thesapphicgemini

[thesapphicgemini]

this is in my link tree in the “donate” section! i made this gofundme for my friend, please donate if you can, and share whether you donate or not! try to pass it on to adults :) https://www.instagram.com/p/CK6emxKsPne/?igshid=en036n83n9p2

[thesapphicgemini]

Learn more about Dustin Higgs by reading the caption of the post I made about him. Or, go to the “Learn” section of my Linktree. The petition in this post is in my Linktree in the “Petitions” section. Credit goes to @soyouwanttotalkabout and @savedustinhiggs , thank you to y’all for making those posts. #savedustinhiggs#dustinhiggs#justice#abolishthedeathpenalty https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmCr9GMRy4/?igshid=11f0ndabwj671

#savedustinhiggs #dustinhiggs #justice #abolishthedeathpenalty

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Willie Simmons. He is a war veteran, had a drug addiction, and stole $9. And he’s serving life. He is serving life in prison for stealing $9. $9. That’s it. He had three prior, nonviolent convictions, and he was prosecuted under Alabama’s controversial habitual offender law, with the Court deciding that he should be imprisoned for life. He had a drug addiction and was only looking to secure his next fix. He wrestled a man to the ground and took the man’s wallet, which had $9 in it. He was arrested a few blocks away. His trial lasted all of 25 minutes. His appointed attorney didn’t bother to call forth any witnesses. No plea deal was offered. “They kept saying we’ll do our best to keep you off the streets for good,” - Simmons Now 62, Simmons is still being held at Holman Correctional Facility in Escambia County, Alabama. He hasn’t had any visitors since 2005, when his sister passed away. He doesn’t deserve this. He deserves help for his addiction. His addiction wasn’t his fault. No one should be in prison, or even jail, for stealing $9 because they couldn’t get help. As always, there is information in my linktree and the highlights section of my page, and I will be posting tomorrow some numbers and emails to contact, and even how to write to some of these men to show your support. We need to free Willie Simmons. https://www.instagram.com/p/CI44cf7ALmF/?igshid=1ca6zgyyv7qfb

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Rocky Myers. He was convicted in 1993 of capital murder and sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. In 1991, his neighbor, an elderly white woman named Ludie Mae Tucker, was murdered in her home by a man who came to the door asking to use the phone. Testimonies from key witnesses implicated another local man, Anthony “Cool Breeze” Ballentine, of the murder, but a friend of that man’s family, after learning about a reward offered in the case, offered detectives an affidavit implicating someone else - Rocky Myers, who lived across the street from Ludie Mae with his wife and kids, and fit the physical description. He has absolutely no history of violence and no forensic evidence tying him to this murder. An overwhelmingly white jury (including one juror who used a racial epithet to describe him) convicted Rocky of capital murder. The jury went on to recommend a life sentence, but the judge overruled them and instead sentenced him to death. It was an exercise in the use of “judicial override,” a practice that has since been outlawed. Rocky had 11 white neighbors and one Black neighbor, and it was practically a walk into hell for him to live there. He also has an intellectual disability, so it would be unconstitutional to execute him. He is innocent. He needs to be freed. His execution date is close, and we need to do everything we can to save him. As you all know, the link in my bio has most of what you need to help. We need to save Rocky Myers. https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0--1uMiKd/?igshid=17btgi86h4yzk

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Rocky Myers. He was convicted in 1993 of capital murder and sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. In 1991, his neighbor, an elderly white woman named Ludie Mae Tucker, was murdered in her home by a man who came to the door asking to use the phone. Testimonies from key witnesses implicated another local man, Anthony “Cool Breeze” Ballentine, of the murder, but a friend of that man’s family, after learning about a reward offered in the case, offered detectives an affidavit implicating someone else - Rocky Myers, who lived across the street from Ludie Mae with his wife and kids, and fit the physical description. He has absolutely no history of violence and no forensic evidence tying him to this murder. An overwhelmingly white jury (including one juror who used a racial epithet to describe him) convicted Rocky of capital murder. The jury went on to recommend a life sentence, but the judge overruled them and instead sentenced him to death. It was an exercise in the use of “judicial override,” a practice that has since been outlawed. Rocky had 11 white neighbors and one Black neighbor, and it was practically a walk into hell for him to live there. He also has an intellectual disability, so it would be unconstitutional to execute him. He is innocent. He needs to be freed. His execution date is close, and we need to do everything we can to save him. As you all know, the link in my bio has most of what you need to help. We need to save Rocky Myers. https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0--1uMiKd/?igshid=17btgi86h4yzk

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Rodney Reed. He was convicted on May 18, 1998, by a Bastrop County, Texas, District Court jury for the April 23, 1996 abduction, rape, and murder of Stacey Stites, a 19-year-old white woman from Gidding, Texas. The murder weapon has never been tested for DNA evidence. The State’s forensic experts have admitted to errors in their testimonies, which led to Rodney’s conviction and death sentence. Rodney Reed and Stacey Stites were having a consensual sexual relationship. Renowned forensic pathologists have concluded that Rodney’s guilt is medically and scientifically impossible. For months after the murder, Jimmy Fennell, Stacey’s fiancé, was the prime suspect in the case. Jimmy’s best friend at the time of the crime, Bastrop Sheriff’s Officer Curtis Davis, has now revealed that Jimmy gave an inconsistent account of where he was on the night of the murder. Two witnesses have recently come forward and submitted signed affidavits that add to the mounting evidence against Jimmy Fennell. Jimmy later served a 10-year prison term for a sex crime and kidnapping he committed while on duty. This case was racially charged. A confession by Jimmy Fennell has come to light. He was on death row for a while, and his execution date has been pushed back multiple times. We do not currently know the situation, but he is still in prison. He could still be executed at some point. He is innocent, and he needs to be freed. He is yet another innocent Black man convicted of a crime against a white woman. It needs to end. We need to save Rodney Reed. The link in my bio has more information about him, petitions to sign, and places to donate. https://www.instagram.com/p/CI08iS3sTXQ/?igshid=zl4x0306zmg1

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Pervis Payne. He was wrongfully convicted of a crime. He has maintained his innocence for more than 30 years. He has no prior criminal record. And he is set to be executed in Tennessee on April 9, 2021. He was waiting for his girlfriend to return to her apartment in Millington, Tennessee, in June 1987. He discovered that her neighbor, Charisse Christopher, and her children, had been brutally attacked. He panicked and tried to help, and the police came and framed him the murder. He had this fear as soon as he saw them. He was arrested later that day and was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The evidence i the case has never been tested for DNA. The Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich is opposing DNA testing in the case, and the office has a history of this. Payne bad no motive to commit this crime. The prosecution employed racial stereotypes to portray Payne, a Black man, as a hypersexual and violent drug user who attacked a white woman. Racial stereotypes are known to contribute to wrongful conviction and sentencing. He lives with an intellectual disability, which means it is unconstitutional to execute him. Because of his disability, he was not able to fully participate in his defense and was not a strong witness on his own behalf. There are also other suspects. He is innocent and he needs our help. As always, resources are in my bio, as I was not able to write everything in full detail. We need to save Pervis Payne. https://www.instagram.com/p/CIufg-_g0Bq/?igshid=16sr29jpnw5fm

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Dustin Higgs. He was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death as an accomplice to the 1996 murders of Tanji Jackson, Tamika Black, and Mishann Chinn. He is pleading his innocence. The man who ACTUALLY killed these three women is Willis Haynes. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 45 years after a separate jury spared him the death penalty for the crime. Willis has stepped forward as guilty. There is evidence and proof (government files) that he is guilty and that Dustin is innocent. Dustin did not commit this crime. He is set to be executed on January 15, 2021. That’s Martin Luther King Jr.‘s birthday. It’s also five days before Trump leaves office. There are resources in the link in my bio to learn more about Dustin’s case. There are petitions to sign as well. I will update this link as I find more information. We need to save Dustin Higgs. https://www.instagram.com/p/CIudRDtg649/?igshid=l9ucobh19isk

[thesapphicgemini]

This is Keith LaMar. He is a death row prisoner who was wrongfully convicted in Ohio. On November 16, 2023, the State intends to execute him, even though he has maintained his innocence for nearly three decades, all while being held in indefinite solitary confinement. In the aftermath of the 1993 Lucasville Prison Uprising, the State of Ohio was under public pressure to clean up a multi-million dollar mess, one that included the death of a prison guard and multiple prisoners. After State investigators trampled the crime scene and contaminated any and all potential evidence, they paid jailhouse informants to create a false narrative that implicated Keith, even though he wasn’t affiliated with any of the groups involved in the riot. To bolster their claim, the State withheld evidence that would have proven his innocence (including the confession of an actual perpetrator who admitted to murdering one of Keith’s alleged victims). His trial was staged in a remote Ohio community known to be highly racist. Any Black prospective jurors were promptly dismissed by the Prosecution, leaving Keith’s fate in the hands of an all-white jury, who swiftly sentenced him to death. This information is from www.keithlamar.org, and you can find out more about him there. This man is innocent. He needs to be pardoned as soon as possible. He needs our help. Please do what you can. Make calls, write emails, donate, and sign petitions. The link in my bio has resources to help Keith. I will be updating this link with more links to helpful sites when i find them. We need to save Keith LaMar. https://www.instagram.com/p/CIuU2UUAk9b/?igshid=lcxzs0pgy3qb

[thesapphicgemini]

Please take a few minutes to read this. This was difficult for me to write, as I am holding back tears. I have mourned for this man longer than I thought I would mourn for anyone. He was executed on December 10, 2020, 9:27pm. I will never forget that date or the time. He was 18 when he committed this crime. Held at gunpoint, and forced to light the car on fire. He didn’t want to kill anyone. He didn’t know it was going to be anything more than a robbery. He hung out with the wrong people, and it shouldn’t have happened. However, he did the least amount of damage in crimes. He rehabilitated himself in those 20 years of being on death row. He was kind. He helped youth and helped them to learn from his mistakes. He learned to play the guitar. He became such a master at crocheting, you’d think his cell was a grandmother’s house. He read books. He cared about his family and was still able to be an amazing father, even though he never even got to hug his daughter. He was hopeful. He was forgiven by the victims’ families. He did not deserve this. I am tired of this. I’m tired of watching my people be killed by an unjust system for the color of their skin. Because if he was white? He would be alive and off of death row. This shouldn’t have happened. Brandon should be alive right now. The death penalty needs to be abolished. For so many reasons. Brandon will always be one of those reasons. He will always be one of my reasons to continue fighting. He will always be in my heart, and I know that somewhere, he is watching. He died at peace with himself and with others, and I am happy that he was at peace. We need to do everything we can to stop this from happening again. My bio has a link for resources, information, petitions, and places to donate. It’s not hard to take a few minutes out of your day to help and to fight. If you stand by, you are one of the reasons this will continue. Brandon, I want you to know so many people fought for you. So, so many people. And we’re going to keep going for you, and for others. I wish that you rest in peace, power, and paradise. ✊🏽♥️ (at REST IN PEACE) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIsSPS9AwMH/?igshid=1jsuzegdddhh3

[thesapphicgemini]

this is absolutely beautiful.

“Novembers are for softest sleep when skies are dark and grey. They do not mind the time you keep when night looks much like day. They do not mind the rain that falls so warmly down your cheek. ‘Rest easy now’ is what they’d say if months knew how to speak.”

— Ellis Nightingale

#poetry #november #beautiful