After nearly ten years of battling for her husband's freedom, Rosalind Morgan and supporters will deliver thousands of petition signatures to Gov. Pat Quinn this Friday October 24, 2014 at the Thompson Center. A rally will take place at the same location at noon. The petitions ask that Quinn pardon Howard Morgan who was shot 28 times by four White police officers on February 21, 2005 after allegedly driving the wrong direction on a one way street.
Miraculously, the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe police officer survived the ordeal, but was later tried and convicted of attempted murder. Supporters of the Morgan believe this situation offers Gov. Quinn a unique opportunity to increase voter turnout. According to community activist Willie Richardson our flawed criminal justice system is partly responsible for the rampant voter apathy in the African American Community.
Defense attorneys for Morgan maintained that the Chicago Police Department was involved in many acts of malfeasance throughout the investigation and trial. Court records show that the minivan Howard Morgan drove the night of the shooting was destroyed before any forensic examination could be conducted on it. The bulletproof vest worn by Chicago Police Officer John Wrigley who Morgan allegedly shot was mysteriously lost. State prosecutors only produced a replica of that vest in court. Wrigley recently admitted to having the original vest in his possession at the Cook County Hospital the night of the shooting in a Chicago Sun-Times article on September 27, 2014.
Furthermore, during the trial, prosecutors presented only three of the twenty-eight bullets with which Morgan was shot. Mrs. Morgan and many others believe that police officers shot Morgan with his own gun as he laid helplessly on the ground. An eye witness to the shooting corroborated this theory. Finally, dozens of uniformed and armed Chicago Police Officers filled the courtroom during the April 5, 2012 re-trial. Observers were amazed, but not surprised that the jury only deliberated four hours after nine days of testimony before delivering a verdict of guilty.
Richardson and other petition circulators heard the despair in many African American voices as they signed the petition. "I believe that people will be ecstatic to hear that Governor Quinn acted to rectify this great injustice and reward him with their vote in the upcoming election. Additionally, I suspect that Republican Challenger Bruce Rauner's campaign ad accusing Quinn of releasing dangerous criminals from prison was created to discourage the Governor from taking advantage of this window of opportunity," stated Richardson.
Rosalind Morgan and Howard Morgan supporters hope that Quinn ignores Rauner's scare tactic and take the lead in committing to equal justice. Pardoning the 63 year old Morgan would provide undecided voters some food for thought that would favor Quinn. "An innocent man with no criminal record prior to this incident does not pose a threat to society," said Rosalind Morgan.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Willie Richardson
708-985-5748
https://theblacklist.net/
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