1. My genre is writing a magazine article about autism. To be more specific, I will be doing an article for teen vogue. When writing a magazine article you want to catch the reader’s attention. Therefore you need a good hook! When looking at the articles teen vogue had to offer, I was amazed by the hooks. It made me want to read the article even if it was just about what Miley Cyrus thinks about green dresses. That’s when I realized one of the most important formula is a great and shocking hook to get people interested in reading your article and what you have to say. As I kept reading the other articles I saw there was suspense like they didn’t tell you what you were looking for right away. They just hit you with details and facts and feels like forever to get to the point but it is information that Honestly would be good to know. After noticing the hook and the suspense that comes right after I immediately compared it to my topic on autism and what type of Audience I’m seeking to grab attention with my hook right away. Since my topic is not about a celebrity or something trendy it is in fact something informative finding a catchy hook for that will be hard but it isn’t impossible! After finding my hook, I will ease my reader with information that’s not boring and too scientific but I will write it in a way they feel I’m speaking to them directly face to face. I think that is a good tactic to keep the reader engaged in the reading and actually taking something out from it. I do need to be careful with the information I share and not make it more interesting than what the actual hook. When I get to my main point of the article I will ask questions to help the reader relate to a person with autism and see where people with autism are coming from or dealing with on a daily basis. Finally, I will end my article with a little sentimental conclusion and one fact that will get them thinking more than they did throughout my article to care on with them in their daily life.

Topic Question- What should be the limitation or changes to American foreign policy?

I want to make a speech about American foreign policy and I want to grab the attention of young Americans who probably don’t know nothing about what’s going around the world. The main objective with this speech is too give these readers a better understanding on American involvement in world affairs.  So first I want start off by introducing myself just like in any ordinary speech. So I want talk about first about the events that’s going with American foreign policy and the effects that are having to other countries. Also go into more meaningful explanation about the effects and are the results good or bad? I would also ask my audience the question which is ” what do you see on tv or have you read anything about American involvement in foreign countries ?” So I would also give a brief explanation of how did we get here or in other words what have we’ve done in the past that would make the United States into a world superpower spreading our influence around the world. We talk about events such as both world wars and the cold war which was during the peak of American involvement . My audience should also understand of the political decisions that were made that would determine the military activity. I also want to address the concerns people are having with America’s current foreign policy or if there has to be any changes or changes that are necessary that we  would hopefully see improvements to American influence on foreign soil.  At the end of my speech I would basically summarize everything and hopefully give my audience the information that they want to know about Foreign policy.

 

Aisse Tounkara

Professor Hall

11/21/2019

                                Genre How To (How To Make a Ted Talk) 

 For my Genre i’m choosing to do a TED Talk video. I feel like TED TALK Videos are very useful especially when it comes to this topic. Police Brutality and implicit bias. To make a TED Talk I would need to find an idea that I would like to discuss. I already have an idea on what I’ll be discussing with everyone. I would then need a great starting point to keep everyone engaged. When doing this TED Talk I need to be specific one specific topic. Implicit bias has to do with a lot of things. I don’t want to have my audience confused. Also in order to even do a TED Talk you have to have confidence. That plays a major role. Your speaking out into the audience and that’s very important.Speaking into the audience isn’t easy because you may get nervous, start shaking and other things. You have to make your TED Talk videos very interesting and not boring. If the audience is bored they are going to tune out everything that you are saying. You have to always have their undivided attention. It would be a waste of time to go up and make a speech but not anyone learned a single thing or understood the point you were trying to get across. People often do TED Talks to get their point across and to educate us on things we may have very little knowledge on. I’m not a shy person so this TED Talk will go pretty smooth for me overall. Basically TED Talk is public speaking but with an idea in mind. That idea is what you will use to guide you throughout everything. You may also want to see if your audience is engaged by asking questions. 

 

I want to start off the whole video by doing some form of unboxing that shows off the political parties and gives a brief history of them. The actual script will be included within this writing, however, the whole video will try to add some satirical moments to keep viewers interested. I’m fully aware that somebody who doesn’t give a shit about politics won’t care for what I have to say, or die-hard Democrat/Republican voters, however, I plan to reach out mostly to undecided voters who don’t like either party or felt abandoned by the aforementioned parties.

 

Script:

 

Now look, I ain’t no youtuber but I’m boutta do an unboxing for y’all. Here we got a package by [insert some stupid ass name] from [random place].

 

*here I would open the box and dump the content of the box by exclaiming “money shot!”*

 

Contents within would reveal some funny, appropriate, items but what would be highlighted are the two major political parties, Republican in the form of an elephant and Democrat in the form of a donkey.

 

Wow look at these pieces of shit, you got a conservative backing up leftists views by losing roots of conservatism and being more progressive, and you have a literal jackass of a party that can’t get behind anybody and ultimately destroy this country with its policies and fantasy laws.

 

Yes, both parties suck.

 

A porcupine representing the Libertarian party, a leaf for the Green, and the US Constitution representing the Constitution party.

______________________________________________________________________________

Most of my script, however, will be improv and me going on and on with facts and details, however, I know exactly what I want to do when I start this video. That’s the introduction for now and I plan on actually filling the video with satirical moments along with adding facts about third parties and giving a short history of third parties. Mainly in regards to the election of 1968 where George Wallace of the Independent Party gained electoral votes, registration amongst third parties, the rise of popularity for a third major political party, etc. All this would conclude with my question, how do we introduce a third major party in American politics?

1. You must bring in a rough draft of your “genre how-to–” at least 300 words. PLEASE BRING A PAPER COPY AND POST ON OPEN LAB BEFORE CLASS. This is part of your grade for Unit Three and will also be included in your final portfolio. No Unit Threes will be accepted without a genre how-to.  If you did not do your proposal yet, see #2

What is a genre how-to? Well, if you are writing a political You Tube video, you would write instructions about to make a political YouTube video (or, if you’re making a TED talk, how to make a TED talk– you get the picture.) You need to be kind of specific here– not just “a video,” but “an unboxing video” or “a movie review.” Narrow it down a bit.

It’s okay to look up “How to make a TED talk,” but I also want you to look at at least three examples in your genre and see what YOU notice (not just what some random guy on the internet said about TED talks).

Then write at least 300 words about how to do it– what are the ingredients of the piece of writing you’re trying to make (how does it start? What does it look like? What do you need to make it? What problems might you encounter? How does it end?) This is pretty informal, but it will help you learn about your genre and get unit three done!

2.  Only for those who missed class or didn’t give me proposals: I need a proposal for Unit Three from you. You may post this on line. This needs to be approved by me!  Please answer the following questions:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. What audience are you trying to reach (that is, who needs to know about the research you did in Unit 2) and WHY?
               2. What genre would be best to reach that audience? A declaration? a standup comedy routine? A TED talk? WHY?
               3.  What are you planning to do for Unit 3– be specific! Not just “an article,” for example, but “an article for a sports magazine like Sports Illustrated.” Not just “a letter,” but “an open letter to Congress.” 

 

Christian Parris                                                                     11/9/19

 

What can we do to combat the school to prison pipeline?

 

One of the biggest problems in the United States today is the amount of young minority Americans going in and out of the prison system. It’s because of increasingly harsh school and municipal policies such as school disturbance laws, zero tolerance policies and practices, and an increase in police forces in schools in creating the pipeline. The policy best known is the zero tolerance policy which is school is a strict enforcement of regulations and bans against behaviors or the possession of items deemed undesirable by the schools. This policy is enforced in many ways from suspensions to explosions which causes many kids to be exposed to the street life and end up in jail. In this essay I will be discussing what is the school to prison pipeline and in what ways can we combat the school to prison pipeline so that we can lower the prison rates. 

 

SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE by ACLU talks about how the school to prison pipeline is created by in inequality in and the policy are just the way to enforce them. Which is why I believe we should change the policy like the zero  tolerance policy and the amount of money that the schools get. In the arrival it says ”

For most students, the pipeline begins with inadequate resources in public schools. Overcrowded classrooms, a lack of quali­fied teachers, and insufficient funding for “extras” such as counselors, special edu­cation services, and even textbooks, lock students into second-rate educational envi­ronments. What this quote means is that the school down have enough funds to properly prepare the student and how that leads to more dropout because they can’t get the proper education.

 

According to (How High-Stakes Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline) written by fairtest.org Standardized test to feeding the school to prison pipeline. Which was written to explain the effects of standardized testing and why it is bad, but also how it helps lead students to the school to prison pipeline. Which gives me my opinion that we should get rid of standardized testing. When research how high stakes testing affect the school to prison pipeline they found “High school exit exams (FairTest, 2008) push many thousands of students out of school. As a result of these factors, urban graduation rates decreased. Some students see no realistic option other than dropping out; some are deliberately pushed out or fail the tests.” This means that the dropout rate around the exit test increase as a result the graduation rate fell down and the dropouts are more likely to get involved with gangs and other illegal activities.

 

It also explains how teaching the book affects not only the student but the learning environment. The text says, “Moreover, the test-prep culture pits teachers against kids, damages school climate and reduces students’ engagement with school. This in turn fosters problem behaviors, which are then countered with zero tolerance”. What this quote means is that because the teacher has to teach to the book students are more likely to get distracted and off-topic which then leads to behavioral problems where they are counted with a zero-tolerance policy. This proves my claim that we showed get rid of the standard test because with the standard test gone kids wouldn’t stress over the school which could lead to dropping out and teachers could go off book and make lessons interesting and effective so there won’t be behavioral problems and students can actually learn.

 

The article (Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline Starts With Ending Suspensions) by Sarah Kuta a writer from Colorado who regularly write about education. Wrote this article to talk about the school to prison pipeline and how restorative justice can be an alternative. Restorative justice is an alternate method of disciplining students that seeks to balance the process between being too permissive and being too punitive. The goal of restorative justice is to work with students (the victims and the accused) to come to a solution rather than simply handing down punishment such as suspensions or expulsions. In the article says “We know that many of our students who are suspended are also the ones who don’t make it to graduation,” said David Yusem. The restorative justice coordinator for the Oakland Unified School District explains that because of the harsh punishment of the school system the people who are punished are less likely to graduate and drop out which leads them to get involved in gangs and other legal activities. 

 

David Yusme goes on to prove that restorative justice work by watching the rate go down in school that have restorative justice the the ones without. He says “Oakland schools that have implemented restorative justice practices have seen a 56 percent decrease in dropout rates from 2010 to 2013, compared to a 17 percent decline at schools without restorative justice,according to district data.” What this means is that during the years of 2010 and 2013 they tested to see if restorative justice would have an effect on the graduation rate which it did.This proves my claim that restorative justice is a solution to the school to prison pipeline because it showed the difference between people going to regular school and a school with restorative justice and how the dropping out rate of school’s are lower with restorative justice which higher graduation rates keeping them off the streets and out of prison system. 

 

In the article (Cops in class: Is ‘zero tolerance’ still the right approach?) By Ashley Fantz, a CNN reporter who wrote this article to inform the public about the dangerous effects of the zero tolerance policy and police getting involved in school matters. Which is why I bolive another way to combat the school to prison pipeline is that they should make the police should be the last resort in handling a matter and change. Because of policies like the zero tolerance which was introduced by the former president Ronald Reagan which was first made to target gangs and drugs in schools back in the days. When police or security is called to deal with student acting out they are required to treat the situation like they were dealing with adults which not only means to arrest them but use force. In an article by Ashley Fantz, CNN she gives a few examples of police using to much force on minors “In May, sheriff’s deputies use pepper spray to break up a fight at a Naples, Florida, high school. Three students are arrested and 21 students need medical care.” What this show is the negative effect of the policy because police are called in they use the same amount of power as if they were dealing with a real criminal. This leads to many problems not only physical problems but mental problems and they are most likely to end up in an even worse situation when they get older.

 

Another example she gives is on why not to use police is In March 2015, when “New York Police Department safety agents ask a student to remove safety pins holding his glasses together. When the student refuses, the officers reportedly tackle and arrest him.” This shows the police have no training when Handling young kids because what was said that really happen was after the took the safety pin he try to reach for his glasses and tackled him to the ground. Where his elbow accidently hit on of the officer in the eye. I believe this source is worth listening too because it gives more than two great examples as to why policy like the zero tolerance policy has a negative impact on the school system.

 

In conclusion I believe the school to prison pipeline does exist and there are many ways to combat it a few ways are Make police the last resort, Restorative justice, and get rid of standardized testing. People should care about this topic because it affects the minority groups in the United States. 

 

Fantz, Ashley. “Zero Tolerance Policies and School Cops – CNN.” CNN, Google, 29 Oct. 2015, https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2015/10/29/us/police-schools-punishment-zero-tolerance/index.html.

 

“How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline.” FairTest, 28 Mar. 2010, https://www.fairtest.org/how-testing-feeds-schooltoprison-pipeline.

 

Kuta, Sarah. “Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline Starts With Getting Rid of School Suspensions.” School Leaders Now, 29 Oct. 2019, https://schoolleadersnow.weareteachers.com/end-school-suspensions/.

 

“School-to-Prison Pipeline.” American Civil Liberties Union, https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline.

 

Christopher Chan

Curiosity Report

One of the more controversial topics that are discussed among people is the use of the death penalty. I wanted to focus on current events that were ongoing and could still change and/or develop over the years. Many people with many opinions but I wanted to research by myself what some of the more arousing arguments are. With this in in mind, I was curious as to what are some moral arguments against the death penalty? Stuck on the decision to write about arguments for or against the death penalty, I decided to research argument against the death penalty because I was placed on the other side of the argument for an assignment in middle school. Having done small research as to why one would support the death penalty, I wanted to know more about the other side of the argument; why one should be against it in my report.

S1: According to an interview conducted by Colleen Walsh for Prof. Carol Steiker of the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard University, the U.S Supreme court will strike down the death penalty once and for all. The title of the interview is “Death Penalty; in retreat”, where the Colleen Walsh asks Prof. Steiker on some of the basic questions and her views within the death penalty and criminal justice system. Professor Carol Steiker can be seen as anti-death penalty as her interview is mainly about her thoughts on negatives of the death penalty. Her intended audience can be broad and can be directed to many people, but it would be to inform the public and those that share an interest in knowing more about the death penalty. Throughout the interview, Prof. Carol responds with facts and supported opinions while trying not to be completely biased towards a side. Her tone is informative and one can say she is using logos. The interview is also on an Arthur whose books focus on criminal justice systems and other legal issues. It is also a primary source making it more legitimate and direct to use opposed to other.

The death penalty has been making its checklist stricter throughout the years, making the death penalty eligible for more of the notorious crimes. Seeing its pattern throughout the years, it would not be surprising to see the Supreme Court eventually prohibit the death penalty. In the response, Prof. Steiker states, “The Supreme Court has been on a trajectory of narrowing and questioning the death penalty. In 2002, it held that people with mental retardation, now called intellectual disability, couldn’t get the death penalty. In 2005, it held that juvenile offenders couldn’t get the death penalty. In 2008, it held that people who commit crimes other than murder…even the crime of aggravated rape of a child couldn’t get the death penalty. These are really significant limitations on capital punishment” (Walsh). This evidence is important because it provides clear understanding to why the death penalty would soon be eliminated if it continues on the current path. This source is incredibly helpful because it helps build ground as to why one should oppose the death penalty as long as provide context to how the death penalty stirs up domestic arguments as well as affects foreign relations.

S2: The death penalty is a violation of human rights and it is a failure to deter crime. From BBC’s website, titled “Ethic’s Guide; Capital Punishment.” BBC is a public service broadcaster that produces programs and services throughout the UK as well as create content viewed around the world. The page talks about the different arguments used against the death penalty. Each argument is given a thorough sentence or two about its meaning. As we don’t know who the writers and editors of the page are, we cannot assume their standing on the death penalty but we can assume they are anti-death penalty considering they are writing a page on the moral arguments against the death penalty. Since my topic question being what the moral arguments are for anti-death penalty, the page gives me dozens of arguments for abolishing the death penalty making it extremely useful and straight to the point, but the two that I found that stand out is the execution of the innocent and the failure to deter crime.

One of the supporting arguments is the value of human life and the right to live. “Everyone has an inalienable human right to life, even those who commit murder; sentencing a person to death and executing them violates that right” (BBC). The death penalty does not allow the victim(s) to be reincarnated in anyway but only provides relief towards victim(s) and their families. This value of life concept can be understood by society way back in time. The medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas describes the use of capital punishment on individuals saying, “Therefore if any man is dangerous to the community and is subverting it by some sin, the treatment to be commended is his execution in order to preserve the common good… Therefore to kill a man who retains his natural worthiness is intrinsically evil, although it may be justifiable to kill a sinner just as it is to kill a beast, for, as Aristotle points out, an evil man is worse than a beast and more harmful. (BBC)”

The concept of deterrence of crime using the death penalty is an arguable statement made by those who are in favor of it. However, crime deterrence is based on the chances one may be caught in the act and convicted. The death penalty mainly applies only to those who commit serious heinous crimes against others such as murder, rape and etc. When one individual is deemed to approach that path, it is highly unlikely that the punishment for that crime, will prevent them from committing the act itself. To support this, the UN released a statement from the studies on relation between the death penalty and homicide rates, they stated, “…research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment. Such proof is unlikely to be forthcoming. The evidence as a whole still gives no positive support to the deterrent hypothesis. (BBC)” Based on this one can concur that the death penalty honestly has little to no effect such as deterrence on crimes.

 

S3: This source is from a website called ProCons.org. They provide pros and cons on current issues and events while providing primary quotes from well-known individuals. They are non-partisan and only use this to educate and inform others. On the page, there are listed pros and cons about the death penalty, which is extremely helpful. Not only that, the website also provides statements and quotes from well-known people on their standing on the death penalty. In this source there are many quotes and statements but some have a higher significance. There are a total of 10 statements made by various people that state the cons of the death penalty. It is broken down into 10 sections and each category contains a pro and a con. The categories are Morality, Constitutionality, Deterrence, Retribution, Irrevocable mistakes, Cost of death vs life in prison, Race, Closure for victim’s family, Attorney quality and last but not least Physicians at executions. This source is extremely helpful towards researching the topic question because it provides sources from important figures that play a large role in the criminal justice system and their views.

Looking at the sections from morality, the death penalty is legalized crime and affects those who take part in it.  When a convicted is sentenced to the death penalty, it is the decision of the jury and the judge to make this decision equally. However, some may not be comfortable with the knowledge of having “blood” on their hands, it would be forever known to them what they done to another person and or question their judgement. In an excerpt from the book “What I learned from executing two men” written by Semon Frank Thompson, he writes, “Regardless of their crimes, the fact that I was now to be personally involved in their executions forced me into a deeper reckoning with my feelings about capital punishment. After much contemplation, I became convinced that, on a moral level, life was either hallowed or it wasn’t.” Semon Frank Thompson was the Former Superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary up until his retirement in 2010. Since his retirement, Mr. Thompson has been reaching out to others and “persuade people that capital punishment is a failed policy. America should no longer accept the myth that capital punishment plays any constructive role in our criminal justice system.”

S4: My final source is a YouTube video from the creators of Jubilee. With more than 4 million subscribers, Jubilee creates thought provoking, real and empathetic videos to create a movement for human good. In this episode, they created a video regarding the death penalty. Their goal was to “Bring those against and in favor of the death penalty together to spark dialogues about their differences and similarities.” There are 6 guests on the video; Dillion, Khalil, Genesta, Sean, Omar and Austin. Like most of their debate videos, of the 6 people, 50 percent of them support and the other 50 disagree with the topic, Khalil, Genesta and Austin are among those who are Anti-death penalty. Sean, Dillion and Omar are those who are Pro- death Penalty. Given statement by the directors, the guest are given the choice to agree by coming forward or disagree by standing in the back while those who agree finish their explanation and reasoning. In connection to the topic question, this source is different mainly because it is a video. The overall audience that each of these individuals are reaching out to is to convince the other side why and what the terms are to them agreeing or disagreeing with the issue given, in this case the death penalty. Unlike a written statement, a video or audio clip allows the reader to hear the way the speaker is speaking. For instance if the speaker is crying, angry, informative, or laughing. These elements are what make this source extremely helpful towards the topic question because it brings in both sides of the argument to discuss the topic and the audience can hear and see the debate.

From this video, the death penalty has the risk of sentencing innocent people. Directors presented the statement, “I am afraid that there are innocent people on death row” ( Y.Lee 14:35). In response to this, all six individuals approached the seats in response to them agreeing with the statement. It almost seems as it is deemed that human error can result in wrong doing in the convictions of individuals placed in death row. There have definitely been individuals who were found innocent after their misfortunate sentences or even proven innocent during trial but still given the harsh sentence. As Austin; who is Anti-death penalty states, “The current count I believe ever since President Carter is 100 people have been found not guilty due to basically witnesses lying and DNA testing….100 people is not a small amount” (Y.Lee 14:55). Knowing that human error and irrevocable flaws are almost certain to happen in most cases, one could have a hard time trusting and perhaps even believing in the system itself. As Khalil mentions after Austin’s response, “If one person is innocent, that’s enough for me to not trust the legal system, and…um…in top of that in terms of corruption, racism all these kind of things that affect our whole legal system, I don’t know why its taboo to say that….like let’s admit it and move forward: (15:13).

In conclusion, I have gathered a lot of information on the moral arguments against the death penalty. In the first source I found the connections that the death penalty had on America and foreign nations. In the second source, I gathered arguments as to why the death penalty is violation of human rights as well as its failure to deter crime. From the website ProCons.org I was able to identify how the death penalty is legalized crime and affects those who take part in it. Finally, with the help of Jubilee’s video on death penalty I was able to find how the death penalty has the risk of sentencing innocent people. Seeing these arguments really gave me an idea to how the death penalty raises many questions and concerns. My standing has stayed the same as I, too oppose the death penalty for many reasons. However doing this report, propelled me to disagree even more with the death penalty. I am also understanding as to why one would be on the other side of this topic, some for their own personal reasons. I respect both sides of arguments pertaining to this topic but as to my thoughts on this topic, I am Anti-death penalty.

 

BBC. “Ethics – Capital Punishment: Arguments against Capital Punishment.” BBC , Neil McIntosh, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/capitalpunishment/against_1.shtml.

“Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments – Death Penalty – Procon.Org”. Deathpenalty.Procon.Org, 2019,  https://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002000

Lee, Jason. “Death Penalty & Anti Death Penalty: Is There Middle Ground?”. Youtube, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceVYO03zcZU.

Walsh, Colleen. “Death Penalty, In Retreat”. Harvard Gazette, 2015, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/02/death-penalty-in-retreat/.

 

Shania Romain

Professor Hall 

English 

November 14th, 2019

 

What can I find out about Rodney Reed’s Case? What Can it tell us about Wrongful Convictions ?

 

In America you will definitely find many cases of the wrongfully convicted. Many of the times Prosecutors believe that they have reached the final verdict in hearing that case and nothing else matters. To be  wrongfully convicted is not okay and shows the failure in our legal system. This is especially difficult if you are not guilty and someone speaks up for the crime you served time for. Following Rodney Reed’s case, you see the hand for hand how the system fails us every day.

 

The Innocence Project is a non profit organization founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law, in New York City . Their main focus is to help put a stop to the wrongfully convicted. They try to help exonerate people. They have men Caucasian and  African American especially like Rodney Reed himself who may be up there on death row waiting just to be heard. They have very few women . This source helps people from all over and tries to change the legal system. “ The Innocence Project mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment “ This is the Innocence Project’s mission. We need more projects like this because wrongful conviction cases are reaching an all-time high and thank God for nonprofits like these who go out of their way to help people like Rodney Reed who is in a predicament in a State that will give the death penalty without blinking an eye. Rodney Red is also African American so the system may be harsher on him. The Innocence Projects get that and this is why they are nonprofit. They pick their cases from the most severe they won’t just pick anybody.

 

The Innocence Project is built for the incarcerated like Rodney Reed when the judge turns their back on. The Innocence Project raises a voice for them because the system failed these people and the Innocence Project holds the system accountable. This is a great movement to society because not only do they exonerate but they also help the exoneree. Thier  “Support “ part of the program, states ‘ Our Social Work department supports exonerees as they rebuild their lives post-release. This project has been a boon or blessing to those they “ release from wrongful convictions like Rodney Reed. Rodney Reeds’ cases front and center on the Innocent Project’s page where it states “ Urgent stop the November 20 execution of Rodney Reed .”.There are 53072 signatures. It gives information that states “ we have less than 7 days to save Rodney Reed’s life. If 16 Texas senators are urging the Governor to stop the execution of this man then some thing is wrong and sadly you find things like this common in the great nation of America.

 

Urgent: Stop the November

 

 

 

20 execution of Rodney Reed 

 

There is an interview with the infamous Dr. Phil who is a television personality and host of the Dr. Phil show for 25 years. He has a doctorate in clinical psychology and has many books like ‘Life strategies. Dr. Phil is known for dealing with real-life issues in his own way by welcoming helping or exposing people. In this case, he exposed the Rodney Reed case which was close to being a dead end. In the interview with Rodney Reed and Dr. Phil, you get more of an understanding of what  Rodney Reed is going through and the case at hand top to bottom. On October 11th, 2019 Dr. Phil aired a two-part segment where he gets to the root of the case of Rodney Reed who has been on death row 21 and a half years for murder and rape. We learned despite many piles of evidence that support his innocence Rodney Reed is still on death row . In this interview it gets deeper into Rodney Reed’s case where he answered the questions with honesty and he states ‘ they have the truth they know the truth ‘’

Rodney Reed left no tables turned in answering the questions. He answered with honesty which left Dr. Phil to conclude his innocence. We learn that Rodney Reed has an alibi witness that can greatly show that he wasn’t there the time of the murder. At 4:55 am Rodney Reed was at his parent’s house talking with other people the alibi went home and returned to Rodney Reed’s place. The women 19-year-old Stacey Stites was already dead and dumped by 4 am and found by the road. One full year after Stacey Stites was found dead they arrest Rodney Reed for Rape and murder .“ I didn’t do this crime and here they are trying to take my life” says Rodney Reed.

 

Dr. Phil doesn’t just interview anyone, however, he handpicked this interview because he wanted to help exonerate the innocent Rodney Reed. However, Dr. Phil, from interviewing Rodney Reed like the rest of the world believes that he is innocent and he was failed by the legal system. According to the speaker, retired NYPD detective SRGT Kevin Ganin who spoke on Dr. Phil’s show who has been solving this case since it started 1996 states “The only evidence linking Rodney Reed to Stacey’s murder are three sperm cells found inside of her “  Stacey Stites did, however, have an affair with Rodney Reed although engaged to a police officer Jimmy Fennel. He believes that Rodney reed was wrongfully convicted. We also learn from this speaker that at “2;45 in the morning Stacey took her boyfriend’s truck headed to work in a grocery mart. They believe Rodney Reed came on foot where he strangled her and raped her in a wooded area using a leather belt, He also states that Prosecutors are saying Rodney took the truck to a high school and abandoned it. The only piece of evidence used to prosecute Rodney Reed is the three sperm cells in her body and they want to give him the death penalty. This is not okay because more DNA should have been found. Rodney Reed’s DNA should have been on the leather belt or while strangling her bruises and cuts in her neck or something else. I n this interview we learn that medical experts are saying according to Dr. Phil “ It is medically impossible for Rodney Reed to have been the killer “. 

The Free Rodney Reed website is designated especially for Rodney Reed. This website can tell you everything you need to know about Rodney Reed. As of Right now, this man has 6 days before he gets a decision on whether he will be executed. Rodney Reed is being treated unfairly by the legal system and as a black man this is very common, Unfortunately, he had to serve 21 long and hard years not knowing when he was going to die or not at any time. An innocent man may be executed for something he didn’t even do. According to the website, “ Mountains of evidence exonerates Rodney Reed. All of that evidence was kept from the white jury that convicted him. Instead, the evidence implicates the victim’s fiance Jimmy Fennell who has a history of violence against women including being convicted for kidnapping and sexual assault soon after Rodney was wrongly sent to prison. A black man always gets harsher treatment. A black man always gets lethal injection before a white man does. THIS IS NOT OKAY.T his man is innocent. These people have to look at the facts.T he is the 21st century and racism is STILL at an all-time high.B efore they listen to a black man’s plea they are so quick to shove him in a prison cell when the facts are right under their noses. This is almost like we still live back in the days when different races couldn’t be together and it’s not okay. This man has been through enough he needs to be exonerated.

 

Rodney Reed is a resident of Texas state where the death penalty reigns. Their laws are more strict than ever. It may be very hard to come out of a death penalty case. However, on the FreeRodney Reed website, it states ‘Governor Greg Abbott has stopped execution before. He can again “. Governor Greg Abbott staff number is also located on the site for people to call and voice their concerns regarding the case You can call and advocate on behalf of Rodney Reed, who is very much innocent. the website instructs you to tell them you called and tell them to delay Rodney Reed’s execution.

 

Overall I learned more about wrongful convictions and how America has really messed up the legal system. A man who just for having an affair may be executed for something he has not done. He already has enough time wasted and now his entire existence might be gone as well. The justice system is entirely corrupted and I see why I want to work with the law even more so that I can have an impact on things like this.