I am a friend of Greg Curry, a Lucasville Uprising prisoner who is incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Facility in OH. Greg is looking to connect with a civil rights attorney that will represent him or give him legal advice, in his fight for freedom. Finding an attorney to overturn Greg's convictions will serve the important political purpose of building momentum towards amnesty/clemency for all Lucasville Uprising prisoners.
While
being part of a prisoner advocacy group in Pittsburgh for the last 3
years, I visited and corresponded with some of the Lucasville Uprising survivors incarcerated in OH and got involved in the Lucasville
Amnesty campaign. If you're not familiar with that case,
there was an uprising at Southern OH Correctional Facility (aka Lucasville) in 1993 that was sparked from horrendously inhumane prison
conditions at the state prison. The uprising resulted in the death of a
correctional officer and nine prisoners. The investigation and trial
were flagrantly flawed and relied on snitch testimony, which resulted
in five innocent people on death row and others with life sentences.
A documentary on the case, The
Shadow of Lucasville,
is available on YouTube for more background.
One
of those folks who received a life sentence is Greg Curry. In 2018, after 20 years of solitary confinement, Greg was
transferred out of the supermax Ohio State Prison. His supporters
helped him win the transfer to Toledo Correctional Facility, which
was a huge victory. We want to keep the momentum going. Greg
needs legal representation that will help him overturn the false
convictions. Unlike the death row defendants, Greg has not been
entitled to a state appointed attorney. At Toledo Correctional,
he has finally been able to access a law library, and would love to
discuss his research with an attorney.
His
conviction should be easy to overturn, as prosecutors admitted to
misconduct on appeal. It's been difficult to find attorneys in
OH that will pick up the case, because the case was so politically
volatile. Also, Greg has two simultaneous convictions for
defending himself against the staff who targeted him because of the
uprising. The Innocence Project said his case was very good and were
ready to take it, until they learned that these other convictions
would prevent Greg’s release even if they won.
Finding an attorney to overturn Greg's convictions will serve the important political purpose of building momentum towards amnesty/clemency for all Lucasville Uprising prisoners. Amnesty would also demand the dismissal of Greg's self defense convictions. Bomani Shakur (Keith LaMar), one of the death row prisoners, recently received his execution date for November 16, 2023. Time is limited to raise the profile of the Lucasville case and push for amnesty before the ODRC claims lives.
Alice and Staughton Lynd, renowned labor organizers and prisoner advocates,
have been assisting Greg and other Lucasville Uprising prisoners with
their cases and helping them battle the retaliation they have faced
for decades now. They have years' worth of research on the case, but being in
their old age, they are looking for other attorneys onto which they could pass
their knowledge. They would be a valuable resource for any
interested attorney looking to take on Greg's case.
Greg uses his website and social media platform to advocate for other prisoners and causes he cares about. Please post this request for legal assistance on your social media and send emails out to your networks to help get the word out for Greg. Any recommendations for attorney offices or legal advocates would be much appreciated. You can also post about Greg's zine, Repression Breeds Resistance, so readers can hear his story in his own words. Funds are being raised for Greg's legal representation.
"Freedom First!"
Marisa E.
Lucasville Amnesty
ltp@riseup.net
Marisa E.
Lucasville Amnesty
ltp@riseup.net
Further reading:
gregcurry.org
Justice for Greg Curry Facebook
Repression Breeds Resistance, Greg Curry (printer ready version)
Greg can be contacted online via JPAY, or sent mail at:
Greg Curry #213-159
Toledo C.I.
2001 East Central Ave.
Toledo, OH 43608
Toledo C.I.
2001 East Central Ave.
Toledo, OH 43608
