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I know this is a design blog, but I’m going political, for a minute. When it comes to sticking up for something that is right, I think it trumps, always. I actually posted this on my personal blog but I wanted to repost here in case anyone reading this wants to possibly help better another human being’s situation by participating in writing a couple of letters. Here is my post, verbatim, about Ryan Ferguson:

I’ve always kind of been intrigued with stories, investigations and crime reports of shows like 60 Minutes, Dateline and 48 Hours. A long time ago, yeeeeeears ago, I watched a report on 48 Hours about a guy, around my age, who was falsely accused of murder by a friend (“friend” whose name is Chuck) who implicated himself and the other guy, Ryan Ferguson, to the scene of a crime through a dream he had two years after the murder took place. There was no evidence tying either one to the scene. This episode first aired in 2006 and recently, an updated report aired this year. The new investigative report showed two “witnesses” (Chuck, and another guy .. I think a janitor?) recanting their statements about tying Ryan Ferguson to the scene of the crime.

Today, I spent some time doing a little research about this whole ordeal. I’ve heard of people being falsely imprisoned before, who’ve literally spent like, 20 years in jail for a crime they didn’t commit, and my heart was just so torn. How tragic.

I found online today that Ryan Ferguson’s family and lawyer are trying (of course, to have him, first and foremost, exonerated,) to appeal in court to have him granted another trial, one where new evidence in his favor can be introduced, where people who didn’t speak up before would now have that opportunity, where a jury can hear how both witnesses from before admit to their perjury that put Ryan away in the first place.

I wrote two letters today. One to the Attorney General and the other to the Governor, both of Missouri to appeal to them to look again at the facts of this case and set Ryan free, or at least give him a new trial. This is really important, because his lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, is sitting down with the judge assigned to his case this week, APRIL 26, 2011. Please take time to email or fax a letter like mine asap!

See the episode, The Lost Night, here.
www.justiceforryanferguson.com
Facebook Group, here.

For more information, including a sample letter, which mine (below) is adapted from, visit this page.
Or please, just copy my letter and fax it today, or on Monday.

Dear (Governor Nixon or Attorney General Chris Koster),

I am a concerned citizen writing to you to ask you to take steps in your position as (Governor or Attorney General) to help free Ryan Ferguson. He was convicted in 2005 for the murder of Kent Heitholt even though none of the evidence ties him to the crime scene–literally, NONE of it. And recently, the only two witnesses who testified against him have recanted their statements, admitting to having committed perjury. 
Mr. (Nixon, or Koster), please look at the facts of this case and set Ryan free, or at least grant him the right to have a new trial. It’s a travesty to think that he was convicted for a crime he had no involvement in .. that he was convicted when none of the evidence pointed to him, and the amount of reasonable doubt that he wasn’t involved was as great as it was.

Sir, I don’t live in Missouri. I don’t personally know the Fergusons or the Heitholt Family, but after hearing the facts of this case, and researching and reading about it, as a concerned citizen, my heart has been wrenched with compassion and sympathy for all involved, but especially Ryan, who’s been falsely imprisoned. I can do nothing less than be part of this surge, this public outcry against injustice. Mr. (Nixon or Koster), I implore you to look at the facts of this case and reverse the horrible crime that has been committed against an innocent man, Ryan Ferguson. While I still want to respect, and be sensitive to the Heitholt Family’s loss, and have the utmost compassion for that family, they are not the only family that has been pained throughout this horrific, dreadful and tragic ordeal.

I certainly appreciate you reading this, Mr. (Nixon or Koster).
Thank you very much,