Texas trying to kill Sankofa's son
Gary Hawkins case draws growing support
By Gloria
Rubac
Houston
Gary Hawkins, the son of executed Texas prisoner and
political activist Shaka Sankofa, has been held without bail
in the Harris County Jail in Houston since last April 2. He
will go on trial for capital murder on March 19.
Hawkins, who is only 20 years old, told Workers World:
"Like my father, I am an innocent man. I did not kill anyone.
In fact, the man they say I killed was actually a long-time
friend of mine."
Members of Hawkins' family as well as the family of his
father, the Grahams, are working with activists in the Texas
Death Penalty Abolition Movement to build support for Hawkins
at his trial. Supporters will sell Mexican food at the SHAPE
Center on Feb. 24 and March 10 to raise needed legal
fees.
Sankofa, formerly known as Gary Graham, was executed last
June under Gov. George W. Bush's watch in Texas. A broad
movement across the country had protested to stop his
execution.
Sankofa's conviction and execution were based on one
eyewitness account from someone in poor position to see the
shooting he was charged with.
Anti-death-penalty activist Njeri Shakur said of Hawkins:
"This young man and his sister have had to grow up without
their father. Gary Graham was only 17 years old and innocent
when he was taken to death row and his son Gary Junior was
just a baby.
"The father has been lynched by the racist state of Texas
and now they want his son. We will not allow this injustice
to happen."
The death-penalty Abolition Movement is urging all of
Shaka Sankofa's supporters to stand with Gary Hawkins and be
in Judge Godwin's court on the 19th floor at 1201 Franklin
Street at 9 a.m. on March 19.
When Hawkins was arrested last April, District Attorney
Johnny Holmes prematurely told reporters that this could be
the first father-son duo on death row in Texas. The current
district attorney, however, clearly knows he has no evidence
against Hawkins.
At a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 2, the state offered
Hawkins 40 years if he would plead guilty to aggravated
robbery. Hawkins said: "No! I didn't do nothing and I'm not
going to plead to something I didn't do.
"My father has been executed and laid to rest. My daughter
has been born. I was there for neither of these events.
"I have been in jail since last April and almost daily I
am ridiculed about my father by these guards. I am called
'Graham' and taunted that I will die in prison just like my
father did," Hawkins said.
"I ask for your support so that I will not end up in
prison praying for some appeal to come through. This judicial
system must see that I am not just another innocent young
Black man that they can easily prey upon and convict and that
no one will care about."
As a young teen, Hawkins worked with his fathers'
supporters, marching in Houston and Austin, attending rallies
and public events to try to stop his father's execution. He
knows first-hand about the racism and lack of justice
inherent in the criminal-justice system in Texas.
His sister, Deidre Hawkins, their mother Jennise Hawkins
Lee, and their paternal grandmother, Elnora Graham, are all
fighting for him. The Abolition Movement plans to pack the
courtroom on March 19 and rally supporters.
An important organizing meeting will be held during the
Abolition Movement's regular March 6 meeting at SHAPE Center,
3903 Almeda Street in Houston. Those interested can phone
713-653-7020 for more information or email
AbolitionMovement@juno.com.
Letters of support can be sent to: Gary Lee Hawkins
#01648027, 5 - D - 5 Harris County Jail, 1301 Franklin
Street, Houston, TX 77002.
This article is copyright under a Creative
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