Open Letter
To: The Death Row Community
From: Fellow Strugglers to End the Death Penalty
Hello, I hope that this letter finds you well in strength and in spirit. I know that conditions on the death row are hard, but hopefully if this planned action that is being urged to take part in is successful there will be no more death row, much less a death penalty. You are being asked to participate in an action to end the death penalty. No matter ones personal beliefs the hope is that ALL would like to live; preferably NOT under a penalty of death. Yet, this is the reality that many on death row face. This action has been conceptualized and initiated from death row. Now, while not all may have participated in the particular debates that spurred this action it is understood that most if not all feel that something needs to be done. We have stood around and watched the death penalty be argued and debated. Much of it without our direct input. And, to our horror, we watched as pro-death penalty proponents took the very issues that we were using, to argue against the death penalty and not only support them, but took them to band-aid (fix) what were perceived to be the problem(s) with the death penalty in the first place! Dont know what these issues were? Ok, there was the lack of representation by qualified death penalty lawyers, no means by which to test newly discovered, or old evidence, particularly DNA. The execution of the mentally retarded. The execution of juvenile offenders. Now, what happened was this: pro-death penalty groups said we agree that no one who is innocent should be sent to his/her death. So, if there is anything that could prevent this, well support it. With that, politicians, community activists etc., who opposed the death penalty thought that they had won a great battle. Wrong! It took away the argument to end the death penalty! So now, we have lawyers who are supposed to have at least five years capital litigation experience. We have a means to the testing of DNA evidence. and an end to the execution of the mentally retarded if they are found to fit that criteria. With the exception of the juvenile issue, the argument to end the death penalty is smaller. Many people who support the death penalty feel that they are morally right. Even believing that they are standing on sound principles in support of the death penalty i.e., an eye for an eye. If you hurt mine (kill them) you deserve what you get (death)! What the activist community should have done was to tell them: these are the problems with the death penalty. And even if these were not the problems, there is NO WAY that the death penalty could ever be fixed! But, that is not what happened in most cases.
So, where does this leave us? A moratorium is only a temporarily stop to executions, not and end. The belief is that if the death penalty is temporarily stopped it can then be ended. Well, the death penalty was temporarily ended over 25 years ago and it is now back in use; and not only that, it is expanding in its application. That is why you are being urged to join this effort to end the funding for the death penalty, and thus end it, not temporarily stop it. There is no one-way to fight the death penalty, but we know that money runs this killing machine: our peoples money; people who dont even believe in the death penalty; money being used to finance our deaths! The thing is, how do we stop it? This brings us to the issue at hand: protest and demand an end to our family, friends and loved ones money being used to finance our murder. Hopefully if the money goes so will go the death penalty. After all, it is in reality only a financially aided program. This isnt a miracle cure to end the death penalty. It is only another tool that we hope will help end it. So, if you agree, sign the protest letter designated for you. Send the one for your family, friend and/or loved one (s) to them, and urge them to sign it. Copy it, so that individual family members can also sign it. It has to be an individual signature per-protest letter. Therefore please make sure that this is understood. Again, have it copied and passed around so that they can sign it. Do the same with the letter designated for groups and organizations. It doesnt matter if it is a church, business, anti-death penalty group, union, political party etc. Send it to them urging them to support our effort, for them to make it their own, and to send the signed letter to the designated address. Please understand that this can only work with our efforts and support. We have to be the ones who push this. I mean, think about it: your/our family, friends and loved ones are literally, with their Tax Dollars, paying to have you/ us killed against their will! I know that you wouldnt want this. I know that they wouldnt want this either. This is our chance to end this practice. In closing, additional information will be available on our website along with further ideals on actions that can be done. Still, you can take your own actions. After all, this is a death row initiated action. So, utilize this as you need to help end the death penalty. Extend the arguments and debates for this action. But please, send in these letters of protest that way they can be added to everyone else collectively as a show of force, a show of protest, and as the fist that holds the hammer that will eradicate the death penalty forever!
Sincerely and Respectfully,
A Fellow Struggler(s)
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DEATH ROW COMMUNITY AGAINST OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND/OR LOVED ONES TAX DOLLARS USED TO FINANCE OUR EXECUTION
I (name), ________________________________________, as a Death Row Prisoner and member of the Death Row Community, support my family, friend(s), and/or loved ones protest against their Tax Dollars being used to finance my murder at the hands of the State of Texas. I believe it is a vile and barbaric practice for any state to require them to do so.
My name signed in support of this protest is also a pledge that I will support any effort as best I can from death row to help aid in this action.
I (signature), _____________________________________; phone number___________________ support my family, friend(s) , and loved one(s) protest against their Tax Dollars being used to finance my murder at the hands of the State of Texas.
Please send the signed sheet to one of the organizations below:
HRC Tx. Branch Operation L.I.F.E.
c/o Will Saunders c/o Knut Erik Paulli
P.O. Box 87193 Morkved
Gaithersburg, MD 20886 8020 Bodoe
U.S.A. Norway