Dear John, 

 

A miscarriage of justice is about to occur. On Tuesday night, a U.S. District Court ordered a stay of execution for Dustin Higgs and Cory Johnson, two Black men who are currently ill with COVID-19. This morning, we learned that a panel of judges in DC ordered the executions to proceed as scheduled. These would be the 12th and 13th executions in less than a year pushed through by the Trump Administration, less than seven days before the new presidential administration is sworn in. As we cry Black Lives Matter, we must fight for the lives of those sitting on death row.

 

Dustin Higgs is a father, a son, and an innocent man sentenced to death for murders he did not commit. Witnesses of the crime, including the perpetrator, have pledged Dustin’s innocence, yet he is still being murdered at the hands of the federal government. 

 

Cory Johnson’s death sentence is illegal. Cory has an intellectual disability, and according to Atkins v. Virginia, the execution of individuals with disabilities is a violation of the Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment). The Supreme Court refuses to amend their decision on his death sentence.

 

There has been extreme opposition to these executions already:

  • over 30,000 people have signed this petition opposing the execution of Cory Johnson,
  • over one million people have signed this petition in support of Dustin Higgs. 

 

This is urgent, as these men are set to be executed before the week is through. Join us today in calling and emailing the Department of Justice to demand clemency for Dustin Higgs, Cory Johnson, and Billie Allen, another innocent Black man sitting on death row:

  • Click this link for an email that will autofill with email addresses and a message. Please add your name, and feel free to edit the text to personalize it: https://tinyurl.com/Justice4Higgs
    • If that link doesn't work, please click here for the email addresses and content.
  • Or call the DOJ at this phone number: (202) 353-1555 (when prompted, press 9).

 

Here is a sample script for you to use if you call:

 

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am calling today to ask that you spare the lives of Dustin Higgs, Cory Johnson, and Billie Allen. Dustin Higgs and Billie Allen have been proven innocent, and Cory Johnson’s execution is unlawful and inhumane, as stated in the Atkins v. Virginia case. Just this week, a federal judge ruled the executions of Dustin Higgs and Cory Johnson unconstitutional with regard to the Eighth Amendment, because executing two men with Covid-19 is cruel and unusual punishment. All three of these men deserve at the minimum a stay of execution, and rightfully deserve clemency. Please do not allow these men to be killed. Thank you.

 

 

In solidarity and justice,

 

Sunrise Movement DC