Yesterday, May 1, marked the beginning of Military Appreciation Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Also yesterday, the State of Florida murdered a mentally ill veteran. I want to shout about the hypocrisy from the rooftops.
I’ll be honest, of all of the executions since I took over as Executive Director, I thought there was a real chance of this one being stopped. It shouldn’t have even been a close call that this execution was wrong. As we said in our statement: Executing a man who was physically and psychologically shattered by war—a man who never got the treatment or understanding he needed and deserved—is not justice.
As we stood in the field, bearing witness to the state sanctioned murder, I was especially moved by all the veterans who showed up, some of whom spoke, and shared their own war horrors.
For me personally, as I stood in that field with my veteran colleague and one of my long-time mentors, I was reminded of her powerful words: Abolition is a war, and we are going to lose some battles, but someday we will win the war.
Jeff’s death was a particularly tough battle to lose. And yet, his death will not be in vain. Our outrage over his unjust execution was echoed across the state and the country.
I am particularly incensed by Governor DeSantis’ remarks after a press conference earlier this week, where he conflated the facts about the two men he has scheduled to die this month, baselessly claiming that they “think [Jeff] killed other victims.” This is utterly and blatantly false. Jeff is not linked to any other crimes, and had no prior criminal history outside this singular episode, which was directly caused by his combat-related injuries.
When your pen carries the awesome power of singularly deciding who on death row lives or dies, you better know for certain who you are killing. Anything less is unconscionable.
As we grieve the loss of this battle, and rage against the injustice of executing a broken, ill soldier, we continue to prepare for our next battle, stopping the execution of child sexual abuse survivor Glen Rogers, who is scheduled to be executed on May 15. Please sign and share his petition and stay with us for more actions.
And as we continue to stand against these unjust executions, I vow to continue telling the truth about Florida’s broken death penalty. For those in the Tampa Bay area, please join me on Sunday, June 8 at 10:30 am at Allendale United Methodist Church where I will give the morning sermon about the death penalty. Please also save the date of June 26 at 3 pm for a webinar with our friends at Death Penalty Focus. Information and links to follow.
As we always do, we will take the next day or so to grieve, to support Jeff’s legal team and his loved ones, and to wish for peace for all of those involved in last night’s state sanctioned murder. And then, we continue the fight. Together.
Onward,
Maria DeLiberato
FADP Executive Director
P.S. We know how much you’ve already done—showing up, speaking out, standing with us. But with the alarming pace of executions in Florida, we urgently need your support to keep going. Please make a donation today.