Press Conf: Update About Kevin Cooper

For those of you who may not know what's happening in the Kevin Cooper case, he has a very important hearing in the 9th circuit court of appeals tomorrow (Jan 9th). Below is our press release, announcement and a statement by Kevin himself on why this hearing is so important
--Crystal

PRESS RELEASE
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
Contact: Cameron Sturdevant, 510.938.2033, camconnect101@ yahoo.com <http://us.f318. mail.yahoo. com/ym/Compose? To=camconnect101 @yahoo.com>
http://www.nodeathpenalty. org <http://www.nodeathp enalty.org/>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEATH ROW INMATE KEVIN COOPER ARGUES CASE BEFORE NINTH CIRCUIT COURT
January 8, 2007/San Francisco—The Campaign to End the Death Penalty and other supporters of Ca. death row prisoner Kevin Cooper will provide an update on Cooper's case on Tuesday, January 9 th after the 1:30 p.m. hearing of U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals meeting at 95 Seventh Street in San Francisco. The hearing is scheduled to start at 1:30 and is expected to be one hour. The press conference will start directly after the hearing ends at around 2:30 and will be held on the courthouse steps.
Oral arguments from the prosecution and defense will focus on 10 key issues in Cooper's case, including actual innocence, prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional violations. Further information about Cooper's appeal is available at http://www.savekevincooper .org <http://www.savekevi ncooper.org/>
Speaking will be:
Elizabeth Terzakis, member of Campaign to End the Death Penalty and advocate/friend of Kevin Cooper
Barbara Becnel, advocate of executed death row prisoner Stanley Tookie Williams
Natasha Minsker, Death Penalty Policy Director, ACLU of Northern California
Veronica Luna, family member of a California death row prisoner
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Action Alert!

Kevin Cooper, who came within hours of execution in 2004, has been granted a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on January 9th, 2007, in San Francisco. He needs your support! This hearing ( Oral Arguements) allows him to appeal 10 key issues including actual innocence, prosecutorial misconduct and constitutional violations. Kevin Cooper has not received justice since winning a stay of execution in 2004.

This very important hearing is a great place for you to show your support for Kevin Cooper and opposition to the death penalty:

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Hearing @ 1:30 p.m.
(meet outside the court building at 1:00)

Press Conference/Rally immediately following
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
(outside of the court building)

9th Circuit Court of Appeals
95 Seventh Street San Francisco, CA 94103

Court map and info: http://www.ca9. uscourts. gov/ca9/courtinf o.nsf/6f311f8841 e7da248825640500 6827f0/a4884bc0b 0ca961d882566500 01e9365?OpenDocu ment <http://www.ca9. uscourts. gov/ca9/courtinf o.nsf/6f311f8841 e7da248825640500 6827f0/a4884bc0b 0ca961d882566500 01e9365?OpenDocu ment>

Press Conference to be held by Stop Executions California, a coalition of anti-death penalty groups in the Bay Area. For more information about the press conference e-mail stopexecutionscalif ornia@yahoo. com <http://www.savekevi ncooper.org/ stopexecutionsca lifornia@ yahoo.com>

For more information on Kevin Cooper's case, contact the Campaign to End the Death Penalty at 510-333-7966.


"The Merits"

by Kevin Cooper

It is my understanding that on [January 9th, 2007], a three-Judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will have Oral Arguments in my case, and do so "on the Merits!"

If this is truly the case, then it will be the very first time in over 20 years, or since I was first arrested in 1983, that this will happen.

All I have ever asked, and all that I have a right to ask, is that the whole truth be told about this case. So far, despite what the state claims, this has never happened. I am not asking for just my side to be told in this, and I most definitely don't want just the state's one-sided side to be told as it has been with the help of the mainstream news media.

I want both sides to be told, I want the truth to be told! I want this case to truly be heard "on the Merits" this around! So far the state has lied about evidence, destroyed evidence, withheld evidence, ignored evidence, tampered with evidence, contaminated evidence, used a lying jailhouse snitch/informant and even allowed the D.A. who helped convict me to lie in Federal District Court when he was under oath!

Yet despite all of this, the attorneys who are representing me are, for the very first time, about to be heard "on the Merits!" Maybe there is justice after all.

In Struggle From Death Row

At San Quentin Prison,

Kevin Cooper