Gary Tyler
Encyclopedia
Gary Tyler has been a prisoner in Louisiana
since 1975, when he was convicted at age 17 of the 1974 shooting death of a 13-year-old white boy. Tyler was originally sentenced to death because of the charge and was the youngest prisoner on death row. The Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled the trial was "fundamentally unfair". Tyler's cause has been taken up by human rights organizations, as well as many other supporters, including a range of sports figures and organizations in 2007.
had been full of tensions as it reluctantly integrated, 20 years after the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education
. Because of fights, officials closed the school early during the day of the events.
Black students were sent home on their regular bus. Tyler was 16 and on the bus. As they were leaving Destrehan High School, the bus was attacked by an angry mob of 100-200 whites, mostly students. The whites were angry about integration and tensions at the school. Timothy Weber, a 13-year-old boy standing outside the bus near his mother, was shot and mortally wounded. He later died. Police searched the bus. No gun was ever found.
Tyler was arrested and charged with the murder of 13 year-old Timothy Weber. His mother Juanita Tyler said that he was beaten by the police in an attempt to make him confess. Other witnesses later told of being intimidated by the police.
The racially charged atmosphere was added to by the arrival in Destrehan of a young David Duke
, who was emerging as a leader in the Ku Klux Klan
and neo-Nazi politics in the United States. He brought what he called security teams to protect white residents.
court. The case was marked by several flaws and alleged lack of experience of his lawyer. The police produced a gun they claimed had been found on the bus, and it later disappeared from the evidence room in the decades following the conviction.
Since it was a capital case, Tyler was sentenced to death by electrocution
. He became the youngest inmate on death row.
In 1977, Louisiana's death penalty was ruled unconstitutional and Tyler was resentenced to life in prison.
He is serving his sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
in Angola, Louisiana.
In 1989 when the Louisiana Board of Appeals first ruled in favor of a pardon, the governor was running against David Duke for election, and refused to consider it. He feared such a decisions would work against him with too many voters.
Human-rights organisations have argued that the legal process and procedures were flawed by the racially charged atmosphere and police intimidation. Because of the racial and political issues, in 1994 Amnesty International
described Tyler as a "political prisoner".
In 2007 Amnesty International and other groups made a renewed effort to gain a pardon by Gov. Blanco before she left office, but she failed to consider the case.
Tyler's supporters make claims in his defence that there was a miscarriage of justice. Some of the issues in the case include:
Bob Herbert
, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, reexamined the case in three columns in February 2007, in which he concluded there was fundamental injustice.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
since 1975, when he was convicted at age 17 of the 1974 shooting death of a 13-year-old white boy. Tyler was originally sentenced to death because of the charge and was the youngest prisoner on death row. The Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled the trial was "fundamentally unfair". Tyler's cause has been taken up by human rights organizations, as well as many other supporters, including a range of sports figures and organizations in 2007.
Events
In 1974 formerly all-white Destrehan High SchoolDestrehan High School
Destrehan High School is a public high school located in Destrehan, Louisiana, United States. The St. Charles Parish school serves all students on the East bank of the Mississippi River in grades 9 through 12.-History:...
had been full of tensions as it reluctantly integrated, 20 years after the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
. Because of fights, officials closed the school early during the day of the events.
Black students were sent home on their regular bus. Tyler was 16 and on the bus. As they were leaving Destrehan High School, the bus was attacked by an angry mob of 100-200 whites, mostly students. The whites were angry about integration and tensions at the school. Timothy Weber, a 13-year-old boy standing outside the bus near his mother, was shot and mortally wounded. He later died. Police searched the bus. No gun was ever found.
Tyler was arrested and charged with the murder of 13 year-old Timothy Weber. His mother Juanita Tyler said that he was beaten by the police in an attempt to make him confess. Other witnesses later told of being intimidated by the police.
The racially charged atmosphere was added to by the arrival in Destrehan of a young David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, who was emerging as a leader in the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and neo-Nazi politics in the United States. He brought what he called security teams to protect white residents.
Conviction
Tyler was tried as an adult and convicted at trial in 1975 by a LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
court. The case was marked by several flaws and alleged lack of experience of his lawyer. The police produced a gun they claimed had been found on the bus, and it later disappeared from the evidence room in the decades following the conviction.
Since it was a capital case, Tyler was sentenced to death by electrocution
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
. He became the youngest inmate on death row.
In 1977, Louisiana's death penalty was ruled unconstitutional and Tyler was resentenced to life in prison.
He is serving his sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
in Angola, Louisiana.
Controversy
Tyler's case was appealed. In 1980 and 1981 the US Appeals Court, Fifth Circuit, ruled the trial was "fundamentally unfair" and flawed by an improper charge to the jury. The second time, after an appeal by the state, it reversed its earlier ruling to call for a retrial, based on what it said was attorney error.In 1989 when the Louisiana Board of Appeals first ruled in favor of a pardon, the governor was running against David Duke for election, and refused to consider it. He feared such a decisions would work against him with too many voters.
Human-rights organisations have argued that the legal process and procedures were flawed by the racially charged atmosphere and police intimidation. Because of the racial and political issues, in 1994 Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
described Tyler as a "political prisoner".
In 2007 Amnesty International and other groups made a renewed effort to gain a pardon by Gov. Blanco before she left office, but she failed to consider the case.
Tyler's supporters make claims in his defence that there was a miscarriage of justice. Some of the issues in the case include:
- The bus driver has insisted that he believes the shot was fired from outside of the bus.
- The bus driver observed the search of the bus, and has insisted no gun was found on it.
- The gun which the police claim was used in the murder (and turned up as evidence at the trial), was a Colt .45 government-issue, identified as having been stolen from the firing range used by the officers of the sheriff's department. The gun later disappeared from the evidence room.
- The Louisiana jury in the trial of Tyler was all white.
- The 1981 US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, ruled that the trial was "fundamentally unfair", flawed by an improper charge to the jury.
- Four major witnesses against Tyler have recanted their testimony since the trial. Some claimed they were terrorized and pressured by police.
- Based on Tyler's positive work in prison, the Louisiana Board of Pardons three times gave rulings that would have allowed Tyler to be freed. Governors failed to act on his case or rejected pardons, once during an election campaign against David Duke.
- Governor Kathleen BlancoKathleen BlancoKathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
failed to act on the latest appeal for a pardon for Tyler before leaving office in 2007.
Bob Herbert
Bob Herbert
Robert “Bob” Herbert is an American journalist op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times. His column was syndicated to other newspapers around the country. Herbert frequently writes on poverty, the Iraq war, racism and American political apathy towards race issues...
, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, reexamined the case in three columns in February 2007, in which he concluded there was fundamental injustice.
Popular culture
- Gil Scott-HeronGil Scott-HeronGilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
sang about Tyler in the song "Angola, Louisiana," on the 1978 album Secrets.
- UB40UB40UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
(a British reggae band) included the song "Tyler" on their 1980 debut album, Signing OffSigning OffSide TwoEP Side OneEP Side Two-Cassette:Side OneSide Two-CD:- Personnel :* Astro – Voices* Neil Black – Assistant Engineer* Jim Brown – Drums, Group Member* Ali Campbell – Rhythm Guitar, Vocals...
. The song namechecks the subject only as "Tyler". Ali Campbell said in an interview in August 2007 that the next UB40 album would be named Gary Tyler.
- The British band ChumbawambaChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
included the song "Waiting for the Bus" on their 2008 album The Boy Bands Have WonThe Boy Bands Have WonThe Boy Bands Have Won is the common title of a Chumbawamba album released in 2008. Its full title contains 865 characters, and holds the record for the longest album title, as of August 2009. The band normally uses the shorter version when referring to the album on their website.- Background :The...
. The song tells the story from the imagined view of Tyler.
External links
- "Gary Tyler, framed up in 1974 desegregation fight, still in jail", The MilitantThe MilitantThe Militant is an international Socialist newsweekly connected to the Socialist Workers Party and the Pathfinder Tendency. It is published in the United States and distributed in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sweden, Iceland, and New...
2007. - Free Gary Tyler website
- "The Case of Gary Tyler: Despite Witness Recantations and No Physical Evidence, Louisiana Prisoner Remains Jailed After 32 Years", Democracy Now
- Renewed calls for the release of Gary Tyler - from the World Socialist Website