A Son on Death Row
Links to Related Websites: |
The Justice For Reggie Clemons Website The work to save Reggie's life is still in high gear and it must continue. Learn more at the official website. |
Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode | ||
Vera Thomas My name is Vera Thomas and I am Reginald Clemons’s mother. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that my child would be sentenced to death. Before April 1991 I hadn’t given much thought to the criminal justice system. I just assumed people got fair trials and if someone was convicted, they must be guilty. I’d hear hideous descriptions about what someone did and think they were a horrible person. I didn’t find out until Reggie’s case that what you see in the news or even in court is not always the whole story. I quickly learned that it doesn’t matter how good a case you have if you don’t have a good attorney. The system is not always about finding out the truth. I know Reggie didn’t get a fair trial and I have been praying for a new one since his conviction. Reggie is a likable person. He is the kind of person who cared for everybody. He is a hard worker and contributed to the strength of our family. You don’t raise your children to grow up to be executed. This is not the life that I planned for, or expected Reggie to have to endure. I always believed Reggie would be a great person and do great things, and he could still have that opportunity. But with the death penalty you can run out of time. I believe a lot of innocent people have been executed. They can no longer fight back because execution is an irrevocable act. I pray for Reggie everyday and I fight for him everyday by telling my story to anyone who will listen. A grave injustice will be carried out if Reggie is executed and the pain that I feel will not only be because I have lost my son and have to see my granddaughter lose her father; it will also be my loss of faith in what I used to believe was a fair and just criminal justice system. Click Here to learn more about Reggie's plight |
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