Austin
trip report + BRILLIANT new actions, RSVP urgently
Nadine
Morandi, Thursday, September 8, 2005
In spite of Jewel
being unable to make the trip with us to Austin yesterday, Karen and I had what
we felt a very successful and worthwile visit there.
We both spoke about Frances, her case and our fight to free her to an audience
of about 30 people at UT. Rodney Ellis' parents and family were amongst the
audience and shared their own terrible plight. Tone's interview of Frances was
also showed, before Q&A. We sold t-shirts and collected donations (almost
enough to cover gas!), and everybody was extremely receptive and pissed-off
(after learning more about the case that is, not at us).
We were welcomed in Austin by a very active abolition group, who have been very
busy organizing actions of their own to stay the execution. They are planning
a Jam-the-Lines day on Monday, calling and faxing all day long to the governor's
office, as well as a demonstration on Tuesday. They also took many postcards
that they will get signed and mailed until Monday. They are very knowledgeable
about the case, convincing, and I know they will be keep on campaigning hard.
On the way home Karen and I were both very inspired and racked our brains for
newer, bolder actions. Driving under a bridge I flashed on the bridges over
59 and thought how good our FREE FRANCES banner would look, held up by a few
of us at rush hour. Karen had the idea of using a series of banners saying STOP/THE
EXECUTION/SHE IS INNOCENT on a succession of bridges, and using the big banner
on the last one. This is I think a brilliant idea, but it would require quite
a few of us, and we need to know NOW, before we start making the banners, who
will be available to hold them. We are thinking of being on the bridges tomorrow
morning around 7am. ANYONE IN????
Karen also had the other genius idea of hanging a dummy from a rope, over the
last bridge. Does anybody out there own a dummy/know where to get one???
Finally, does anyone have a contact among the cast or crew at the Ensemble?
They are previewing "A Lesson Before Dying" this weekend and I'd like
to see if we could use each other (them talking about Frances after the play,
us advertising for them tomorrow evening at the Artery). I met Larry Johnson,
a member of the cast, at Chocolate Bayou last Sunday but didn't think fast enough
and didn't get his number.
Please send us your feedback quickly. We need to act ever faster and more furiously.
See you at the DA's Offices
Nadine