Add your name to demand that 27 states abolish the death penalty NOW!
Dear MoveOn member,
On Tuesday, Missouri executed Marcellus Williams, a Black man who maintained his innocence for decades.1 Even the victim's family called to spare Marcellus's life. This is state-sanctioned murder, and innocent people like Marcellus are being killed under the guise of "justice."
It's beyond time we abolish the inhumane and flawed death penalty. Will you sign the petition?
There was no reliable evidence linking Marcellus to the crime he was convicted of back in 2001, and there were concerns of racial bias in the jury selection at his trial.2 In fact, even the current prosecuting attorney acknowledged that errors were made by the trial prosecutors, and the state of Missouri has been accused of destroying evidence that could have led to his exoneration.3
But the state of Missouri and the Supreme Court refused to block his execution, a decision that his attorneys say emphasized "finality over fairness."4
This harrowing week has seen an unusually high number of executions—it's the biggest week of capital punishment in more than 20 years. Five people were executed this week in five states, reversing a decades-long decline in support and use of the death penalty.5
The death penalty is deeply rooted in white supremacy. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, people of color are more likely to be prosecuted for capital murder, sentenced to death, and executed—especially if the victim in the case is white.6 And Black Americans, who make up more than 40% of people on death row, are disproportionately targeted by this racist system.7 Ending capital punishment is not just a racial justice issue, it's a human rights one. It is high time we abolish this inhumane practice now.
Earlier this year, MoveOn worked alongside advocates in Texas to demand a new trial for Ivan Cantu. Despite false testimony, evidence withheld by prosecution, and key witnesses later recanting, the system ultimately failed Ivan, just as it failed Marcellus.8
The death penalty is cruel, immoral, and must not be a course of action available in the United States anymore. Will you sign our petition now demanding the death penalty be abolished in all 27 states where it is currently legal?
A shocking number of innocent people have been sentenced to death. And the tragic reality is that capital punishment is mostly imposed on poor people who cannot afford to hire an effective lawyer.9
And while proponents claim the death penalty is a crime deterrent and keeps us safer, that doesn't seem to be the case, according to the National Research Council of the National Academies. After more than three decades of research examining whether the threat of a death sentence deters people from committing aggravated murders, there is no reliable evidence that the death penalty deters murder.10
Marcellus, Ivan, and so many others should be here with us today. As long as the death penalty exists, we cannot realize true justice.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Emma, Toni, Rahna, and the rest of the team
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