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This is an incredible story, Faith: 5 days before his execution date, Rodney Reed was granted an indefinite stay of execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Petition signatures from over half a million people from around the country helped make it happen. This is a story of how petitions can bring about change, and in some cases, even save lives. |
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Tiffany McMillan has spent decades fighting for her friend Rodney Reed. She took that fight to the next level when she started a petition on Change to save his life and see him freed. Rodney had already been in prison for over 20 years, but more new evidence pointed to his innocence. Tiffany saw a new opportunity and took action. But the clock was quickly counting down. Despite the flaws in his trial, Rodney was set to be executed on November 20th of this year. Massive outcry built up for several months as Rodney's execution date drew closer. Tiffany's petition grew to over half a million signatures. The story made headlines in Newsweek, TIME and CBS News among many other news outlets. The intensity of the coverage put even more pressure on the governor to take action. |
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Thousands of supporters rallied in Austin outside of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office. And celebrities like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Dr. Phil, and Kim Kardashian drummed up even more support on social media. All these voices combined made a powerful impact. |
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And this is not the first time the Change.org community helped a prisoner with no other hope. Every year, millions of people use Change.org to fix what our justice system gets wrong. They are tired of watching innocent people lose their freedom, so they turn to our site to take action. And we know these petitions work, because they've won before. Alice Johnson was granted clemency after her daughter started a Change.org petition. And Cyntoia Brown was pardoned after a petition was signed by 375,000 supporters. |
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Now Rodney, too, has seen the power of what we can all do when we act together. But this fight is not over. Tiffany is still campaigning to get a full exoneration for Rodney. She won't stop until he is released from prison. And other petition starters need the power of your voice too. Cece started a petition for Julius Jones, who is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Julius faces the death penalty despite evidence that suggests he was wrongly convicted. Visit CeCe's petition today to learn more about Julius's story. |
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At Change.org we give people the tools to stand up to injustice, especially in cases when all else has failed. I'm more convinced than ever that when we act together, anything is possible. Thank you for supporting the petitions you believe in. You can help change lives with your support. |
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Change.org is certified as a company dedicated to public benefit, which means we have a social mission that's held to high external standards of accountability. Our model relies on membership contributions from people like you. |
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