Suzy Says

Here’s a novel way to spend your birthday: visiting a wrongly convicted prisoner on Death Row in Georgia.

That’s what my sister Beth – yes, the one who lives in England – did on Saturday. She is a Quaker, and in addition to being pacifist, they are also, not surprisingly, against the death penalty. One of the things they do is to send Christmas cards and letters to condemned prisoners around the world, and in this way, Beth got to know E. She requested permission to visit him, which entailed months of more bureaucratic hoops than the IRS and INS combined, and finally got permission to visit E. on what happened to be her birthday.

E. has been on Death Row in Georgia for 13 years. Last year, his lawyers amassed sufficient evidence ? including a sworn affidavit from the person who actually committed the crime E. was wrongly convicted of ? to demand a new trial. This was a year ago, and the court has been “too busy” to set a date for a new trial.

Beth said it was so hot and humid that the paper she was holding which permitted her to visit E. actually began to curl up at the edges! All she could bring into the prison with her were her car keys and one piece of ID. She brought two and had to return the second piece to the car. Apparently two is not better than one on Death Row in Georgia. Surprisingly, they didn’t search her, though she did have to pass through two metal detectors, have her hand stamped with ultra-violet ink which was checked on the way in and on the way out, and eventually surrendered keys and ID, which were later returned to her. Also went through countless heavy clanging metal doors which were immediately locked behind her.

After that, airport security should be a breeze! Beth is on her way here now, and I’m picking her up at the airport at noon.

Weird Southernism: Beth got an Egg McMuffin at the McDonald’s near the prison and they asked her what kind of jelly she wanted on it. Like actually in it. Beth’s horror was so evident that the cashier asked her where she was from. When Beth said “England”, the cashier said, “Y’all do things different over there, don’t you, honey?”

Beth did like the grilled catfish and fries she had for dinner – not at McDonald’s – and refrained from asking for malt vinegar or brown sauce, since they do things different over here, too.