Death Penalty: The George Ryan Decision

We are now facing what George Ryan called "one of the great civil rights struggles of our time." Society is divided on the death penalty issue, and the former Governor's decision has sparked heated and emotional debate over the legalized killing of human beings. As stated by Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig, High Priest, Activist and Director of The Earth Center, "The death penalty is the system¹s way of providing people who have tendencies of lynching others with a legal means to do so. The people we put on death row are the people we want to lynch." The people society wants to lynch include African-Americans, minorities, the poor, and those who the system has failed.

The system has failed us. "Instead of politicians feeding on the emotions and hatred of those who want to lynch other human beings, they would be more honest to rebuild society on the interest of people as a whole," Naba continues. "Instead of ensuring that we live in a safe society where people have strong values and morals, the system has chosen to provide a way for those who are victimized by it's own negligence to lynch another victim of the same system. How does further killing solve the problem?" the Director of The Earth Center implores. Former Governor George Ryan has challenged the legalized lynching that this country continues to practice by granting clemency to over 150 prisoners on Death Row and pardons to four Death Row members who were innocent of the crimes for which they have been sentenced to death.

Now, in the aftermath of Ryan¹s historical decision, crosses are burning. His announcement has drawn intense local and international attention. The status quo has been shaken, and the mainstream media and politicians are again promoting the barbaric behavior that leads to lynching and hatred.

If one is to be honest with oneself, one must ask how the legalized killing of a man or woman, regardless of the crime, differs from the brutal lynching that was so common in the not-so-distant past. The mob mentality of lynching is alive and strong, but instead of a group of Whites going to hang a Black man for glancing at a woman of the wrong color while the law looks the other way, today the system lends its support to such actions by legalizing and taking active roles in murder. The lynch mobs of the past and those of today are no different, and both believe that they are doing the right thing and giving the right punishment for a crime committed. Both feed on the hatred of the other, preying on those considered less "important" by society while justifying their behavior through tainted religion and by fostering favorable public opinion.

George Ryan Stops the Lynching

When George Ryan became Governor of Illinois, he was no different than any other politician who manages to get elected into office. He was an older, conservative White man. He was also a Republican who supported the Death Penalty and believed that it was fair and just punishment for the criminals who received it. Yet in three short years, this Republican politician changed his mind dramatically about the death penalty system. This conservative, Republican politician did what even he, himself never thought he would do - he cleared the Illinois Death Row.

The Death Row in the Land of Lincoln is currently empty. The journey that led to Ryan¹s ultimate decision began in January 2000 when he declared a moratorium on executions and ordered a comprehensive review of the system that has put over 160 people on the road to death. He then spent the remainder of his time in office investigating the Illinois Death Penalty system. The results of his intense investigations were staggering, and it was his own research into the issue that led Ryan to making his decision to change the sentences of over 150 inmates from death to life without the possibility of parole. During his extensive investigations, Ryan uncovered alarming figures that highlighted the current system¹s problems:

- Thirty three of the inmates of the death row inmates were represented by an attorney who had later been disbarred or suspended from practice. Thirty five inmates were African-Americans who had been condemned by all-white juries. Forty six inmates were convicted on the basis of testimony from jailhouse informants.

- In the United States, the majority of those executed are psychotic, alcoholic, drug addicted or mentally unstable. Seldom are people with money or prestige convicted, much less executed.

- Black defendants are 3.5 times more likely to be sentenced to death if the victim were white than if the victim were black.

Before making his decision for clemency, George Ryan attempted other strategies for change. Knowing that the system was broken and failing, Ryan first tried to change the system and improve it. He wanted to restrict the use of jailhouse snitches, create a panel to determine which cases would be eligible for a death sentence and reduce the number of crimes eligible for that ultimate sentence. Ryan proposed these things three times, but legislators did not act. He also recommended that the Supreme Court conduct a review of the Illinois system, which was not done. "The Illinois capital punishment system is broken," Ryan stated plainly. "Legislatures past have refused to fix it." George Ryan granted clemency to over 150 people on Death Row on Saturday, January 11th, 2003 at Northwestern University. The day before, Ryan pardoned four men from Death Row for crimes they did not commit: Aaron Patterson, Leroy Orange, Stanley Howard and Madison Hobley.

Ryan¹s final decision popped the bubble of passivity about the Death Penalty issues that the system has kept us in for so many years. He saved over 150 prisoners from the legal lynching that society had planned for them.

The Media Conspiracy

The media is a powerful force that drives and creates public opinion. It is well-known that the mainstream media, including newspapers and television, is owned by a select few of very rich, conservative individuals who control the programming and reporting that is allowed to reach the public. They are rich, they are White, and they control the opinions and tastes of the public like a puppeteer. They are an instrumental part of "the system".

The media has done its job in forming public opinion and attitude after George Ryan¹s announcement. Night after night, footage was shown of the anger, frustration and pain of the families of the victims who were affected by Ryan¹s decision. Politicians and public figures were shown denouncing Ryan¹s decisions. Newspapers have quoted Rod Blagojevich, as well as other public figures, condemning Ryan's decision for blanket clemency. The media has announced polls that indicate that the majority of the people of Illinois disagree with Ryans decision, without revealing who was polled.

The media is attempting to form public opinion in favor of the Death Penalty as well as against George Ryan. Broadcasts of people insulting the former Governor were commonplace in the days following Ryan's announcement. A news broadcast on channel seven included footage of a woman accusing George Ryan of having "no Christian values" because he would not allow a human being to be killed. What are the results that those who are controlling the media expect to see after promoting more of this lynching attitude and behavior? The media is guiding the public back into the positions that are in align with their agenda. They are creating an atmosphere of continued hatred and lynching, and are preparing the groundwork that they hope will cause further reform and change to fail.

What The Media Won¹t Tell Us: Support for Ryan from around the World

While scenes of the reactions the families of the victims have continuously been included in news reports, not once have I seen footage of the reactions of the inmates families who have also been deeply affected by Ryan's decision. No mention was made of the profound international attention and approval that Ryan's decision inspired. Instead of portraying positively the fact that four innocent men were pardoned due to actual innocence, the media has focused their attention on the pain that the family of the victim feels now that the person they thought was the guilty party has been released and their anger toward the one who made it possible. While the television newscasts and newspapers were busy promoting the idea that Ryan¹s decision was wrong, brutal and insensitive, influential people from around the world were busy congratulating Ryan on his important decision.

Religious leaders from all around the world celebrated as the news of Ryan's decision reached them. There are no religions or spiritual systems that condone killing.

Why has the public not heard that the Colosseum in Rome was bathed in light as human rights groups celebrated Ryan's announcement (sponsored by the Vatican)? The Roman Colosseum was lit with golden light as an anti-death penalty coalition recognized the decision by George Ryan to declare clemency for all Death Row inmates. The coalition -- which includes the United Nations, the Italian government, the city of Rome, the Vatican, the Catholic Saint' Egidio group, and Amnesty International -- began the campaign in December to illuminate the Colosseum in gold light for two days every time someone in the world is spared execution.

The local media also will not inform us that Mexican President Vicente Fox called Ryan to praise him for his life-saving step. The public also has not been informed of Desmond Tutu¹s support for Ryan and his decision, nor have we heard that The Council of Europe, Nelson Mandala, and the Justice Minister of Kenya strongly support Ryans decision. "We think the fundamental human right to life should be respected, and no human being should have the authority to take the life of another. Capital punishment is a barbaric punishment, and we are surprised that any country with such a civilized legal system like the United States still maintains this penalty in its statue books, so we commend the decision," Murungi told the Associated Press.

Countless newspapers in Europe have praised Ryan's decision, as well as human rights groups all across the world. The United States is the only country among Westernized countries who still supports and implements the Death Penalty. All members of the European Union have abolished capital punishment. Those who have been criticizing us are now praising us and George Ryan for the decision that was made.

The International Commission of Jurists, which represents judges and senior lawyers in 60 nations, said that it "thoroughly and emphatically" supports Ryan¹s decisions. In fact, the rest of the world almost unanimously supports Ryan.

The media has also conveniently ignored George Ryan¹s personal experience with the Death Penalty, choosing instead to portray him as a man who is blind to the pain that is felt when someone close to you is killed. From his speech announcing his clemency decisions:

³I grew up in Kankakee which, even today, is still a small midwestern town, a place where people tend to know each other. Steve Small was a neighbor. I watched him grow up. He would baby-sit my young children - which was not for the faint of heart since Laura Lynn and I had six children, five of them under the age of three. He was a bright young man who helped run the family business. He got married and he and his wife had three children of their own. Laura Lynn was especially close to him and his family. We took comfort in knowing that he was there for us and we for him. ³One September mid-night, he received a call at his home. There had been a break-in at the nearby house he was renovating. But as he left his house, he was seized at gunpoint by kidnapers. His captors buried him alive in a shallow hole. He suffocated to death before police could find him. His killer led investigators to where Steve's body was buried. The killer, Danny Edward, was also from my hometown. He now sits on death row. I also know his family. I share this story with you so that you know I do not come to this as a neophyte without having experienced a small bit of the bitter pill the survivors of murder must swallow."

The Victims

There are many victims in the current system. Those who were killed are obvious victims, as are their families and loved ones. The system then victimizes them further by promoting the lynching attitude and encouraging yet another killing, which does nothing to solve the inherent problems of the society that the system has created.

Those who are wrongly convicted are victims. Many receive unfair trials, experience racism and prejudice, and have been abused by both the police and the judicial system. The media and justice system has destroyed their reputation beyond repair, and they have spent years behind bars and on the road to death for crimes they did not commit.

The families of the inmates are victimized, as they must live with the fact that their son, daughter, father, brother, sister, or mother will be killed by society, making them family members of someone who has been killed. The inmates themselves suffer, as they are being lynched by society.

The society as a whole suffers. Instead of the state focusing its attention and resources to improve social conditions and values and preventing heinous crimes from happening in the first place, they find it easier to commit the same crime that the criminals have been found guilty of: murder.

George Ryan has become yet another target of public lynching. Because his decision went against the status quo, the system is attempting to redirect people¹s attention and capture their emotions, herding them away from reason and back into the corral of emotion and barbarism. The system knows how easily manipulated the public is and how malleable our minds and opinions are in the hands of the mainstream media. The sheep have scattered, and the media is trying to bring us back into a herd that is easy to control so that the powers that be can once again lock us into the cages they so precisely build for us.

What¹s Next?

George Ryan's decision was one that has unearthed not only local attention, but international interest as well. "This is a chance for President Bush to bring the US in line with the world trend against the death penalty. He could take a moral stand and signal that the death penalty is not the deterrent to criminals it is presented as," said Kamal Samari, Amnesty International spokesman. Instead of the media, government and the system pro-viding us with legalized lynching, they need to embrace their respons-ibilities in creat-ing a safe and nurturing society instead of further promoting hate, violence and murder.

George Ryan seems to agree. "Our new Legislature and our new governor must act to rid our state of the shame of threatening the innocent with execution and the guilty with unfairness," Ryan said. The media must also accept their responsibility to fair reporting and rid itself of its tendency of offering only one-sided coverage. As Ryan said, it is time for rational discussion on this topic. This cannot happen while the politicians and media continue to drive the public into the dead pastures of emotion, revenge and barbarism.