PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In less than 24 hours, Julius Jones is scheduled to end his decades-long imprisonment on Oklahoma’s death row with a needle in his arm, the latest death at the hands of a state that’s killed more people than almost anywhere else in the country. As his execution date nears, the chorus of advocates and activists speaking up on Jones’s behalf has only grown louder, with calls to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to call off the planned lethal injection coming from celebrities as disparate as Kim Kardashian West and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board has also twice voted to recommend clemency in this case. Jones, now in his early 40s, was convicted in 2002 for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell. But he has maintained his innocence since that time, claiming he was framed by co-defendant Christopher Jordan, evidence of which Jones says was never allowed in court. Jones’s conviction was also followed by allegations of racism from at least one of the jurors who was accused of using a slur while claiming Jones — who is Black — should be taken behind the courthouse and shot. His case was later featured in an episode of ABC’s The Last Defense, bringing further scrutiny into the circumstances of his conviction and imprisonment.
STORY: "Will Oklahoma proceed with the execution of Julius Jones," by Reporter Rafi Schwartz, published by Mic on November 18, 2021." (Rafi Schwartz is a contributing writer to Mic, where he focuses on politics, protest movements, and the weirder parts of the internet's underbelly. He was previously a senior writer with Splinter News, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine. His work has appeared in GOOD, Rolling Stone, The Forward, and elsewhere. He is a co-owner of Discourse Blog, where he frequently complains about food and politics, and sends a weekly newsletter with whatever is on his mind that day.)
PHOTO CAPTION: "The push to delay Jones’s execution has been championed by Kim Kardashian West, Baker Mayfield, and Russell Westbrook."
In less than 24 hours, Julius Jones is scheduled to end his decades-long imprisonment on Oklahoma’s death row with a needle in his arm, the latest death at the hands of a state that’s killed more people than almost anywhere else in the country. As his execution date nears, the chorus of advocates and activists speaking up on Jones’s behalf has only grown louder, with calls to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to call off the planned lethal injection coming from celebrities as disparate as Kim Kardashian West and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board has also twice voted to recommend clemency in this case.
Jones, now in his early 40s, was convicted in 2002 for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell. But he has maintained his innocence since that time, claiming he was framed by co-defendant Christopher Jordan, evidence of which Jones says was never allowed in court. Jones’s conviction was also followed by allegations of racism from at least one of the jurors who was accused of using a slur while claiming Jones — who is Black — should be taken behind the courthouse and shot. His case was later featured in an episode of ABC’s The Last Defense, bringing further scrutiny into the circumstances of his conviction and imprisonment.
Kardashian West, who has become one of the most visible public advocates for incarcerated people in recent years, has used her enormous social media platform to draw attention to Jones’s plight several times since the episode aired. She most recently tweeted an extended appeal for Jones’s life, calling his case a “miscarriage of justice” and part of “the cold machinery of the death penalty in America.”
Jones’s case has also been championed within the pro sports community, with Mayfield growing visibly upset while pleading for Stitt to grand clemency during a press conference this week. Mayfield played college football at the University of Oklahoma.
Baker Mayfield teared up talking about Julius Jones, who will be executed in Oklahoma tomorrow on a murder conviction unless Gov. Kevin Stitt steps in to stop it. Baker has been a longtime advocate of Jones’ innocence. “Hopefully God can intervene…”
Utah Jazz assistant coach Irv Roland, a childhood friend of Jones, has also spoken out on Jones’s behalf, telling The Salt Lake Tribune that “I have a hard time believing that God would bring us this far and give us this much momentum, this much worldwide awareness to Julius Jones’s case, just to have him executed anyway.” NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook, who spent 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has also personally intervened on Jones behalf, writing in a letter to Stitt that the conviction was “tainted by a deeply flawed process.”
Even the European Union as a whole has publicly come out against Jones’s scheduled execution, with the organization’s U.S. ambassador tweeting that the EU “firmly opposes capital punishment at all times and in all circumstances.”
In a letter delivered yesterday, @EUAmbUS urgently requested that @GovStitt of Oklahoma grants clemency to #JuliusJones, who is scheduled to be executed on November 18. The EU firmly opposes capital punishment at all times & in all circumstances. More: https://bit.ly/3qJEkfp
There has also been a groundswell of grassroots support for Jones, most recently shown in the mass protests that took place at the Oklahoma State Capitol Building on Wednesday, where activists and allies sang and clapped as they demanded leniency.
HAPPENING NOW: Inside the Capitol people are singing together in support of #JuliusJones @OKCFOX
Despite the mass resistance to Oklahoma forcing another potentially botched execution onto a possibly innocent man, or at least one whose conviction was tainted enough to call into question the application of the death penalty, Stitt has given no public sign that he plans to accept the recommendations of his own nominees to the state’s Pardon and Parole Board.
Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Conner, long rumored to have pushed Stitt not to grant Jones any sort of clemency, has said publicly that he would support the governor no matter what he decides, but stressed that he still believed Jones was “100%” guilty."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.mic.com/impact/julius-jones-execution-oklahoma
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URGENT: STOP JULIUS' EXECUTION:
NOV 18, 2021 —
Julius will be executed today at 4 PM, unless you do something NOW. The only thing standing between him and the execution chamber is immense public pressure on Governor Stitt to do the right thing. If we can’t achieve that, an innocent man will be killed by our “justice” system. “This is not about hate,” Julius Jones said in his clemency hearing. “This is just about the truth. And the truth is, I didn’t shoot that man.”
For those in Oklahoma, please join us today for our Freedom Vigil from 8 am to 12 pm. We will be stationed at 1301 N West St. McAlester, OK. Event details here.
What happens today will determine if Julius’ family ever gets to see him again. If his mother ever gets to hug her son again.
Make the call. We need you now more than ever.
Team Justice for Julius
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