The State of Missouri executed an innocent black man on Tuesday

Reposting this from my bulletin for more exposure

This is (obviously) going to be heavy. This week, Missouri executed Marcellus Williams, whose conviction was built on faulty DNA evidence, hearsay from compromised witnesses, and a racist juror selection process. Others have covered the details better than I can, and I encourage you to do your own research. Here's one of the many articles covering this miscarriage of justice:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/marcellus-williams-executed-lethal-injection-missouri-after-scotus/story?id=114025574

I grew up in St. Louis and even as an ignorant white kid from the suburbs, I could see the lines that split the neighborhoods. I didn't realize it at the time, but the influences of white supremacy on my city, county, and state were all around me. I watched the cop who extra-judicially murdered Michael Brown get off the hook. I watched the parents in my own community throw fits over school redistricting because they were convinced it would lower their property value through association with poor black kids. Watching this story develop was painful. It made me feel powerless. This was the first time I've ever called a politician, but it feels like it was all for nothing.

I want to provide a positive takeaway from all of this, but the most I can do is share resources that might be able to save people like Marcellus Williams from meeting a similar fate. The Innocence Project (https://innocenceproject.org/) worked for years trying to save him, and was able to, at the very least, push his execution back several years. Cori Bush and Wesley Bell, two St. Louis politicians, also fought hard for him.

This racist system that disregards the value of human life will keep operating, but we can organize and we can fight back. Spread the word. Educate yourself, and educate your friends and family. Connect with your community. Go to protests. Contact your legislators. Donate to organizations like the Innocent Project.