Eddie Must Die

Author : Ruth Harlin
Publisher : Page Publishing Inc
ISBN 13 : 1634174534
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (341 download)

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Download or read book Into Each Life Tears Must Fall written by Ruth Harlin and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2015-09-16 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remembering Eddie Joe Lloyd I knew the story of your wrongful conviction before I knew you. The injustice of your time in prison tore my mind and heart into tiny little pieces. You were the first exoneree I got to meet in person. You came to New York after your exoneration, tapping your toes and snapping your smile. You had too much energy for your cane, too much curiosity for the years you missed in prison. I was amazed. And immediately loved you. You left but you sent letters-yellow lined paper filled with your beautiful prose. You reminded me to trust that you were doing all right, and so was the world. You came back to New York to meet with other exonerees, and you re-stole our hearts with your dance moves, your laugh. I was happy. and loved you more. You left but you sent e-mails-stories of your family, your heart. you reminded me to keep working hard for the exonerees and the exonerees-to-be. You came to Texas to share your story with more people. Your heart was tired, but your real heart was still dancing. You talked about your life after exoneration, and we cried. Listening to you tell your story again, I loved you so much. I knew the story of your life after exoneration. The injustice of your death tears my mind and heart into tiny little pieces. But I took out all those letters and e-mails you sent me yesterday, and you reminded me that it is possible to know the sun even when you feel the rain. Eddie, you are the sunshine of my work. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. I was so lucky to know you, even as I feel your death. I love you. -Sarah Tofte, Innocence Project policy analyst Well, at first I thought he was a bit crazy, we all did. After all, he gave a false confession in a mental institution believing it was a deal with the police to smoke out the real perpetrator, who would be caught napping -his words. His letters from prison took up every line on the page horizontally and then meandered around all sides of the page, as though he would, if space and time permitted, continue to write and talk in an ascending, discursive never ending spiral. And the letters were funny, full of righteous indignation, and an indomitable spirit. We were told that when Eddie was brought to the phone for an attorney call he was forced to wear a spit mask, and was shackled like Hannibal Lechter. So when I met finally met the legendary Eddie Joe Lloyd in the flesh, at the county jail in Detroit, a few days before his release, he exceeded expectation. He was torrent of talk, energy and wit that belied his frail body. A New York Times reporter who accompanied me to the jail, was, to say the least, flummoxed by Eddie, especially after he used a word none of us knew, and had to check in a dictionary (Eddie was right, of course). Yet I was still nervous the day of his scheduled court appearance and release about how he would react. Although the Wayne County prosecutor was joining with us and our cocounsel Saul Green Uustifiably considered on of the best and most honorable lawyers in Detroit, if not America) in a motion to vacate and dismiss Eddie's case on the grounds of innocence, everyone was nervous that Judge Townsend might deny the joint motion. After all, at the time of sentence, Townsend had proclaimed that Eddie should have been "terminated with extreme constriction" (meaning he should be hung) and called for the reinstatement of capital punishment in Michigan. Eddie was magnificent at the proceeding because he stayed calm. Judge Townsend, quite outrageously, insisted that the wrongful conviction was all Eddie's fault, and that Eddie had never asserted his innocence. This is plainly wrong; indeed, Eddie's proclamation of innocence at sentencing, and his compassion for the victim's family who wrongly hated him, is among the most moving I've ever read. But Eddie said nothing, which in Eddie's case was quite surprising. I didn't know what he would do at his post-release press conference, in front of the national media, and standing side by side with prosecutors. When the time finally came for Eddie to speak, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry Mr. Scheck, this is my fifteen minutes of fame and I'm not gonna blow it." He then calmly stepped to the microphone and said, "DNA is God's signature. He writes no forgeries and His checks don't bounce." That remark brought down the house and became the quote of the week in the New York Times. But Eddie was only getting warmed up. From that day until his big, courageous heart gave out Eddie was brilliant, irrepressible, inspirational. Yes, I know he suffered a great deal after he got out, physically and psychologically. But for us, and I speak here for Peter Neufeld and everyone else connected to our organization, the late great Eddie Joe Lloyd always made us laugh, always made us feel terrific about ourselves and the work we do. We miss him terribly, but remain grateful he got his vindication. No one deserved it more. -Barry Scheck & Peter Neufeld, Co-Directors of the Innocence Project There is not a person that met Eddie, as he crusaded for justice, who doesn't smile and glow when his name is mentioned. All of us at the Innocence Project, and in our larger community, are better for having known him. He was a prince. -Maddy delone, Executive Director of the Innocence Project I first saw Eddie Joe while I was in prison and he was on television. Then, last year, I had the pleasure of meeting him in NYC as a fellow exoneree; letting him know that his freedom had given me the hope and the strength to keep fighting for my own. Eddie Joe was an inspiration to me, and he will be missed. -Scott Hornoff, exonerated in 2002 after wrongful imprisonment in Rhode Island "Into each life tears must fall." -EJL at sentencing For five years before I met him, I knew Eddie through his letters. They bore his unmistakable handwriting, his flair for words, and they communicated as only Eddie communicated. With careful emphasis on certain words and phrases, Eddie sent forth part of the irrepressible spirit that refused to lose hope, housed his righteous anger, and fed the zeal of those who worked on his case. Each letter contained life that could not be contained as the body can be contained. Eddie life was marked by injustice. His death, too, is marked by injustice. Injustice that he overcame, keeping his faith, strength, and even humor in a place designed to break spirits. When I ask what life gave Eddie Lloyd, there is only one answer, not enough. Two years of freedom was not enough. Though we burn with the injustice of it, we cannot say that he did not live those two years. We cannot say that he did not find a way to touch every soul he encountered. As he considered himself blessed, so we should consider our blessings for having known and loved such a warrior, scholar, philosopher, and friend. -Huy Dao, Innocence Project Case Director I didn't know Eddie very well-I only met him a few times. But it didn't take long to realize what an extraordinary person Eddie was. I remember the first time I met him was when he spoke to the Innocence Project students in the fall of 2002, not long after he had been exonerated. Listening to Eddie, it occurred to me that he didn't speak in prose like the rest of us mere mortals do. Eddie spoke in poetry, weaving together phrases with the wisdom of Shakespeare, the syncopation of Ginsburg, the whimsy of Cummings. Eddie's rhymes rivaled Dr. Suess. He sampled like an 80s rapper. His two main themes-combating injustice and pursuing women-were as old as Aeschylus and as timely as a modern slam. I am humbled that Eddie found this world -a world that was so cruel to him-to be worthy of his wisdom and his rhymes. And I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to hear them. -David Menschel, former Innocence Project attorney I first met Eddie Joe in August 2002, days after he was released from prison. Unbelievably, Eddie Joe's effervescent, buoyant spirit was unsullied by his ordeal. Eddie Joe emerged from the depths with his sense of humor undiminished and his heart untarnished. He was a true inspiration to me. -Ian Dumain, former Innocence Project student Eddie's spirit and love touched each of us from the minute he walked into our offices. His presence brought joy to us all and regularly reminded us why we do this work. I feel blessed to have known him as a free man and to have shared so many laughs and hugs with him in such a short time. -Aliza Kaplan, former Innocence Project attorney My dear friend Eddie. Your thoughtfulness had a way of making days a little brighter, hearts a little happier, and problems seem a whole lot smaller. You mactfi difference in this world. It can never be said enough how appreciated you were and always will be. You will never be forgotten. -Clark McMillan, exonerated in 2002 in Tennessee I love you Eddie. I adore you and cherish every minute of the time we shared. I just can't imagine life without you. -Vanessa Potkin, Innocence Project Staff Attorney Dedicated to the memory of our brother Eddie Joe Lloyd and the Lloyd/Moore Family