REHABILITATED

On April 29, 2007, I learned that my revolutionary brother Kenneth “Haramia” Foster Jr. has received a date to be murdered on August 30, 2007. The thing that caught my attention is that he hasn’t killed anybody, and the state of Texas knows this since it convicted him with the “law of parties.”

Coincidence? I don’t think so!

This is politics at it’s worst. Haramia is a community activist. He tried to raise the awareness of the oppressed people in the sub-culture. In the 11 years that he has been on death row, Haramia has educated and rehabilitated himself, plus helped many others overcome many obstacles toward realizing their higher self, including me.

He has taken the “Law of Parties” – the law Texas used to convict him – and broken it apart, piece by piece, to show its flaws. He has been a father, from behind these walls, to his 10-year-old daughter. If this doesn’t show that Kenneth has been rehabilitated, America please open your eyes.

Texas sentences men to death by asking 2 questions that aren’t made clear for the juries that have to answer them. Question #1 is “Is he a continuing threat to society?” If this question is answered “no,” then a life sentence is warranted. If the answer is “yes,” then the jury has to move on to question #2, which is: “Is there any mitigating evidence that warrants a life sentence?” If answered “no,” then death is imposed on the defendant. Let’s look at the questions.

The reason the questions aren’t made clear for jurors is because at the time of the trial the defendant is painted as a monster in front of the jury, so it might seem to them that the defendant can’t be rehabilitated or is a continuing threat. But who checks on these inmates years down the line? Nobody! Many studies have been done on inmates confined to death row in maximum-security units to see how they react to the MSU environment. Few have been done to see if the convicting courts are asking the right questions that will result in the taking of another human life. If a complete study is done on question #1, it would be clear to see that at least 75% of the people on death row can and have been rehabilitated. Be it by finding religion, becoming more consciously aware of life, reaching out to the victim’s family, etc., men have tried and been rehabilitated. it is not explained that rehabilitation takes time, being around the right people, hard work, and the will to want to rehab.

Due to what media outlets, prison spokespersons, and different prison directors say, prisons are to assist in the rehabilitation process. So if the nation really believes this, why doesn’t it leave it up to its system to see if they can rehabilitate the defendants? Because it doesn’t truly believe in its system. Prison doesn’t rehabilitate or assist in the rehabilitation process directly. If anything, it contributes to the mental breakdown of a prisoner. Prisoners that don’t fall victim to the psychological tactics of the system will try, and most of the time, succeed in rehabilitating themselves.

This is what Kenneth has done. He has become aware of his situation. and risen above the reason he’s here, plus he has become an asset to society. If let free today he can and will educate young men and women on why the life of crime is not to be glorified, and raise their awareness of how the system is set up for any oppressed person to fail. The latter is the real reason there’s a murder attempt on him.

History has shown that any minority that speaks out for the people against the system will be shut or best put – murdered! A person doesn’t have to be violent, look at Martin Luther King Jr.; he was a deeply religious man that voiced his opinion against the system, only to be gunned down. This shows the only defense tactic the system has against a powerful voice that really speaks truth and helps the people.

Why doesn’t America want a person to really invoke his or her 1st amendment rights? The constitution doesn’t state that a person can’t voice certain opinions using judicial repression to “shut people up” is not only unconstitutional but also criminal!

Does the system really want to help the people? if it murders Kenneth Foster, that will be a sign that it doesn’t. There are plenty of rehabilitated prisoners across America that reach out to the community: Mumbia Abu-Jamal, Kenneth Foster, and myself to name a few. So to murder these men will be more of a threat to society that to the progression of it.

So what we have to do is really sit back and realize that there are many prisoners on death row that have been reformed and rehabilitated, defying the whole sentencing stature that put them there. Let’s not make more mistakes by killing major assets to society! Remember Stanley “Tookie” Williams.

If you want to help Kenneth “Haramia” Foster Jr. please write Gov. Rick Perry to grant him clemency or a new trial, or visit his website at www.freekenneth.com.

D.R.I.V.E.

DEATH Row INNER-COMMUNALIST VANGUARD ENGAGEMENT