Free screening and community panel at the Ben May Main Library
A jury heard the evidence. The jurors deliberated. And in case after case, the jury said life. Then a single judge overruled them and imposed a sentence of death.
For decades, that was the law in Alabama. Judicial override let judges replace a jury's verdict of life with a death sentence, and Alabama judges used it more than any others in the country. In 2017, the Legislature finally ended the practice. But the law did not reach back. Today, 24 people remain on Alabama's death row even though their juries said life.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Alabama Post-Conviction Relief Project and Alabama Arise invite the Mobile community to see their stories for themselves.
The event
We will host a free screening of "The Power To Kill," a documentary by filmmaker Debbie Levin about judicial override and the people still living with its consequences.
• When: Thursday, Oct. 29. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the film begins at 6 p.m.
• Where: Bernheim Hall, Ben May Main Library, 701 Government St., Mobile
• Cost: Free and open to the public
Meet the panel
After the film, four Mobile community leaders will lead a conversation about what the film means for Alabama and how residents can take action:
• Bernadette Allen, southwest Alabama organizer for Alabama Arise and a chartering member of the Greater Mobile Section of the National Council of Negro Women
• Carlos Williams, executive director of the Federal Defenders Organization in Mobile
• Shalela Dowdy, founding president of Stand Up Mobile, second vice president of the NAACP's Mobile Branch and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve
• Chris "Champ" Napier, author, mentor and member of Faith in Action Alabama's Mobile Hub, who became the first person in Alabama to receive a pardon for a murder conviction
Why this matters to us
APCRP is the only organization in Alabama dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting volunteer attorneys who represent people on death row after trial, when cases are re-examined for errors and new evidence. Many of the people sentenced through judicial override have been represented by APCRP volunteers. We have seen up close what it means to sit on death row for a sentence that the jury rejected.
Alabama has already decided that judicial override was wrong. The question now is whether the state will do right by the people still on death row because of it.
How you can help
• Come to the screening and bring a friend, a neighbor or your congregation.
• Spread the word. Share the Facebook event and send our paperless invitation by email or text.
• Follow us on Instagram at @al_pcrp for updates.
• Learn more and sign the petition at wethejury-al.com.
We hope to see you in Mobile on Oct. 29.
