Tonight,
Pennsylvania will kill one of its citizens, Hubert Lester Michael, who murdered
Trista Eng. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Trista who are
suffering unknowable pain. Yesterday, some of them spoke publicly at the
hearing in front of the PA Board of Pardons and Parole. Their personal
stories of their love and longing for Trista and shared memories of all the
years that they have endured without her.
The
impending execution of Mr. Michael cannot bring their loved one back, & is
unlikely to bring them closure. Vicki Schieber, whose daughter was raped and
murdered in Philadelphia says that she “can tell you with all seriousness that
there is no such thing as closure when a violent crime rips away the life of
someone dear to you.”
From
5 – 8 PM we will be standing outside of the death house, SCI Rockview, in
solidarity with the Eng family, with the Michael family and with all who are
connected to this very sad moment. We gather to bear witness to the barbarity
that is state-sponsored killing. We urge Governor Corbett not to kill in our
names.
This
execution comes as more states and more people are rejecting the death penalty
as outrageously expensive and error-prone. Pennsylvania's system of
capital punishment is worse than most.
In
the words of Sr. Barbara Craig, Hubert Michael’s spiritual advisor “May the day
come, and in the not too distant future, when the death penalty is abolished in
this state and in the country.”
Kathleen
Lucas, Executive Director
Pennsylvanians
for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
717-781-4566
info@padp.org
padporg.blogspot.com
twitter
@padp_org
Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to
the Death Penalty (PADP) is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending
capital punishment in Pennsylvania. We believe that there are safe and
fair alternatives to executions. PADP organizes Pennsylvania citizens
through direct outreach and community education.
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