| OKLAHOMA CITY
- January 9 - At a time when the rest of the country is taking a serious
look at capital punishment Oklahoma tonight at 9:00 PM (CT) will begin
carrying out the first of 8 executions that will take place over the next 24
days.
Last week local leaders and Rev. Jesse Jackson lead a march and rally of over
1,000 in support of a moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma. Tonight
outside the Governor's Mansion from 5 - 6PM there will be a protest against
the execution of Eddie Trice, a mentally retarded man.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, a hearing on an emergency request for a stay of
execution will be held at the US District Court, the day before the execution
of Wanda Jean Allen. Judge Tim Leonard will be presiding.
Also on Wednesday, an Interfaith Meeting will be held at 6 PM at the Farview
Baptist Church for a prayer service and to help plan civil disobedience and
protests. Rev. Jesse Jackson announced today that he will be in attendance.
15 clergy and moratorium supporters met yesterday to plan what is being
called "Divine Obedience."
"The citizens of Oklahoma are raising their voices and demanding that
Governor Frank Keating impose a moratorium on execution" said Shanitra
Mohammed, Coordinator, Save Ms. Allen Coalition, "so that all the cases of
the inmates currently on death row in Oklahoma can be reviewed. Even the
most ardent supporter of capital punishment does not support the killing of
innocent people, people that did not have adequate legal counsel, or people
who are mentally retarded."
Although much of the country's focus has been on the state of Texas because
of the high rate of executions Oklahoma is now in a crisis mode. If all
eight executions take place Oklahoma will be the highest ranking state per
capita in the rate of executions in the United States.
At the heart of the executions is Wanda Jean Allen. A women whose execution
has garnered a lot of attention both locally and nationally. If her
execution is carried out she will be the first African American woman
executed in Oklahoma since 1903 and the first African American woman executed
in the United States since 1954.
Wanda's case represents many of the problems that plague death row inmates
across the country. She was represented by a lawyer that had not tried a
capital case before. She was also represented by a lawyer who had no
resources. He was paid only $800 to represent her in a capital murder case.
With that kind of money he was not able to hire an investigator, gather any
background information on her childhood, or obtain medical records, etc. He
was only able to basically give her the most minimum of representation. The
tragedy of the lack of resources is that her lawyer never uncovered the
information about Wanda Jean's mental incapacities. When she was very young
she was hit by a truck and suffered brain trauma. When she was 13 or 14 she
was stabbed in the temple. She was also diagnosed as a teenager with an IQ
of 69. However, the jury never heard any of this.
"Wanda's case as tragic as it sounds is only the tip of the iceberg when that
death penalty is looked at as a whole." said Tonya Mclary, program director,
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty "At a time when the President
of the United States stayed a federal execution, a Governor imposed a
statewide moratorium, and state legislatures are building in safe guards into
the criminal justice system such as DNA testing, Oklahoma is speeding up it's
rate of executions."
Actions Scheduled: Tuesday, January 9
Protest- Governor's Mansion from 5-6PM
Execution of Eddie Trice- 9M
Wednesday, January 10
Emergency Hearing for Stay of Execution 2:30 PM
for Wanda Jean Allen, US District Court
Interfaith Meeting, Farview Baptist Church at 6 PM
prayer service, planing civil disobedience and protests
Rev. Jesse Jackson will be in attendance
Thursday, January 11
Protests against execution of Wanda Jean Allen
Time and Location TBA
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