Commentary By Maria DeLiberato
Last night (August 29), the State of Florida conducted its 106th execution, its first execution of this year.
As always, I am so proud of the FADP team and all of you who worked tirelessly to try to stop this state-sanctioned murder from happening.
The vigil attendance across the state was nothing short of remarkable. With each execution, we are stronger and louder. And it matters. It matters to the men and women on death row. It matters to their loved ones.
Please take a minute to read and share our statement on Loran’s execution.
I’ll be honest. I agonized a bit after we sent it out. I worried that I was too aggressive, too strong and that it sounded angry.
But the truth is I am angry. I am frustrated at the secrecy over how people in Florida are chosen for execution. I’m sickened by the arbitrariness of it all. I am furious that, on the one hand, our state recognizes the deep harm it caused to children who were sentenced to the Dozier school and, on the other hand, just killed one of them.
I know my anger is valid, and I also know that it points to injustice. And injustice is something we can all work to correct. We can and we will do it together.
Loran Cole deserved better. The remaining people on death row deserve better. And so do the people of the State of Florida.
Maria DeLiberato is the executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP).
Through the course of her distinguished career, DeLiberato has had an up-close view of the deep flaws and inequities in Florida’s criminal justice system, specifically as it relates to the death penalty.
To learn more, please visit FADP at Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (fadp.org).
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