This Week Injustice- June 2, 2024

Child labor, environmental trauma & an execution

Mimosa trees blooming in Birmingham’s North Crestwood neighborhood.

The summer heat is settling in across the state, shimmering off the asphalt, but also bringing bright pink mimosa blooms along state highways. While most Alabama leaders this week were focused on huffing and puffing about the guilty verdict against Trump, matters needing real leadership & attention were unfolding here at home.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Hyundai and two other Alabama companies over child labor violations after discovering a 13-year old girl working 50-60 hours on an Alabama assembly line. "A 13-year-old working on an assembly line in the United States of America shocks the conscience," the DOJ’s Jessica Looman told CBS News. One would think we’d hear about this from state leaders, but not a word from Gov. Kay Ivey or AG Steve Marshall. 

We did hear from both of them after the execution by lethal injection of Jamie Mills this past week, celebrating the alleged “justice” his killing brought. (See more coverage of the execution below). Sadly, the death penalty is nothing more than a political lever politicians can pull when they want to appear tough-on-crime or concerned about crime victims.

Worth reading: This excellent & deeply reported piece by Lanier Isom on the fight for environmental justice for a small community of Black Alabamians in Washington County. It’s horrible to read about the racist disregard by industry against this community, long suffering terrible health impacts, but heartening to learn how they’ve come together to demand better treatment and environmental cleanup.

Here’s a look at the other stories I pinned this week. Take care of yourselves!

DEATH PENALTY

More on Jamie Mills execution: his appeals continued despite the state’s obvious intent on carrying out the killing regardless of legal questions.  Summary from AP before execution.  Opponents also delivered a petition to Gov. Ivey ahead of the execution.

Lee Hedgepeth writes about the sounds of solidarity on death row and what Mills’ likely heard on his way to the death chamber. 

Anthony Bennet writes about the euphemisms and other Kafkaesque rhetoric Alabama uses to disguise barbarism and cruelty in its death machine. 

A Samford student and death penalty abolitionist speaks out on the difficulties of witnessing the state’s death machine. 

An unprecedented ruling from Alabama’s Court of Criminal Appeals categorically bars review of racial bias in capital murder trial jury selection.

Roy Johnson on the growing support for Toforest Johnson and who has the power to grant a new trial. Remember, if you haven’t yet, listen to the podcast I produced about the case called Earwitness, and sign up for updates in the case at his advocacy page.

ADOC

Alabama Reflector has in-depth piece about the monstrous ADOC budget, which has increased 274 percent in the last 20 years.

Instead of getting to the truth, the AG’s office prepares to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuits filed in state court on behalf of families whose loved ones’ remains were returned from ADOC missing organs. 

Gardening in the Alabama Prison system (GAPS), a partnership between Troy University and Tutwiler Prison for Women receives $10K grant. 

PAROLES

Parole grants have ticked up in recent months, a trend ABPP Director Cam Ward says he hopes to see continue. He was a guest on Capital Journal this week. 

Still, Alabama’s parole board rejecting more than 90 percent of qualified applicants entered the national discussion of need for parole reform. 

POLICY

City of Montgomery hosts violence prevention session. 

New invention developed in Birmingham may stop overdoses.  This as overdose deaths in Alabama are increasing. Alabama media group wrote about how to prevent them. 

New “election worker” state law will disenfranchise more people with felony convictions. 

If federal law re-criminalizes marijuana, prepare for more confusion in Alabama, where you can still go to prison for possession of weed. 

SOMETHING POSITIVE

Alabama veteran walking across country to raise awareness about mental illness among service members and a conversation about breaking down barriers to mental health treatment among Black men.