Weekend Reading 20

I got a great comment yesterday. Ulisses asked "Would you go to pats office personally to try to get information if i helped fund your trip?"

I really can't articulate how awesome it is when people believe so much in what we're doing that they are willing to put up money to support the movement. Several people have offered financial support, and encouraged me to 'monetize' the blog (allow advertising) to help pay for everything.

The truth is I would not feel right about making money, even to help pay for documents or travel, on the back of injustice. I just can't do it. This has to be done right, independent of any suspicion of financial gain. I don't want anyone to be able to say "Look, there's money involved; you just can't trust someone who's making a living off this!"

That's why I don't sell shirts or stickers, why I don't have my own domain name. Blogspot is free, and right now that's a price that works for me. The time I spend writing, reading, thinking and stressing over this...There's no hourly rate for that. I do it because I believe that Carlos Coy got screwed by a justice system that I trusted implicitly for a long time.

By my years of inaction I was basically giving them permission to do whatever the hell they wanted, because I thought they would do the right thing. Well, I finally figured out that they weren't, and I feel betrayed and extremely pissed off. It's not just Harris County...this bullshit is more widespread than I had ever imagined. Coy's case is well known, and I believe will generate the kind of publicity needed to encourage wide-spread change in the system. There are may be hundreds of men serving time for crimes they did not commit but Coy VS Texas will, I hope, be the key to unlocking them all.

Regarding going to Houston; I've thought about it quite a bit. At this time, there's no identifiable benefit. Pat Lykos probably would not meet with me, since I have no connection to the case. I'm not family, not a friend, not a lawyer. There's nothing I could say to her in person that I can't say in a letter. If I thought I could get ahold of certain documents by asking for them in person I would, but all that is being protected by the Family Code; none of it is available to us.

So for now, I'll keep writing. When the DA's office starts acting on this, if it will help for me to go down and discuss it in person, please believe I will be there; if I have to walk my ass up to Houston, I will. If you, like Ulisses, would like to contribute, please do it by talking with people; writing letters to the DA asking for action on the case; spread some flyers around. Buy some Dope House CD's for that friend of yours that prefers to download music instead of paying for it.

I appreciate all the support and kind words from all of you. In one of his letters SPM said "I want to thank you for caring...and then acting on that care, which action makes feelings sincere."

Please, don't be afraid to act on your feelings; let the DA and your friends know that you support Carlos Coy, and you want to see this shit re-examined.