Free the West Memphis Three
Support Fund
1626 N. Wilcox Ave. PMB #423
Los Angeles, CA 90028
supporters@wm3.org
Damien Echols Defense Fund
P.O. Box 1216
Little Rock, AR 72203
LDavis11@hotmail.com
Write to Damien at:
Damien Echols #SK931
Varner Unit
PO Box 400
Grady Arkansas 71644
Please remember his prisoner ID number (#SK931) must be included in the address. The prison mail rules are here, and we strongly suggest everyone take the time to read them.
Write to Jason at:
Jason Baldwin #103335
2501 State Farm Rd
Tucker, AR 72168
Please remember his prisoner ID number (#103335) must be included in the address. The prison mail rules are here, and we strongly suggest everyone take the time to read them.
Write to Jessie at:
Jessie Misskelley, Jr. #103072
P.O. Box 600
Grady, AR 71644-0600
Please remember his prisoner ID number (#103072) must be included in the address. The prison mail rules are here, and we strongly suggest everyone take the time to read them.
We also have an Email Update List. To join, send a completely blank email to WM3-subscribe@topica.com
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:00 pm
A former Arkansas prison officer writes...
Due to the recent coverage of the events surrounding the West Memphis 3, I happened upon your site. During 2000-2001 I was a Correctional Officer for the State of Arkansas at the Maximum Security Unit in Tucker. I worked death row and admin segregation and did spend some time with Damien. I just wanted to write and commend you on your support for these young men and wish you and them the best of luck. It is commendable that someone of your stature would take the time to support these three and support them such as you do. My time spent with Damien was never unpleasant and I found some of my conversations with him interesting. I have never read your books and am interested in obtaining copies to read. Growing up in Arkansas and being from Memphis originally I remember the media coverage from when I was younger. I do hope that the truth is found concerning the events of that day for one shouldn’t be put to death on the information that was obtained and all the uncertainties surrounding their case. Again I wish you the best of luck as well as the men involved. For reasons you can understand I ask that my real name not be used.
Anonymous
England, AR
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:00 pm
Jason and the warden
Posted by Mara on Tuesday January 8, 2008
I visited Jason Baldwin in his new digs at the Tucker Maximum Security Unit a few weeks ago. It was great to see him, as always. But this visit came with a twist. We’d barely sat ourselves down in the hard plastic chairs in the concrete-block visitation room when in walks the warden, who also pulls up a chair and sits down.
I’ve known Warden David White for many years. As a long-time pro in the Arkansas Department of Correction, he’s had plenty of opportunity to answer media questions. Our past encounters were polite, if not always cordial. But this meeting was different. As Jason sat courteously by, White addressed himself to me and started talking about Jason and about the West Memphis case in general. He said Jason had been a fine inmate since arriving at his unit, and that he didn’t have to stay there. He said that after the investigation that had led to Jason’s being placed in the state’s Supermax facility, Jason had been cleared and sent to the Max, without any loss of class. In short, Jason could request to be sent to another unit, but had not. Jason nodded in assent. He said he was pretty satisfied where he was.
Then White said that a number of folks in the department had read my book. He said there’d been a lot of talk about the case since the announcement that DNA found at the site did not link to Jason, Damien or Jessie, but did match that of one of the stepfathers and his friend. It was a rather strange experience, having this friendly chat about the possibility that Jason was innocent while Jason sat there with us, wearing the prison whites that he has had to wear for almost 15 years.
In the end, the warden seemed to acknowledge the possibility that he was imprisoning an innocent man. Holding up his hands, White told me, “I don’t send them here. I just look after the ones the state tells me to take care of.”
With that, he said goodbye and let Jason and me resume our conversation. Jason was his usual cheerful self. We didn’t talk about much that was important, until the subject of Dustin McDaniel came up, and the attorney general’s comment that it might be two years before the state could come to a decision as to what to do about the increasingly ticklish West Memphis case. Suddenly, Jason became very serious. “I don’t know what would take them so long,” he said. “But I know one thing, and that is how long is too long to keep an innocent person in prison.” Here, he slammed his hand on the metal counter. “One minute!” he said. “One minute is too long to deny an innocent person his freedom.”
I drove back to Little Rock with two images playing on my mind. Jason’s passion on one hand and Warden White’s dispassionate hey-it’s-just-my-job congeniality on the other. What we supporters of the WM3 are trying to do is bring the passion of this to the cool marbled halls of state government. To his credit (and unless I misread him), White came closer to acknowledging the possibility of injustice in this case than any state official I know of. It’s time now for McDaniel and members of our tarnished court system to go the rest of the way: admitting the wrongs and setting about, without delay, to correct them.
On second thought, it’s not time. As Jason so clearly expressed it: it’s way past time.
Q: How are Damien, Jason and Jessie doing in prison? What do they do all day in their cells?
A: They are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Despite everything that has happened to them, they all know justice will prevail and they will eventually be freed. They truly appreciate all the support from people who have followed their case for so many years, as well as the ones who learn about it daily.
Jason and Jessie were both serving their time at Varner Unit in Grady, AR, but Jason is now serving his sentence at Tucker. They have day jobs just like the rest of us: Jason is a roving painter and loves to read in his spare time. He has always been an exemplary prisoner...
Jessie is assigned various odd jobs from laundry to hoe squad. He spends his free time reading wrestling and auto magazines, watching TV and writing to friends and family.
In Summer 2003, Damien was transferred from a maximum security prison to a Supermax facility adjacent to Varner Unit. Though he has always been a model prisoner, he is now living in solitary confinement in a 9’ by 12’ solid-front cell. He spends his days reading, writing, painting and exercising, always looking forward to phone calls and weekly visits with his wife, Lorri. Margaret Cho helped Damien publish his autobiography called "Almost Home" and he continues to write for many literary journals and magazines. To read his latest works, please click here.
Q: How can I arrange an interview with them for my magazine/newspaper/radio show/college report/etc.?
A: At the request of their legal representatives, they are not at liberty to discuss any of the facts or circumstances surrounding the case or their convictions at this time. If you have general questions about their lives that you would like them to answer, please write to them and explain what the nature of your project is and how you intend to publish it. Please understand that they may decline to participate due to the fact that their responses have been misquoted or taken out of context in the past.
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 4:08 pm
The WM3...
Jessie Misskelley--
Date of Birth: July 10, 1975
Date of Arrest: June 3, 1993
Time in Prison: 5817 Days
Damien Echols--
Date of Birth: December 11, 1974
Date of Arrest: June 3, 1993
Time in Prison: 5817 Days
Jason Baldwin--
Date of Birth: April 11, 1977
Date of Arrest: June 3, 1993
Time in Prison: 5817 Days
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
After the Arkansas Supreme Court denied his direct appeal in 1996, Jessie filed a Petition for Relief under Rule 37 the following year. (Rule 37 deals with ineffective assistance of the original trial counsel) The Petition was amended in early 2001. Because the original Petition was filed in a timely manner, it is an avenue of appeal that is still available to be pursued, as shown in this Joint Status Memorandum filed on June 2, 2004.
However, in 2000, work began on developing evidence that would support an "actual innocence" claim. After visiting the WMPD with an evidence analyst in November and discovering there was potential for DNA testing to exonerate his client, Stidham filed a motion with Judge Burnett. He asked for permission to have the evidence properly preserved and to test/retest certain items.
In March of 2001, the State filed a response to Stidham's motion. While Brent Davis apparently had no objection to evidence being preserved, he did object to having the evidence tested. In May 2001, Stidham wrote and reminded Judge Burnett about the new state law allowing inmates to seek testing/retesting of evidence, regardless of the prosecutor's wishes. He asked for a hearing on his motion. Judge Burnett did not respond.
In February of 2002, Dan finally asked Judge Burnett to have the hearing set in front of a different judge. After all, his original motion -- so far essentially ignored by the Court -- was filed in November of 2000. In March, the Judge responded and offered a few potential hearing dates. But because Stidham's initial motion was filed prior to the new post-conviction DNA testing statutes came into effect, he wanted to file an amended Petition. Stidham asked for time to file and agreed to allow opportunity for the prosecution to respond before a hearing was finally scheduled. In late 2002, Misskelley filed the amended Petition.
In 2003, Judge Burnett entered an Order for Preservation of Evidence, without holding a hearing. At this time, the requested DNA testing is proceeding. Judge Burnett finally signed the Order for DNA Testing, which was filed June 2, 2004. Getting all parties to agree on what specifically would be tested, where it would be tested, etc., was a time consuming process. As of February 2007, we are still waiting on the completion of the testing, although recent reports indicate it is nearly finished. Once we have an update to report, it will be posted on our News page.
While Dan Stidham remains one of Jessie's staunchest supporters and deserves our thanks for standing by his client for so many years, Jessie has an impressive new legal team of attorneys conducting his appeals. They are working in conjunction with Damien and Jason's lawyers on DNA issues and investigation.
Jessie Misskelley was brought in to WMPD for questioning on 3 June 1993. During the course of his interrogation, which lasted for several hours, Jessie was given a lie detector test and the police succeeded in securing a confession from Jessie of his own part in the murders of the three boys. He named Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols as his accomplices.
According to Jessie’s defense attorney, Daniel Stidham, Jessie claims that he and his friends were first approached by the police and offered a reward for information about the murders. Jessie was later taken into WMPD for questioning despite the fact that they did not have a written waiver of his Miranda Rights signed by Jessie’s father, a legal requirement when police interview minors. Normally this breach of a minor’s constitutional rights would be sufficient to have the subsequent confession quashed. For some reason in this case Judge Burnett chose to allow it.
Dan Stidham
In his confession, Jessie claimed that Jason Baldwin telephoned him very early on the morning of 5 May. During the course of this conversation, Jason had asked Jessie to accompany himself and Damien Echols to the Robin Hood Hills area. Initially, Jessie stated that he had gone to the Robin Hood area at about 9:00 a.m. that day to an area near a creek where he met up with Damien and Jason. They were actually in the creek when the three boys rode up on their bicycles. Baldwin and Echols had called to the boys who then came to the creek. At this time, Baldwin and Echols began to severely beat the boys. Jessie, claiming to be merely an observer, stated that at least two of the boys were raped and forced to perform oral sex on Baldwin and Echols. While these events were occurring, (James) Michael Moore had attempted to escape, but Jessie had caught him and returned him to Baldwin and Echols.
Jessie stated that Baldwin had used a knife to cut the boys’ faces and the penis area of Christopher Byers. Echols had used a large stick to hit one of the boys and to strangle one of them. After this attack the boys’ clothes were removed and they were tied up, Jessie then left the scene. He was sure that Christopher Byers was already dead. After he arrived home, he claimed that he was telephoned by Baldwin who apparently said "We done it!" And "What are we going to do if somebody saw us?" Jessie said that he could hear Echols in the background.
When asked whether he had ever been involved in a cult, Jessie said that he had been for about three months. He told police that they usually met in the woods where they engaged in orgies and initiation rites which included killing and eating dogs. He stated that at one of these meetings, he saw a photograph that Echols had taken of the three boys and claimed that Echols had been watching the boys.
Jessie, when asked to describe what Baldwin and Echols were wearing at the time of the murders, told police that Jason had been wearing blue jeans, black lace-up boots and a T-shirt with a skull and the name of the band "Metallica" on it. Damien was wearing black pants, boots and a black T-shirt.
During the course of this first statement, Jessie changed the time that the murders occurred from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and explained that the three boys had skipped school. These times were again changed in another recorded statement taken two hours after the first one had concluded. In this statement Jessie said that he, Baldwin and Echols had arrived at the Robin Hood area between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., but after prompting from one of the interviewing officers, he again changed this time to between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The final time Jessie gave was that the teenagers had arrived at 6:00 p.m and the victims had arrived when it was nearly dark.
In this second statement, Jessie gave further details about the sexual molestation of the boys. He stated that the boys had been held by the head and ears and forced to perform oral sex on Jason and Damien. He named Steven Branch and Christopher Byers as the two victims who were raped. He stated that the boys had been tied with brown rope. A further contradiction in this story was added later when one of the interrogating officers testified that according to his notes Jessie had claimed that Baldwin had called him the night before the murders had occurred and said that they planned to go and get some boys and hurt them.
Dan Stidham was able to secure the expert testimonies of Dr Richard Ofshe and Warren Homes. Dr Ofshe, a Pulitzer Prize winning social psychologist and an expert on false and coerced confessions, believed after reading the confession, listening to the tape and interviewing Jessie Misskelley, that Jessie’s confession was a coerced compliant and false confession. The reasons given for this conclusion were:
Many instances of coaching from the interrogating officers, especially in regard to the timing of events and Jessie’s identification of Christopher Byers as the boy who had been emasculated.
That nearly three hours of the interview were not recorded.
That the interrogating officers had used intimidating methods during the interrogation.
That many areas of Jessie’s confession were not supported by the facts.
Examples of incorrect information in Jason's "confession:"
Jessie stated that the victims and Jason Baldwin were not at school when in fact they were proven to have been in attendance
Jessie stated that the victims were bound with rope when in fact they were bound with their own shoelaces
Jessie stated that one boy was choked with a stick when the medical examiners report stated that there was no evidence of strangulation
Jessie stated that the boys were anally raped when in fact the medical examiner had found no evidence of this occurring
Jessie described the murders as having been conducted at the scene where the bodies were found when in fact the medical examiner had stated that there was no blood found at the scene.
Dr Ofshe was not permitted to state all of his opinion during the trial as Judge Burnett had previously ruled that Jessie’s confession had been voluntary and Ofshe’s testimony in this regard would directly contradict the court’s previous ruling. Burnett also stated that such a testimony would give an expert witness the power to determine whether the accused was guilty or innocent which was solely the jury’s domain. Finally, the jury only heard that Ofshe had a lot of experience with coerced confessions and it was possible for police to obtain a confession from someone who was in fact innocent, anything more specific was not allowed.
Warren Holmes, an expert in lie detection testing and interrogation who has studied and worked in this field for over thirty years, agreed to testify for the defense after he was approached by Daniel Stidham, despite the knowledge that he would not be paid for his services and only his expenses would be reimbursed.
At a hearing prior to the trial, Judge Burnett ruled that Warren Holmes could not testify regarding the polygraph examination itself. As polygraph test results are not admissible evidence he would only allow Holmes to testify to his experience and qualifications and to give an analyses of the interview techniques used during Jessie Misskelley’s interrogation.
When Holmes analysed the polygraph test conducted by the WMPD on Jessie Misskelley he found that Jessie’s responses to the questions relating to the murders indicated that Jessie was truthful in his answers and in fact did not have any knowledge of them. The WMPD interrogating officers’ statement to Jessie that he had in fact lied, indicated that they had not conducted or interpreted the results of the tests properly. The result of being informed that he was lying would have greatly contributed to Jessie’s sense of helplessness in the situation making him more likely to comply with the demand for a confession by the police.
According to Holmes there are a number of indicators which will validate to the investigators that a suspect’s confession is true.
In a true confession the suspect will often give the police information about the crime that the police do not already know.
If a confession is true the suspect gives information that fits with the real evidence of the crime.
A true confession is usually given in a narrative form including many incidental details about the situation surrounding the crime which can be corroborated by police later
In a true confession, if the investigators make an incorrect supposition about the crime, the suspect will correct them.
In a true confession, there is no need to correct the suspect for contradictions in their story.
In a true confession there is no need for coaching or leading questions in order to elicit information.
Homes believed that there were many instances in Jessie’s confession where these criteria were not met. He was especially concerned that Jessie was wrong about the times and the type of ligatures used. Both of these factors should have meant a great deal to him. Nor does Jessie mention anything about his feelings at the time of the crimes or afterwards, or talk about the things that were said by himself, the other perpetrators or the victims. Jessie’s confession was elicited by a series of highly suggestive questions by the interrogating officers and was not given in a narrative form.
The testimony of these two witnesses was the strongest evidence that the defense had to refute the prosecution’s case which was built solely upon the weight of Jessie’s confession. Without this expert opinion, Jessie’s case was severely hampered.
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/memphis/confess_6.html
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 6:47 pm
Damien, Jason, and Jessie...
Baldwin and Misskelley had minor criminal records (for vandalism and shoplifting, respectively) and Misskelley had a reputation for being hot tempered and engaging in frequent fistfights, but Echols had a more troubled past.
His family was very poor, had frequent visits from social workers, and Echols rarely attended school. His tumultuous relationship with an early girlfriend culminated when the two ran off together. After breaking into a trailer during a rainstorm, the pair was arrested, though only Echols was charged with burglary.
Police heard rumors that the young lovers had planned to have a child and sacrifice the infant, and based on this story, had Echols institutionalized for psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed as depressed and suicidal, and had Imipramine prescribed to him. Testing demonstrated poor math skills, but also showed that Echols ranked above average in reading and verbal skills.He had spent several months in a mental institution in Arkansas and his mental problems were severe enough to gain him "full disability" status from the Social Security Administration. During Echols' trial, Dr. George W. Woods would testify (for the defense) that Echols suffered from a "serious mental illness characterized by grandiose and persecutory delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, disordered thought processes, substantial lack of insight, and chronic, incapacitating mood swings." At the time of his arrest, Echols was working part-time with a roofing company and expecting a child with his new girlfriend, Domini Teer.
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Fri May 23, 2008 10:29 pm
Jason Baldwin's Blog/Poetry/Opinions
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Great Governor Beebe {Jason’s poem}
Category: Writing and Poetry
The Great Governor Beebe
Deliberately indifferent
to pleas of help from innocents
he instead turns towards
"the mad chase
of evanescent profits"
claiming to know
not the citizens
labeling their "true destiny"
and noble will "to minister
to ourselves and our fellow men"
as merely annoyances
to be shrugged off as flies
to flutter and bug elsewhere
his ears are effectively
closed off to any of our cries
the people Hope
for a leader
who has grasped "ancient truths"
that Freedom cannot be
"an ebbing tide"
allowing innocents to sink
we effectively kill
that which we
once held so dear in ourselves
leaving behind ugly scars
the abominable monster of them all
guilt.
-Jason Baldwin, 3/08
with a little help from Franklin D. Roosevelt
6:56 PM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Rock For Freedom Weekend for the WM3- Shows.
This blog will be continuously updated forthe upcoming RFFW, March 7-9.
National Rock For Freedom Weekend
to benefit the West Memphis Three!
DENVER:
Thursday, March 6 2008:
Burlesque As It Was
The Hollyfelds
and
Megan Kelley
8 p.m. (early show!)
The Pink Elephnat
1515 Madison (and Colfax)
$5 bucks, 21 +
Saturday, March 8
We Are! We Are!
Warsaw Surrenders
Wetland
Get Back Loretta
Old Curtis St Bar
FORT COLLINS:
Saturday, March 8
Underminer
Heartfelt Bastard
Primasonic
Crooked Ways
Holly 750
City Mouse
at Hodi's Half Note
167 N. College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
$5 Pre-sale, $7 Day of...
21 and over
Proceeds of course go to the Defense Fund supported by Jason and run by Lorri Davis.
make custom gifts at Zazzle
2:33 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment
WM3 Keychains/buttons
Current mood: hungry
Proceeds of course go to the Defense Fund supported by Jason and run by Lorri Davis.
make custom gifts at Zazzle
2:33 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment
Saturday, January 19, 2008
New Message from Jason
Category: Life
Supporters and friends,
First, I would like to say that I support Damien's statement on this issue 100 percent. Wm3.org has been with us since virtually the beginning, working hard, getting money together to pay for testing and attorneys, and it is because of them that we now have the attorneys and support we have now. We have never turned away any help before and we have welcomed all dontations from many different people from all walks of life. However, when people attack Damien's wife and the good people of the wm3 org, I do not find that satisfactory, and it takes away from the true goal of the fund... which is to get the truth out there about what happened and to get the three of us free. Therefore, I cannot accept donations from this group, calling themselves"The WM3 Innocence Project", either.
I would like for everyone to stay focused on what the main goal is, which is to get the truth out. When people take away from that by putting forth accusations and defamations of character, all it does is take away from what we are trying to do. Consequences from that can be very bad. I support, and have always supported, Lorri Davis. I find her to be an exceptional and honorable woman doing everything she can to help the three of us. I also fully support the defense fund that Lorri handles, and the people behind Wm3.org. It is unfortunate that the focus of this situation has been shifted to something of this nature when everyone should be focusing on getting the truth out, and bringing innocent men home. I urge supporters to not let this distract you from continuing to help and contribute, and to trust that positive things are being accomplished.
With gratitude, Always,
Jason Baldwin
2:51 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Rock For Freedom Weekend for the WM3- Get involved.
Current mood: busy
Category: Life
This coming March 7-9 a new International WEST MEMPHIS THREE fundraising event will be celebrated for the first time: "Free the WM3: ROCK FOR FREEDOM WEEKEND". The event will be celebrated, as other fundraising events have been in the past, with Supporters, all over the World, holding shows and concerts to raise money for the West Memphis Three Support Fund!
Recent developments in the case have Damien Echols' lawyer filing in Federal Court with an "Actual Innocence Claim"…which means they feel they have enough new information to not only prove that a jury today would find reasonable doubt, but enough to show that the WM3 are ACTUALLY INNOCENT. These new findings (new DNA evidence is part of a LONG list of new findings) are bringing the West Memphis Three closer to becoming free men than ever before! (If you are not up to date, I've posted many links here and for more go to www.wm3.org to get all the latest news, read the Writ that was filed, articles, etc) As the new evidence moves to be formally presented in Court (a hearing may be held in the Spring), the lawyers, investigators, and experts are moving into overdrive! This, of course, is causing the WM3's legal fees to skyrocket! NOW, MORE THAN EVER, DAMIEN, JASON & JESSIE NEED OUR HELP! We've helped them get this far…….WE HAVE TO SEE THIS THROUGH to THE END! But, in order for there to be an end…we MUST give all the support possible, in the way of fundraising, to help them make it! The WM3 Defense Fund is being tapped daily and it is IMPERITIVE that we replenish it so this process to free them can continue! PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING THAT BECAUSE OF THE NEW EVIDENCE THAT IT IS TIME TO RELAX AND LET THINGS TAKE THEIR COURSE….THESE MEN CANNOT MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE DEFENSE FUND! There is SO much more to be done! A great deal of legal wrangling will play out in the year to come and possibly beyond that. There's been mention of the possibility that more DNA testing may be done as well, and the WM3 MUST PAY FOR THESE TESTS THEMSELVES….the State does not pay a dime! LAWYER FEES, INVESTIGATOR FEES, AND CERTAINLY DNA TESTING COST THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS! THE ONLY MONEY PAYING FOR THESE THINGS ARE THE FUNDS SUPPORTERS RAISE FOR THE DEFENSE FUND. If we slow down, if we get complacent, the result could be disastrous! Think of this as a long home stretch…..if you were winning a race, would you then slow down, or stop, just because the finish line was in sight? HELL NO, YOU WOULDN'T!
We're hoping ROCK FOR FREEDOM WEEKEND will breathe new life into WM3 Supporters' fundraising efforts……..LET'S GET EXCITED FOLKS!……GET INVOLVED….STAY INVOLVED! Damien, Jason & Jessie ARE COUNTING ON US……..WE CANNOT LET THEM DOWN!
Damien, Jason, & Jessie are already aware of this event and all three have expressed their support of it and have wished us luck! THE EFFORTS ALL OF US MAKE FOR THE ROCK FOR FREEDOM WEEKEND WILL HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT ON DAMIEN, JASON, & JESSIE'S LIVES! The funds that we will raise will pave their walk to freedom. Do not EVER think that you are insignificant and cannot do anything to help! As a group, or what I like to think of as a large family, if we support one another, encourage one another, and remind ourselves that the money we raise WILL BE CHANGING THREE MEN'S LIVES, I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING WE CANNOT ACHIEVE!
Myself (Boohiss) & STL (Chandra) are heading up the RFFW Team, which includes Coordinators from across the U.S. as well as Coordinators in England and Australia. We've split the country into four quadrants, assigning 1-2 Coordinators to each quadrant. We'll contact you to let you know which quad you're in or you can look on the RFFW Myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/rockforfreedomweekendwm3 ) which will have the States listed with their Coordinators. In areas where we have not yet assigned a Coordinator STL or myself will handle the area until one is appointed. This way, anytime anyone has a question, needs help, anything…..there will be Coordinators waiting to give what's needed in a timely manner. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU AS MUCH OR A LITTLE AS YOU NEED US! Of course, if you don't know who your Coordinator is, or would just rather speak to a friend you know, there is no "rule" saying you must speak with a particular Coordinator. We're just doing it for organizational purposes. If you're an old pro, done this 100 times before, just give us a hollar and let us know you're gonna do a show, and you need not do anything else….you don't have to check in with us, get our permission, NOTHING. But, if you've never done a benefit in your life, but want to, we're prepared to help you down to the very last detail. THIS IS EVERYONE'S GIFT TO THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE and it is up to you, as a Supporter, to handle that as you wish!!!
I have complied a "file" of sorts that we'll pass out to ALL WM3 Myspace sites and anyone who wants to put together or participate in a benefit. (if some how you are missed, please contact me). It will contain everything from mock-fliers, to my blog "How To Do a Benefit: TIPS", to form letters to send to bands or volunteers…and the list goes on. I'll even go over how to snag local radio interviews, get articles on your benefit in local papers & entertainment rags. Just about anything you can think of that would help you plan more effectively will be in it. We want to make setting up benefits a FUN project, not one full of stress, and the more information you have the easier things should go.
Over the years I have been blessed to get to know so many of you! Some of the most amazing people I've ever met are WM3 Supporters. Your capacity to give selflessly, live from your hearts, and have such great compassion and love for Damien, Jason, & Jessie….men most of you have never met…….is beyond description. It's because of the hearts in all of you that we know if we all work together THIS CAN BE DONE….and not just "done"……..BUT DONE DAMN WELL!
So…..ARE YOU READY TO GET STARTED? Yeah? Go on over and look at the Coordinators/States list, see who your Coordinator is, and either contact them, or contact me or Chandra here Go ahead and subscribe to our Blog…..it will keep you updated!! Snag some of the banners you see on this site and post them on everything from your Myspace sites, your sig lines on message boards…….anywhere and everywhere!
WE WANT THIS TO BE THE BEST FUNDRAISING EFFORT TO DATE! SO GET READY TO DIG IN AND KICK BUTT!
Be sure, even when using this link, that it is going to Charles Baldwin, and his ADC number is 103335.
You can use this at any time to send him something, but it is a great idea for his birthday if you are looking for something to do besides send books.
--This is not the defense fund, this is his personal commissary prison account, which is what he uses to buy things like extra food, toothpaste, shampoo, stamps, envelopes, shaving cream, etc... and he is only allowed to buy these items through this commissary, he cannot receive gifts or care packages.--
Don't hesitate to send a message if you have any questions or problems.
Thanks!
7:05 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Amazon Wishlist for Jason {Updated Now}
Current mood: chipper
Category: Friends
Jason's amazon wishlist has been updated and is ready for his upcoming birthday (4/11).
Here is the link, please comment here or send a message if you have any problems with it at all.
11:21 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Message to Supporters -- from Jason {Awareness Day}
Current mood: productive
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Dear Supporters,
Hi, I just wanted to take the time to say a quick word of encouragement and thanks to everyone for all their hard work and dedication to this case. As you are all aware Awareness Day is fast approaching and I know many of you have various events scheduled or are in their planning stages. Many of you are veterans and have been doing events now for the WM3 for years and still for a lot of you, this is something new and like all new endeavors in our lives we are a bit unsure of what to do and are seeking confirmation that what we have planned is okay. I want to say this to all of you – veterans and new comers alike – do not wait on approval from anyone to take action. Do not seek approval from any other one supporter before you take action and then end up not taking action because that approval never comes. Simply take action, people.
This is a collective group effort – and that simply means that we are all trying to reach the same goals – to save Damien's life and grant Damien, Jessie and myself freedom while letting the State of Arkansas know that we want the real killer(s) of those boys found and prosecuted. You do not need my permission to do this, or anyone else's permission. Take action. However, if you still feel you need to have permission, know this – you already have it. Every one of you are sanctioned to fight for Justice and what is right and by God every one of us is granted this right and none can take it from us. This right cannot be taken by bullets, bombs, force, trickery, unjust court proceedings or even threat of death – as long as breath can be drawn into our lungs it can be expelled in the fight for Justice.
I understand too the need for things to be organized and for someone to step up to bat and take the initiative on that endeavor. However, sometimes people can become disenfranchised when things such as this occurs. I don't want that. I want everyone to feel free and proud of the way they help support the cause. None of us share the same opinions or tastes about how we should best show support – but that is okay and cool – that smorgasbord of taste is what makes America the amazing country it is. For us, who are fighting for Justice and what is right, to say supporters can't do it this way defeats the purpose of the whole event.
I want to end this by saying again thank you. It is through the hard work and determination of all of you that Damien, Jessie and I have Hope. That is priceless and I'll never be able to repay you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Charles Jason Baldwin
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Sat May 24, 2008 11:47 am
This is a thread to get to know the WM3, anything from them or about their lives... It helps to know them a little better to know whether or not you think they are guilty, I think.
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 4:36 pm
Damien's Statement
January 18, 2008
Dear Friends and Supporters,
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write this letter, but it must be done in light of recent events. A man in my situation is allowed to have very little of anything, so the things I do have mean all the more--things like dignity and a personal sense of honor. I write this letter in order to keep that personal sense of honor intact. The point of this letter is to inform the public, the supporters and the operators of the wm3 "innocence project" website that I will not be accepting anything from the operators of that website.
By making false accusations against my loved ones, my friends and the supporters who have gone out of their way to help me for many, many years the operators of the wm3ip website have caused me tremendous grief. At a time when I should be preparing for the upcoming fight against the charges made against me, I am having to deal with the actions and accusations made by this wm3ip group. I do not think the word "supporter" can be applied to any involved with the wm3ip website. Sadly it is more like a confederation of individuals who have attempted to further their own agendas by making use of my name, pain and misfortune as well as that of Jason and Jessie.
These individuals are not connected or affiliated with me or my case in any way, and I will not be accepting anything from them due to the insults they have delivered to me, my loved ones and my true supporters. However, your donations and support are now needed more than ever, and anything you can give would be greatly appreciated. It will be needed to fund the upcoming hearing. And again, thank you all very much for your support. It is because of you that we have gotten this far.
Thank You,
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 4:37 pm
Jessie Misskelley Statement
"Dan should know better than to be talking bad about Lorri like that. He should stick up for her and be proud of her!
No one from out of the blue would just spend all her time helping us out like that. Jason, Damien and me are all in this together and we've got to stick together. We've come this far and we can't let something like them trash talking stop us now."
-- Jessie Misskelley
1/29/08
http://westmemphisthreediscussion.yuku.com/topic/6244
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
First, I would like to say that I support Damien's statement on this issue 100 percent. WM3.org has been with us since virtually the beginning, working hard, getting money together to pay for testing and attorneys, and it is because of them that we now have the attorneys and support we have now. We have never turned away any help before and we have welcomed all dontations from many different people from all walks of life. However, when people attack Damien's wife and the good people of WM3.org, I do not find that satisfactory, and it takes away from the true goal of the fund... which is to get the truth out there about what happened and to get the three of us free. Therefore, I cannot accept donations from this group, calling themselves "The WM3 Innocence Project", either.
I would like for everyone to stay focused on what the main goal is, which is to get the truth out. When people take away from that by putting forth accusations and defamations of character, all it does is take away from what we are trying to do.
Consequences from that can be very bad. I support, and have always supported, Lorri Davis. I find her to be an exceptional and honorable woman doing everything she can to help the three of us. I also fully support the defense fund that Lorri handles, and the people behind WM3.org. It is unfortunate that the focus of this situation has been shifted to something of this nature when everyone should be focusing on getting the truth out, and bringing innocent men home. I urge supporters to not let this distract you from continuing to help and contribute, and to trust that positive things are being accomplished.
With gratitude, always,
Jason Baldwin
"Bratty Mama Leci"
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 5:16 pm
A protest of innocence
Re: Jan. 5 broadcast of “Arkansans Ask: Gov. Mike Huckabee.”
Dear Governor Huckabee:
You say you haven’t seen proof of our innocence [the West Memphis Three]. I say that is possible but only if you haven’t searched. I know you are an extremely busy man. You have to be because you have the needs of everyone in Arkansas resting upon your shoulders. I understand and do not blame you for taking the advice of your advisers on this case.
However, know this Governor: I was 16 years old when I was kidnapped — and from day one I have told the truth about my innocence every chance I was given — but no one with power or authority on earth has listened to me.
But He has. God has listened and if you don’t believe it all you have to do is look at all the hearts he has touched concerning this.
It wasn’t fair or right when you said the only concerned citizens were outsiders and that they had reached their conclusions after only viewing a movie. There are many Arkansans who know that I am innocent who have done more than just view a movie. No. 1 on that list is Mara Leveritt. Ask her about the facts of this case. Debate publicly with her. Just make sure you have your facts straight first because I guarantee you she has hers.
Better yet, drop to your knees and ask God about this in prayer. Be a hero, Governor Huckabee. Take the initiative and really look at this case. If you don’t, I understand and I’ve already forgiven you. Just know this: My faith will never waver and should it do so — God will pick up the slack.
P.S. Congratulations on your health. I’m a counselor here in prison and I use your example as a role model for the guys to emulate. Thank you.
C. Jason Baldwin
Tucker Unit
Jason Baldwin, who was convicted at age 16 in the slaying of three West Memphis children in 1993, is serving a life sentence at Tucker. Another co-defendant also received a life term and Damien Echols has been sentenced to die for the crime.
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 6:02 pm
ET 2/7/94, Father still proclaims son's innocence
2/7/94
Evening Times
Father still proclaims son's innocence
By Lenice Watkins
Evening Times Staff Writer
"He didn't do it. They got the wrong one, and we're going to prove it."
That was the reaction this morning of Jessie Lloyd Misskelley Sr. following Friday's conviction of his son, Jessie Jr., 18, in the deaths of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis last May 5.
The younger Misskelley was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Michael Moore and second-degree murder in the killing of Christopher Byers and Steve Branch. The convicted teen-ager told police in a taped statement that he chased Moore down and brought him back to the bank of the drainage ditch where the three bodies were found May 6.
For first-degree murder, Jessie Jr. was sentenced to life in prison; for the two second-degree murders, he received prison terms of 20 years on each count.
The senior Misskelley said he took off from work as a mechanic at Jim's Repair Service in Highland Park two weeks to attend his son's trial in Corning. He acknowledged that few fathers go through what he just went through.
"No, it doesn't happen to many families," he commented, "not when you're innocent. I was hurting, that's all.
"I feel for the victims' parents," the elder Misskelley said. "But he (Jessie Jr.) didn't do it." He noted that he saw his son just before he was taken to the Department of Corrections' diagnostic center in Pine Bluff and that he does not expect to be able to see him until after he leaves the center.
The senior Misskelley said he would like to attend the upcoming Feb. 22 trial in Jonesboro of the other two teen-agers charged in the murders, Michael Wayne "Damien" Echols, 18, and Charles Jason Baldwin, 16, but he does not have the money.
He said he will visit his son whenever he can. Asked if Jessie Jr. was easily led by others, the father said, "I suppose you can say he was."
The senior Misskelley noted, "He has a temper, but he wouldn't hurt anybody unless they bother him first."
An appeal of Jessie Jr.'s conviction is already under way, the father noted.
"It's hard," the father said. "It's just unreal. It's like you're asleep and having a damn nightmare... And wake up and find that it's real." He said he "had no idea" his son would be found guilty.
"We had all the evidence that he was not (guilty)," the senior Misskelley explained. "At least he didn't get the death penalty. That's one good thing.
Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 12374
Location: Kentucky
ObscuregawdessPosted:
Mon May 26, 2008 7:43 pm
The Architect and the Inmate - ArkTimes 1/09/04
The Architect and the Inmate
Public for the first time, the woman who married Damien Echols discusses their relationship
By Mara Leveritt
January 9, 2004
I first saw Lorri Davis inside an Arkansas prison. It was early 1997. We were at the Maximum Security Unit at Tucker. Both of us were visiting men on Death Row.
I'd come from Little Rock for an interview. She'd flown here from New York, I later learned, because she was falling in love.
Thick glass windows separated us from each other and from the white-suited inmates we'd come to see. Still, I could see that she was visiting Damien Echols, and that she bore little resemblance to most of the wives, mothers and friends of inmates - the poor Arkansas folk - who usually came to the prison. This woman visiting Echols looked ... cosmopolitan.
Afterwards, we introduced ourselves while waiting for a guard to open the gate. She struck me at the time as gentle, smart and dignified. That impression has not changed in the years I've known her since.
Yet that impression contrasts sharply with the one that is widely held of her husband, the inmate she eventually married. In 1993, Damien Echols and two other teenagers were accused of having murdered three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis. A year later, Echols was tried on circumstantial evidence, found guilty and sentenced to death. His co-defendants, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., received sentences of life in prison.
Davis married Echols in December 1999, but, despite requests for interviews, including many from national media, she has never before spoken publicly about what led to that decision, or what her life has been like since she made it.
Several weeks ago, the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected what may be her husband's final appeal in this state (he can continue appeals of his conviction in federal court). That ruling "played a part," she said, in her decision to speak out publicly now about her husband and her marriage.
I began by asking what she hoped to accomplish.
LD: "There comes a point when you realize that you might not have a lot of time left, and there's a lot of work to be done.
"I've always been private about my relationship with Damien. I have never done an interview, and only now feel compelled to.
"I'm speaking about him publicly now because I see how he has been portrayed in the media, and I understand that the perception of him here in this state is still, largely, that he is - first of all, guilty - and that he's also evil and scary. And I see that, with some very, very important exceptions, he is still portrayed that way.
"I want to try to change that. I cannot just sit back any longer and not speak out for him.
"I've known Damien for eight years. I know him very well. And I wish there was some way I could reach out and impart that knowledge about him to everyone, as I have with my friends.
"If one person reads this piece and feels the need to learn more about his case, then talking about my life with Damien will be worth it. I'd like to tell people, 'There is so much more to learn than what you've been told.'
"I didn't want to go to the national media first. It's here that a change has to start. It's here that matters most."
ML: Why have you not done this before?
LD: "First of all, I have always been protective of our relationship. Let's face it, most people who would marry someone on death row - people think there's something terribly wrong with them.
"That's always been a big reason why I have not been public. I respect my relationship with Damien, and I have never wanted to let people take a stab at it.
"I absolutely believe in Damien's innocence, and I feel I have a job to do. I have never felt that speaking out publicly would help him. I felt it would hurt him to publicize it, and it might hurt our relationship.
"But people need to know what has happened here and what he is really like. He is so different from what has been reported about him, and the rumors that have circulated about him for years, and it's time that all that be put to rest.
"I believe that will be done in time. But it needs to start now."
ML: So talk about how you became involved with an Arkansas inmate on Death Row.
LD: "I grew up in West Virginia, but at the time, I was living in New York City, where I was working for a design firm. And I also worked for the city of New York, in its Department of Cultural Affairs.
"Every year I would go to the New Films, New Directors film series at the Museum of Modern Art. And I saw the screening of Paradise Lost [a 1996 documentary about the West Memphis murders, for which Echols was sentenced to death]. That was before it aired on HBO, or was released to theaters. And, to make a long story short, I became very concerned about Damien and his situation, and about the situation at large.
"I was saddened by the film. I found it hard to watch in many ways, and afterward, I found I couldn't stop thinking about it.
"I was so struck by the feeling that something was terribly wrong: I knew those three teenagers hadn't committed those murders. I was left with the feeling that I wanted to learn more, and I was left feeling helpless."
ML: What was it about Damien, in particular, that affected you?
LD: "I felt a connection to him, like we were kindred spirits of sorts. I don't especially think that that time in his life [the period of his trial, as shown in the documentary] - let's put it this way - it was not his shining moment. But for what he was up against, I could see that there was a will there, and a very strong will, and I could identify with that.
"My dad has called me a rebel at heart, and I could see that that was there in him too, and, unfortunately, it was used against him, whereas I have always been protected and safe.
"I reacted to his strength of character. It was also apparent in that film that he was very intelligent, and had a curiosity about life. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind. That was unfortunate in the circumstances, but I respected him for it."
ML: How long was it before you contacted him, and how did you feel about doing that?
LD: "It was three weeks or so. At first, it didn't even occur to me that I could write to him. When I decided to do it, I was very nervous about it.
