Urge Louisiana Governor Blanco to Pardon Gary Tyler Now (tags)
Urge Governor Kathleen Blanco to ensure that Tyler gets a new pardon board hearing, and then pardon Tyler before she leaves office in January Gary Tyler, an African-American man, is currently serving a life sentence without chance of parole for the 1974 murder of a 13-year-old white student. Although he was only 16 at the time of the incident, Tyler was charged as an adult in a trial that was seriously flawed. Despite a climate of extreme racial tension in the town of Destrehan, Louisiana, there was no change of venue for the trial. In addition, the jury was all white; members of the black community were deliberately excluded. Tyler's defense attorney did not interview any witnesses, failed to prepare for trial, and spent only one hour with Tyler throughout the entire year previous to the trial. Furthermore, since the trial, key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony.
Sports Figures Call for Gary Tyler's Freedoom (tags)
Tommie Smith and John Carlos were part of the most dynamic moment in the history of sports and struggle when they raised their black-gloved fists at the 1968 Olympics. Lee Evans was also a gold medal winner at those Olympics and a leader of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a top-ranked boxer who spent almost twenty years in prison for a triple homicide before being exonerated after an international campaign to win his freedom. Jim "Bulldog" Bouton and Bill "Spaceman" Lee were all-star pitchers for the Yankees and Red Sox who told uncomfortable truths about both society and the game that they love. Etan Thomas plays for the NBA's Washington Wizards and stands in the tradition of the previous generation of political athletes. Together, they and other sports figures are are asking Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco for the release of Gary Tyler. Read the statement to see how Tyler's quest for justice has brought these and other extraordinary figures from the world of sports together.