Lawsuits, Petitions, & Us

One of the greatest feelings in the world is to know you've changed something for the better. Unfortunately, change often requires a lawsuit. We've focused this week on the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office; we know there are several lawsuits still pending against either the office itself or Sheriff Ronnie Willis in particular. Are these lawsuits deserved or merely frivolous?

Frivolous lawsuits aren't as common as some would have us believe, due in large part to the amount of money it requires to hire an attorney and/or court charges for filing litigation. If a judge assigned to a case feels there's no basis for the charge, he/she can dismiss the case before it wastes any more judicial resources.

We look forward to seeing just where the remaining cases against Sheriff Willis will go...

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Second to a lawsuit is a petition. Until faced with the fact that attorneys for convicted killer Hershel Dale Graham planned to ask for house arrest for  their client, we've never before initiated a petition. After we close out the petition and Graham is sentenced, we may initiate one to remedy the very broken Alabama system for crimes considered Capital offenses in this state. It will obviously be a long and on-going process, but it will be well worth it if the current system can be overhauled even in a small way.

Hershel Graham will be sentenced one week from today. We ask that if you haven't already signed the petition, you do so now. You don't have to live in Franklin County or even Alabama to sign. We will shortly be closing it out and forwarding it to Franklin County Judge Terry Dempsey.

Sentence Killer Hershel Graham to 20 Years

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Besides a lawsuit or a petition, is there a quicker way to bring change to a faulty policy or program? It depends on how large or entrenched the offending policy may be. Sometimes all it takes is for us to write a letter.

If the problem is local, and local is what we're basically about here, you may be surprised at how soon the situation is remedied. Try it, and then tell us how it worked for you. We love success stories.

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A movie about many things...including an incompetent sheriff. Sorry we couldn't find the excellent 1974 version.





Shoalanda