#JusticeForEthan

I'm copying Meriah's post today, wanting to help get this information across.  She's said it perfectly. It's a lot of info, but please, please take a look at her links, share this information, and send letters and tweets to the people who can help get the word out!

 

It’s About Human Rights: #justiceforethan

By Meriah on April 9, 2013

A young man was killed almost 3 months ago. His death was ruled a homicide. The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man had Down syndrome.
This is what we know.

A man was killed.

His death was ruled a homicide.

The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man had Down syndrome.

Now replace “Down syndrome” with any other word.

• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man was black.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man was Asian.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man was obese.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man had a bone marrow disease.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man was Deaf.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man used a prosthesis.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man had testicular cancer.
• The perpetrators got off with a hand tap because the man had blonde hair.

is this becoming clear?
The man was killed. Robert Ethan Saylor was killed.

KILLED.

His death was ruled a homicide.

HOMICIDE.

And rather than looking at the actions of the men who killed him, rather than taking a good hard look at what they did to force death upon Robert Ethan Saylor, they are holding up DOWN SYNDROME, this man’s extra chromosome, and saying that IT, and not THEY, are the culprit.

This is about human rights, people.

Ethan Saylor had the right to live.
We need to care about this. Ethan was one of our own; he was a member of the community with disability, he was a loved human being who deserved so, so much more.
Show that you care.

Show that you want justice for him.

Call for an independent investigation. Tell the Department of Justice that YOU ARE THE COMMUNITY and you WILL BE HEARD; demand justice.
Friday, April 12th marks 3 months since he was killed.
We will be striving to reach journalists, celebrities, media personalities and more through twitter – people who have loud, huge voices that can help us call out across the masses. We will be asking for justice for ethan: #justiceforethan.
HE WILL HAVE THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION.
He will, so long as we all unite and demand that it happen.

What to do:

SIGN and share the change.org petition that was started by Ethan’s mother. HERE IT IS. There are a lot of petitions out there, please be sure this is the one that you have signed and shared

JOIN the #justiceforethan twitter campaign. Our plan is to get the attention of those who have louder voices that can reach across the masses and get action. We are going to have tweeting parties (tune in for details), but you do not have to wait for the party: get started tweeting and don’t stop! (see “Twitter Handles” and “Timely Tweets” below)
Twitter 101: for those of you that are new to twitter: your handy directory on terms and how-to utilize twitter
Twitter Handles: the direct handles on people that are likely to be sympathetic to this campaign, allies/champions
Timely Tweets: Have a hard time coming up with something to say? A collection of useful twitter-ready tweets has been crafted for your use by Melissa Stoltz! http://wp.me/P2ZfJC-23i

• “Join us in our push for #justiceforethan”
• “Love someone with Down syndrome? Join us in our push for #justiceforethan”
• “Disability rights are human rights. #justiceforethan”
• “Death ruled homicide, cops walk free. We need #justiceforethan”
• “Down syndrome isn’t a cause of death. #justiceforethan”
• “No one should die over a movie ticket. #justiceforethan”

Shortlink for neutral post by Melissa Stoltz on what happened: http://wp.me/P2ZfJC-23c – use this link for tweets, especially to media
The button: Share the button, put it on your blog/site, update your facebook status photo – get the word OUT!

And:

Call the Department of Justice – (202) 307-5138
Tell them that you would like an independent investigation on the Robert “Ethan” Saylor case

change.org petition calling for an independent investigation: https://www.change.org/petitions/justice-for-robert-saylor

4/10 UPDATE: #justiceforethan

Twitter Rally: THURSDAY, April 11th, 9pm EST, 8pm CST, 7pm MST, 6pm PST. Have your Twitter Handle sheet ready along with your TweetSheet (if you need it). When the clock hits your respective timezone, log into Twitter. Start tweeting.
This is the thing: it doesn’t matter how many followers you have. It doesn’t matter at all. What matters is the sheer volume of tweets we can send to the people listed, and the number of times we can raise the hashtag #justiceforethan. If you have a lot of followers, that’s cool – the people who follow you may choose to join – but it’s not necessary, so don’t worry if it’s just you and your best friend. That’s fine.

• Twitter Handles
• Timely Tweets (“tweetsheet”)
• Twitter 101 (in case you need a refresher)
• and the shortlink for the neutral post on what happened (for media): http://wp.me/P2ZfJC-23c

Vigil: On the evening marking nearly 3 months since Ethan lost his life, join us in remembering his life and in marking in our hearts the injustice done to Ethan. Take a moment to light a candle, eat some pizza and listen to Bob Marley (something Ethan loved doing). Thursday, April 11th.