Come for music, coffee, food and letter writing!
Performers will include:
Miranda Becker
Emily Troll
Alex Pfeifer-Rosenblum
Sam Long
Gabe Furtado
Where: 200 Church Lounge
When: Tomorrow, Friday, February 27th from 8pm to 10pm
Cost: Free to attend, $2 for free flow of coffee, $1 if you bring your own mug, baked goods for sale (please bring cash!) and free cookies if you perform (music, poetry, prose, etc.).
Wesleyan SDS, Amnesty International, WesPrep and the Center for African American Studies are sponsoring a lecture about Mumia Abu-Jamal by J Patrick O'Connor, author of The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal and Professor Johanna Fernandez of Educators for Mumia. They will be speaking about the Mumia's case, his chances for a retrial and about other political prisoners.
Date: Wednesday, November 19
Time: 7pm
Place: Exley 150
There's been a fair bit of media attention devoted to the case of Troy Davis recently. Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed in Georgia on October 27 for killing a police officer - despite OVERWHELMING doubts about his guilt.
Of the nine witnesses who testified against him, seven of them have recanted their statements or contradicted their own testimonies. Additionally, several of these witnesses have said they were coerced by the police to give the testimony they did. Of the other two witnesses, one is Sylvester Coles, the principal alternative suspect; nine individuals have signed affidavits implicating Sylvester Coles. Nevertheless, Troy Davis has not been able to get a new trial and will be executed next week. Read more about the case on the Amnesty website or on Wikipedia.
Did Sylvester Coles commit this crime? Did Troy Davis commit this crime? I don't know, but I don't think the state of Georgia does, either. If you think we shouldn't kill a possibly innocent man, come to tomorrow's rally:
What: Rally & Emergency Write/Call-a-thon (call the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles on your cell, or write letters)
When: Lunchtime tomorrow, Thursday Oct. 23
Where: Usdan courtyard (we'll move inside if it's too cold)
Sponsored by Amnesty International and SDS.
[Edit 10/24/08, 1:53 pm] Thanks everyone! Another stay has been issued for Troy Davis' execution. It's possible he may be able to have further appeals. Thanks for your help in making sure Georgia knows it's being watched critically!
All week long, at lunch and dinner at Usdan, Amnesty International and Americans for Informed Democracy will be tabling in support of CEDAW (Treaty for the Rights of Women) and I-VAWA (International Violence Against Women Act). Says Antoinette Zosherafatain '10:
I-VAWA was just introduced into the Senate on October 31. Write a letter to your senator telling them to co-sponsor it! CEDAW is a piece of UN legislation ratified by 170 countries. The U.S. is not one of them. Write a letter to your senator to ask them about this, too! Also, we're having a sweet photo petition to send in to Congress.Amnesty International tee shirts will be on sale for $10, and "sweet pins" can be had for "free," with a letter or a donation.
