When leaders mislead, they must be called out. Rosenblum is Oregon Attorney General. Chelsea Clinton demanded she "use her power to topple a racist law" imprisoning hundreds. Her response sounds good, right? No: Supreme Court *mandated these retrials. She's fighting all the rest. 
https://twitter.com/ORDOJ/status/1389754330773811204
Most think of the KKK in terms of physical violence. But they also used legal & legislative process to pass laws exacting legal violence. In Oregon they enabled laws to silence Black jurors. To convict who they wanted. "Non-unanimous juries."
Last year, over Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum's objection, the U.S. Supreme Court *finally* ruled that non-unanimous juries were unconstitutional. Even Kavaunagh acknowledged the law was "rooted in racism." Problem: Decision only applied for those cases on direct appeal or in future.
Even tho she fought adamantly against it, AG Ellen Rosenblum hailed the decision. Stating Oregon could now move passed this "embarrassing stain on our otherwise progressive state." But now she's the one standing in the way of exactly that. Hundreds still in prison. Fighting them.
There is now a new coalition of over 40 organizations, including Oregon's ACLU (@ACLU_OR), calling on otherwise "progressive" Oregon AG to use stop fighting relief for hundreds still caged simply bc they were unlucky enough to get convicted too long ago. portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2021/…
ACLU Director: “There is nothing legally that requires the Oregon Attorney General to oppose these petitions. We are asking her to do her part and to stop opposing these petitions so that Oregon can proceed with addressing the harms created by non-unanimous jury convictions."
Human Rights Watch (@hrw) wrote AG Ellen Rosenblum a powerful letter calling her failure to use her power to allow people convicted by a racist KKK law to have a fair trial unburdened by discriminatory juries “inconsistent w/ international human rights standards." Just wow.
Cash Spencer, a Black Oregon juror, whose voice was silenced. Thought he was innocent. White jurors didn’t need her. Convicted him anyway. “It breaks my heart. The system is not built for me.” Asked Ellen Rosenblum to use her power to do what’s right.
Terrence Hayes, sentenced to 13 years *by Ellen Rosenblum when she was a judge* after a non-unanimous conviction is asking her to use her power. "We are all condemned by a marker in time that allows injustice &, in my case, institutional racism to persist."usatoday.com/story/opinion/…
Over 30,000 people have signed this petition, calling on Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to use her power to stop opposing retroactive justice to hundreds still imprisoned based on a law everyone including Rosenblum acknowledges is racist. act.colorofchange.org/sign/People_st…
Most recently, Chelsea Clinton added her voice. With a powerful message not just for Oregon's AG Ellen Rosenblum. "State leaders should...use their power to end systemic racism. It is not enough to denounce it when you have the power to end it." So true.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/1389301572618838017?s=20
Ellen Rosenblum's response was misleading fluff. She is not "working hard to find fair & equitable outcomes." She is fighting against every single person asking relief & now fighting in the Supreme Court asking them not to make their decision retroactive!
https://twitter.com/ORDOJ/status/1389754265271357443?s=20
Ellen Rosenblum (@ORDOJ) is fighting this strange battle to maintain systemic racism alone. How can you on one hand call a law racist & then not do what you can to put an end to it. How can you claim to be progressive, yet be more conservative than Justice Kavanaugh? Why?
Ellen Rosenblum's claims of wanting to "await guidance" from the Supreme Court is ludicrous. She doesn't need to await guidance form the ultra-conservative Supreme Court. She can stop opposing relief from hundreds imprisoned today.
Ellen Rosenblum's claims that it's not her place to take a stand is ludicrous. There is precedent for Rosenblum taking a stand that technically went against existing Oregon law. In 2014, Rosenblum refused to defend Oregon’s then-current ban on same-sex marriages in court.
Director of ACLU: Ellen Rosenblum stopped defending Oregon's ban on same-sex marriages bc "she knew defending the law was wrong. Now, she should do justice by refusing to defend Oregon’s unconstitutional convictions by non-unanimous juries."portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2021/…
Please follow @stillinprison, visit stillinprison.org for more information & to take action, and join a growing chorus & coalition dedicated to justice asking Oregon's Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to use her power to topple this racist legal monument once and for all.
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