WNY Coalition Against the Death PenaltyVoices
Writers, clergy, civil rights leaders, and advocates have named the same truth in different ways: justice does not require killing.
Use these words in study groups, faith conversations, and public education.
Telling my story, speaking my truth, is one of the ways that I deal with the murder of my Mother. I have been blessed to have been given a voice and a platform and I am committed to using it to the glory of God. I have also been blessed to meet so many people across the country… including you! It’s amazing how God turns tragedy into triumph… over and over again.Garnell Whitfield, Former Buffalo Fire Commissioner
It’s not just another trial full of all of the awful details of what happened to our loved ones, but every appeal brings back the pain of that day. It has been over a decade since my loved ones were killed, and there’s no end in sight. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I wish they would just throw away the key and let us remember my family for how they lived rather than how they died.Rev. Sharon Risher
Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated, can be compared.Albert Camus
Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life.Coretta Scott King
To take a life when a life is lost is revenge, not justice.Desmond Tutu
Catholics are called not just to oppose the death penalty, but to actively work against it.Pope Benedict
I realize that I cannot stand by silently as my government executes its citizens. If I do not speak out and resist, I am an accomplice.Sister Helen Prejean
The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.Bryan Stevenson
Capital punishment is a government program, so skepticism is in order!George Will — Conservative Columnist