Where Is The Anti-Death Penalty Movement?
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger again denied clemency to a convicted murderer, who is now scheduled to die in San Quentin Prison at 12:01 AM Tuesday. In 1981, the inmate raped and murdered a 17-year old girl, the details of which crime are too appalling and infuriating for me to recount. But aside from the usual activity by defense counsel, there has been virtually no hue and cry from what many said just a few months ago would be a powerful movement against the death penalty in California. Compared to the drama around the execution of Tookie Williams, the convicted multiple murderer and self-proclaimed co-founder of the bloody Crips gang, there’s been barely a word.
Many political analysts, including prominent journalists, predicted that legislation by an LA area state assemblyman, West Hollywood’s Paul Koretz, to create a death penalty moratorium would be a major issue in the governor’s race. Death penalty opponents say that the punishment is no deterrent. Perhaps not to those who have not been convicted. But being dead is certainly a deterrent to a criminal committing more crimes.
I felt the move would be squashed by Democratic legislative leaders. Actually, the Democratic leadership in the Assembly moved so quickly to do so that the bill was sidelined just three days later. But hard political reality need not sideline a heartfelt political movement. What happened to the anti-death penalty movement? Does it not exist if Hollywood celebrities have not befriended the convicted?
February 18th, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Morales made the mistake of not knowing a professor to get him a fake “Nobel Prize nomination.”
February 18th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
It’s a moral issue, and one that requires rational discourse, and that is not the strength of most, if any, of our elected leaders. Bill, your post above focuses only on the easy emotionalism attached to the issue–it’s not really about deterrance. It’s about having the state act on vengeance, having the state respond to primal emotions rather than reason. We should want to better than our worst citizens, and not stoop to an ancient notion of retribution. But this is a difficult argument to make with all the sensationlism surrounding such crimes, and with political campaigns reduced to sound bites and slogans.
That said, I, like many, thought the creepy, celebrity attention bestowed on Tookie Williams was not only a farce, but that it hurt the cause of getting rid of the death penalty.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Yes, the moral high ground. It is somehow more “humane” to warehouse someone for the rest of his life than to put him to death. Perhaps that reflects more of a certain squeamishness than it does a higher morality.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
No, again, the easy emotionalism. You focus on the murderer, but I don’t. I focus the issue where it should be: on the system and on the state. I have zero sympathy for murderers, but I want the state that acts in my name to act out of enlightend reason and not base emotion. I want laws that are representative of what’s best in us, not what’s worst in us.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
As it happens, you are mistaking empiricism for emotionalism.
It is simply a fact that a murderer can commit no more crimes when he is dead. Hence, the death penalty has a deterrence effect, contrary to the claims of its opponents.
February 18th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Adam, why is it “representative of what’s best in us” to warehouse a murderer for the rest of his life rather than put him to death?
It is certainly far less humane.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
If one is kept in jail one cannot commit more crimes, unless your deterrence argument is geared towards protecting other inmates–and their safety certainly doesn’t require execution of others.
My belief is the state does not give you the right to your mortal existence–it gives you rights as a citizen (and must guarantee and protect those rights). If you commit crimes, you forfeit rights given to you by the state, and so it’s perfectly reasonable and just, when murder has been committed, for the state to determine you’ve permanently forfeited those rights. As to this being less humane, that’s highly debatable.
No one either bothers anymore to disguise their support for the death penalty as anything other than vengeance, and people only speak about it in emotional terms. Law should be based on reason, not emotion.
Bill, why do you think all other western and highly developed countries have done away with death penalties?
February 18th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
You are wrong, Adam. The elderly man Schwarzeneger had executed last month ordered four murders from inside the state prison! Crimes are committed all the time inside prisons and from inside prisons. Don’t be naive.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I haven’t said crimes aren’t committed inside of prisons, and also, as you point out, from inside that affect the public. What I don’t agree with is that the only way to prevent such further crimes is by executing these people. Seems like a convenient way to defend a barbaric practice.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
To me, the issue is about how the state makes its laws and how it acts.
To follow the line of reasoning from both Bill and Ann, one can also be persuaded that chopping the hands off of thieves would both deter them and probably deter other would-be thieves. So why don’t we do that? Honestly, why not? And why haven’t we forceably castrated rapists?
February 18th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Adam, you are on quite the moral high horse. Please dismount and listen to reason. “Barbarism,” “emotionalism,” “what people do in highly advanced France.” You sound very emotional about this and quick to attack with brickbats posing as intellectualisms.
Society decided that pickpockets are worthy of rehabilitation. Their crime does not prevent them from reentering civil society. Their crime is a major nuisance. We do not cut off their hands.
Society decided that murderers are not worthy of rehabilitation. Their crime should prevent them reentering civil socity. We do not want them to spend 50 years in the living hell of prison with no contact with other inmates or the outside world. We are humane. We are not hypocritical.
February 18th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
“highly advanced France?” is that still a GOP attack line? might be a little funny in an awkward way if I actually even said that. I think I generalized it so as to include some of the ‘coalition of the willing.’
Ann, I respect what you are saying. I disagree with it and think you are shifting your rationales to suit you.
I’ve rarely heard supporters of the death penalty speak of rehabilitation and even more rarely hear them support actual efforts at such for non-murderers, but I’m sure it makes it easier for you to feel justified. Especially when you combine it with the humaneness angle.
February 18th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Since, Adam, most Americans support the death penalty and most Americans support rehabilitation for lesser crimes you have to have “heard supporters of the death penalty speak of rehabilitation and even more rarely support actual efforts at such for non-murderers.”
Also, I don’t know how you can say I am “shifting my rationales to suit” me since you do not know me and I have written nothing about this before.
The French are always included as highly advanced by American intellectuals.
February 18th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Okay, Ann. So as to avoid nastiness, let’s agree to disagree and leave it that.
And personally, I wouldn’t cite the the French as more highly advanced in intellectual matters. I do love their secularism though, and their cuisine and their women.
February 18th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
No, Adam, I said American intellectuals say the French are “highly advanced” more so than we crass Americans. I love Paris, however I have seen how crass the French are grasping for the American dollar and that’s true across sophisticated, advanced Europe. We agree about their cuisine and the art and fashion are magnifique!
February 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Yes, America has done a marvellous job exporting its crassness!
February 18th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
We can all agree or disagree on the moral righteousness or lack of same of capital punishment. But my personal opinion about an issue is the purpose of this site. What this is about is what’s happening and why and what’s going to happen and why.
And this item is about … Where Is The Anti-Death Penalty Movement?
February 18th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
And this item is about … Where Is The Anti-Death Penalty Movement?
Well won’t we know soon when the Attorney General ’s race come into focus…I would think we will have a debate about it with Jerry Brown as candidate? I am assuming he is against the death penalty? correct? He was pre -my California days…
February 18th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Well, we were told we would see the anti-death penalty movement doing its thing as convicted murderers were being put to death for their crimes. Instead, we see practically nothing. Where is this movement? Does it actually exist when movie stars are not engaged in it?
What makes you think Jerry Brown wants to talk about the death penalty? He’s certainly not going to be out there crusading against it.
February 18th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Really…. you see when I first came to California in 1989-90 I met someone at some function in LA and this person told me that he got started in politics by assisting in getting rid of Rose Bird with some big committee that was co-chaired by Riordan….I think , I may be wrong with that info when I lived in LA I would find myself in the oddest rooms with people telling me all sorts of things and half the time I was wondering how I got invited and who these people were…anyway I went blank because I lived abroad most ofthe 80’s and he kept ranting about Brown and Rose Bird and the death penalty…that why I thought this would be an issue with him…
February 18th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
If the anti-death penalty movement hasn’t been ‘doing its thing’ than how has this recent case gotten the national attention it has? And the one before that too?
I mean it’s pretty evident that the media pays more attention when movie stars are involved, but otherwise, I’m not clear as to who your question is directed at.
February 18th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
Anyway I am happy to here he is not going to me crusading against it ..as I want to support him…I think he has a big brain , a big heart, and is in politics for healthy reasons, which as of late is my own personal test
February 18th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
Adam, if you think the anti-death penalty movement is doing a good job then why are you on the Westly campaign’s back for not campaigning? You have a damned low standard when it comes to this issue, it seems. We’re not seeing anything that we don’t see from lawyers every time a convicted murderer is put to death.
Lawyers holds some press conferences, they try some legal moves, some stories appear here and there, the convict dies, the life of the state moves on. There is no movement as there seemed to be when Tookie Williams was executed.
February 18th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
The whole Rose Bird thing, which was 20 years ago, is a giant kettle of fish I’m not going to get into on a Saturday night.
February 18th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Bill, I’m not part of any movement, and I’m not sure what your criteria are as to whether it’s doing a good job. If getting attention and pushing legal arguments and lobbying are part of what they *should* be doing, than it *appears* they are doing something. Both cases since Tookie Williams’ execution have gotten national attention, and that is NOT common.
Sorry if I’ve ticked you off about this. I honestly don’t see any difference, save for the lack of celebrities (outside of Ken Starr, that is).
February 18th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Here is the difference. There is no movement, there are only lawyers doing what they always do. These cases get what attention they do because the application of the death penalty is rare in California. Because it takes forever to exhaust all the legal maneuvering. This character raped and murdered that teenager TWENTY-FIVE YEARS ago. He is only now receiving his punishment.
If there is a powerful anti-death penalty movement, as many claimed in the halcyon days of Tookie Williams, it is not at all evident now. The only people we see are the lawyers, and for them this is their business. So my question remains, where is this anti-death penalty movement?
Of course, it is something of a rhetorical question. Because I don’t believe there is such a thing.
February 18th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Well, I am chilled to the bone from being outside all day riding …so after reading thru this entire thing I think we should all have a glass of wine and take a bubble bath….tomorrow is another day!
February 18th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Oh, Adam, you are one of them!
# Adam Says:
February 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm e
Yes, America has done a marvellous job exporting its crassness!
February 18th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
I’m against capital punishmnet. I don’t believe the state should take life. I hope it is abolished forever.
February 18th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Bill, well now I’ll agree with you that I do have ‘a low standard’ when it comes to abolishing the death penalty. The death penalty offends me, but it’s not a huge issue for me and I chose to be involved in other causes that I find more pressing and that I can affect more positively (like feeding the hungry in my community).
Maybe there’s no movement because of two things that turn me off: a) the celebrity cause factor; and b) the sympathy focused on the murderers–I think they are scum too, I just don’t want the state to stoop to killing, that’s all. But I don’t want to be pen pals with them or hear about their tough childhoods, and I think death penalty opponents make a mistake in their attempts to ‘humanize’ these people. Focus on the system, not the people.
February 18th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Yes, Ann, I am one of them!
Wait, who is ‘them?’
The liberal elite? (not on my salary)
The anti-American intelligentsia? (I ain’t that smart)
The cynics? (okay, yes, I’m one of them)
February 19th, 2006 at 11:33 am
Maybe the ultimate anti-death penalty movement hasn’t caught on yet. Here’s a wild extrapolation: it was interesting to see conservative Christian GOP activists have a public feud over the question of global warming. Some of them think we should adopt anti-greenhouse gas measures to protect God’s creation (Earth). Of course this a hot button many for conservative GOP’ers who oppose any restrictions on their tailpipes. It highlights the fact that scripture and GOP positions are far from being in lockstep.
If we extrapolate this to the death penalty, one wonders if the Christians will wake up and realize that a consistent pro-life position requires opposition to the death penalty too. “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is unambiguous, and Jesus opposed the stoning of an adulterer. Jesus himself probably has a pretty strong opinion about capital punishment, eh?
Maybe in 1, 5, or 20 years some charismatic Christian leader will galvanize a movement against the DP. I’ll venture way out there and say if there is a challenge to the DP in Calif., it will come from the right, not the left.
February 19th, 2006 at 11:54 am
James, that’s a very interesting scenario.
February 19th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Adam, cynicism, that’s okay. It is the American way!
February 19th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
“Adam, why is it “representative of what’s best in us” to warehouse a murderer for the rest of his life rather than put him to death?
It is certainly far less humane. ”
(speaking for myself, not as an Alliance rep here)
Bill, one could argue that holding someone in a solitary jail cell waiting through decades long hearings is not humane.
I am personally against the death penalty. It is costly and inefficient to put someone to death in this country. Statisticly the states with the death penalty do not see a reduction in the number of homicides. While you are correct, a murder has a much slimmer chance of killing someone on death row, they have almost as low a chance of killing someone when sentenced to life in prison. The process of putting someone to death legally often costs three times as much as keeping them alive for the rest of their lives. Studies that look at the application of the death penalty across racial lines often show that it is disproprotiantely seeked out for African-American offenders than whites. It has been my personal experience that the more people learn about how we actually put people to death the more they oppose it.
As for your question about the anti-death penalty movement. I do not believe that our current political climate is condusive for a strong movement. Given the strength of the conservative religous movement, the anti-European sentiment, and the general weakness of the progressive movement it is not surprising that we do not see a push to save the lives of convicted murders.
While I am personally against the death penalty I chose to spend my political energy on other issues. In terms of my priorities it think it makes sense to spend time fixing our rehabilitation programs and think about early release for senior citizen prisoners.
February 19th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
The question at hand (”Where is the anti-death penalty movement?”) seems to suggest that there is one to begin with. Aside from Death Penalty Focus and the NAACP’s effort, there really isn’t an ongoing effort to oppose the death penalty. Even the efforts that surrounded the William’s effort was largely an affair of C-team celebrities who had no hope of swaying public opinion to spare William’s life.
This is notable because a strong case can be made for granting Morales clemency. He has admitted guilt and remorse. His partner in crime got a reduced sentence, but he got sent to Death Row. There are legitimate questions that surround the credibility of jailhouse informant who testified that Morales bragged about the crime in Spanish when in fact it has been established that Morales has never been a Spanish speaker. Yet there is no “movement” to bring mainstream attention to this case.
On a broader note, perhaps the most damning indictment against the death penalty is how arbitrarily it is applied. One would think that ultimate punishment should be applied uniformly and consistently, but in fact, the primary factor in determining when the death penalty is pursued is political jurisdiction. Pat Brown wrote an excellent book (”Public Justice, Private Mercy”) about this subject, which I highly recommend.
February 20th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Rick, as I noted just above you, I don’t believe there is an anti-death penalty movement, The hype in the press and elsewhere a few months ago was that there is.
Is Jamie Foxx a C-list celebrity? He won the Oscar for best actor last year and is a big comedy and movie star.
Morales was sent to death row because he did the crime. It’s a horrific crime. The girl did not die easily or quickly.
The jailhouse informant is reportedly not the only person to whom he boasted about “lying in wait.” I see no dispute that Morales committed the crime.
February 20th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Julia, you make good points as usual. You’re right, it is costly and inefficient to carry out a sentence of capital punishment in this country. That’s because the legal system is so permissive that an endless array of hoops must be jumped through. This character who will be executed tonight raped and murdered that girl 25 years ago and only now is receiving his punishment.
I don’t know that your three times the cost figure is correct. I suspect it’s not. But if it’s anywhere near that, it is because the criminal justice system is far more liberal than many suppose.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Considering all the imperfections of the justice system, do you think it would be a good idea to speed up a process that can’t be redressed if there is a mistake or inequity? Supporters of the death penalty promulgate the myth that the length is due to all the tricks and tactics by bleeding heart lawyers when in fact the most uncooperative parties in the appeals process are often the original police investigators and prosecutors.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
It is all the fault of the nefarious police and prosecutors?! For TWENTY FIVE YEARS??!!
I don’t think so.
The advent of new technologies such as DNA should shrink the process. We’ll see if it does.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
You may be gathering I’m not a lefty LA Weekly type …
February 20th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
DNA evidence is only available for a small percentage of death penalty cases, way less than 50%.
I agree 25 years is a long time, but it is preferable for me rather than having the chance that we kill an innocent person.
February 20th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
C’mon, I’m not saying that. I’m pointing out that when people criticize the process, they don’t realize (or would rather ignore) what the process actually involves and who has to cooperate and how.
It’s cool you’re not ‘a lefty LA Weekly type.’ Otherwise this site might be boring.
February 20th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
I’m not here to tell you what to think on the issues. I’m especially not here to tell you that Bush and Cheney are really really really really really really really bad guys.
I’m here to tell you what I think is happening and why and what I think is going to happen and why.
>It’s cool you’re not ‘a lefty LA Weekly type.’ Otherwise this site might be boring.
February 20th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
I loooooove the pumpkin head liberals whose hearts bleed for sleazeball rights. I hope you are all freezing your toned little bums tonight in Marin vigiling for the rapist murderer’s eternal soul.
February 20th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
This next guy is going to be executed with little more than a peep from the supposed anti-death penalty movement hyped by my lefty LA Weekly colleagues and other knee-jerkers.
February 20th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Ann & Bill are seeming like a match made in heaven (or Fox News). :-}
February 20th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Little more than an hour and a half to go, Adam …