LaVena Johnson Update

Via Waveflux, an interview with John Johnson, LaVena Johnson’s father, on NPR’s Tell Me More program.

Updates on LaVena Johnson

The drive to get justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson and her family is in full force. I learned today that Danielle Vyas’ petition is a mere 110 signatures away from reaching its 3000 signature goal. Please go and add your name if you haven’t already. Once the goal is reached, Danielle will be hand-delivering the petition to her Representative, Shelley Berkeley.

Via Shakesville, I learned of retired Army Colonel Ann Wright’s account of the Department of Justice’s refusal to allow a witness to be heard.

Color of Change now has a petition up as well, which you should also sign.

There is also now a pdf available, which you can use to help spread the word.

Eddie Griffin has written Congress. My letter is on the way. You should consider writing your own as well.

A quick check of Technorati and the Google Blog Search shows that more and more people are becoming aware of and speaking out about this.

Poet Luke Easter has written a poem in memorial

Prometheus 6 also has an open letter, which, as he says, “is worth email AND a stamp” .

Please take the time to take action on this. It’s only right that the family of Pfc. LaVena Johnson know the truth about their daughter’s death. This cover up is despicable. That it is indicative of a larger problem of violence against women in the military makes it all the more important that we force the military to be held accountable and that justice is served.

LaVena Johnson Petitions and Actions

If you aren’t familiar with the LaVena Johnson case, you should spend some time at The Pfc. Lavena Johnson Petition Blog, Shakesville, What About Our Daughters, and Electronic Village for information on this travesty of justice.

From Wikidedia

Johnson’s death was officially ruled a suicide by the army. However, her father became suspicious when he saw her body in the funeral home and decided to investigate. The army initially refused to release information, but did so under the Freedom of Information Act after Representative William Lacy Clay, Jr. raised questions about it at the congressional hearings over Pat Tillman’s death.^[2]

The autopsy report and photographs revealed Johnson had a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot that seemed inconsistant with suicide. Several reporters have suspected that the chemical burns were to destroy DNA evidence of a rape.

This is so unacceptable; however, as Villager points out, the momentum is growing.

There are two petitions going right now aimed at re-opening LaVena Johnson’s case and getting to the truth of how she died.

Color of Change petition for Lavena Johnson

Justice for LaVena Johnson

Gina, from What About Our Daughters, also has a lot of good info on contacting your Congressional Representatives about this case.

I encourage everyone who reads this to post about this case on their blogs and to sign the petitions. We can do this.