|
Local Death penalty protester does jail
sentence
By Kelly
Prew/City editor
By Kelly
Prew
kprew@itemonline.com
Do not pass Go. Do not
collect $200. Go directly to jail.
"It's
just like Monopoly," said a visibly exhausted
David Atwood on Thursday afternoon from a visiting
booth at the Walker County Jail. "What time is it?
Only 2 o'clock? I thought it was more like 5 or
6."
Atwood is the founder
of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty, and because he did a little more than
take a stand for his beliefs, he will have to get
used to at least a few more days at that
pace.
Atwood will spend the next few days
in jail as punishment for his actions on the night
of Nov. 17, 2004.
The execution of
Anthony Fuentes was taking place inside the
Huntsville "Walls" Unit, and Atwood was outside
with members of the Fuentes family. Yellow caution
tape warned protesters of their boundaries, but in
an instant, the 63-year-old Atwood decided to
cross the line.
"I had known the family for
quite a long time," Atwood explained. "I had
visited Anthony on death row, and we all had some
real questions as to whether or not he was guilty.
"I was outside
with his grandmother that night and she was just
trembling. I had never done anything other than
stand there - I'm a pretty peaceful guy. She
wanted to go up to the yellow line and stand
there. I had no plans to do what I did, but I just
crossed over. I just did it."
Atwood was
warned about possible arrest, and decided to stand
his ground. That night, he spent three hours in
county jail before his wife bailed him
out.
Thursday morning, more than two months
later, Atwood was given an option of a fine or
jail time. Although having never served time
before, the husband of more than 40 years and
father of six chose to tough out the five-day
sentence.
"I wanted to do a protest, and
that's just what I'm doing," he said. "I think
it's really something - sitting here. I have
nothing to do, and I'm usually a very active
person.
"I'm thinking about why I'm here.
It's long and tedious, but I've known so many guys
on death row that have been executed, and compared
to that, this isn't anything like what they
experienced."
In court Thursday morning,
Atwood's attorneys from the Texas Civil Rights
Project were joined by members of the TCADP,
Amnesty International, Fuentes' grandfather,
members of his church, his wife and a few friends
to support him.
"I had a wonderful group of
people there with me," Atwood said. "I would do it
again - I think. I'm not through it yet, but if I
can help people think about the death penalty even
a little bit, I'm happy."
The Dominican
Sisters of Houston, a Roman Catholic community of
women, were also represented Thursday morning. In
a press release issued before Atwood's court date,
the group expressed its support.
"As
partners in preaching, we stand with Mr. Atwood
during his current court hearing. While we in no
way condone breaking the law, we applaud Mr.
Atwood's courageous move to risk his freedom to
uphold Gospel value of the sacredness of human
life," the statement read. "Single acts of
nonviolent protest such as Mr. Atwood's seldom
change the course of events, but they are often
the beginning of the awakening of human
conscience."
In June 2001, Atwood was
recognized by the Dominican Sisters as a partner
in preaching because of his work to abolish the
death penalty.
"Our mission statement
proclaims that we assume the risks inherent in
preaching and teaching the Gospel," read the
release. "As a partner in preaching, Dave Atwood
has assumed those risks well. His Dominican family
stands in solidarity with him in his quest to
remove the death penalty as a punitive option in
the state of Texas."
Atwood explained his
hopes for the future of the death penalty from the
county jail.
"There have been up to 337
executions (since the reinstatement of the death
penalty), but I don't see that it's accomplished
anything," he said, removing his glasses to rub
his tired eyes. "It's not a perfect system, and
there are problems. If anything, it should be
studied in detail. Former Illinois Gov. (George)
Ryan is scheduled to speak at our (TCADP) annual
conference Jan. 29 in Austin. He became concerned
with the death penalty in his state and came up
with 85 different recommendations for
improvement.
"I know people get worried
about crime, and all murders are horrible, but
they're fearful and look at the death penalty as
the only solution, when the reality is there are
alternative solutions, such as long-term
incarceration. You don't have to in turn take
human life - you don't have to repeat
it."
Atwood said also violent crime
prevention should begin with programs for children
and the mentally ill.
"When we don't fund
Child Protective Services, there are consequences
for all of us," he said. "Violence manifests
itself. Mental health services in Texas are
extremely poor. The answer is not to wait until
they do something to get them help."
Atwood
said the death penalty is too much of a state
identifier, and by moving toward a moratorium,
Texas can come out of its stereotype.
"I
hope I can, in some way, help Texas move beyond
the death penalty," he said. "I think the state
would be much better without it. I don't think
Texans are blood-thirsty. They need options, like
life without parole. I think most people would
choose that if it were there."
Kelly
Prew can be reached by calling (936) 295-5407 ext.
3022 or by e-mail at kferguson_prew@yahoo.com
|
