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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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New billboard hopes to attract more attention to Alabama death row inmate Toforest Johnson’s case

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Toforest Johnson has been on Alabama’s death row since 1998. He was convinced of killing a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy, a crime he says he didn’t commit. 

For years, advocates have worked to share Johnson’s story, hoping to have a new trial for his case. 

A billboard now standing over downtown Birmingham is working to get more people behind that movement. 

The billboard, at 22nd Avenue and 1st Street, states: “How did an innocent man end up on Alabama’s death row?” and features the cover art for the podcast “Earwitness.” The 8-episode series tells Johnson’s story. 

Johnson’s youngest daughter, Akeriya Terry, hopes the billboard will attract new people to learn more about her dad’s case. She said the billboard is a dream come true. 

“This billboard attracts a lot of attention because people can speak out more. The more people that notice, the more people that’ll be able to speak out and be like ‘okay this is wrong.’ And we can get more help on the back end,” said Terry. 

Earlier this year, District Attorney Danny Carr filed a brief with the court for a new trial, citing thin evidence. 

Source: WBRC news, Staff, August 14, 2024

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Alabama, USA
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