZ Get's Locked Up By Nancy Lockhart

2011-12-20T09:57:00.010-05:00

Younger Brother Eats Cocaine In Police Car So That Older Brother Wouldn't Have To Take The Charge And Go To Prison

Video Credits - Channel 4 Charleston, South Carolina

Grassroots Organizing In The Trenches: From The G-Man: "Locked Up" The Book

2011-12-16T00:29:00.000-05:00

Grassroots Organizing In The Trenches: From The G-Man: "Locked Up" The Book

From The G-Man: "Locked Up" The Book

2011-12-16T00:02:00.005-05:00

Thursday, December 15, 2011
'Locked Up': The Book Every American Must Read

Lockhart: "The Information in the Book is Needed More Than Ever to Assist in Preventing Wrongful Convictions"

A FROM THE G-MAN EXCLUSIVE

Nancy Lockhart, M.J., is a non-attorney legal analyst with a sincere passion for researching and publicizing grave issues of injustice and wrongful convictions. Lockhart is most notably recognized for her work in the Scott Sisters case. Her relentless petitioning and long-term involvement in the controversial case played a major role in having Gladys and Jamie Scott released.
Lockhart created and spearheaded a grass-roots campaign along with Evelyn Rasco, the mother of the Scott sisters, in her quest for justice. The movement became a viral, global phenomenon via social networking and field organizing -- combining creative planning with online and off-line strategies.

Additionally, Lockhart launched the Compassionate Medical Release petition on behalf of Patricia Wright and others, as well as assisted in negotiating structured plea bargains. Wright, who was incarcerated in 1998 after being convicted of killing her husband, with no evidence or motive linking her to the crime, was diagnosed with fourth-stage terminal cancer while serving her sentence.

Lockhart holds a Masters of Jurisprudence from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. While attending, she supported herself by working as a consultant for the RainbowPUSH Coalition. It was at PUSH that she initially began championing the cause of the Scott Sisters.

Upon graduating from the university and leaving PUSH, Lockhart continued to seek justice on behalf of the Scott Sisters. Her efforts proved successful when Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended their life sentence with the stipulation that Gladys, then 36, give Jamie, who was 38, one of her kidneys. The sisters were released in January of 2011.
From The G-Man recently conducted an exclusive interview with Lockhart to discuss her new book "Locked Up - What to Do When Your AZZ Gets Locked Up", a book that she believes will be crucially important to every American in the future.

G-Man: You were instrumental in the Scott Sisters case. Could you elaborate on why you decided to become a legal advocate for the sisters and their family?
Lockhart: Allow me to state this, emphatically. Advocating for the Scott Sisters was simply the right thing to do. I championed their cause because no one else had done so and apparently, no one else would. Mrs. Rasco - the mother of The Scott Sisters - was actually my first contact with the case. She fought tirelessly for 11 years (at that time) and after researching everything that she shared with me, I found that she told the truth about the trumped up charges. I realized that she was poor financially but, very rich in spirit and determination. Mrs. Rasco cared for their children when she could have easily placed them in foster care, all of which motivated me to research the case of her daughters.

G-Man: Did the case, ultimately, play a role in your decision to write the book?

Lockhart: Ultimately, the case did play a large role in my decision to write the book. I consistently receive numerous requests from individuals nationwide who unfortunately have criminal, legal issues. I was inspired by those numerous requests.

Sarah Kruzan - Please Sign

2011-12-03T00:15:00.000-05:00

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

Christine Persaud

2011-12-01T19:44:00.001-05:00

Show your support and attend the hearing of Christine Persuad on December 16th at 9am. 271 Cadman Plaza East. Brooklyn NY 11201, Judge Elizabeth Stong, 3rd Floor.

Persaud needs to have her day in court. She won the appeal. The court of appeals agrees that Persaud should have her day in court but the trustee does not.
The trustee fraudulently entered Liberty Home Care on November 30th 2011 and demanded the account password to see the account balance.

Black Star News States that - Persaud points to the history of the case and contends there is no need to even place the businesses, Caring Home Care and Liberty Care under the care of a Trustee. Caring Home Care currently generates about $35 million in revenue, Persaud, who founded the business, contends.

On February 8 this year, an intruder entered Persaud's residential building and kicked on her door in an apparent bid, she says, to harm her or intimidate her. Persaud believes the invasion, caught on the building's security camera is connected to her case and describes the person as a possible "hitman." She reported the matter to police. She has offered a $5,000 reward for information about the intruder.
http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7802/2011-11-21.html

Please Attend New York Hearing November 28th, 2011

2011-11-27T18:12:00.002-05:00

Attention New York: Please Attend the hearing of Christine Persaud and show your support.
The case will be heard at 9AM at 360 Adams Street, in Brooklyn, on the 3rd floor before Elizabeth S. Stong, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of New York. "On this day the judge will make a decision whether to send the case to a lower court or to have a Trustee run the business," says the business woman, Christine Persaud. "The best thing would be for the judge to return the business to me."

Listen to internet radio with TheNancyLockhartShow on Blog Talk Radio

Dying Woman's Family Fights To Free Her From Prison

2011-11-01T13:39:00.006-04:00

Dying woman's family fights to free her from prison
By Charlene Muhammad -National Correspondent- | Last updated: Nov 1, 2011 - 12:47:54 PM

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (FinalCall.com) - The family of a dying woman serving her 14th year of a life without the possibility of parole sentence continues its struggle to free her, hoping for clemency by Gov. Jerry Brown or an appeals court decision.

The case is an example of how the state's Three Strikes law fails defendants and the legally blind woman never received a fair hearing, according to family and supporters.

Patricia Wright has terminal cancer. Her family's efforts, support from national and state advocates, and recommendations for release by the prison warden and medical director have not resulted in release from the Central California Women's Facility. She was jailed on a felony conviction for murder and had two prior felony theft convictions. She has maintained her innocence.

The murder conviction was the result of prosecution for the death of her husband, and makes her ineligible for medical release. The family says they were told the three felonies prohibit her release on humanitarian grounds.

Two felony charges were lodged against her after her then seven-year-old son walked out of a model home with two toys. That incident resulted in two felony theft convictions—one for each of the cheap toys, said her sister.

A family torn apart

“It's hard for me to see my sister when I know what she used to look like. She tries to laugh but when I see her, she's real weak and in a wheelchair. She asks me when I talk to her every day, ‘What has the governor said, now?'” stated Arletta Wright, a staunch advocate for her sister.

Arletta Wright says her sister was railroaded and failed by the criminal justice system. The governor says he would need recommendations from state high court justices to grant clemency, says the family spokesperson. The fight to free Patricia Wright, however, requires a more aggressive defense but the family can't afford a private attorney.Still their hope lies in an appeal at the Ninth Circuit Court level.

“What comes to mind when I think about it is this woman is ravaged by cancer.It's costing the prison a lot of money, and there are grounds for granting the release,” said Geri Silva, executive director of Families to Amend California's Three Strikes Law in Los Angeles.

The Innocence Project has taken on Patricia's case and is investigating whether she was wrongly convicted. Her plight has garnered support from Dr. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, executive director of the Association In Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted; Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP; Michelle Alexander, author and head of NAACP Legal Redress with the Madera, Calif. NAACP; and Pastor Sherman Mitchell of the Victorville, Calif. Branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The advocacy groups believe Patricia Wright's constitutional and civil rights were violated.

All of the organizations have either written letters in support of her appeal or asked the Innocence Project to investigate the case.

Nancy Lockhart, activist and author of “A Guide to Grassroots Organizing in Support of the Wrongfully Convicted,” posted a petition to free Ms. Wright on change.org, an online advocacy platform. She usually does not get involved in cases without thoroughly researching them herself, but the Innocence Project's involvement prompted her support.

“What really caught my attention was that Patricia was in stage four cancer. I felt she was innocent of the charge of murder and I felt there was a greater urgency to have her released so she could die at home with her family or get better medical treatment,” Ms. Lockhart said.

Prosecutors have argued Patricia Wright received a fair trial, was convicted, and should remain in prison.

“I would prefer, instead of Gov. Brown giving us a cold shoulder and being evasive, that he comes out and tells us, ‘I don't want to do it,' ” Arletta Wright told The Final Call.

On Oct. 11, Riverside County Judge Becky Dugan denied a motion to reduce the theft convictions to misdemeanors, which would have made way for a medical pardon.

“My sister is dying of breast cancer.She has four tumors in her brain. She just wants to come home and die in peace with her children and grand kids,” pled an emotional Arletta Wright, before Judge Dugan ruled.

“In May 2010, doctors gave Patricia six months to live but thank God she has beaten the odds. They're saying any day now, she could be gone. They've given up on her but I can't think that way about my sister,” Arletta Wright told The Final Call.

The setbacks in Judge Dugan's ruling and Gov. Brown's position on clemency disappointed but have not deterred those who believe in Patricia Wright's innocence.

This ordeal is so outrageous that the truth must come out, Arletta Wright said.

‘Innocent people get convicted'

Judge Dugan said she was compelled to deny the release request because of multiple probation violations.

But according to Arletta Wright, the violations were actually police calls regarding a family dispute.

“They were never referred to the D.A.'s office. She never went to trial. She never was tried by a jury or convicted. As far as they went was to the police station as a report,” she said.

In a back and forth debate in open court, Ms. Silva shouted to Judge Dugan, from her seat in the last row of the public pews, “The New York Innocence Project took on Ms. Wright's case ... Innocent people get convicted, you know!”

“I'm sure you believe that ... but I have to assume these convictions are accurate,” Judge Dugan replied.

Arletta Wright told The Final Call she is awaiting documents from the Riverside District Attorney's Office she says will prove no charges for any such violations were ever filed.

“The D.A. only brought those incidents up as charges to make Patricia look bad and to feed the judge's denial of our request. Judge Dugan said herself that if it wasn't for those other charges, she would have considered dismissing it. It's wrong what they're doing to my sister,” Arletta Wright added.

Felony convictions for children's toys?

The two cases against Patricia Wright are inextricably linked and have left her dying alone in prison.

She received two felonies after pleading guilty to being involved in 2nd degree burglary at an open house in Moreno Valley in 1989. She received a third felony conviction in 1999 on conspiracy to murder her then-husband, Willie Scott.

According to her sister, Patricia Wright pled to the thefts only because the attorney said she would certainly face prison time if she went to trial.“But if she pled to misdemeanors, she could go back later, have them expunged and be at home with her children,” explained Arletta Wright.

The family insists the misdemeanor convictions were somehow changed to felonies after the fact.

Alfey, her 29-year-old son, was seven at the time of the open house. He testified that he took the toys and walked out without telling his mother.“It's been hard growing up without my mom and celebrating Mother's Day. I don't remember the last time I've celebrated Mother's Day and it's affected growing up as a man, dealing with relationships.It's taken a toll on me,” he said.

He never dreamed putting the toys in his pocket and playing in the back seat of a car could land his mother in prison.

Ms. Silva said the case is convoluted and while she is not condoning that toys were taken, she argues it wasn't theft.

Alfey did what children often do, pick things up that don't belong to them, she said.

It was a model home, not a residence; he was seven, and the toys were worth 99 cents, Ms. Silva adds.

“This is about Moreno Valley, an area which at that time was predominantly White, a Black woman, and her Black child, who were already being followed by the Caucasian realtor while they were inside the home,” Ms. Silva continued.

As for the murder, no physical or forensic evidence links Patricia Wright to the crime, according to her family, but police reopened the cold case and charged her 17 years afterward based on what her brother calls a forced, false statement, and written accounts from Patricia Wright's sister-in-law, who has since said she lied.

Larry Wright told The Final Call he was in a Connecticut prison at the time Los Angeles police detectives questioned him about his sister's case. It was his first time being incarcerated and he wanted out so when they told him that if he cooperated he would be released, he agreed.

Larry Wright said he never intended to testify against his sister and just wanted to get to L.A.

Once in L.A., he recanted his statement, and when police realized he wouldn't cooperate, Larry Wright said they kept him in a padded holding cell with no windows for 17 days. “They fed me the same thing, a hard burrito, twice a day, every day at Parker Center and they interrogated me and told me to kill myself ... When taking (recording) my testimony, they would cut the tape off and rehearse what they wanted me to say,” he continued.

Mr. Wright and Janet Carcelin, the sister-in-law, recanted their stories, saying the taped statements were coerced by police. The jury still convicted Patricia Wright of murder. “The crime that was committed was that in America if you're Black, laws apply very differently to you and you're going to be found guilty even if there wasn't a crime,” Ms. Silva said.

(Stay Granted) - Continue To Sign

2011-10-05T22:01:00.005-04:00

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

Judge Mathis Weighs in on the execution of Troy Davis

2011-09-25T18:47:00.002-04:00

Troy Davis Painting By Chaz Guest

2011-09-13T13:50:00.006-04:00

Troy Davis Painting By Chaz Guest

Bobby Yates - Paris Texas

2011-03-17T23:27:00.004-04:00

Please Grant Compassionate Medical Release For Patricia Wright

2011-02-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Nancy Lockhart Interview

2011-01-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

Tony Papa and Attorney Jaribu Hill - The Scott Sisters

2011-01-05T17:33:00.000-05:00

THE SCOTT SISTERS ~ JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL CNN NEWS

2010-03-08T09:42:00.000-05:00

Assisting Your Friends or Loved Ones With A Wrongful Conviction

2009-08-04T15:28:00.003-04:00

America turns its head to those who are incarcerated, especially those considered as brutal and thoughtless. The average American believes that the justice system is perfect and would never incarcerate those who are innocent. This line of logic is grossly inconsistent with reality, as thousands of formerly incarcerated inmates have been freed by DNA-evidence only. Our justice system is failing day by day, minute by minute. One wrongful conviction is one-too-many, and numbers are escalating well into the tens of thousands. Adequate legal representation is available to those who are able to pay; those who cannot, however, suffer. Consequently, inadequate legal representation mostly leads to an inevitable unjust verdict. ~ Excerpt ~ The Poor Are Enslaved In America's Prisons as published in Dissident Voice - By Nancy Lockhart, M.J.

Has your Loved One been convicted of a crime that he/she is not guilty of?
Snitch/Informants, Witness Coercion, Inadequate Lawyers, Police Misconduct are all a few causes of guilty verdicts in wrongful convictions.
Have you called and written letters until you've run out of places to request assistance?
Social Justice Agencies, News Papers, Membership Organizations and Mainstream Media, have probably not responded to your requests for assistance.
Have you applied to Innocence Projects for Assistance?
Innocence projects are overwhelmed with applications from inmates and many lack adequate funding. Oftentimes, DNA evidence is not available in wrongful convictions and applications are denied for that reason.

If you have answered yes, to one or more of the above questions, organizing in support of your wrongfully convicted friend or loved one is a MUST!

Contact: (641) 715-3900 Extension:49277
http://www.nancylockhart.net