NEWSCRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE MEDIA

On February 8th, 2012, please join parents, clergy, and medical professionals at 7am in front of the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida (330 East Bay Street), in a peaceful protest against the handling of Cristian Fernandez in the adult justice system. Cristian was barely 12 years old when he was charged as an adult in the death of his brother. If he is convicted on February 27th he faces life without parole.

The case of Cristian Fernandez has attracted local, state, national and even international attention through a Change.org petition created by Melissa Higgins, a mother concerned about the treatment of children in America's criminal justice system. Almost 180,000 people and organizations have signed Melissa's petition asking Florida State Attorney Angela Corey to reverse the decision to try Cristian as an adult.

If you have questions about the rally or would like to confirm you participation, you can send and email to savecristian@yahoo.com and you can find additional information at savecristian.org.

The rally was set to coincide with a 9am hearing at the courthouse where the judge would rule on motions filed by the defense, but that hearing has since been canceled. Cristian's supporters will still convene and display support for him.

EVENT DETAILS:
When: Wednesday, February 8, starting at 7am
Where: Duval County Courthouse, 330 East Bay Street (Google Map)
What: A peaceful rally/protest against the handling of Cristian in adult court
How: Participants will be given signs to hold and/or other visuals
Who: The rally is being organized by Melissa Higgins, Alicia Torres

Here is a flyer you may print and distribute advertising this event:
http://justice4juveniles.com/cristianfernandezfiles/pdfs/feb8flyer3.pdf

The image of Iraq Veteran Scott Olsen being carried by protestors during the Occupy Oakland protests after he was critically injured by Oakland Police Department is one that people all over the world have seen. For many, Scott became the face of the 99% and his injury an example of police brutality.

Now, Scott is asking the Department of Defense to allow UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez to have a private interview with Bradley Manning to discuss the conditions of his detainment.

Bradley Manning, is accused of stealing and leaking over a quarter million classified documents that were published online by Wikileaks while he was serving as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2009 and 2010.

When Florida State Attorney Angela Corey spoke to the media about the Cristian Fernandez case two months ago, she did so to clear the air about what she called misinformation regarding her intentions to send a 12 year-old boy to prison for the rest of his life. She stated firmly that she was not seeking a life sentence for Cristian, nor was she trying to prove that Cristian intended to kill his younger brother David.

Alicia Torres, a Jacksonville mother of one of Cristian's former classmates points out an a recent op-ed, that all of these statements proved false. A trial date has been set and if convicted, Cristian does indeed face life in prison.

But there is a much bigger lie that Angela Corey is telling. Earlier this month she said in an interview that the reason she moved Cristian's case from the juvenile to adult court system, is that the juvenile court would only be able to hold Cristian for less than two years.

In just a few days, more than 65,000 people have joined the campaign led by UC Davis student David Buscho, calling for the immediate resignation of UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi after student demonstrators were brutally pepper-sprayed while peacefully sitting on the ground.

David was one of the students who was pepper-sprayed. In an interview about the incident, he recaps what it was like for he and his girlfriend to be pepper-sprayed:

"I had my arms around my girlfriend. I just kissed her on the forehead and then he sprayed us. Immediately we were blinded," Buscho told The AP. "So I was sitting their blind, suffocating. My girlfriend was writhing in pain. I wanted to touch her but my hands were covered in pepper spray."

Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty.

At Change.org, we know that ending the death penalty is an issue important to many Change.org members and we invite you to use this entire week to take action on campaigns from around the world and make your unique contribution in defending human rights.

In 2010, 23 countries carried out executions - an action that can never be reversed. This year the stories of Troy Davis (executed in the US), Alireza Molla-Soltani (a 17 year old boy hanged in Iran) and of many others continue to remind us that our countries are doing something extremely wrong and inhumane in the name of justice.

To start things off, RSVP to our Facebook Event and start sharing campaigns, telling your stories, and finding out how others are helping to end the death penalty throughout the world. Be sure to invite your friends to join you this week!

Patricia Spottedcrow, the 26 year-old mother of four who was convicted of selling $31 of marijuana to a police informant, has had her 12 year prison sentence reduced to eight years with four years of probation.

While the reduction in her sentence shows understanding, it is not justice and does not go far enough. As Spottedcrow's attorney, Josh Welch puts it, she shouldn't be in jail at all:

"Nobody understands why this woman is serving this long of a sentence for this type of crime. Look at other states; you can commit this same crime and it's not illegal. That's insane. She sold $30 of marijuana for gas money and food money for her family. It's stupid. It's wrong. But you don't go to prison for eight or 12 years for that. You shouldn't go to prison period."