“The boys could have been many things had they not been ruined by that place… they had been denied even the simple pleasure of being ordinary. Hobbled and handicapped before the race even began, never figuring out how to be normal.” – Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys (a novel based on the experiences of students at Florida’s abusive Dozier and Okeechobee reform schools)
We will never know what Victor Jones could have been, because last night, Florida killed him. Victor was recently recognized as a survivor of the Okeechobee School for Boys and paid reparations by the State. The same State that injected him with poison less than three months later. Please read and share our statement. There are several other Dozier and Okeechobee survivors at risk of execution, so it is critical that we keep speaking this truth.
Victim’s father opposes the execution of Samuel “Sammy” Smithers
On October 14, Florida plans to execute 72-year-old Samuel “Sammy” Lee Smithers, one of the oldest people the state has ever sought to kill. Sammy has documented brain damage and is now showing signs of dementia, making him increasingly vulnerable and impaired.
What is most troubling about Sammy’s pending execution is that the father of Christie Cowan, one of the victims in this case, pleaded with the court not to sentence Sammy to death. He said his daughter would not have wanted violence done in her name, and warned that an execution would cause him “the wors[t] and most brutal possible kind of closure.” Mr. Cowan deserves healing, not years of retraumatization through an execution process he did not want.
Please sign Sammy’s petition and then send a message to Governor DeSantis, who has absolute discretion to sign a death warrant and sole authority to stay an execution, and tell him to stop Sammy’s execution.
Governor DeSantis targets Norman Grim without state court counsel
Florida has set an execution date of October 28 for Norman Grim, the 15th death warrant Governor DeSantis has signed this year. Norman was left without state court counsel until four days after the warrant was issued, leaving his newly appointed attorney to meet him for the first time under incredibly stressful circumstances, review decades of records, and provide meaningful guidance regarding his constitutional rights. This is not justice — it’s a crisis. No one should face execution without meaningful representation. Add your name to demand that Governor DeSantis and the Clemency Board stop this execution.
Florida’s death penalty deepens wounds and denies healing. Together, we can lift the voices of survivors, victims’ families, and communities who know that killing will never make us safe. Please read, share, and take action today.
Onward,
The FADP Team
P.S. We can’t do this work without you. We have seen more executions in Florida this year than ever in our state’s recorded history. Please contribute today.
Vigil for Victor Jones across from Florida State Prison on September 30, 2025