PLEASE CALL Governor Rick Perry RIGHT NOW!
November 19, 2009
Breaking news! The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has recommended that Robert Lee Thompson's death sentence be commuted to life in prison. Thompson is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas on Thursday, November 19, 2009. This is only the fourth such recommendation for clemency from the Board in cases where the inmate faced imminent execution.
Thompson's lawyer successfully argued that he was not the triggerman in a December 1996 convenience store robbery-murder. His co-defendant, who was the actual killer of Mansoor Rahim, was tried separately and convicted on a lesser charge; he is serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole.
Please call Governor Perry IMMEDIATELY! Urge him to follow the Board's recommendation and commute Thompson's sentence!
Office of the Governor
Citizen's Opinion Hotline: 1-800-252-9600
Phone: (512) 463-2000
Fax: (512) 463-1849
Read more about the clemency recommendation in the Houston Chronicle.
Here's more information about Thompson:
Robert Lee Thompson, 34, is scheduled to be executed on November 19, 2009. He and co-defendant Sammy Butler, 32, were tried for capital murder for the December 5, 1996 stickup of a Braeswood Boulevard convenience store in which clerk Mansoor Rahim was killed. Under Texas' law of parties, all participants in such cases are eligible for the death penalty, regardless of who did the actual killing.
Thompson, who wounded but did not kill another employee, was convicted and sentenced to die. Prosecutors failed to prove Butler intended to kill his victim, however, leading to a non-capital conviction and a life sentence for the triggerman. Butler will be eligible for parole in 2036.
Please call Governor Perry as soon as possible and urge him to follow the Board's recommendation by commuting Robert Thompson's death sentence.
Thank you!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:00 am
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Response from Tim, founder of Alamo Drafthouse… about Busking/Panhandling Issue
November 11, 2009
of House the Homeless. Tim League started the beloved Alamo Drafthouse...
Oct 30, 2009, at 1:01 AM, Tim League wrote:
Hey Sara,
Tim League here from Alamo Drafthouse. I just read your really extensive blog post regarding DAA, 6ixth Street Austin
and the issues involving the homeless in Austin. You have a lot of really good things to say in your article,
but I don't think you are up to speed on all the things in which 6ixth Street Austin is engaged regarding the
homeless community in Austin. I just came on board as the chairman of 6ixth Street Austin last month,
and I can tell you that this issue is my top priority.
Our organization doesn't have much money - we have a tiny "public improvement district" tax assessment
paid by Sixth Street property owners that is enough to fund one staff member and a couple tiny projects
throughout the year. The rest of the organization is comprised of volunteer labor, such as myself.
That said, among many of our projects, we are working towards solutions to homelessness.
6ixth Street Austin, for the past 8 months, has been spearheading meetings with downtown stakeholders:
social service providers, judges, police, business operators, property owners, city staff, city council, city
management, EMS, the churches, etc. This diverse group is developing strategies that
the city can adopt to help mitigate the plight of the homeless.
This process was also sponsored in City Council by Sheryl Cole who is on a mission
to improve the services for the homeless in Austin.
In the past couple of months, I've gone on a tour of the spectacular new $95 million dollar
"Haven for Hope" campus facility in San Antonio, had lunch with Bill Hobson, the director
of the Seattle "Housing First" projects including their groundbreaking wet-housing facility,
had lunch with Father Bill Wack who oversaw the Phoenix homeless mission and toured
several of the Green Doors facilities here in Austin. Tomorrow night, I'm meeting with
council-members Chris Riley and Laura Morrisson along with representatives from DANA,
DAA and Front Steps for a round-table "stew and cornbread" dinner at The ARCH
to talk about and debate a direction for Austin's response to homelessness.
Anyhow, I just wanted you to know that 6ixth Street Austin and the DAA aren't as
callous as your journal makes us sound. We are working very hard on the real issues
surrounding homelessness.
I know we don't agree on the panhandling issue, and I'd love to chat with you
further about it and maybe present our side of the rationale behind the initiative,
and by our, I mean the unanimous support of the social service providers in downtown Austin,
not just 6ixth Street Austin. Even if we don't eventually see eye to eye on the issue
of the anti-panhandling ordinance, I'd still like to work with you on the more important
issues on which we are working. Panhandling is a symptom, it's not the cause, and I'd
frankly not like to get too bogged down in that one issue. The cause is Austin's desperately
inadequate facilities, resources and housing.
I'd like to ask you to engage in our process. It sounds like you have a wealth of information
on the subject and would have a lot to contribute. I personally want to enact some real change
in Austin and get the city motivated to invest in housing and homeless resource facilities.
So you know, I wholeheartedly endorse the Habitat on Wheels project (and I think it has strong
support at the city too), I think we absolutely need a wet housing facility and we are GROSSLY
behind in all aspects of housing, treatment and training/resource facilities for the homeless.
Right now, there is strong support with many members of city council, and I think if we can
quickly get a unified plan of action, we may actually be able to get some real and tangible results soon.
I've rambled a bit, I know, but I wanted to:
1) ask you to be a part of the team that is working towards expanding homeless resource
facilities and housing solutions
2) let you know that Sixth Street Austin (and the DAA for that matter) has a lot of people
who care about this issue for the right reasons and are working to get political support to fund solutions
Please call my cell or drop me an email if you want to meet up and chat. I look forward to hearing from you!
Yours,
Tim League
Founder
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Rolling Roadshow
Fantastic Fest
http://www.originalalamo.com
My response:
On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:30 AM, Sara Hickman wrote:
Dear Tim,
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful, lengthy, and engaging letter
concerning my blog post. First, I have to make one correction in that I did
not write that post. My dear friend, Richard Troxell of House the Homeless,
wrote the article, and I only posted it. I wish I was as eloquently supplied
with facts and figures as Richard (or you, for that matter!). I wanted
to post what Richard had sent to me, which also I forwarded on to the
Austin Music Commission, because Richard sent it to
me after Bill Brice (DAA) had visited one of our AMC meetings.
(You should also know I have since resigned my position with AMC
as I felt I've just got too much going on in my world and needed to
pare back to what is essential.)
Several months ago, I had approached Councilwoman Laura Morrison,
who appointed me to the Austin Music Commission, about
being involved on a commission that was concerned with the homeless
problems in Austin. I am, as you stated, serious about finding solutions and helping those
who are living on the streets---whether it is a living wage, a home, rehabilitative services
or furthering education, or all combined---as I felt I wasn't of much service on the
Austin Music Commission, although everyone on that board is working hard on music
related issues and incredibly intelligent.
I wish I could meet with you tonight at your round table, but I'm a mom, so being as it
is Halloween night, I will not be able to come to this gathering, but if you would like to mention
to Laura that I am still interested in some sort of involvement, you are welcome
to remind her, and perhaps, I can get involved with you all at some level/become a part of your team.
I think it is an amazing testament to your desire to create change that you have toured
so many facilities. I was recently in Ft. Worth, where I performed at three facilities there.
Having been involved in speaking out about homelessness for over 20 years, I am still
shocked at the rising numbers of those displaced---mix population growths, new
developments razing older neighborhoods, poor education, drug rise, lack of family
planning/education, etc---and the numbers are staggering. That said, I am not set in
stone about panhandling, or any issue to do with homelessness; I am open to dialogue
and continuing to educate myself about the different aspects/positions concerning
key ways to change/handle this growing epidemic.
In regards to DAA, I was only passionate in that Bill Brice understand the difference
between "panhandling" and busking/musicians. When he came to visit us at AMC,
he had nothing written within the papers he presented (that he had also been sharing
with Mayor Lee Leffingwell), and that was my job, to point issues like this out so that
nothing is written into local law without complete definition.
Anyway, I am honored you took the time to write. If you would like me to post your letter,
here, on my blog, I am happy to counterbalance what Richard wrote. I try to engage people
via my blog (and also "Startthedialogue.com", where we discuss the death penalty, family matters,
issues of the day)....as that is the most I can hope to accomplish in an era over inundated
with information and distractions.
I would enjoy meeting with you, Sheryl Cole, Laura Morrison, whomever. I realize
I don't have any power, but I can continue to learn and share what I learn at my
shows and on my sites so that, hopefully, we CAN create a healthier world
for all of Austin's citizens.
In Grace and Gratitude,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:24 pm
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Murder in our family…the death penalty…
November 06, 2009
All three were serving in the military.
This took place last year, but I felt I needed to share the events and the unfolding.
It is all incredibly tragic, and we are all very shocked, still, and forever heartbroken over
the loss of such a beautiful, talented young woman. I didn't know Christie, but
Lance, his sister, aunt, mom and his entire family are going to be haunted by this forever.
Please keep them in your prayers.
As you know, I am against the death penalty, so this is particularly rough for me internally,
but I still believe that Christie's husband and accomplice should live their lives behind bars
and let God be their judge when their time to pass on arrives.
Love,
Sara
Published: 06:47 AM, Thu Nov 05, 2009
DA seeks death penalty in slaying of Fort Bragg soldier
By Drew Brooks
Staff writer
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the husband and co-worker of a Fort Bragg soldier who was murdered last year.
Assistant District Attorney Cal Colyer said Sgt. Richard Smith lured his wife, 29-year-old Sgt. Christina Smith,
into a trap set by him and Pfc. Matthew Kvapil.
Richard Smith and his wife were walking near their home at 751 Ashfield Drive on Sept. 30, 2008,
when Kvapil ambushed Christina Smith, stabbing her around the head and neck while Richard Smith stood and watched, Colyer said.
An autopsy showed Christina Smith spent her final moments fighting for her life. She was stabbed
twice in the back, once in the neck and once in the left arm. There were a number of smaller wounds on her body,
including her hands and face, according to the report.
The killing had been planned by Richard Smith and Kvapil, who was a co-worker of Christina Smith's,
Colyer said. Kvapil had been offered $30,000 in return for helping in the murder, prosecutors say.
Richard Smith, 27, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of solicitation to commit murder
and conspiracy to commit murder. Colyer said one of the solicitation charges will be dropped because of a jurisdictional issue.
Kvapil, 19, is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
At the time of the killing, Richard Smith was assigned to the 4th Psychological Operations Group as
an electronics maintenance technician, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Kvapil worked with Christina Smith as a multimedia graphic illustrator for the group.
The parents, co-workers and friends of Christina Smith attended Wednesday's hearing. It was the first
of two hearings scheduled this week for Richard Smith.
On Friday, Smith's case will be one of several capital cases that will be discussed in relation to the
recently adopted Racial Justice Act. Richard Smith's lawyer, Michael Ramos, said the purpose of the hearing
was to preserve a possible claim to negate the death penalty through the act. Such claims have to be filed
when the decision to seek the death penalty is levied, Ramos said.
He said Friday's hearings will help decide how the court handles the issue in the future.
"No one knows what to do because it's so new," Ramos said.
Christina Smith's murder was the third involving female soldiers from Fort Bragg in the summer of 2008.
The killings attracted national attention. In each case, a man who was romantically linked to the victim is charged with murder.
Prosecutors were scheduled today to announce whether they would seek the death penalty in one of those
cases, the murder of Spc. Megan Touma. The hearing was delayed after the defendant's lawyer was not notified.
Edgar Patino is accused of killing 23-year-old Touma, whose body was found at the Fairfield Inn near Cross Creek Mall on June 21, 2008.
Patino was a Fort Bragg sergeant at the time, and investigators said he was the father of Touma's unborn child.
Prosecutors announced in September they would seek the death penalty in the third case, the murder of 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc on July 10, 2008.
Wimunc was a 24-year-old nurse at Womack Army Medical Center who was reported missing after investigators found a smoldering
fire in her Fayetteville apartment. Her charred remains were discovered three days later in Sneads Ferry, near Camp Lejeune,
after emergency personnel responded to a brush fire.
Her estranged husband, then-Marine Cpl. John Wimunc of Camp Lejeune, was charged with first-degree murder,
second-degree arson and conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. A second former Marine, Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden,
was charged with aiding John Wimunc by destroying evidence and providing a false alibi.
The two men were separated from the Marine Corps two weeks after Holley Wimunc's killing, according to Camp Lejeune.
Staff writer Drew Brooks can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:01 am
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A Hard Day’s Day
November 04, 2009
Each one trying to do their best
Friends criss-crossing communications
Tempers flaring...trying to calm the anger
Trying to remember: what's important here?
How can this be settled...?
How can we settle down....
Talking to a journalist about art, about music
About God, about purpose...
"What is success to you?"
I told her it was a mult-tiered answer
And shared the three I knew of...
Creating mandalas on the UT campus
Quiet time to reflect....overhearing conversations
Of trauma, of loss, of travel, of education
Drawing on the ground...drawing in the round
Seeing a happy woman, belly about to burst with
Beautiful, newborn child
Father's hair curly, jumping being---he's eager
To become a family soon
Painting tulips this morning on black
Printing paper
Giving it away for a charity to
auction off
WIll it make a difference
This time
I can only hope
With each painting
Each phone call
Each opportunity to listen
Each opportunity to say, "That hurts my heart..."
Each opportunity to work it out
All these little differences between us
All these problems that flare up
Because we are different
Trying to find ways
And say
Yes
in the midst of such shouting.
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:28 pm
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Rode My Bike!/Shiny Object!/David King!
November 03, 2009
the fantastic crew of SHINY OBJECT! I am LOVING the DVD we are working on..they are really doing a beautiful
job that will make many parents and their babies so happy spending time together, listening to music, dancing to
and watching sweet images. And so many surprises for so many people I love...I can not WAIT for this project to
bloom completely...
WHY: Rode my bike and burned almost 500 calories. I was dressed in a black and white striped turtleneck and
black pants, my white beret atop my free flowin' hair. I was a mime on a mission! Working towards that 128,
that's why...or did you forget that I am working with the incredible trainer...
WHO: David King!!! Who is coming today and will make me work my tushee off some more. This life change
has made me feel like a new woman, inside and out...which I shall be eternally grateful to DAVID KING of KING
FITNESS for the rest of my HEALTHY LIFE because...
WHEN: I sing now, I feel a depth, a strength, that hasn't been there in so long...due to the years of being the
hardest, unknown act in the music industry, someone who has sung and spoken out and flown and driven and responded
and written and hollered from the hilltops, songs of love and sorrow and tiny things growing out of cracks in the sidewalks
and people who have died and people who have been born (physically/spiritually) and now I feel like...no matter what...
I'm at the core of my being. My strength of physical, spiritual, mental and heartfelt LOVE IS ON FIRE, people!
Watch out! Here I come! AN EXPLOSION OF CREATIVITY due to the fact that...
DOCTOR Marilyn Vache helped me learn how to sleep again. She kick started the health craze for me. She brought me
HOPE. She reminded me that I can live, fully, if I just get some ding-dang shut eye. I will be grateful to her, too...but,
wait....you know...
FAMILY AND FRIENDS really all make it happen. Without their graciousness, patience, humor and support, why I'd be
a goose lost on a desert plain. Or is it a dessert plain? Well, this is a good segue into how NOT having sugar in my
life has helped tremendously. So, thank you family! Thank you, friends! Thank you, Dr. Vache! Thank you, Dr. Smith,
for sending me to Dr. Vache! Thank you, Shiny Object! Thank you, Alan Luecke for supporting another dream of mine!
Thank you, Gene, for your love and support with this BLOG, the NEWSLETTER AND THE WEBSITE and your generousity
of time, spirit and financial backing. Thanks to David King who is getting me from 155 to 128 (I'm at 135) but, more
importantly, is teaching me to enjoy EXERCISE! And thanks to my mom and dad who brought me into the world 46 years
ago. I think it's important to take a moment, here, and just say: mom and dad, thank you. Really. I know I was a handful
in my teen years. But, then, the divorce took it's toll on all of us, and no one is to blame...and speaking of blame...
ABSENCE OF BLAME is flowing splendidly, thanks to having Mark Addison at the helm/multi-instruments, Scrappy Judd on guitars and various
instruments, Dony Wynn on the drums spectacular/assortment of weird ass fun stuff, and me---singer/songwriter, ideas
jumpin' out of my head and intertwining with Mark's genius and it's all going to be the most special album. I plan to release it on
my birthday---March 1. KA-BLOOEY! JUMP BACK! LOOK OUT! Be forwarned.
This is all for now.
Off to paint for my show in December @ Lurleen's home concert!
WHOO!
XO
You know who
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:50 am
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