Show up, tune in…hear the words of this man wrongfully-convicted, speak of his struggles and call for an end to the death penalty or at least a moratorium on executions…

10:00-11:00 a.m. KLIK (1240 AM; listen live @www.klik1240.com) Talk Show

12:00 Noon Rally "Joe Amrine and other Reasons for Abolition of the Death Penalty" Lowry Mall (rain site currently being arranged), UMC campus, near Memorial 7:00 p.m. RagTag Theater, 23 N. 10^th St. Showing of "Unreasonable Doubt," video outtakes since his freedom, plus Amrine and co-director Ryan Wylie. Half of proceeds at the door will go toward helping him re-settle.

8:35-9:00 a.m. KFRU (1400 AM, listen live at http://www.kfru.com/) Talk Show

6:00- 7:00 p.m. KOPN (89.5 FM) Talk Show

9:00 p.m. RagTag Theater, Showing of "Unreasonable Doubt," outtakes, plus Amrine and co-director John McHale. Half of proceeds to Amrine.

The last FOR News, just a few days after its mailing, suddenly became dated. And we were thrilled. Our front-page story had asked people to urge officials, "Free Joe Amrine." Finally on 28 July, officials released Amrine after being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death 17 years ago. Frequently, he had dreamed of that day. Yet as he stood outside the Cole County courthouse, he remarked with a jubilant sigh that his dreams "were nothing like this" gathering with supporters and a dozen reporters. It was a fitting turn in this Missouri miscarriage of justice, as Joe had been convicted and sentenced to die in the same building in 1986.

Joe Amrine became the 111^th individual in the United States (the 3^rd in Missouri) to be exonerated after being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death since 1977. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that nine people have been exonerated thus far in 2003, a record annual number since capital punishment was once again ruled constitutional. Since then, 870 people have been executed nationally, 60 in Missouri.

Cole County Prosecutor Bill Tackett stated publicly he elected to drop charges against Amrine, only because DNA testing proved inconclusive, failing to implicate Amrine in the murder of Gary Barber, another prisoner at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Tackett finally acted upon the Missouri Supreme Court April 29 decision overturning Amrine’s conviction. Either release him by mid-June or retry him, the court ordered. The last six weeks while he was incarcerated in the dilapidated Cole County Jail were "killing me," Amrine told FOR on 25 July. This time span "with my hopes up so high" were "bothering me a lot more than the 17 years" spent dwelling under a death sentence, most of it at the Potosi prison.

In a public statement, Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty celebrated his release and noted, "This case is a classic reason to insist on a moratorium of all executions…. In its (Missouri Supreme Court) hearing on February 4th we heard the Assistant Attorney General declare that the Court need not stop the execution of an innocent person as long as the prisoner had a fair trial. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected that policy, declaring that a ‘manifest injustice’ would occur if an innocent man was executed."

The single individual perhaps most responsible for helping to get Joe freed was his attorney, Sean O'Brien. He remarked, "It was way too easy to convict him in the first place, and way too hard to get him a new trial." A fund to help Joe make ends-meet is getting started now. To contribute, please write a check out to "Public Interest Litigation Clinic" and earmark it for "The Joe Amrine Fund" then mail to PILC; 5319 Rockhill Rd.; Kansas City 64110. Donations are tax-deductible, going through the PILC.

With the end of the first session of Congress rapidly approaching, the time in which to introduce a new Innocence Protection Act (IPA) is quickly running out. Urge your Members of Congress to tell their leaders that it's time to introduce and pass legislation that would expand access to post-conviction DNA testing and improve the quality of defense counsel in capital cases.

Members of Congress are negotiating a new version of the Innocence Protection Act. With the end of this first session of Congress only weeks away, these discussions have reached a critical stage as Democratic and Republican leaders from both the House and Senate negotiate over which provisions should be included in this important legislation.

Urge members of Congress that any new version of the IPA must:

(1) Require DNA evidence be preserved;
(2) Ensure access to post-conviction DNA testing for any inmate with a legitimate claim; and
(3) Bring about meaningful, enforceable reforms of state capital counsel systems.

The IPA attracted 250 House sponsors and 32 Senate sponsors last year because you and so many other so many activists, leaders, and advocacy groups sent letters and faxes that you made it a priority in Congress. Plug in now -- before the session ends -- to let Congress know that introducing and passing a bill that expands access to post-conviction DNA testing and improves the quality of defense counsel in capital cases is still a priority for their constituents.

Report of Prosecutorial Misconduct

The Center for Public Integrity Center studied criminal appeals nationally from 1970 to the present, and found that local prosecutors in many of the 2,341 jurisdictions across the nation have stretched, bent or broken rules to win convictions. Its report is entitled, "Breaking the Rules: Who suffers when a prosecutor is cited for misconduct?" Since 1970, the report states individual judges and appellate court panels cited prosecutorial misconduct as a factor when dismissing charges, reversing convictions or reducing sentences in over 2,000 cases. In another 500 cases, appellate judges offered opinions—either dissents or concurrences—in which they found the misconduct warranted a reversal. In thousands more, judges labeled prosecutorial behavior inappropriate, but upheld convictions using a doctrine called "harmless error."

The investigative team, which included UMC Journalism instructor Steve Weinberg, revealed 376 Missouri cases in which defendants alleged prosecutorial error or misconduct. In 77of them, judges ruled a prosecutor’s conduct prejudiced the defendant and reversed or remanded the conviction, sentence or indictment. In 21, a dissenting judge or judges thought the prosecutor’s conduct prejudiced the defendant and would have reversed or remanded the conviction, sentence or indictment. Out of those defendants who alleged a prosecutor denied them a fair trial, three later proved their innocence.

Of the 77 cases in which judges ruled a prosecutor’s conduct prejudiced the defendant, 58 involved courtroom behavior such as improper arguments or use of improper evidence, ten involved the prosecution withholding evidence from the defense, three involved discrimination in jury selection and the remaining cases involved threatening a witness, using perjured testimony, breaching a pre-trial agreement, interfering with the defendant’s right to counsel and a having conflict of interest.

Misconduct by prosecutors led to the conviction of innocent individuals who were later exonerated. Guilty defendants have also had their convictions overturned and are placed back on the street. In addition, the Center found many prosecutors who were cited multiple times for misconduct. These prosecutors give recidivism—a word usually used to describe those they work to put behind bars—a disturbing new meaning. To read the complete study, search the database of judicial rulings, or access information on prosecutorial misconduct in every state, visit the Center’s website at: http://www.publicintegrity.org/pm/

During the core of the Vietnam War years, the Columbia Fellowship of Reconciliation carried out a peace vigil in front of the entrance to the university’s student union each Wednesday at noon for six years, 1967-73. During this period we had a rare opportunity to sense the feelings of people about the war. Early on, feelings seemed mixed. At times there were even counter-demonstration across the street.

As the war continued, there was a long period that might best be expressed by, "We should have never gone to war, but now that we’re in, we have to continue until we win.":

However, as the U.S. body count grew into the tens of thousand, and the Vietnamese count, ultimately, more than a million and Republicans alike, with propaganda material the leaders knew was false. Eventually the vast majority of Americans wanted out, and our boys were finally brought home.

Now we’re in another insane war. Once again, conned by our leaders with a series of lies. The way to end the war is to do now what we finally did in Vietnam: Bring all of our troops home! After all, just because our leaders repeatedly lied to get their war is no reason to continue the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan with the destruction of the countries and death of both our own troops and the people of the countries we occupy.-- John Schuder (Co-founder of Mid-MO FOR and medical researcher/ Also d , a developer of the heart defibrillator )

Come check out Peace in the Park, a concert and peace gathering with music, speakers, booths from Noon to 6:00 p.m., Sunday, 21 September in Brady Park, on MU campus behind Brady Commons (in case of rain, the event will take place in Stotler Lounge in the Memorial Union). Sponsored by Students for Progressive Action and Mid-Missouri Peaceworks Call 875-0539 for more details.