ACT For Mimi, Burned Alive, But No Charges

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ACT/ For Mimi, Burned Alive But No Charges KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN 1/28/08: For Mimi, Burned Alive But No Charges http://www.KinshipCircle.org PHOTOS: (LT) This is the yard where Mimi, a pregnant 2-year-old pit bull, was doused with gasoline and set afire by a stoned

girlfriend of the brother who cared for the dog. (RT) This is Mimi, burned beyond recognition in this blurred shot... Justice seeker Antoine Draper, Mimi's guardian, said "It was sick! You gotta be real cruel. Messed up in the head...to set a dog on fire." Draper says justice won't bring Mimi back. But her killer should be punished. http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=7770986 PETITION: Justice for Mimi - Prosecute Her Killer! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/37/justice-for-mimi EMAIL kinshipcircle FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER. Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or mail. =========================================================== FULL CONTACT

INFORMATION. Email blocks + sample letter follow =========================================================== Memphis Police Department Larry A. Godwin, Director of Police Lead investigator, Sgt. Glass: 901-545-4520 201 Poplar Ave 12th Floor * Memphis, TN 38103 ph: 901-545-5700, general assignment: 901-545-4559; fax: 901-545-3877 email: mpd, tara.bowen SOURCE: http://www.memphispolice.org/ City Prosecutors Teresa Dyann Jones, Chief Prosecutor City Prosecutors Office, Criminal Justice Complex 201 Poplar, Room LL-10 * Memphis, Tennessee 38103 ph: 901-545-5475; fax: 901-576-3470 email: Dottie.jones SOURCE: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=23 Dr. Willie W. Herenton, Mayor of Memphis City Hall,

125 N. Main St. Room 700 Memphis, TN 38103 ph: 901-576-6007; email: mayor Mayor Herenton's Citywide Call Center: ph: 901-576-6500, TTY: 901-576-6501; fax: 901-576-6200 SOURCE: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=22 Memphis City Council City Hall, 125 North Main Street, Room 514 Memphis, TN 38103 ph: 901-576-6786; fax: 901-576-6796 MEMPHIS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS: Bill.Morrison, Bill.Boyd, Harold.Collins, Wanda.Halbert, Jim.Strickland, Edmund.Fordjr, Swearengen.Ware, Janis.Fullilove, myron.lowery, scott.mccormick, Shea.Flinn, Reid.Hedgepeth SOURCE: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=690 =========================================================== EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert. =========================================================== mpd, tara.bowen, Dottie.jones, mayor, Bill.Morrison, Bill.Boyd, Harold.Collins, Wanda.Halbert, Jim.Strickland, Edmund.Fordjr, Swearengen.Ware, Janis.Fullilove, myron.lowery, scott.mccormick, Shea.Flinn, Reid.Hedgepeth *Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails

obtained from government websites may be incorrect. =========================================================== SAMPLE LETTER -- This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue. Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending. =========================================================== Dear Memphis Police Department, City Prosecutors, Mayor Herenton, and City Council Members: A vicious crime has occurred in a Memphis neighborhood -- yet no one is charged. Therefore, I've taken the time to write to the Memphis Police Department, the mayor, council members, and city prosecutor. Memphis resident Antoine Draper cared for his two-year-old pit bull, Mimi, as if she were his child. "From a puppy I fed her with bottle," he told WMC-TV Memphis. One can barely imagine his horror upon learning Mimi had been doused in gasoline and

set on fire on December 22, 2007. It is equally difficult to grasp the absence of an arrest and charges in this case. Mimi was giving birth to puppies in Tamai Neil's backyard when Neil, the girlfriend of Draper's brother, dispatched a friend to get gasoline. Draper claims multiple witnesses saw Neil scorch the dog she mistakenly thought belonged to Draper's brother. In an act of premeditated violence, Neil reportedly boasted about her intentions just before igniting the dog and her puppies. I urge the Memphis Police Department to aggressively investigate this crime. If Neil and any other suspects are arrested, I ask city prosecutors to advocate maximum incarceration and fines. Under TENN. CODE ANN. 39-14-201 et seq., the intentional killing of a companion animal constitutes aggravated cruelty punishable as a Class A Misdemeanor. Any subsequent offense is a Class E Felony with fines up to $3,000 and 6

years imprisonment. Apparently Neil is already on probation for past crimes. At the time she fatally tortured Mimi, observers state she was "high on cocaine." If convicted, prosecutors should ensure Neil undergoes psychological counseling and is barred from possessing or living with animals. Criminologists view the brutality of an act, regardless of the victim's identity, as a forerunner to more violence. ASPCA's Randall Lockwood, Ph.D. -- who aids cruelty investigators, law enforcers and court officials -- describes animal cruelty and arson "as significant predictors of violent and even homicidal behavior. The intentional burning of a live animal should be considered particularly significant as an indicator of the potential for other violent acts." Animal cruelty is a key trait in the American Psychiatric Association's criterion for conduct disorders. The FBI red flags animal abuse

when profiling homicidal criminals and their potential for recurring violence. The deliberate burning of Mimi and her puppies is merciless and illegal. Moreover, it serves as a yardstick to measure probability of a repeat offense. I look forward to any case updates you can provide. Thank you, =========================================================== SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THIS LETTER CAMPAIGN =========================================================== Owner of dog set on fire wants justice http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=7770986 Tennessee Animal Cruelty Law http://members.petfinder.org/~TN72/pagetennlaw.html Additional research, including contact with human

victim Antoine Draper, from Kinship Circle Research Director, Bridget Soeder galileao FOR ANIMALS - BEAR WITNESS. SPEAK. DEMAND. ACT. Action Campaigns I Literature I Animal Disaster Aid Networking info or kinshipcircle http://www.KinshipCircle.org * http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/ PLEASE MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO KINSHIP CIRCLE: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/donation/ *************************************************************************************************** UNSUBSCRIBE: * Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox * Hit “FORWARD” * Enter kinshipcircle * Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send *************************************************************************************************** SUBSCRIBE: Kinship Circle Primary: Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide TELL US: SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY Kinship Circle Animal Disaster

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