Taking part in a struggle to stop an execution from happening is brutal. This was my first time experiencing it. The state marched on towards a man’s death with such indifference, unswayed by public interest and legal doubt. Even the due process of another American in another state was not enough to stop it. To say the least, it’s—creepy.
People gathered at the vigil across from the state prison look towards the prison in a solemn moment. The arrival of white vans is an indication that the execution had likely been carried out.
There is a finality about death that I worry can dampen the resolve of abolitionists. We did not have the power to stop Loran Cole’s death, or the deaths of many others. I have listened to people as they’ve expressed disappointment about that and anxieties about us not having a bill in our state legislature that can stop this. They are worried and not sure what to do next.
Don’t despair.
The Kitchen and the Garden
Long before food ends up on a plate, a farmer somewhere plants seeds. Even before doing that, the farmer prepares the soil for planting. They do what they can to create the best environment for seeds to sprout and for their efforts to (literally!) bear fruit. Eventually, that farmer’s product ends up in a kitchen, where a cook turns it into a meal. It is easy for us to imagine the kitchen when we think of a meal, but harder to imagine what comes before then.
Think of our state capitol as a kitchen that cooks up policy. A lot needs to happen before the cooks get cooking. A huge amount of work happens in places that don’t resemble a kitchen, and that work can look a lot different than what happens in a kitchen.
If we frame our work as that of persuading elected officials to simply pull the right levers for us, it’s easy to be disappointed. We might be predisposed to ignore the progress that is happening. Worse, we might forget that we need to grow our food in the first place before someone can cook it.
I like to think our mission is a lot more like growing a garden. Like the farmer, we must prepare soil, plant seeds, and help them grow. With that in mind, know that we’ve been planting seeds and there is reason to be encouraged.
Accomplishments in August
We collected around two thousand more signatures than the median collected in petitions last year, which is a sign that more people were paying attention. We used that higher number of petition signatures to shift conversations in our favor and draw more attention to the scheduled execution.
This reminds me to make an important point. If you ever doubt whether it’s even worthwhile to put your name on a petition, then you and I agree on something. They always feel like they are a waste of time. I assure you, however, that they are not a waste of time! Petitions alone are not going to end the death penalty in Florida, but we can use the number of petition signatures we collect strategically, and bigger is better. So, please continue to sign the petitions—they aren’t for nothing!
We set out to personally deliver your messages and signatures to Tallahassee. Even while we did not find Governor DeSantis or elected members of the Board of Executive Clemency in Tallahassee, we were prepared to make our trip a strategic success, anyway. The bigger number of petition signatures helped us in our conversations while we were there. More importantly, we showed you what it looked like to take petitions to the Capitol. As I mentioned in my short video updates, I was disappointed, but not surprised. I’m satisfied that we were able to highlight the lack of enthusiasm for an engaged citizenry in Tallahassee, and I hope that it demonstrates what we need to be prepared to overcome in the future.
Know as well that faith-based groups and other abolitionists in Florida were as reliable as ever. We saw attendance at vigils and demonstrations increase, and we were even able to add a handful of new groups hosting vigils to our list. Our friends in other organizations led people across the country to call the governor’s office, and for the first time FADP facilitated emails to the governor’s office ourselves. We helped deliver nearly one thousand emails.
It is going to take more time for our seedling of a movement to grow and bear fruit, but know that it has sprouted, and it will grow. Keep following FADP for updates and opportunities to participate as they arise!