Death Penalty Documentary Tuesday September 21, 2010 4 - 6PM

ABOUT THE REGGIE CLEMONS

Mr. Reggie Clemons has been sitting on Missouri’s death row for over 16 years, sentenced as an accomplice in the death of two white women in 1991. Clemons and two other black men were sentenced to death while a fourth person, a young white man was offered a plea deal and is out on parole. That is not the only race issue in the case. The original suspect, a white man and the cousin of the women, confessed to the crime after failing a lie detector test and changing his story several times. All three black defendants claimed that their confessions were coerced by police beatings and/or denial of constitutional rights. The arraignment judge sent Clemons to the hospital for obvious injuries he did not have before his ‘interview’ with police.

Further, there is no physical evidence linking Clemons to the offense. Jurors were improperly excluded and the prosecutor was guilty of serious misconduct. It came to light only recently that critical evidence was never provided to the defense or tested for DNA.

Governor Jay Nixon has the authority to grant clemency to Reggie. At one point, the appeals court overturned Clemons’ death sentence, but it was reinstated.

Many citizens are asking, “How can we put someone to death when the case against him is so problematic?” When a man’s life is on the line, there can be no room for doubt.

Some say that Nels Moss, the prosecutor in Reggie Clemons' case, is notorious for improper conduct in the courtroom. Learn more: Nels Moss_Reggie Clemons

UPDATES

June 4, 2009: Reggie’s execution was stayed by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court now must rule of a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of Missouri’s lethal injection process before a new execution date can be set.

June 30, 2009: The Missouri Supreme Court appointed a Special Prosecutor to examine all evidence in Reggie’s case. This decision opens the door for consideration of evidence and issues which had been excluded in the appeals process.

EVENT: FREE DOCUMENTARY SHOWING

The Jefferson City NAACP and Missouri Association for Social Welfare of Central Missouri presents Borrowed Time - a documentary about the case of Reggie Clemons.

Borrowed Time chronicles the details of his case including interviews with Clemons, his family, community leaders and others involved in the incident and the case. The documentary also calls into question the competence of the defense attorney and the conduct of the prosecutor.

Following the documentary we invite you to join us for a brief discussion facilitated by MASW and NAACP members. Learn about the recent door opened by the Missouri Supreme Court as well as other developments. Hear about what you can do to keep the Campaign for Reggie going.

FREE DOCUMENTARY SHOWING
Time: Tuesday, September 21, 4:00-6:00pm – bring our own refreshments

Location: Lincoln University Library Martin Luther King Hall, 812 E Dunklin, Jefferson City, MO

Free admission. RSVPs appreciated: jcnaacp@gmail.com

TAKE ACTION: LEARN MORE ABOUT JUSTICE FOR REGGIE CAMPAIGN

www.justiceforreggie.com

We recently received this message from one of Jefferson City's strongest community partners about some changes coming to a Y near you. With so many programs and opportunities to participate, it is good to see that the organization is striving to keep its focus on Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

Rebranding the Y - It’s More Than a Logo

Dear Members,

For the first time in 43 years, the Y is unveiling a new brand strategy. The strategy is designed to increase the understanding of the impact the organization makes in the community so that more people take advantage of the Y’s unique capacity to foster lasting personal and social change.

YMCA of the USA is simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that is apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being, and motivate people to support their neighbors and larger community. Moving forward, we will be known as “the Y”. That is how people refer to us informally and it is a way of signaling that our doors are open to everyone. A new, more forward looking logo replaces the logo that has been in place for 43 years.

We are making these changes because we want to increase our impact nationwide, and we believe part of doing so involves helping people understand what we do and why we do it.

The Y works everyday to solve many of the issues Americans are most concerned about. For decades we have offered programs that help kids reach their potential, that help families and individuals achieve better health outcomes and that encourage everyone to get involved and make their community a better place. The aim is to bring more services to more people in the key areas of: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

The Y is about changing lives for the better. We have been doing this for 160 years and hope to do it for decades to come. We view participation in our programs and services as a means to a greater end. Therefore, through our rebranding effort, we want to help our community to learn more about our work so we can help:

· More children deepen their positive values, commitment to service and motivation to learn;

· More families build stronger bonds, achieving greater work life balance and becoming more engaged in their community through the Y; and,

· More individuals improve their well-being and connect with people who care.

National Criminal Justice Commission Act

SEPTEMBER 15th: National Call-In Day to Support Senate Passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act!

BACKGROUND INFO:

In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and 15 bipartisan cosponsors introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, legislation that would create a bipartisan Commission to review and identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for reform. The House of Representatives and Senate Judiciary Committee have reviewed and favorably passed the bill and it is now awaiting passage by the United States Senate. Please help us urge the Senate to prioritize and pass this important legislation as soon as possible!

(Find your Senator by clicking HERE.)

ACTION NEEDED:

Please call your Senators to ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of the House-passed National Criminal Justice Commission Act, H.R. 5143/S. 714, as soon as possible!

MESSAGE:

• I am calling to ask the Senator to prioritize and support immediate Senate passage of the House-passed National Criminal Justice Commission Act, H.R. 5143/S. 714, because:
  • Having a transparent and bipartisan Commission review and identify effective criminal justice policies would increase public safety.
  • The increase in incarceration over the past twenty years has stretched the system beyond its limits. These high costs to taxpayers are unsustainable, especially during these tough economic times.
  • The proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review – not audits of individual state systems – and would issue recommendations – not mandates – for consideration.