Dear Friends,
I’m writing to ask for your support in three different areas.
1. Act: Save Lisa Montgomery
Lisa Montgomery, who suffers from severe mental illness after being sex trafficked, raped, and abused as a child, is scheduled to be executed on December 8th. If it happens, she would be the first woman in nearly 70 years to be executed by the federal government. To further complicate matters, her lawyers contracted COVID from visiting her and are currently too sick to provide representation. You can read more about Montgomery’s dire situation in my latest piece, “Lisa Montgomery is Set to Die, While Her Lawyers Battle the CoronavirusThey Caught While Visiting Her,” published in (En)gendered.
To take action, sign this petition and share it with your networks. You can also contact Barr and your federal Senators and Representatives to demand that Lisa Montgomery’s life be spared — or that the execution be significantly postponed until her lawyers fully recover. While you’ve got them on the phone (if you are so inclined), you can tell them that you want to see an end to all federal executions now.
2. Give: Support the Men and Women Who Were Recently Released from New Jersey’s Prisons and Jails
As I wrote in my last newsletter. on November 5th, New Jersey released nearly 3,000 people from its jails and prisons due to COVID. Many of those people are now in desperate need of support. The Montclair State Petey Greene Program, a student organization dedicated to tutoring people who are incarcerated as they work toward their GED, has organized a donation drive. As their faculty advisor, I could not be more proud of their efforts, which you can support by donating here.
3. Vote (last call) for my Proposal at SXSW.
Finally, while nowhere near as serious as the first two items in this newsletter, I wanted to let you know that the audience panel picker for March’s virtual SXSW closes tomorrow! Could you please take a minute and vote for my proposal, “Wrongful Convictions and Criminal Justice Reform”? The link is here. The audience vote carries quite a bit of weight in the selection process, and I so appreciate everyone who already voted! Fingers crossed.
I hope you and yours have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving. Thank you for all that you do.
Take good care,
Jessica