Sister Helen Prejean

Juan Melendez spent 18 years on Florida’s death row for a crime he didn’t commit. His story was documented in the film Juan Melendez 6446. If  you think that a “truly innocent” person has no chance of ending up on death row, this film and Juan’s story will rock your world.

Even better, you have the chance to hear Juan speak about his own experience. If you’re in the Louisiville area or in Indianapolis in January, get along to one of Juan’s talks. Here’s where you can hear him speak:

• Monday, January 11, 6:30 p.m. University of Louisville School of Law, Louisville, KY.
• Tuesday, January 12, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. University of Indiana School of Law, Indianapolis, followed by screening of documentary “Juan Melendez 6446″ at 4:30 p.m. (also at U of I law school).
• Wednesday, January 13,  7:00 p.m. at Marian University, Indianapolis.
• Thursday, January 14, Central High School, Louisville at 12:45 p.m.

For more information about the Indiana events, contact Will McAuliffe, director of INcase.

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I was in Washington state earlier this month, where I met with two senators in Olympia, the state capitol, to plan a strategy to repeal the death penalty in Washington. It’s been years since there was an execution here and only a handful of people are on death row. As I talk in various universities I’m learning that a number of Washingtonians don’t even know there is a death penalty in the state.

Like many other states WA faces a severe budget crunch this year, so the bill will focus on taking the extravagant amount of money used to maintain a death machine and devote it instead to real help for murder victims’ families, solving cold cases, and doing catch up on the huge backlog of prisoners awaiting DNA tests.

A key part of the organizing strategy will be to involve college students in the three-year  campaign of repeal.

Whenever we talk budget I always emphasize that financial resources are not simply a “practical” issue, but rather a deeply moral issue. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to say a budget is a moral document.

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I’m thrilled for Troy Davis and his family that the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that new evidence of innocence merits a hearing in a federal court. My lawyer friend, Denny LeBoeuf, tells me we haven’t had such a decision from the Supreme Court in direct response to a plea from a district court in 50 years. It had to be that evidence of innocence was so palpable and Troy’s execution so imminent, that six members of the court threw regular procedural rules out the window.

But not all. There were two dissents, and one of them came from Justice Antonin Scalia. Here’s what he said.

“This court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is ‘actually’ innocent.”

If you find that chilling, that means you get it.

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Juan Meléndez spent 17 years on Florida’s death row for a murder he did not commit. Although the real killer confessed, his confession was never shown to the defense and the jury never heard it.

Juan Meléndez – 6446 tells Juan’s story and the story of the dedicated people who stood by him and finally helped win his freedom.

Juan was present at this year’s National Campaign to End the Death Penalty conference in Pennsylvania in January, when we all got to see the premiere of this powerful  film. His mama was there, too. It was heartbreaking and maddening and it stirred the soul.

Now comes the news that Juan Meléndez – 6446 has been accepted to the New York Latino International Film Festival. It will be screened on Wednesday, July 29 and on Friday, July 31. Juan will be there for the screening on Friday. The documentary has also been accepted to the Montreal World Film Festival where it will be shown at the end of August.

If you live in the New York area or know someone who might be interested,  I encourage you to attend and spread the word. The film will be screened on Wednesday, July 29 at 5:00 PM at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea Screen 7; and on Friday, July 31 at 2:00 PM at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea Screen 8. For ticket information and to learn about other films that will be screened at the festival, please visit the New York Latino International Film Festival site.

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I am following the people of Iran in their struggle for democracy closely in my heart and prayer these days. My heart takes fire from the young people risking their lives to help a new nation come.

Take young Neda Agha Soltan, killed by a single bullet this past Saturday, her killing caught on video for all the world to see. Young people writing their souls online. One student saying “I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe I’ll be killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs…I write these words for the next generation so they know we did not surrender to despotism.”

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