so what will I do today - a reflection on life after death...

the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing…
attributed to edmund burke

at 2:12 am on june 28th the state of tennessee’s lethal cocktail took its toll on the body of sedley alley while his children april and david held hands and watched him take his last breath…

just moments before the lil’ jesuit dude re-entered our circle to announce that the dogged actions of the attorney general’s office had added to the state’s mounting homicide total, i had “given permission” to people to return home so as to make sure that they took care of themselves and their loved ones(many parents were in attendance who had small children at home with their spouse or partner)…

i stood in circle with the 50 remaining vigilers … only the beautiful minor key strummings of michael kelsh’s guitar cast ripples upon the silence of our witness … and alex’s cracking voice shared with us that april and david’s father had left this earth … and in the paralyzing moments of shock that followed i wondered what will become of this moment, this pointless execution, this misplaced and failed attempt to bring solace to those who were close to suzanne marie collins … and said to myself…

so what will i do today…

what will i do today that i did not yesterday or the day before that will add another brick to the construction of a movement that will end this shameful and futile policy…as the executive director of our state’s anti-death penalty organization what will i do that will make my efforts more efficient and more effective…

and i decided that while i will give myself the space and time to grieve this misstep, this mistake, this missed opportunity to address real needs rather than pander to our primal and fraudulent howls for revenge, i will also rededicate myself to the strategic aim of ending the state’s use of killing human beings as a legitimized policy response to the tragedy of murder…

and in the aftermath people came up to me and later wrote to me asking the same question of themselves…

so what will i do today…what step can i take to show that sedley alley, father to two new survivor’s of a homicide victims, did not die with my consent, did not die as the first domino in a line, did not die in vain…

and so i want to share with you some of the steps you can take, steps that you may not have taken yesterday but are willing, with the fresh taste of empty killing still bitter on your tongue, to take today to end this disgraceful and barren state policy…

so what will i do today…

here are 10 steps that you can take to build the movement to end executions in tennessee…

· send the e-mail addresses and names of 2 people to our office to help tcask build its contact, alert, and information distribution web…
· solicit and obtain an invitation for the lil’jesuit dude to make a presentation to your faith community
· sign up one (your) faith community for the national weekend of faith in action on the death penalty – they will receive a dvd of the documentary the empty chair…
· become a member of tcask by visiting the website and click on the donate to tcask button (a secure paypal site) or e-mailing the office and ask that a membership form be sent to you
· visit the owner of a small business that you patronize … ask that owner to sign a resolution supporting a moratorium and send us the contact information to follow-up
· visit the tcask blog at least 3x/week to keep yourself up-to-date with what tcask is doing, what steps it is taking to build a grassroots power base, and developments in tennessee death row cases
· volunteer to help pass a municipal moratorium resolution in your city no matter the size of your city
· join the tcask board of director’s fundraising and development committee – you can work from home and participate in regular conference calls
· commit to writing a letter to the editor at least once a month and participating annually in the international death penalty abolition day write-a-thon from where you live
· write a letter to your state legislators quarterly using individual cases to demonstrate how they reveal specific problems with the death penalty system and explain, in simple terms, that it is a broken system

as i process what i experienced leading up to sedley alley’s death i’m led back again and again to the idea that each of you should feel empowered to act so that this execution, and any to follow, are not in vain….

so now i’ve taken a step today, in sharing this reflection with you, that i would not have taken prior to june 28th… as you process the feelings that shadow you in the aftermath of sedley alley’s unnecessary death ask yourself a fundamental question…

so what will i do today…

peace out - <3

family - reminds you of friendship ... reminds you of the power of love...

i think that it's important that as we process the fact of this killing of sedley alley by the state - and future killings that it has in the works - that we, as a community, embedded in the principles of non-violence and restoration of community, make the intentional and sincere effort to deepen those principles within our day-to-day actions ...

let me be the first to say that i have made mistakes and am sorry for having done so ... i ask for the forgiveness of members of my immediate and peripheral communities for my human transgressions and thank g_d for my sister who shows me every day, in ways both serious and playful, the power of love, forgiveness, and redemption ... thanks sis ... :-)

you decide into which category the following falls - enjoy!

peace out - <3

Tequila and Salt

This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could read it every day. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world has turned its back on you take another look.
11. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

So...........If you are a loving friend, send this to everyone, including the one that sent it to you. If you get it back, then they really do love you...

And always remember....when life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!

Good friends are like stars........
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there...

Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway

solemn vigil night photos...

harry and karan simpson have become cornerstones of the local tcask group here in nashville coming to meetings, memorial anniversaries for robert glen coe honoring robert's family, taking tcask trainings, and lobbying their representatives...

harry is also a photographer and has posted a dozen photos he took out at riverbend maximum security institute vigil leading up to the state's taking the life of april mcintyre's and david alley's father sedley...

to view these photos click here ... and thank you harry...

peace out - <3

The Day After

What do you do on the day after the state has murdered someone? We wake up to the same sunrise in the same bed. But something is different. Someone is missing in our world and they've been taken in all of our names. It's been difficult to get back to the day-to-day routine of work back here in the office, and I would imagine that it might be even harder for those of us whose daily work isn't directly involved with the death penalty.

In the wake of this execution, one of the things that we would like to do is remember this event, even as we try, as a state to heal. For this reason, we would ask that all those who've been affected by this execution, whether they witnessed it, vigiled with us at Riverbend or somewhere else in Tennessee, or simply watched their tvs in horror as the state perpetrated this crime, send us their reflections on the event. Ultimately, we'd like to be able to construct an archive of these reflection in honor of Sedley Alley and his family, and as something for people to look back on in the coming weeks and months. And then as a reminder, in the years after we've abolished the death penalty here in Tennessee, of one of the never mentioned but true costs of the death penalty.

So please, share any thoughts or reflections regarding this execution that you may have. We'll try to post them to the blog as time and space allow and create an archive on our website with pictures and people's thoughts.

Email your reflections to alex@tcask.org

May we all begin to heal and find peace.

Now More Than Ever

With yesterday's execution of Sedley Alley and near execution of Paul Dennis Reid, we recognize again the importance of companionship. Many of the men on death row are cut off from the world, and this may contribute to inmates attempting to give up their appeals. Visitors on death row provide a link to the outside world and a sense of companionship to people who are often ignored and rejected by our society. It is a wonderful and rewarding pursuit and I would encourage everyone to consider it. Read the announcement below:

On July 29, 2006 there will be a Visitor On Death Row orientation at Riverbend Maximum Security Institute from 9 a.m. til noon. This will include a trip to Death Row. The orientation is for those who are interested in possibly making a commitment to be a friend to someone with a death sentence in Tennessee. I need the names of those who wish to be a part of this orientation as quickly as possible. Unless your name is on the list to get in, you will not be allowed to stay for the orientation. Additional information will be sent closer to the time of the orientation to those who indicate an interest. Please call or send an e-mail indicating your interest to:
Michelle Baier at Baier-Lambert@webtv.net or 615-297-0525

Visiting on Death Row

In 1978, when Tennessee’s new, allegedly constitutional death penalty law began sending people to death row, the folks at Southern Prison Ministry decided that everyone under a death sentence needed a friend. So they started recruiting a visitor for every condemned prisoner who wanted one.

Over the years, as Tennessee’s Death Row has gradually filled up, through a variety of channels others have begun visiting individuals under a death sentence, and many faithful and rich relationships have been formed. Then in 1992, as the pace of capital sentences began to pick up across the state, the Visitor On Death Row (VODR) program began an effort to find a non-family visitor for every death sentenced prisoner who has no other regular visitor and wants a VODR friend. VODR planners also decided to make available opportunities for sharing and support among Death Row visitors in order to build community, prevent burnout, and offer an opportunity for consultation with problems.

In early 1993, VODR began doing visitor orientation sessions once or twice a year on Saturday mornings at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, including a walk to the Death Row area where visitation takes place. Since that time, the orientation team has recruited and oriented over 100 persons, mostly from area churches. Many of those persons are still visiting the Death Row prisoner with whom they were paired. Others have opted not to visit, moved out of town, been unable to "click" with their prisoner, or seen the prisoner transferred to another prison after having the death sentence changed to life.

VODR orienters, who have all visited Death Row prisoners for many years, offer individual support and consultation to newer Death Row visitors as needed and as called upon. One feature VODR orienters wish to emphasize is the support group and mentors that newer persons will need to actively engage so to stay the original course the orientation emphasizes; that of being a friend and to take the visits as a serious commitment. The leader of the VODR Support Group is Theeda Murphy. The orienters are also available to help out with questions. Names and contact information are added at the end of this article.

If there ever were an opportunity to be with the poor and marginalized, this is it. The most common characteristics of those who wind up on Death Row are likely to be these: (1) they are poor; (2) they are charged with killing a white middle- or upper-class person; (3) they had a bad lawyer who had few resources to work with; and (4) they came from an abusive home environment and stand a good chance of having permanent brain damage.

For some VODR visitors, visits to the house of the condemned are rooted in the convictions that these, too, are children of God, our own brothers and sisters, and for one of them to be killed by the state would constitute just one more crucifixion in a day when violent pseudo-solutions to the problem of violence are more the norm than the exception. However, you do not have to be of any religious persuasion to visit. As a matter of fact, the purpose of visiting is to be a friend, not to proselytize.

Our visits with prisoners do not signify that we condone murder or want convicted killers to be freed. There are long prison sentences available for murder (which are used much more often than the death sentence anyway), and many Death Row visitors also work with, and on behalf of, crime victims as well as prisoners.

To be a visitor or penpal call Michelle Baier at 615-297-0525 or Baier-Lambert@webtv.net

For additional information contact Susan McBride at 615-258-2672 or shmcbride@comcast.net

death penalty blog commentaries on nashvilleistalking.com ...

blog diva brittney gilbert of news channel 2 in nashville has compiled a series of blog commentaries related to the execution of sedley alley and the near execution of paul reid ... it's rather fascinating sociological commentary and good reflection material for people organizing against the death penalty - check it out...

Execution Round-Up

Here are what some of the local bloggers are saying about the state's execution of Sedley Alley last night:

http://www.nashvilleistalking.com/archives/2006/06/execution_roundup.html

Paul Reid's Stay Will Hold!

TCASK Statement in Response to Upholding the Stay for Paul Reid

“Today, both the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the stay for Paul Dennis Reid put in place yesterday by Federal District Judge Todd Campbell.

Paul Reid presents a clear case of severe, long-term, diagnosed mental illness. Reid’s diagnoses, going back to the 1970s, include schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, and temporal lobe dysfunction. These produce, according to the affidavit of Dr. George Woods, ‘a chronic schizophrenia-like psychosis which has severely impaired (Reid’s) ability to weigh, deliberate, inform, and cooperate.’ Reid’s delusion ‘impels, invades, and guides his daily activities as well as decision-making processes.’

To assert, as the state has done, that Paul Reid, who believes that he is being tortured by secret government “scientific technology” and who seeks his own execution to escape from this torture, is capable of making rational decisions is disingenuous and patently false. The state’s attempts to block a full evidentiary hearing on Paul Reid’s competence violate every civilized standard of justice.

According to Sita Diehl, Executive Director of NAMI Tennessee, ‘It is unethical to execute people with disabilities. Paul Dennis Reid clearly has a psychotic disorder. It would be inhumane to execute Paul Dennis Reid, because he does not understand.’ The National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychological Association, the National Mental Health Association, and the National Association of Social Workers all oppose the execution of the mentally ill.

While we applaud the decision of the Sixth Circuit to allow a full competency hearing, we grieve for the families of Paul Reid’s victims. Each of these families has suffered a terrible loss and our thoughts and prayers are with them. However, TCASK believes that the execution of a man so severely mentally ill would be a gross miscarriage of justice.”

Randy Tatel, Executive Director
Alex Wiesendanger, Associate Director

Nothing to Report

Despite some hype from local news channels at the top of the hour, the only new development in the Paul Reid case is some serious whining by the Attorney General's office. The U.S. Sixth Circuit has not yet ruled on the state's motion to to vacate the stay of execution put in place by U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell when the state was unable to proceed with a full competency hearing (see today's previous post). While the Sixth Circuit is deliberating, the Attorney General has, apparently, gotten antsy. So the state has filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the stay, despite the fact that the Sixth Circuit has not ruled.

In a nutshell, nothing has changed, we are still awaiting a ruling from the Sixth Circuit on the state's motion, and we hope that the Supreme Court will not rule until the Sixth Circuit does.

The death warrant initially issued for Paul Reid is valid until 11:59 pm tonight. If no court has lifted the stay by that time, the state will be forced to go back to the Tennessee Supreme Court and ask for a new execution date to be set.

All in the News

While we wait expectantly to hear if the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals chooses justice or injustice for Paul Reid, I thought we might share a few of the stories and pictures in the news last night.

The Tennessean included a photo gallery of pictures from our vigil in Nashville.

News Channel 5 put together a nice piece right after the execution featuring TCASK's youngest board member Katherine Lea - Protestors Gather Outside Prison.

And Volunteer TV in Knoxville did a very nice piece on the Knoxville Chapters vigil featuring TCASK board member Katie Blackburn and former board member Lo Presser.

As usual, Fox 17's coverage of the execution was sensationalistic, unbalanced, and uninformative.

Justice? Who Said Anything About Justice?

As tragic and patently unfair as the state's execution of Sedley Alley was at 2:12 this morning, with the case of Paul Reid still in limbo today, the state and the Attorney General's office are trying to top their own standards of injustice.

Yesterday, Paul Reid and his attorneys were in the federal court challenging the state's contention that Paul Reid was mentally competent to end his appeals. For a little background, Paul Reid has diagnoses, going back to the 1970s, including schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, and temporal lobe dysfunction. In layman's terms, he is severely mentally ill and brain damaged, living in a perpetual delusional state. With all of this evidence, including the testimony of Dr. George Woods (pg. 59 of the link), Judge Campbell, not surprisingly, ruled that Reid's attorneys had made a prima facie showing of mental illness. Consequently, the judge ruled that a full evidentiary hearing on Reid's competency was necessary. So far, all of this sounds completely reasonable, but then, the state and the A.G. spoke again.

Judge Campbell was willing to proceed with a full evidentiary hearing on the spot yesterday or even today if necessary, a course of action that would not have required a stay of execution. The defense was ready to proceed with more expert testimony and documents. But the state conceded that it was not ready for an evidentiary hearing, because it needed to have its own expert evaluate Reid. So the judge granted a stay of execution to allow the hearing to go forward when the state was prepared. The Attorney General is in the Sixth Circuit today challenging that stay!

Attorney General Paul Summers claims that the defense was dilatory in bringing this claim to the court, despite the fact the Reid's attorneys have been challenging his competency for years. The A.G. also claimed that it had had no opportunity to evaluate Reid, and therefore complained that the stay was unfair, even though the state has had Reid in its custody for the past 9 years! Does Paul Summers expect anyone to believe that the state didn't know that Paul Reid's competency was in question, after thousands of pages of legal filings on the issue? And to then claim that, even though it was his office that was unprepared to have an evidentiary hearing and therefore provoked the stay, the defense was dilatory and that the stay should not have been granted smacks of the most callous disregard for life and for justice imaginable.

Our thoughts and prayers today are with the families of Angela Holmes, Michelle Mace and all of Paul Reid's victims today. The loss of their loved ones was an absolute tragedy. But our thoughts are also with Linda Martiniano, Paul Reid's sister, who may also become the survivor of a homicide victim. The 6th Circuit will rule today on the state's motion to vacate the stay. If justice prevails, they will vote to uphold the stay and hold the evidentiary hearing that the state is so afraid of.

HOMICIDE

Very early this morning, the state of Tennessee killed Sedley Alley. Roughly an hour before the scheduled execution, a stay was issued by Judge Gil Merritt of the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court. As 1:00 approached the stay was still in place and people began to drift away from the vigil at Riverbend Prison, exhausted and drained from the ordeal. No one, not the media, not the warden, not the abolitionists seemed to know what was happening. All anyone knew was that a stay was in place and that the state was challenging it.

But shortly after 1:00, the news came. The stay had been overturned and Sedley Alley would be executed shortly thereafter. It was a little after 2:00 when the word came to the forty vigilers gathered in a circle of candle light. Sedley Alley was dead.

In the end, it did not matter that there was serious doubt as to whether Sedley Alley was even guilty of Suzanne Collins' murder. In the end it did not matter that the state possessed DNA evidence that could have conclusively demonstrated guilt or innocence. No, in the end all that mattered was that vengeance was called for.

Doing innumerable interviews after the execution shattered our circle and our hopes, I repeated the same message to reporters:

"When a person is executed, the official cause of death is homicide. The murder of Suzanne Marie Collins was a tragedy and our hearts go out to the members of her family, who must now live as the survivors of a homicide victim. But let us not forget that the state of Tennessee has now made Sedley Alley's innocent children, April and David, the survivors of a homicide victim as well."

TCASK Statement in Response to the Stay for Paul Reid

After the Tennessee state courts slammed the door on a clear case of serious mental illness, Federal District Court Judge Todd Campbell has called for a full competency hearing. Paul Dennis Reid’s mental health diagnoses, dating back to the 1970s, include schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, and temporal lobe dysfunction. We are relieved that the state will not execute a man with long diagnosed brain damage and mental illness without a full inquiry into his mental competency.

The near execution of Paul Reid calls attention to Tennessee’s continuing practice of sentencing the mentally ill to death. Across the nation, one quarter of death row inmates suffer from severe, diagnosed mental illness, while more than 80% suffer from some mental impairment. Executing the mentally ill, who have diminished capacity for assisting in their defense, understanding their situations, and comprehending the consequences of their actions, is an abdication of justice. The execution of the mentally ill is opposed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

While we are pleased that the courts have upheld justice for people with severe mental illness like Paul Reid, we continue to grieve for the pain and loss experienced by the families of his victims. We regret that the capital punishment system continues to re-traumatize the family members of murder victims during the emotional roller coaster of the capital appeals process. For the sake of victims’ families, as well as justice and fairness, we continue to call for a halt to all executions.

Bad News in Paul Reid's Case

Paul Reid's request for a stay of execution was denied by the state court of criminal appeals today. Even worse, the Governor has just refused Reid's request for clemency. In denying clemency, Governor Phil Bredesen hid behind the argument that the courts have been examining the issue of Reid's mental competency. Despite his assertion that politics does not play a role in his decision, the Governor decided to give himself political cover by passing the buck to the court system instead of taking a principled stand. Since 1993, Governors of Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, Nevada, Louisiana, and Indiana have granted clemency due to concerns about the inmate's mental competency. Apparently Bredesen, who said "I do not believe that intervention by my office through the use of the Governor's clemency power is appropriate," is unaware of this.

You can read the Governors (curt) denial here.

These Problems are Real and Widespread

Sedley Alley, scheduled to die in Tennessee's double execution tonight, has challenges before several courts today. These challenges generally focus on two basic arguments, that the state should allow DNA testing to ascertain if Alley is truly guilty and a challenge to the state's lethal injection procedure.

Of course the state scoffs at these challenges. Alley confessed to the murder, they say, and his lethal injection arguments are based on nothing but an attempt to delay his execution. But these are real issues.



Yesterday, four inmates who have been exonerated by the exact same type of DNA testing that Alley is requesting asked permission to file an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court. Moreover, Alley's confession is extremely questionable, since the facts that he confessed to do not match the facts of the crime. And false confessions do happen frequently, particularly when, as in Alley's case, interrogations are not fully or properly taped. Yesterday's L.A. Times ran an in depth article of true stories of false confessions. Read the piece here.

In Missouri, a judge has put a halt to all executions in that state due to concerns about painful lethal injection procedures. Read the full story here.

Clearly, the issues that Sedley Alley is raising are of concern across the country. We should, obviously, be concerned with the possibility of executing an innocent person, and we should be concerned that the method by which we do so might be tantamount to torture. Hopefully Tennessee will do the right thing as we move through the day.

A Clear and Moving Voice

Today the Tennessean carried an op-ed piece by Charlie Strobel. Charlie was previously the pastor of holy Name Catholic Church (where our current offices are located) and then founded and continues to direct the Campus for Human Development. Charlie also has faced the tragedy of having his mother murdered.

Charlie's letter is a beautiful and cogent reminder that revenge is not the answer, and that many families who have lost a loved one to murder do not want to see another murder in response. As I sat in mass this morning, in the very church where Charlie used to preach, the Gospel reading was from the book of Matthew; it included the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This great moral message, which can be found, in some form across all faiths and people of conscience is particularly timely as we face today's double execution. It does not read do unto others as they have done to you, which seems to be the rhetoric of those who support the death penalty. Instead it calls us to forgive and to heal. Charlie's beautiful words, backed by his personal story and integrity, bring this home to us now. We can only hope that the state of Tennessee can be moved by the same message.

To read Charlie's piece, click here.

Reid Requests Clemency

Attorneys for Paul Reid have requested clemency from the Governor. There is a lengthy precedent of Governors granting clemency for those suffering from severe mental illness, and there is certainly no question that Reid falls into that category.

Paul Reid has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, and temporal lobe dysfunction resulting from grievous childhood abuse. He has lived in a persistently delusional state for the last 30 years, in which he believes that he is the target of a vast conspiracy by the "military government" which controls everyone he has been in contact with and experiments on him "like a rat" to deny him success and force him to commit crimes. He believes that he has been selected to breed with a millionaire's wife and that, were it not for the interference of the military government, he would be a wealthy lawyer at a big law firm in Houston. He even believes that he is being tortured by "scientific technology" and that the only way to escape this torture is to allow himself to be executed.

There can be no question that Paul Reid is severely mentally ill. In the U.S., we claim that we don't execute the insane, and yet Paul Reid sits on death watch, only 15 hours from execution.

Please immediately call Governor Bredesen at (615) 741-2001 or email him at phil.bredesen@state.tn.us Tell the Governor that executing a man as obviously mentally ill as Paul Reid is immoral and ask him to grant Paul Reid's request for clemency.

prayin' for some o' that ol' tennessee magic...

it's 6:03 pm and alex has drifted out - we've both been working steadily and been very productive today ... and the energy is still waxing...

still, you can feel it shrouding over the office just a little bit - even john coltrane, hard as he's trying, can't keep it from drifting in like an early morning fog ... that thing called death

we don't talk much about the outcome of what the state has planned for tomorrow night - the premeditated homicide of two individuals ... it's heavy and begins to bear down like a an old-fashioned 200, lb. barbell weight ... this thing called by other names but is in fact revenge killing ...

so i sit here praying for what a dear friend of mine refers to as, "that tennessee magic," ...

you see we've had more than 20 execution dates scheduled since robert coe was killed by us good people here in the state of tennessee on 4/19/00 and each and every one of them have been stayed...

...thanks to the nose-to-the-grindstone, creative, talented, dedicated lawyers who work capital defense cases at the state post-conviction, the federal public defender, and some private law offices across the state ...

so you see, it's their work and not "magic" that has stopped all of those executions ... so in the prayers that you unleash upon the universe in the next 24 hours make sure to include all those lawyers, their families, their friends, and all who sustain them ... and ask for them to have very good days tomorrow - for all our sakes...

peace out - <3

TN Supreme Court: "We Don't Care if You're Crazy"

The Tennessee Supreme Court has just ruled today in the case of Paul Dennis Reid. The court rejected the claims of Reid's attorneys that an inmate should be able to rationally consult with his attorneys. Apparently, the four justices who joined in the opinion, feel that it is perfectly alright to deny a next friend to someone who cannot rationally consult with his attorneys, or who, in the case of Paul Reid, cannot even remember past events properly due to his severe mental illness!

You can read the court's opinion here, but sit down first; it's a little shocking.

As usual, Supreme Court Justice Adolpho Birch dissented from the majority opinion with a reasoned and principled position. Justice Birch makes a number of clear and insightful points, one of which is that applying a standard of mental competency that is utilized for civil litigation is completely inappropriate when talking about literal life and death decisions. Birch makes a further excellent point in his dissent regarding the rules of pursuing state appeals. Since petitioners only get to go through the process once, to allow them to proceed with some claims while not others which require a competent petitioner to pursue (as the majority opinion suggests) would effectively close the door to reasonable claims! Apparently, this, like so many other calls for justice, went unheeded by the majority.

Statewide Prayer Services and Vigils ScheduleTuesday Evening June 27th

this is posted on the home page of our web site as well... please join in community anywhere you can... peace out - <3

EXECUTION ALERTS
Statewide Prayer Services and Vigils ScheduleTuesday Evening June 27th

The state of Tennessee is scheduled to carry out the dual executions of Sedley Alley and Paul Dennis Reid this Wednesday, June 28th, beginning at ~1:00 a.m.

Alley's request to release post-conviction physical evidence for DNA testing is currently before the TN Supreme Court while his challenge to the lethal injection protocol of Tennessee is seeking an en banc hearing of 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Reid's case in which his sister Linda Martiniano seeks next friend status because Reid was and remains incompetent to drop his appeals is before the TN Supreme Court and moves onto the Federal courts next. Both cases are likely to come down to the wire next Tuesday evening.

TCASK asks you to gather in community to oppose these two acts of state violence and urges you to attend a prayer service or vigil of witness in your area next Tuesday evening, June 27th.

Vigil Locations and Times

Chattanooga
A vigil procession will begin at 8:00 in the evening of June 27th at Forrest Avenue United Methodist Church, 120 Forrest. The procession will traverse a portion of the bridge where we will light candles (one for Paul Reid, one for Sedley Alley, one for murder victims, and one for the innocent still on death row.) There will be a moment of silence and we will go back to the church. Call 423-877-0999 or 615-256-3906 for more information.

Cookeville
An ecumenical service will begin at 8:00 in the evening of June 27th at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 421 North Washington in Cookeville. Father Don Loskot and Rev. Pat Handlson will lead the service with assistance from Hector Black. Those gathered will then process 4 blocks to the Courthouse Square and continue the vigil until 10:00 p.m. Call 931-268-9889 or 615-256-3906 for more information.

Knoxville
An interfaith service will be held from 9 - 10 p.m. the evening of June 27th at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike in Knoxville. Those of you who would like to meet this double act of violence by the state with prayer, in community, are asked to join us between 9 and 10 pm. Those who wish to attend an interactive vigil, from 8-9 p.m. and/or from 10 pm - 2 am, will be embraced and have the opportunity to share your thoughts and/or feelings.

Again, you can come and oppose these acts of state violence, in community, any time between 8 pm Tuesday evening June 27th and 2 am Wednesday morning June 28th. For more information call 865-454-2479 or 615-256-3906 for more information.

Memphis
Sunday, June 25, 7:00 p.m. Beginning of fast and vigil at Immaculate Conception. Central and Belvedere. We will maintain a continuous presence until the execution(s) unless stays are granted. Tuesday, June 26th, 8:00 p.m. If the executions are still scheduled, we will hold a service on the steps of IC. For more information call 615-256-3906.

Nashville
An interfaith service will be held at 7:30 the evening of June 27th at Holy Name Catholic Church, 521 Woodland Street in East Nashville. Those of you who would like to meet this double act of violence by the state with prayer, in community, are asked to join us. Those who wish to attend the vigil afterward, and we hope that you will, can carpool together from Holy Name.
A visible vigil will begin at 10 p.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison located at 7475 Cockrell Bend in West Nashville. You may begin arriving on-site at 9 p.m. TCASK will maintain its vigil until either the state stands down or carries out one or both executions.

Rules for Nashville Vigil at Riverbend:

TCASK as an organization expects any individuals or groups of individuals attending a vigil to conduct themselves in accordance with the general principles of non-violence.

Do BRING a camping (folding) chair to sit in and make yourself comfortable.

Do NOT bring anything that could be construed as a weapon ANYWHERE on your person or in your car.

Do NOT bring any non-prescription drugs or alcohol in your vehicle.

The utmost respect for the victim’s family in both conduct and statements should be shown.

Employees of Riverbend Maximum Security Institute (RMSI) are not to be the target of any negative statements. Anyone making personal statements against a guard or other RMSI employee will be asked to leave the premises.

Expect at Riverbend Prison Vigil Site:

For your vehicle and person to be searched by Highway Patrolpersons and/or RMSI guards.

For there to be drug-sniffing dogs used to search your vehicle.

For helicopters to be part of the security regimen.

For TCASK to have trained peacekeepers on site to help manage the emotions of the evening.

Therefore, expect to be in a safe space both physically and emotionally.

For pro-execution people to be at the prison but kept apart from our service and vigil.

For cities not listed call the TCASK office at 615-473-2950.

We're That Close

The state can handle multiple executions, according to TDOC spokeswoman Dorinda Carter, because Death Watch has four cells. I mean, really, why stop at two?

Yesterday, sadly, both Paul Dennis Reid and Sedley Alley were moved to the death watch cells, only steps away from Tennessee's execution chamber. The chamber has gone unused since 2000, but, as things stand today, it will receive two inmates late tomorrow night. On death watch, the inmates are stripped of all their possessions, their books, bibles, pictures they may have of loved ones, keepsakes. Everything. And they are left in a tiny cell where they are under constant observation to ensure that, as they face their deaths, they don't commit suicide and take the honor away from the state. So they face death under the stares of guards recording their activities every fifteen minutes, without any of their personal effects, in a cold clinical cell, not even their own.

Sedley Alley and Paul Reid will sit in these cells until 1:00 Wednesday morning, when they will be executed. Well, one of them will be, the other may have to wait a few more hours for the prison staff to clear away the first body, and move the old witnesses out and the new ones in. Cold and methodical? You bet. Is the cause of death still homicide? Absolutely.

But the people of Tennessee are not standing silently by. In Memphis, a vigil and fast has already begun at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which will go on until the executions or stays occur. Across the state in Cookeville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and of course here in Nashville, there will be vigils and prayer services to oppose this double homicide. For a full listing of Tennessee events, click here.

Tennessee has executed only one person in over 16,000 days. Tomorrow we will attempt to execute two in one night. But if such a gross injustice is to occur, we will not be silent in the face of murder. Even Paul Reid and Sedley Alley, isolated on death watch, will hear us.

the risk of executing the innocent is too high...

last statement: "i want to say i hold no grudges. i hate no one. i love my family. tell everyone on death row to keep the faith and don't give up."

offender: carlos deluna #744

date of execution: december 7, 1989

desperate supporters of capital punishment say it can not and has not happened - the execution of an innocent person...

hogwash - even conservatives acknowledge that the state can't fairly and accurately run a system of killing ... fallible people create fallible systems ... even former us supreme court justice sandra day o'connor believes that innocent person have been executed...

like who??? how about carlos deluna for one (ruben cantu for another)...

like paul house if he is not exonerated and freed from the tennessee maximum security prison system that has caged this wrongfully convicted human being for more than 20 years...

the chicago tribune is breaking the deluna story in a 3-part investigative piece...tcask will be featuring this story over the next week and linking it to the failures of tennessee's broken death penalty system...stay tuned... here's a brief associated press overview of the case...

CHICAGO - A newspaper investigation raises questions about the execution of a man for a 1983 slaying at a Corpus Christi service station.

Carlos De Luna was executed 16 years ago for the fatal stabbing of Wanda Lopez, a gas station clerk and a single mother.

De Luna was swiftly convicted and sentenced to death even though the parolee proclaimed he was innocent. He identified another man as the killer.

The Chicago Tribune, in the first of a three-part series published Sunday, said it has uncovered evidence strongly suggesting that De Luna's acquaintance, Carlos Hernandez, was the one who killed Lopez. Hernandez died in 1999.

Hernandez's friends and relatives, ending years of silence, said the felon bragged that De Luna went to Death Row for a murder he committed.

The case was compromised by shaky eyewitness investigation, sloppy police work and a failure to thoroughly pursue Hernandez as a possible suspect, the newspaper reported.

De Luna's prosecutors maintain the right man was convicted, though the lead prosecutor acknowledged being troubled by some of the new inf