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Kevin Cooper to die
It's time for action!
A man named Kevin Cooper has been given a date to die: On Feb. 10, 2004, the State of California plans to kill him, by pumping him full of poison.
Cooper, convicted back in 1984 of the slaying of 3 members of the Ryen clan, and a visiting family friend, was also charged with stabbing an 8-year old boy, but luckily the child survived.
Why lucky? Well, apart from the obvious reason (his sheer survival), Joshua Ryen saw who attacked him, and upon recovery told police that it was 3 white or Latino men who slew his family, his friend, and tried to kill him.
When young Josh saw TV news accounts of the attacks, he turned to a cop who was present, and exclaimed, when the picture of Kevin Cooper flashed across the screen, "That wasn't the guy who did it. It was 3 Mexicans."
... out of the mouths of babes, eh?
But, San Bernardino officials didn't care; what does it matter that the lone surviving victim cleared their suspect? It meant nothing. They had their man -- and on the 10th of February, they wanna kill him.
Kevin Cooper, now a man of 45 years, has spent the last 19 years of his life on California's Death Row, for a series of brutal crimes -- that he did not commit.
Cooper turned his cell into a school room; studying writing, politics and African-American history. He has grown into a vibrant, talented and educated individual -- yet California still wants to extinguish his light.
It is important to note that he is an African-American man. That wasn't lost during his Dec. 1984 trial, around which time demonstrators, calling for his death, hung a toy gorilla in effigy. Indeed, the media coverage was so hyped, the demonstrations so hostile, that the trial was moved to San Diego.
Not only was the only living eyewitness ignored; but shortly after the murders, a local woman came forward to tell police that she thought her boyfriend was involved in the grisly killings. Why? When he came home the night of the slayings, she said, he was wearing a pair of overalls, drenched in blood. The woman turned them over to the cops. Before the day was over, the overalls were pitched into the station's dumpster. Did it
matter that the man was wearing a t-shirt the color and brand of the t-shirt found in the scene -- it also, bloody? No. Did it matter that he owned a hatchet, like a weapon used in the Ryen home, and it was conveniently missing from the couple's home.
No.
None of it mattered.
They wanted, and focused on, Kevin Cooper; nothing else mattered.
Police and prosecutors told jurors that a bloody shoe- print found at the scene conclusively proved Cooper's guilt. Were the jurors told that Deputy William Baird had a pair of prison shoes in his (crime) lab, which were Cooper's size? What they also didn't know was that the Deputy, post-trial, was fired for stealing five pounds of heroin from the evidence locker--five pounds--both to use and to sell--to drug dealers!
Kevin Cooper is on Death Row, awaiting a date with death, based on 'investigators' such as these!
Incredible!
Welcome to the American Way of Death!
Help save--no; help Free Kevin Cooper!
Call, fax or email Governor Schwarzenegger.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Phone number: 916-445-2841
Fax number: 916-445-4633
E-mail address: governor [at] governor.ca.gov
Tell him to do the right thing.
Cooper, convicted back in 1984 of the slaying of 3 members of the Ryen clan, and a visiting family friend, was also charged with stabbing an 8-year old boy, but luckily the child survived.
Why lucky? Well, apart from the obvious reason (his sheer survival), Joshua Ryen saw who attacked him, and upon recovery told police that it was 3 white or Latino men who slew his family, his friend, and tried to kill him.
When young Josh saw TV news accounts of the attacks, he turned to a cop who was present, and exclaimed, when the picture of Kevin Cooper flashed across the screen, "That wasn't the guy who did it. It was 3 Mexicans."
... out of the mouths of babes, eh?
But, San Bernardino officials didn't care; what does it matter that the lone surviving victim cleared their suspect? It meant nothing. They had their man -- and on the 10th of February, they wanna kill him.
Kevin Cooper, now a man of 45 years, has spent the last 19 years of his life on California's Death Row, for a series of brutal crimes -- that he did not commit.
Cooper turned his cell into a school room; studying writing, politics and African-American history. He has grown into a vibrant, talented and educated individual -- yet California still wants to extinguish his light.
It is important to note that he is an African-American man. That wasn't lost during his Dec. 1984 trial, around which time demonstrators, calling for his death, hung a toy gorilla in effigy. Indeed, the media coverage was so hyped, the demonstrations so hostile, that the trial was moved to San Diego.
Not only was the only living eyewitness ignored; but shortly after the murders, a local woman came forward to tell police that she thought her boyfriend was involved in the grisly killings. Why? When he came home the night of the slayings, she said, he was wearing a pair of overalls, drenched in blood. The woman turned them over to the cops. Before the day was over, the overalls were pitched into the station's dumpster. Did it
matter that the man was wearing a t-shirt the color and brand of the t-shirt found in the scene -- it also, bloody? No. Did it matter that he owned a hatchet, like a weapon used in the Ryen home, and it was conveniently missing from the couple's home.
No.
None of it mattered.
They wanted, and focused on, Kevin Cooper; nothing else mattered.
Police and prosecutors told jurors that a bloody shoe- print found at the scene conclusively proved Cooper's guilt. Were the jurors told that Deputy William Baird had a pair of prison shoes in his (crime) lab, which were Cooper's size? What they also didn't know was that the Deputy, post-trial, was fired for stealing five pounds of heroin from the evidence locker--five pounds--both to use and to sell--to drug dealers!
Kevin Cooper is on Death Row, awaiting a date with death, based on 'investigators' such as these!
Incredible!
Welcome to the American Way of Death!
Help save--no; help Free Kevin Cooper!
Call, fax or email Governor Schwarzenegger.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Phone number: 916-445-2841
Fax number: 916-445-4633
E-mail address: governor [at] governor.ca.gov
Tell him to do the right thing.
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I know other people had called and couldn't get through at all but now there is a comment line that takes messages. Please call.
I find it to be unfair for you to write this statement. Yes your statements were all true but you leave out other statements made that aren't in favor of kevin cooper being "innocent". Yes perhaps when josh was 8 he made referance to it being 3 white or latino men. First of all can u even imagin what it was like for an 8 year old to see all this?! After something so tramitizing I can't belive he was abel to recall anything. When he saw mr. Cooper on tv and said that's not him. Mabey you should concider the fact that he was scarred out of his mind and had no one in the world to turn to. And in an 8 year old mind he was probably guarding himself. Josh goes on record know a brave man and testifies that it was indeed mr. Cooper that night. I know at your view point the 8 year old was the barer of truth and now he has what been "brainwashed" into thinking it was kevin cooper. Why after so long would he be fighting so hard which he dosent want to do to make sure mr. Cooper is punished. He feels it will give him freedom. Now why would he feel freedom if he wasent sure ir was kevin cooper. I'm not saying I know or even know enough to think kevin cooper is the murderer. What I do know is what is published and when u look at websites even for the death penelty in kevin coopers case, they will state all the evidence. You guys even neglect to report his violent past that's documented in court files. And ill say you even went as far to "make lite" of the fact he ESCAPED from prison. I don't care that its a minimum security prison. Just be fair and state all the facts. And for those of you who are framiliar with this case in its entirety and still belive kevin cooper is innocent simply by a statement made by josh right after the horrific inncodent please concider... If you have a child who is 8 and were to witness you and your family and his friend be killed and then laid there for 11 hours with his/her fingers in her throught to stay alive would they be calm and cool and matter of factly right after that and then be convinced by cops with really no motive besides bein lazy (because after all no big deal he escaped from prison, lied about where he stayed, and has a long wrap sheet) to want to convict him. Or do you think just mabey it was a scarred young boy all alone afraid him and now his grandma can be in danger was afraid to have to see or deal with kevin cooper. Keep in mind 8 year olds do not understand that "once we got him your safe" all there thinking is now he will know I told. Again I'm not trying to say kevin cooper is guilty but josh is still alive. Trying to move on. And for everyone to keep bringing up the things he said when he was young and frightened without publishing what he now says is heartless.
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