Press Release

Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is pleased to forward the following press release.

For Immediate Release: 18 December 2003

F L O R I D I A N S FOR A L T E R N A T I V E S TO THE DEATH PENALTY (FADP) PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Abe Bonowitz: 561-371-5204
E-mail: abe@fadp.org

GRATEFUL FLORIDIANS TO THANK GOVERNOR FOR NOT KILLING DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Open Office Hours provides rare opportunity for continued dialog.... Governor to meet with mothers, wives and children of death row prisoners....

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) began arriving this afternoon in the tiny and isolated town of Mayo, in rural north-central Florida, in anticipation of meeting with Governor Bush and Lt. Governor Jennings. The officials will hold a rare "Open Office Hours" at the Lafayette County Courthouse on Friday, December 19th. "Open Office Hours" allows citizens who wait on line to have five minute one-on-one meetings with either the Governor or the Lt. Governor on a first come, first served basis. Members of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty are traveling from many major metropolitan areas to express gratitude that Governor Bush did not sign any death warrants for this holiday season and to implore him to declare an indefinite "time-out" on executions in Florida, as Republican leaders have done elsewhere.

"Governor Bush has been willing to execute prisoners during the holiday season in two of the past three years," said Abe Bonowitz, director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. "But he has not signed death warrants this holiday season, and that's a good reason for us to make this long trip to let him know we appreciate his inaction. However, the pain is the same for the loved ones of the prisoners we kill, no matter what the season. "Open Office Hours" provides a rare opportunity for the mothers, wives, and children of death row prisoners to show Jeb Bush the faces of those left behind when the state kills their loved one. These families want to let Jeb Bush know that his belief in "the sanctity of life" must be consistent to have any credibility. FADP is here tonight so we will be first in line tomorrow. We will ask Jeb Bush to give these women and children an early Christmas present: Spare the lives of their loved ones by declaring an indefinite "Time-Out" on executions in Florida."

"The Governor and the public really need to see that there are real people, good people, who suffer greatly every time there is an execution," said Hannah Floyd, whose husband is on Florida's death row and who helps run the Florida Death Row Advocacy Group ( http://www.FDRAG.org ). "My children are here with me. Jeb Bush needs to understand that there are victims on both sides of the issue, and for once he's going to get a chance to meet the ones who suffer at his hand."

FADP Activists and activists representing numerous affiliated organizations are known to be traveling to Mayo and will be arriving throughout the night from the following locations:

Belleview
Deland
Ft. Lauderdale
Gainesville
Jacksonville
Orlando
Starke
Tallahassee
Tampa
West Palm Beach
and others.

During their meetings with the Governor and the Lt. Governor, activists will be presenting the elected officials with a number of documents and related issues:

* Bishop Thomas Masters ( http://www.UNDEROURWINGS.org ) of West Palm Beach will implore the Governor to support legislation banning the execution of juvenile offenders in the state of Florida. In a separate meeting, Masters and his group will also raise the issue of Lionel Tate and the transference of juveniles to the adult system.

* Murder victim family member SueZann Bosler ( http://www.fadp.org/flm_bios.html#sue ), whose Brethren Minister father was murdered 17 years ago this week, will present the Governor with a copy of the report "Dignity Denied," a report which details the mistreatment encountered by murder victim family members who oppose the execution of the person who murdered their loved one. (See http://www.mvfr.org/ )

* Amnesty International activists will present a very brief (13 minutes) video documentary featuring former warden Don Cabana, in which he discusses the brutalization effect of executions on the prison workers who carry out the extermination of prisoners, and the trepidation he feels at the possibility that he executed an innocent man. Copies of the video are available to the media present at Mayo, or by e-mailing name, agency, and address to fadp@fadp.org>.

* Activists will present yet another batch of petitions from thousands of Florida citizens calling for a "Time-Out" on executions.

* Activists will present posters featuring the life affirming quotes of Governor Bush, including:

• "I believe that when people commit violent acts, it is appropriate to enforce the laws and that people should be punished for their actions," said the governor. "But I also believe that lives can be changed."
• "I think life is innocent, life is precious."
• "I'm probably the most pro-life governor in modern times."
• "I believe in the sanctity of life and I don't think that's a surprise to anybody."
• "...Violence can only originate from a void in the heart of society, and a hollowness that cannot be filled overnight.

* Activists will present copies of documents demonstrating the outright lies of the Department of Corrections regarding recent episodes of spoiled food being served to Florida death row prisoners. (See http://www.fdrag.org/news20031118.html )

* Activists will present a copy of the letter from Florida death row prisoner John Blackwelder, bragging about how he was a prisoner who was serving a life sentence, but who murdered a fellow prisoner in order to get the death penalty, and a state-assisted suicide at the hand of Governor Bush. (See http://www.fadp.org/killfordeath.html )

* Activists will present a copy of the prison ID badge worn by exonerated death row prisoner Juan Melendez (released Jan 3, 2002), demonstrating how the Department of Corrections presents a deceptive picture of the racial and ethnic makeup of Florida's death row and prison population. (See http://www.fadp.org/hispanicdoc.html )

* Activists will present Lt. Governor Toni Jennings with a refutation of her standard constituent reply to activists who wrote to her in opposition to anticipated executions. (See http://www.fadp.org/jenningsresponse1.html ) * Activists will ask Governor Bush, once again, to engage in a public debate on this issue so that Floridians might understand some of the well-obscured facts about the death penalty, and thus be better able to decide if they still sanction "The Ultimate Penalty."

* And we'll probably come up with a few other items for good measure, given how rare it is to have the opportunity to talk face to face with the elected leadership of the State of Florida, and given the fact that Governor Bush has refused FADP's invitation to publicly debate the issue of the death penalty.

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THE MEDIA IS INVITED TO OBSERVE ALL INTERACTIONS.

FADP ACTIVISTS ARE NOW PRESENT AT AND WILL BE IN FRONT OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE OVERNIGHT.

REGISTRATION STARTS AT 7AM. BE THERE!

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SENT BY:
 
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director, CUADP

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