Loran Cole is scheduled to be executed three weeks from tomorrow, on August 29th at 6 pm. Late yesterday, the Court denied Loran’s motion for an evidentiary hearing and prohibited him from presenting the testimony – that his sentencing jury never heard – about the abuse he suffered at the hands of state officials at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.
Abuse that included daily beatings, two broken legs, and sexual assault. Horrifically, shortly before Loran was released from Dozier, he was forced to clean up a smattering of blood and brain matter from another child who had jumped off the roof of one of the cottages and died by suicide. Loran never received any mental health treatment for this trauma, until he arrived on death row in his late 20s.
We must refuse to stay silent. In the last week, we have already gathered more than 1,000 signatures in support of stopping Mr. Cole’s execution. Help us reach 5,000 signatures. Sign and share today.
I am committed to telling the truth about the hypocrisy of the Governor’s actions in signing a recent death warrant on a Dozier survivor – “In passing the compensation bill for Dozier survivors, the state of Florida recognized its direct responsibility for the profound and lifelong impact of the horrific torture and abuse those men suffered there. For the State of Florida to turn around less than a month later and say they are justified in killing one of those survivors is unconscionable.”
It is no accident that there are a half a dozen other men on Florida’s death row who survived the abuse at Dozier, as well as countless others in the Florida Department of Corrections. We must call for an end to this state-sanctioned cycle of violence.
FADP will be at Florida State Prison on the day of the execution starting at 5 pm and we are in the process of gathering our list of vigils and protests. If you are interested in hosting an event, know of an event in your area, or would like more information about attending an event, please reach out to us at [email protected].
You showed up for each of the six executions last year, and I have no doubt that you will all show up for Mr. Cole.
Onward,
Maria DeLiberato
FADP Executive Director
P.S. We are making progress towards our year-end goal. Remember that those who contribute to FADP by the end of August will be in the running to win some special FADP items – we have stickers, books, and t-shirts to give away. Each $25 increment enters you for one chance to win. So the more you donate, the more chances you have to be one of our 25 winners!