We plan to keep 1.27.22,, the execution date for Matthew Reeves as the heading of our Weekly Report. Mr. Reeves has an IQ in the 60s and is intellectually disabled. Mr. Reeves was 18 years old at the time of the crime. You can find the Talking Points on our website http://www.phadp.org/?q=alerts and the petition at: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-matthew-reeves-in-alabama?fbclid=IwAR36piPfuSAwcNU9CmBKO1io7FKugiOr7eVKpqzt_Do-2z1AdI84E7_39hM
Many of us watched the new documentary TO LIVE AND DIE IN ALABAMA by the New York Times about the wrongful execution of our friend Nathaniel Woods. It made for hard watching but we hope that it opened some eyes to the travesty of Alabama’s so called justice system.
Last week the court ruled that a spiritual advisor of the inmate about to be executed will be allowed to be with him/her in the gas chamber. No protocol has as yet been made public.
Also last week Judge Tracie Todd presented defense in ethics trial. She had been accused of using her judgeship to oppose Alabama’s death penalty law. In statements to the press Judge Todd stated that Alabama’s courts are corrupted by politics. We are grateful for her courage and appreciate the support given her by the AL State Conference of the NAACP.
Our Board does a great job of keeping in touch with our friends and supporters and we are always uplifted to learn what they are doing in their corner of the world. Toby Lafferty in CO is one of these. Toby is the founder of Books Inside and has also brought yoga to prisons. We were excited to learn of her most recent endeavor which we call Planet Project, with its goal to raise awareness on the inside of what we are doing to our planet. Not only does it exemplify a meaning larger than ourselves (Man’s Search for Meaning} but it also directly affects our loved ones on the outside. We will be watching with interest!
The Christmas edition of Wings of Hope is at the printer.
Your Christmas cards are beginning to arrive and we thank you. Here is the link to the list http://www.phadp.org/?q=node/915 . We receive copies of the cards and appreciate the great job the mail room is dong with these.
In closing and as always, we continue to thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. You encourage us and make all the difference. Stay safe and wear a mask!
Esther
