I am appalled that Gov. George Ryan did not stay the execution of Andrew Kokoraleis on March 17. The people of Illinois have sent a message that they want a moratorium on the death penalty. The governor is elected to serve the people, not to do what is politically advantageous for him.
The death penalty is racist. The majority of inmates on Death Row are black. The death penalty targets the poor–they are given court-appointed attorneys with little or no experience.
As has been seen in Illinois, innocent men are often incarcerated. Do we want to risk killing these men?
There is no evidence that the death penalty deters crime. The death penalty serves no purpose in society except to escalate violence. The death penalty is wrong.
What good does it do to kill to show that killing is wrong? It is time to stop this barbaric practice. The people of Illinois are calling for a moratorium. State-sanctioned murder must stop.
