Archive for June, 2013

San Antonio Four Movie Pledge p.s.

Saturday, June 29th, 2013

When I made the previous posting, I forgot to include the pledge url. I’ve since corrected that, but here it is again:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1538965802/san-antonio-four-currently-untitled-documentary-fi?ref=email

-Bob

Please Pledge Now to Make This Important Movie Possible

Saturday, June 29th, 2013

Dear Friend of Justice,

My friend Deb Esquenazi is trying to raise $15,000 on Kickstarter to help fund her movie about the case of the San Antonio Four.

If she doesn’t make her goal, she gets nothing.

Currently, she has raised $12,141. She has only three days to go to get the rest.

If you haven’t pledged, please do so now. Any amount helps. If you have already pledged, please consider increasing it.

I have pledged and the National Center for Reason and Justice has pledged.

Please join us in fighting this horrible miscarriage of justice. Go here to pledge:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1538965802/san-antonio-four-currently-untitled-documentary-fi?ref=email

-Bob

Another Post From David Foley About the Friedman Case and Related Matters

Friday, June 28th, 2013

http://davidfoleyplays.com/powerful-delusions

Why People Want Justice Only in Fiction

Friday, June 28th, 2013

Dear Friend of Justice,

I have been engaged in the fight for justice for many years now. With each year, it has become more obvious to me that our criminal-justice system is dysfunctional and cruel.

And yet the cause of justice remains unpopular. Politicians care little about justice because few constituents lobby for it. And citizens, generally, only care about justice when they or someone they care about is a victim of injustice.

So it used to puzzle me that injustice is a popular theme in fiction. People reading books or watching movies get angry about injustice and want justice to be served in the end.

But the answer is simple.

All you have to do for justice to prevail in fiction is to sit on your butt, turn the pages, or wait for the closing credits.

-Bob Chatelle

Blog Post About Jesse Friedman

Thursday, June 27th, 2013

Dear Friend of Justice,

Here is an excellent blog post about the Friedman decision, by our good friend David Foley.

http://davidfoleyplays.com/jesse-friedman

-Bob Chatelle

Bad News in the Friedman Case

Monday, June 24th, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/nyregion/friedmans-sexual-abuse-conviction-was-justified-report-says.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The National Center for Reason and Justice will be issuing a statement. I will withhold comment until then.

-Bob

Paul Shanley Web Site

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

Dear Friend of Justice,

I have long been convinced of the innocence of Father Paul Shanley. My partner Jim and I attended his trial. No credible evidence against him was presented. Unfortunately, he had already been convicted by the media, especially by the Boston Globe.

Jim and I visit Paul, write to him, and talk with him on the phone. He has begun to share some of his prison writings with us.

The National Center for Reason and Justice — who sponsor his case — have long had information about Shanley at their web site. But we decided he deserved a site of his own where we could also publish some of his writings.

Thus far, we have only added two short pieces that we hope you will read. We will be adding more in the future.

The url is Paulshanley.org.

-Bob Chatelle

 

Jesse Friedman: “Forget it? I can never forget it.”

Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

“The American public is wholly ignorant about way too many things,” he began. “And one of them is this notion — it’s called the “Law and Order” Effect. Everybody thinks that the criminal justice system works the way “Law and Order” does. They think that truth and facts always are uncovered by hardworking determined people, that guilty people go to prison and innocent people are found to be innocent and the real perpetrators get caught and the whole thing gets neatly wrapped up in 42 and a half minutes if you take out the commercials. That’s not how the criminal justice system works…”

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/jesse_friedman_forget_it_i_can_never_forget_it_it_never_ever_goes_away/

Nancy Smith Won’t go Back to Prison but Conviction Remains

Tuesday, June 4th, 2013

http://morningjournal.com/articles/2013/06/04/news/doc51ae56022f181369034175.txt

I suppose this is good news, but I feel little joy. Such a resolution is just further proof that our criminal-justice system is irreparably broken.

Yesterday, Joseph Allen — who was to have appeared today as well —was told that he  won’t have his hearing until later. It will be scheduled during a conference call on June 27th.

I don’t know what Joseph’s fate will be. After all, the crimes he didn’t commit were more serious than the crimes Nancy Smith didn’t commit.

-Bob

Please Help Make this Important Movie Possible

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

The National Center for Reason and Justice (NCRJ) has long supported the cause of the San Antonion Four — four Latina lesbians, some of them teenagers at the time, who were falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of sexually abusing two young girls (one of whom has recanted). A documentary film maker, Deborah Esquenazi, is working on a movie about the case.  She has already produced some terrific footage and has already used it to promote awareness of this injustice. It is vital that her work continue. But she needs some additional funds.

Deborah has started this Kickstarter campaign. I hope you will be able to help her keep this important project going.

-Bob Chatelle