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Living in the Face of Death
Obie
Weathers, III, a Black man, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, was
charged with capital murder, convicted, and sentenced to death before
the tender age of 20. Now, as he sits on
Are you happy here, and why? Yes, though affirmative wouldn't have always been my response to such a question. The Dalai Lama said:
Who's to blame for your being on Death Row? My being on Death Row is a result of a couple of detectives' district attorneys' ignorance as well as my own. I was charged with capital murder when in fact the crime I committed was felony murder, a crime unpunishable by death. At the young age of 18 I robbed a local bar and while fleeing the scene I was attacked. A man grabbed ahold of the gun that I held; in panic, fright, and wanting to get the man off of me, lest he kill me, I pulled the trigger. Sadly the man later died as a result. When I was taken to trial, being that I was poor, I was appointed a court-appointed attorney and basically underrepresented by this attorney when he failed at having the courts reduce the charge of capital murder to felony murder, the crime that I actually committed. The difference between the two charges is intent. I never intended to kill anyone and the witnesses who testified on the state's behalf made it clear that I fired upon being attacked and while leaving the crime scene. My statement, given upon my arrest, corroborated this fact, though the district attornies, that are sworn to seek justice, ignored this and proceeded with a capital murder trial, violating my right to a fair trial. My attorney didn't care because he wasn't being paid. The district attornies didn't care because they had their own political agenda to attend to, that didn't include seeking justice. I was completely ignorant to the law, so with no safety net to ensure that I didn't fall to the fallibility of humankind, I plummeted to the ground - to Death Row. Now, as I sit here in this cage on Death Row, I’m faced with the obstruction called the appelate courts. The struggle now is to right past wrongs, but to do so I must overcome the same obstacles faced at trial: Aquiring an attorney competent and willing to fight for me to bring about the justice I seek. And it is still a matter of finances. Simply put, yet sad to say, money is the key factor in seizing the justice anyone seeks in America. With this knowledge my supporters have set up a website (www.obieweathers.com) which gives information about the history and current posture of the circumstances / case that’s brought me to Death Row, as well as information on our dire need for financial assistance and the ways the public can go about aiding us in this fashion, which I can’t stress enough, isn’t merely a matter of justice or injustice, but ultimately the saving of a precious Life, or this Life being slaughtered.
If you could take this whole experience back to be free, living as you were prior to your arrest, would you and why? No, I wouldn't give back all that I've experienced here to be free living as I did prior to my arrest. I've grown to understand one of life's many complexities, that oftentimes we'll endure strife and adversity as a means of refining the mind and purifying the soul. Prior to my arrest I merely existed from one moment to the next, without any direction, goals or thoughts of a future. It wasn't until years of being on Death Row did I gain a concept of future and the one I envisioned for myself. It's been through my inner desire, often unconscious to myself, to overcome that I've been able to grow. Reflecting on my past, prior to my arrest, I notice during this time I held no aspirations. Through a series of trials and struggles I had let the dreams of the future that I held go. And in its place I adopted a mentality that rendered me living-existing rather - from one moment to the next. Coming to Death Row, basically consciously vacant, but through the compassion of fellow prisoners who became friends I was able to see there could be more to this life, here on Death Row, than wasting away and waiting to die. Soon I began to think of the pain that I've caused family and friends and made a decision to do something with my life that would make them genuinely proud of me. My pain and suffering here on Death Row, like dirt and rain to a flower, has assisted in the sprouting of my soul's realization. Coming to Death Row has been another step in my journey through Eternity. It's an experience that's allowed me to become closer to my true self.
Since this oppression has been beneficial, are you endorsing its existence? Not at all. Anytime we have a system that has a total lack of regard for the simple undering thread that binds us all, humanity, we should be swift about banishing it from our presence. Though capital punishment isn't as prevalent in the world as it once was centuries before, its mere existence is still a threat to all of humanity and it won't be until we've expelled it, will anyone be truly safe from it. The fact that it's been an experience destined for me and many others who've grown from it doesn't mean it's worthy of our acceptance. That's a preposterous notion.
How do you feel about dying? I have no desire to transition through the vicious administration of toxic fluids as I'm strapped down to a guerney before my 30th birthday. However, if I'm to transition in such a fashion, that's what I must endure, however viscious the method. There's no such thing as death but when one hasn't realized their spiritual essence. I understand death to be an illusion. It's not an end but another experience, a step to the next realm of life that all must face in order to continue their journey through Eternity. Though I struggle with fever to overcome my unjust sentence, I know that it wouldn't be a "win" for the state for me to lie on that table, they'd merely be playing their part in my experience on this plane.
If you could have one hour with anyone, who would it be, and what would you do? I'd like to be with that poor 18-year-old kid that's on their way to make a foolish mistake, as I once did. A mistake that will lead them down a tumultuous path full of heartache. I'd sit down with them and just allow them to see the pain and anguish in my eyes to steer them from adding to the pile of victims of our ignorance.
Love is... A force that is the very fabric of the universe. It's the thread that holds this fabric. It's the space outside this fabric. It's the space that's enclosed within it. Love is the force that allows me to wake and push through days of uncertainty here on Death Row with determination. Love is the force bestowed upon me by many loved ones that gives me the courage to look, daily, into the face of death and advance toward my goal, freedom from its icy gaze. Love is my strength and stability. Love is.
To learn more about Obie and his fight for justice, please log onto:
www.obieweathers.com Obie D. Weathers, III
Click here to view his profile / Order info: From the Depths of Our Solitude
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