Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 1.22.25

Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 1.22.25

Governor Ivey has set February 6th as the execution date for Demetrius T. Frazier. The Talking Points for letters and emails to the Governor are at https://www.phadp.org/execution-alert-3/. And from our friends at Death Penalty Action: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-demetrius-frazier-in-alabama. We will be delivering the petitions after a rally on the steps of the Capitol at noon February 4th and invite all to join us.

Frazier’s attorneys have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the execution unless the state revises its protocol, arguing that nitrogen hypoxia causes undue suffering. It is a documented fact that Kenneth Smith and Alan Miller were both fully conscious for several minutes as the nitrogen gas suffocated them. Carey Grayson was fully conscious for at least six minutes as the nitrogen gas suffocated him. This method of execution is the conscious suffocation of human beings, and it is abhorrent and absolutely torture. It amounts to cruel and unusual punishment which is barred by the U.S. Constitution.

Another lawsuit on behalf of Demetrius Frazier was filed last Thursday in which his lawyers argued that his “Michigan life sentences have not been commuted and he has not been pardoned.” And the northern state’s law says, according to Frazier’s lawyers, that an inmate like Frazier “shall not be eligible for custodial incarceration outside a state correctional facility or a county jail.”The Michigan Department of Corrections lists Frazier as a prisoner on their online database, with his current status listed as prisoner and his location listed as Alabama. Please sign this petition for Governor Whitmer of Michigan: “Governor Whitmer: Bring Demetrius Frazier Back to Michigan!” bit.ly/ReturnDemetrius

Our Advisory Board Member Tish Warr has made a couple of videos lifting up Demetrius Frazier and asking people to sign the petition and contact the Governor! Thank you, Tish from all of us!

Appleseed and Cumberland School of Law are thrilled to host author, lawyer, and theologian Matt Martens on January 23. This event will be at 6:30 pm on Thursday, January 23rd in Reid Chapel at Samford University and will feature Matthew Martens, author of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal. Matt Martens is a trial lawyer, a former federal prosecutor, a seminary graduate, a legal ethics professor, and an award-winning author. Matt’s writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other outlets, and he has spoken at numerous universities across the country. He is an active member at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. The event is free and open to the public.

We took note that  A.G. Garland withdrew federal execution drug protocol following review

"[T]here is significant uncertainty about whether the use of pentobarbital as a single-drug lethal injection for execution treats individuals humanely," Garland wrote. Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the head of the Bureau of Prisons to withdraw the federal government’s current execution drug protocol, leaving the federal government with no drug protocol in place to carry out executions. However, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping execution order Monday on the death penalty that directs the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure that states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions. We recommend that you read the details on line and wonder with this writer how anything associated with killing can be either necessary or lawful in this day and age!

We discussed how the commutations have signaled that it is possible for government to move away from Capital Punishment but that obviously Alabama will not be leading the charge as instead it is proud of being number 1 in the country last year for state killings. Alabama also has the largest per capita death row population.

We thank all who are working so hard and diligently to stop all killing in Alabama! And as always in closing, we thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. Stay safe and be kind to each other! 

                                                              Esther

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Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 1.22.25
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