Hello John-

The Young Democrats of America are demanding that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt take immediate action to accept the recommendation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to commute Julius Jones’s sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole. 

Julius Jones has maintained his innocence since 1999 when he was first wrongfully convicted of murder. For 22 years, the evidence has not thoroughly proven that Mr. Jones had any part of this murder and yet he has spent over half of his life on death row. In addition to this, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has ruled not once, but twice for clemency of Mr. Jones. Now Mr. Jones, an innocent man who was at home with his family at the time of the alleged murder, is scheduled to be executed tomorrow, November 18, 2021.

Despite all of this information, Governor Stitt has failed to move an inch in the direction of justice, failing to listen to his own state’s parole board on this man’s innocence. It is for all of these reasons that YDA is joining the 6.3 million other individuals calling on Governor Stitt to put an immediate stay on Julius Jones’s execution and for the state of Oklahoma to release him from custody.

The Young Democrats of America stand firmly against the death penalty in our justice system and will always seek justice for the countless number of falsely accused individuals currently incarcerated. In the words of Bryan Stevenson: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done.”

We are encouraging all of our members to write to Governor Stitt immediately to demand him to act for justice for Julius Jones.

Until Justice,

Quentin Wathum-Ocama

YDA President