The case of Toforest Johnson raises big questions about our criminal justice system.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, July 6, 2024

Hello! In this issue:
* An investigation casts major doubts about the guilt of a man on Alabama’s death row.
* In our series 40 Acres and a Lie, we investigate a reparation that wasn’t—and the wealth gap that remains.
* Our latest documentary, The Grab, is No.1 on Apple and available everywhere.


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** In Bondage to the Law
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Toforest Johnson (in white shirt) during a 2004 family visit at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., with his mother (from left), Donna; daughter Shanaye Poole; and son Tremaine Perry. Credit: Courtesy of Johnson’s family via Lava for Good
On a summer night in 1995, a sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed in a hotel parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama. When investigators arrived at the scene, they found no eyewitnesses—and almost no evidence to help them identify the shooter.

That night, Toforest Johnson was with friends at a nightclub miles away. That didn’t stop prosecutors from trying Johnson twice for the murder. He was eventually convicted on the testimony of an “earwitness”—a woman who claimed to have overheard Johnson confessing to the crime. He has spent more than 25 years on Alabama’s death row.

Investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case in 2019—and what she discovered cast major doubts about Johnson’s guilt. This week, in partnership with Lava for Good and the Earwitness podcast, Shelburne brings us the story of Johnson’s case—and we learn what’s happened since this story first aired.
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** OUR LATEST
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** 40 Acres and a Lie
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Illustration by Chris Burnett
A government program commonly known as “40 Acres and a mule” gave formerly enslaved people land after the Civil War, only to take nearly all of it back a year and a half later. We partnered with the Center for Public Integrity to tell this story about long-forgotten people, places, and stories that had long been misunderstood—then we asked descendants of formerly enslaved people about what’s owed now.

Listen to our three-part series, 40 Acres and a Lie ([link removed]) , to understand the reparation that wasn’t—and the wealth gap that remains.


** Dig Deeper:
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LISTEN: 40 Acres and a Lie Part 1 ([link removed]) , Part 2 ([link removed]) , and Part 3 ([link removed])
READ: 40 Acres and a Lie ([link removed]) (A collaboration between Mother Jones, Center for Public Integrity and Reveal)

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** WATCH NOW
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** The Grab
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NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE:

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** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 Not All Votes Are Created Equal ([link removed])

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🎧 ([link removed]) The Great Arizona Water Grab ([link removed])

This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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