Atlanta-based feminist nonprofit Charis Circle sends word via Twitter that a vigil for George Tiller, the abortion doctor who was killed on Sunday during a church service in Kansas, will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta.
Grayson Daughters produced an excellent video of this morning’s vigil for John Henderson, the Standard Food and Spirits bartender who was murdered early Wednesday morning during a robbery at the Memorial Drive restaurant.
As mentioned in Joeff Davis’ earlier post about this morning’s vigil at the Standard, local residents Kyle Keyser and Tessa Horehled have started an advocacy group for Atlantans to connect and stay informed about crimes and other issues affecting the community.
The group, called Atlantans Together Against Crime and Cutbacks, is in its beginning stages. (Residents can share stories and information about crimes with other members on the group’s Facebook page.)
Keyser writes:
The Facebook forum will be for sharing accounts of violent crime that effect those within our community, as well as posting updates on news, protests, and other tools to help bring awareness to this issue. The mailing list below will be used to share information on gatherings, protests, and lobbying efforts to fight cutbacks. You will not be inundated with email and will only notify you of big events (estimated at a few emails a month).
Management and employees of Standard Food and Spirits have established a memorial fund for John Henderson, the 27-year-old bartender who was murdered at the restaurant after a robbery early Wednesday morning.
“We are offering what help we can financially and emotionally to his family,” Chris Johnson, owner and general manager of Standard Food and Spirits, said in a press release from the city. “John was very outgoing and very lively and supportive. Our hearts go out to his parents, extended family and his many friends. It’s unfortunate that someone would take another life in such a senseless crime.”
Tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Southeast Atlanta residents will hold a vigil for Henderson at The Standard. Management and staff are also planning a memorial service at the restaurant in the near future.
To contribute funds to the John Henderson Memorial Fund, visit the Grant Park Neighborhood Association website and follow the link to make a donation via credit card. Checks and money orders, noted as “John Henderson Memorial Fund,” can be mailed to the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, PO Box 89235, Atlanta, GA 30312.
On Monday night in downtown Atlanta, nearly 75 people gathered outside the U.S. Court of Appeals building to hold a candlelight vigil for death row inmate Troy Davis.
An 11th Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel met today to decide whether to hear his latest appeal. On three occasions, Davis received a last-minute stay of execution based on appeals that have raised the possibility of his innocence.
Davis was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Since Davis’ original trial, seven of nine witnesses whose testimony helped convict him have recanted.
In today’s hearing, both the defense and the state presented 30 minutes of oral arguments. According to Laura Moye of Amnesty International, the court’s ruling — which is expected in the coming weeks — could lead to a hearing during which the witnesses who recanted would be allowed to testify. However, if the court rules in favor of the state, Davis likely will get his fourth execution date.
The Rev. Tim McDonald, pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church, closed the vigil Monday night by leading the crowd in the song "This Little Light of Mine."
More photos from the vigil at our Sideshow blog.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
