40: “Bye.”
No forensic evidence tied him to the crime.
Two “witnesses” who were themselves felons and perhaps motivated
By the $10,000 reward, said that he confessed,
And had some of the stolen items in his car.
There were no fingerprints anywhere, no DNA evidence.
The case against him was flimsy, to say the least.
Someone broke into the home of Lisha Gayle, stabbed her to death
And stole her belongings.
She deserves justice, of course.
But this is America, and “justice” for a murdered white woman
Is often served by killing a Black man – whether he is the culprit or not.
Even if he was, there was way more than “reasonable” doubt.
The jury was made up of 11 white jurors and one Black juror.
People were calling the Governor of Missouri, asking for a stay,
But the voicemail was full so you couldn’t leave a message.
I know, because I tried.
I sent an email to the Governor’s office and received a bland, form response.
The Attorney General, whose Instagram brags that he is Dump-endorsed,
Pushed hard for this execution, in spite of the lack of evidence,
The racially motivated jury selection, and even the requests from
Ms. Gayle’s own family that this man not be executed.
There was a time I didn’t have a strong opinion about the death penalty.
I am vehemently opposed to it now, knowing
How expensive it is; how inhumane.
The likelihood of getting it wrong.
To be “okay” with the death penalty is to be okay with innocent people
Being murdered by the State.
Because that does happen. It will happen.
And it happened today, on September 24, as I’m writing this,
Only hours after the execution of
Marcellus Williams, age 55, prisoner and poet.
I had planned to write something else, but when I checked for updates,
Hoping enough voices had raised to stop it,
I cannot say I was surprised to see the NAACP
Had updated their Instagram with the post:
A man was lynched today.
And I can’t help but think about how when Dumpster
Was about to leave office, he made sure a bunch of executions were rushed through.
And that his base loves nothing more than the taste of the blood
Of those they view as deserving of their punishment.
Last Friday, another Black man, Freddie Owens,
Was executed by the State of South Carolina,
In spite of the fact that a key witness
Admitted he lied at trial and said they would be executing an innocent man.
Freddie Owens was 46.
His last words?
Word.
His last word, was
Bye.
So good. In so many ways.
Not pro life people