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Warren Hill: An execution that defies belief

Warren Hill

Every doctor that ever examined him found Warren Hill to be intellectually disabled. His attorney said he had the “emotional and cognitive functioning of an 11 year old boy.” And on Tuesday, he was executed, despite the protest of the victim’s family and thousands of others.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional to execute someone with intellectual disabilities (formerly referred to as mental retardation). But in Georgia, where Hill was executed, people on death row must prove these disabilities “beyond a reasonable doubt” – a nearly impossible standard to meet in a case like this.

A powerful and diverse group of voices opposed the execution, including the family of Hill’s victim, jurors from Hill’s original trial, local and national advocacy groups for the intellectually disabled, the European Union, and over 5,000 individuals who submitted individual letters to the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons.

But the Board refused to act.

“The clemency board missed an opportunity to right a grave wrong,” said Hill’s attorney Brian Kammer.

Shortly before the execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute stay.

“Today, the Court has unconscionably allowed a grotesque miscarriage of justice to occur in Georgia,” said Kammer. “Georgia has been allowed to execute an unquestionably intellectually disabled man…in direct contravention of the Court’s clear precedent prohibiting such cruelty…[T]he memory of Mr. Hill’s illegal execution will live on as a moral stain on the people of this State and on the courts that allowed this to happen.”

Earlier in January, Georgia carried out another controversial execution in the case of Andrew Brannan, a decorated Vietnam veteran with diagnosed Bipolar Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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EJUSA to headline at the CCDA Conference

Billy Moore and Shane ClaiborneEJUSA National Organizer Heather Beaudoin will be traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina later this month to attend the Christian Community Development Association’s (CCDA) conference. The annual gathering brings together more than 2,500 young, dynamic faith leaders who are making change in underserved communities around the country. CCDA will hold its first dialogue on the death penalty after EJUSA’s proposal for a workshop was accepted.

The workshop will bring Heather together with Reverend Billy Moore (pictured, left) and will include an overview of the flaws in the death penalty from a Christian perspective and an in-depth look at Moore’s experience of redemption after spending over 16 years on death row.

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Filed under: Uncategorized, x-DRUPAL SITE

Connections, connections, connections

Cherrell with Carlton Mayers, program specialist at NAACP's Criminal Justice department, at the Convention in Las Vegas.

The NAACP has been an essential partner in our most recent campaigns to end the death penalty. This year marked their 105th National Convention, and EJUSA National Organizer Cherrell Brown traveled to Las Vegas to participate.

In addition to catching up with some of our strongest allies in the organization, Cherrell made new connections with national, state, and local NAACP leaders who are working on or are interested in joining efforts for repeal and criminal justice reform.

One person Cherrell wanted to track down was Oklahoma State NAACP President Anthony R. Douglas. Back in early May, Cherrell and Anthony participated in a conference call following the botched execution of Clayton Lockett. Cherrell wasn’t even sure if he would remember her or the phone call, but Cherrell wanted to be sure to reconnect and to put a face with the voice and the name.

Douglas remembered the call. In fact, he was delighted that she found him and introduced herself, after catching a glimpse of his name tag next to his blinking-light Texas-shaped button.

“Cherrell was so valuable in helping us understand what was going on and brainstorming ways we could support efforts on the ground,” Douglas said. “I look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Cherrell thrives on connections that allow her to support local repeal efforts, and especially to bring in the voices and experiences of communities of color.

Cherrell plans to work with Anthony to gather a larger group of Oklahoma State NAACP Chapter members and moderate a discussion about getting more involved in ending the death penalty.

The State of Oklahoma has three executions scheduled before the end of the year, even though the April botched execution of Lockett is still under investigation and has had several delays. State officials recently ordered the Department of Public Safety to expand its investigation to look at the botched executions in Ohio and Arizona.

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National Latino Evangelical Coalition calls for a closer look at the death penalty

The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC), a coalition of over 3,000 Hispanic evangelical churches, released a call yesterday for “Hispanic evangelical leaders to closely examine their stance on capital punishment and mass incarceration.”

President of NaLEC, Rev. Gabriel Salguero, says that the death penalty is “too broken to ensure that innocent persons are not executed.” He also sees how the system can “disproportionately and negatively impact people based on race, color and economics.”

EJUSA has been working together with NaLEC to sponsor more national conversations on the death penalty amongst Latino and faith communities. Last year, Rev. Salguero, joined 27 prominent evangelicals and Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty in raising concern around fair sentencing hearings in a capital punishment case in Texas.

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“The best part of my job is the people.”

Name: Colleen Cunningham

Position: Campaign Strategist

Years on the team: 4

Why is EJUSA’s work important?
EJUSA works. Before I was on staff, I benefited from our services as a state partner. When you are working for a small state organization, the support, mentorship, and resources that EJUSA provides are truly invaluable. It’s more than what we’re doing, it’s how – we’re building strong coalitions representing many viewpoints working to make sure our justice solutions work for victims’ families, law enforcement, conservatives, liberals and everyone in between.

What’s the best part about your job?
The best part of my job is the people. Our state partners are tenacious and smart and it’s an honor to work with them. Murder victims’ families have taught me more than I can articulate about what justice really looks like, and are some of the strongest people I know. And I am continually inspired by the vision and dedication of my colleagues at EJUSA. I am so grateful for the many people I interact with and the different perspectives and tools they bring to our work.

Why are you joining the Make Room for Justice Challenge?
I’m excited to use my monthly donation to join a community of others who are eager to ensure that EJUSA stays strong!

Join Colleen and take Make Room for Justice Challenge today by making a monthly gift!

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What’s wrong with these words? Controversial, courageous, brave, hard.

Recently, I gave a talk at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual conference about words we should stop using when we talk about the death penalty. They’re words like: controversial, courageous, brave, hard.

These words send the wrong message. They give the impression that only a few people can change the conversation about justice in this country. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. All of the incredible progress that we’ve made this year is because of supporters like you.

And it has never been easier to participate. That’s why we’re launching the Make Room for Justice Challenge.

Can you make a little room in your monthly budget – $5, $10, or even $25 – for justice?

I’m going to make my lunch at home this month in order to make a little extra room to pledge a monthly gift to EJUSA, in addition to my regular giving. All of our staffers are taking the challenge as well.

We’re making incredible progress, and with your help, we can make room for more. In Maryland, the end of the death penalty brought an important opportunity for the families of murder victims. A bill to help them just sailed through the legislature!

We’re bringing the movement to new places and audiences every day, from African American sororities to booth number 717 at the biggest conservative political conference in the country.

Won’t you join us today?

If you join the Make Room for Justice Challenge today, you’ll have twice the impact. A generous donor will double your monthly gift for an entire year!

Thank you.

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“Pumping Oxygen into the Room”

EJUSA Executive Director Shari Silberstein and EJUSA’s longtime friend and partner, Jonathan Gradess, are featured in the Winter 2014 issue of the Government, Law and Policy Journal from the New York State Bar Association. Jonathan is the former Board Chair of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and now sits on EJUSA’s Board of Directors.

Shari and Jonathan’s article, “Pumping Oxygen into the Room,” shares the story of how New York became the first state in the modern era to abandon the death penalty and what New York’s abolition meant for the movement to end the death penalty in the United States.

New York’s elimination of the death penalty sparked a new vision for abolition entirely: more than the absence of the death penalty, it was also the presence of a new paradigm driven by those solutions that were previously stymied by the death penalty’s disproportionate pull of money, attention, time, and polarization, such as adequate victims’ services and effective crime prevention. This idea became a rallying cry for not only NYADP, but also for its national partner, Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), and abolition groups in other states.

Read the full article here.

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Illinois Celebrates Repeal of the Death Penalty

EJUSA’s Executive Director, Shari Silberstein, and State Campaign Organizer Colleen Cunningham joined our state partners, the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (ICADP), in Chicago a couple of weeks ago for the repeal celebration!

The event honored Governor Pat Quinn, State Senator Kwame Raoul, and State Representative Karen Yarborough for their role in the bill’s success. The formal celebration also recognized the contribution of state and national partners, in addition to the hoards of people on a grassroots level who contributed to the repeal campaign.

“ICADP did a wonderful job showcasing the evolution of the movement and the contributions of so many people over so many years,” said Shari. “Being at the party, surrounded by news clippings and archival materials, it was impossible not to feel a sense of history. This has been a long struggle for justice.”

Proceeds from the event will go towards establishing the ICADP Legacy Fund, supporting initiatives to ensure that Illinois remains a death penalty-free state.

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Justices Deny Troy Davis Appeal: Take Action to Stop an Execution Amid Doubt

Yesterday the Supreme Court denied what might be the last set of appeals from Troy Davis – despite serious questions around his guilt.

Davis has been on Georgia’s death row since 1989, when he was convicted of killing Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. No physical evidence ever tied him to the crime. Instead, his conviction was based the testimony of nine prosecution witnesses, seven of whom have since recanted.

Out of the two who haven’t, one – Sylvester “Redd” Coles – has long been suspected of being the actual killer. And more fuel was added to those suspicions last summer, when a new witness came forward saying that Coles told her he was the one who actually shot and killed Officer MacPhail.

For over twenty years, Troy Davis requested to have his innocence claims heard in a court of law. And, for over twenty years, he was denied. When a federal court finally did agree to hear his innocence claims last June, they set the bar for proving his innocence so extraordinarily high, there was no way he could surpass it.

Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to deny Davis’ claim could be appealed. Or it could pave the way for an execution of a man who could be innocent. That is why we must act now.

Sign the petition telling Georgian authorities to stop the execution of Troy Davis.

Thank you for standing up for justice.

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Murder Victims’ Family Member in Montana Speaks Out

Ziggy Zeigler is a former elected official in Montana, a leader in the Montana Catholic community and a prominent figure in the state’s Republican party. He is also a murder victim’s family member. In this editorial, he shares some of his experiences in the aftermath of his fathers’ murder and what he wants to see changed in Montana’s criminal justice system.

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