On Wednesday, the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights hosted a panel discussion on “Stories of Justice from Death Row”in partnership with theCatholic Mobilizing Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to abolishing the death penalty.
The panel was led by Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, an associate of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, and featured Gary Drinkard, who was exonerated from Alabama’s death row. Also featured on the panel were Rev. Crystal Walker, a pastor and co-chair of Ohioans Against Executions and Ruth Friedman, an attorney dedicated to defending those who are federally convicted and facing the death penalty.
The panel opened with an overview by Waters, who offered general insight into the state of executions and death row legislation. She then introduced the panel, opening with Drinkard.
In 1998, Drinkard was convicted of capital murder. When his sister was caught by the police for cocaine possession, she told authorities that her brother had robbed and murdered a man.
Throughout his six years on death row, Drinkard wrote letters to many different attorneys asking them to take his appeal case. Eventually, Drinkard was able to get a response from an attorney he had written to, and they agreed to defend him in court.
“We were able to prove to the jury that I was at home the night of the murder. I was found not guilty and released,” Drinkard said.
Drinkard has since been fighting against the Death Penalty as a member of the non-profit Witness for Innocence, advocating for those who have been wrongfully convicted ever since his own exoneration.
Walker then spoke on the relationship between her faith as a practicing minister and her opposition to the death penalty, sharing that one informs the other. Walker also discussed how her personal experience as a grieving mother informs her Christian faith and advocacy against the death penalty. Walker’s son, Eddy, was murdered at 28 in 2013.
When asked what she would say to those who argue that the death penalty is “for the victims,” Walker replied,”If you execute someone, it’s not gonna bring my son back to me, it’s not gonna take away my pain. It is not closure, it is bringing more pain to know that another mother is hurting.”
Friedman spoke about her experience as a lawyer representing clients on federal death row. She articulated the detriment that a lack of resources has on organizations she has worked in that are dedicated to fighting appeals for death row convicts, such as the Equal Justice Initiative.
“There are never enough resources,” Friedman said. She then explained that the less financial support is offered from the government, the fewer cases can be taken on behalf of the organizations and the lawyers associated with them.
Friedman also spoke about the passion that drives her work, explaining why she champions the abolition of the death penalty and the dignity of convicted people.
“Everybody has a story. They are not throwaway people,” Friedman said.
The conversation circled back to Drinkard, who was asked to speak about how his personal stance on the death penalty has evolved throughout his life.
“I was for the death penalty in my earlier years. But if someone were to tell me now that we need the death penalty, I would tell them that they’re absolutely mistaken, because if you put a person in prison for the rest of their life, they suffer every single day,” Drinkard said.
He went on to combat a common assumption that the death penalty is restorative and upholds justice, saying, “The death penalty isn’t justice, it’s vengeance.”
Drinkard and the rest of the panel concluded their message by calling on the students and the public to take action. They cited state death penalty abolition organizations as sites to sign petitions, donate to and generally support – reinforcing that change and justice are possible if they are combatted together.