My court appearance for the trespassing arrest from the protest of the execution of Jack Dale Walker on August 28 was September 24, 2001.  The witness did not appear and the charge was dismissed.  I had prepared a short statement for the court which I could not present since the case was dismissed.  I shared it with those there with me.  They suggested I post it for others:    

On August 28 the people of Oklahoma executed Jack Dale Walker. If you read about him, he sounds a lot like others we have executed this year.  He was poor, grew up in a rotten environment, had emotional and mental problems, and substance abuse issues. His problems turned violent one day and he killed two relatives.  So, we killed him.

Oklahoma is a world leader in executions per capita, yet we are not one of the safest places.  Capital punishment does not deter violent crimes.  It is itself violent and expensive.  The only thing it appears to do is make politicians look tough on crime without doing anything about it.

Jack Dale Walker committed a terrible crime and had to be removed from society to protect people.  Yet he was still a human being.  There are a lot of ways to measure the greatness of a society and one of those is how they treat the least of those in their society.  I think Jack Dale Walker easily qualified as one of the least in our society, given his background and his crime.  In the end, we chose to ignore his humanity, cage him on Oklahoma's death row, and then execute him.  To me this is simply wrong.  Until we embrace the sacredness of human life, and officially treat all with dignity and respect, we will continue the cycle of violence.

Ending the cycle of violence begins with how we treat the least of those in our society, before and after, whether or not, a crime is committed. Jack Dale Walker had serious problems and knew it. He tried to get help. He sought hospitalization for his depression and mental problems. He was turned away due to lack of insurance.  A short time later he committed his crimes.  The irony is that once convicted and in prison, that we paid to have him hospitalized in the Vinita mental facility.  After treatment he was released back onto death row, but with the proper medication for his condition.  He reported that this was the best condition he had ever been in.  Now, millions of dollars later, there are 3 dead.  If we had just cared for one of the least in our society, those 3 would likely all be alive today.

I am tired and saddened by the violence, anger and hate today.  Execution fits into and contributes to these issues.  We choose to perpetuate these.  It is time to change.  It is time to respect human life.  It is time to treat all people with dignity.  We can choose a peaceful solution.  And so I protest.