Special Alert: 80-year old anti-death penalty activist jailed
From fellow death penalty opponent Jack Payden-Travers:
On June 27th 2012, 13 death penalty protestors were convicted in DC Superior Court in Judge Juliet McKenna’s courtroom of violation of 40 USC § 6135 which prohibits protest on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court. You can see Mrs. Eve Tetaz in the video of our arrest on January 17, 2012, the 35th anniversary of the execution by firing squad of Gary Gilmore that is up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inGmr3hjv_o. Eve Tetaz was the last person to join the demonstration and uses a cane. Mrs. Tetaz is an 80 year old activist totally committed to nonviolence.
Eve is scheduled to begin a 60 day sentence on Monday evening, July 2nd at 6:00 pm. It is a harsh sentence for this First Amendment upholder. As she told Judge Juliet McKenna in the courtroom at the time of her sentence: “I will not be silenced.” Although four of the defendants refused to pay their fines, it appears that because Mrs. Tetaz had an arrest record of 15 priors, all nonviolent protest actions, she was more severely punished. The three defendants with $100.00 fines got just 5 days each. In stark contrast, Eve with a $250.00 fine got 60 days. Based on the other jailed defendants’ sentences, she should have been sentenced to no more than 13 days. In addition to her age, Eve has a serious medical condition that requires her blood be tested every three weeks.
The irony is that the death penalty protest was about bringing a redress of grievances to our nation’s highest court. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect individuals in the United States and to limit the government’s power over its citizens. Now, Mrs. Tetaz’s rights are being completely stripped for exercising those very rights.
Please call Judge Juliet McKenna to respectfully ask her to reconsider death penalty protestor Eve Tetaz’s harsh sentence. The DC Superior Court website lists her chamber phone number as 202-879-0422. A reduction of sentence is in order!
If you are able to stand in solidarity with Mrs. Tetaz as she presents herself at DC Jail, please join her supporters at the jail (1901 D Street SE) TODAY (Monday, July 2, 2012) at 6:00 pm. The closest metro stop is Stadium Armory.
If you are interested in visiting Mrs. Tetaz during her incarceration, you can go to the Department of Corrections website at www.doc.dc.gov to find information on jail regulations and routines. She will be incarcerated in the Women’s Jail.
Peace & Trust,
Jack
Jack Payden-Travers
Social Responsibility Educator/Organizer
1711 Link Road
Lynchburg, VA 24503
434.384.4744
919.949.1093 (cell)
The Armband Protest Against the Death Penalty 