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Following on from my post on May 16th – “It’s time to stand up & be counted. Here’s why…” – check out the following post, kindly written by an active & long-time Jodi supporter…
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At SJ’s kind invitation, here are my ideas on how to kick-start fundraising. I hope they will stimulate others to share their own thoughts.
First, some background. We heard from Jodi back in January why the appeals fund is so critically important to her future. As a member of her team (not Jodi herself) then wrote in a text posted here: Without private money, Jodi will be assigned counsel and again be subject to the luck of the draw. She could get stuck with another Nurmi. If she can afford her own attorney, then she has a better shot at getting the conviction overturned.
If the jury comes back with death, the taxpayers will be obligated to pick up the tab all the way up to the US Supreme Court. But, again, Jodi will be subject to whatever attorney is assigned to her from the Federal Public Defender’s office. There are probably some very good lawyers in that office, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get assigned to Jodi’s case. By the luck of the draw, she could end up with someone who, like Nurmi, is uninterested in doing more than the absolute minimum required to draw his paycheck.
Do we want to leave Jodi’s life and future to chance? Or do we want her to be able to retain a kick-ass attorney who is not going to stop until her wrongful conviction is overturned and she has the freedom back that she deserves?
The figure cited as a typical retainer was $250,000.
Unfortunately, it seems the situation is worse than we knew. Referring to the $15,000 raised so far – just 6% of what is needed – Jodi now writes to me:
“In other words, at this rate I will not be appealing if I get life. And if I get death, I’ll have a public defender, an overworked, underpaid public defender with an already unmanageable case load.”
These are two prospects that should terrify all her friends. Either she gets executed, after years of solitary confinement watching an overworked public defender file ineffectual motions, or she’s never even able to appeal her wrongful conviction in the first place.
Either of these disasters is unthinkable. But we can easily block both of them, if we will just start taking action.
As I said back in January, $250,000 is a very feasible sum. Even Jodi’s public supporters number many hundreds. Just one FB group, Free Jodi, has 325 members; two others have 139 and 144 respectively. Anyone with a FB account can reach these people to urge their support. Posts here on JAII automatically alert several thousand people. And this is only people who have somehow identified themselves already as on Jodi’s side.
Do the arithmetic! Suppose there are 500 supporters willing and able to donate. If each, on average, gives $500, Jodi can hire the private lawyer she needs. And, face it, an average adult American can find $500 for something he or she really wants. Sure, some people are very poor and struggling just to survive, the unemployed, single mothers, people with huge medical bills, and so on. But there are two answers to that point. First, people who are wealthier than average can easily take up the slack by donating $1000 instead. Second, there is something everyone can do, poor or not: write to people who do have money!
Simple example: Barry Gibb, last surviving BeeGee, said a while back that he was writing a song about Jodi. Right now, he’s on another solo tour, but he’s already rich enough to own four beachfront properties in Miami Beach. Anyone, no matter how poor, can write to him and ask him to help save Jodi’s life. Anyone can also write to the Dixie Chicks, whose song Goodbye Earl was a powerful statement about domestic violence. And many on this site will be able to think of countless other celebrities who were themselves DV victims.
I already have a personal fundraising plan: I’m well-placed to write a convincing letter to American criminal-law professors, suggesting they contribute to Jodi’s fund to fight the corruption of criminal justice by tabloid TV. I’ll do that over the summer. Others should be working out similar plans, on their own or together. It would be great for someone to compose a brief but effective letter, suitable for people who don’t know Jodi’s case, that everyone could use, and post it here. It would also be great to see a general JAII fundraising Task Force, as in the past. I can’t organize anything myself, since my own mass mailing will take up my time. But there are many people on this site who would do a great job. Any volunteers?
In any case, hats off to SJ for his timely wake-up call. Let’s all open our wallets, get out our stamps, envelopes, and email, and coordinate with others to be effective. There’s still time to solve the problem, since the crunch won’t come for five or six months. But then it will come, as deadly sure as winter. I can’t even bear to imagine how Jodi will feel if she finds out near the end of the year that she can’t have any appeals, because her supporters let her down on the one thing that she needed most. She would never herself say the things SJ and I are saying. She hates to ask for anything from people, especially money. But SJ and I are saying it, loud and clear: the appellate fund is a train wreck so far, and it’s time for us to fix it!
Let’s get going!
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Remember: WE ARE TEAM JODI – AND WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS in our quest for JUSTICE FOR JODI!
Leave your comments below.
SJ
Team Jodi
If you would like to help Jodi by way of a financial donation to the official JAA APPELLATE FUND, click the Team Jodi link below for further details. All donations go directly to the fund for assisting with the legal fees associated with appealing Jodi’s wrongful conviction. You can also check out Jodi’s new Art Gallery website by clicking this link. Thank you for your ongoing support!
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