By ANTONIA WILLIAMS-GARY

There should not be any more state sanctioned murders.

They do not deter capital crimes; they do not provide restitution to aggrieved parties, and they are barbaric!

In the wake of the failed attempt to execute Christa Pike in Tennessee, several States may revisit their policies about executing prisoners.

The debate has certainly heated up; no doubt there are animated arguments for and against- amongst individuals, across political lines, and around kitchen tables

Currently, twenty-seven States have policies allowing executions (four have implemented executive moratoriums), and twenty- three do not. The military and the federal government also apply the death penalty.

These practices are remnants from a primitive and unenlightened period in our human history; a time when burning witches, mob rule, public lynchings (of Blacks), went unchecked.

But humans have evolved systems to maintain order and should be able to enforce civil and judicious societal punishments that don’t include capital punishment.

Some argue that it costs more money to keep people incarcerated than a quick death.

But is the support of this cruel act only about money? Executions seemingly satisfy a blood lust often grounded in a belief in taking an “eye for an eye”.

Unfortunately, the practice is widespread across many cultures and various religious groups- not just the societies influenced by Judeo-Christian principles. Why? I question how can anyone accept the legal right to take another life?

The death sentence is applied for killing a single person as well as for a mass murderer: how many times can one person be put to death?

It is unfair in its practice, uneven in its execution, and disproportionately used against poor, Black and under-represented criminal defendants.

The practice of this ultimate exercise in absolute power has corrupted so many. So, while we engage in dialogue about the viability of the death penalty- Pete Hegsseth, Sec. Of Defense, has advertised the public execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of a mass murder at Ft. Hood.

Yes, a Public Execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026, and some folks are planning “watch” parties.
Who are these unevolved people? Shades of The Handmaid’s Tale! The novel foretold what our society would look like if the march toward authoritarian rule was complete.

In that dystopian book by Canadian Margaret Atwood, published in 1985, mandatory attendance at public executions were the centerpiece of terror used to keep the population under control.

Hegseth’s authorized televised execution is a harbinger for more terrifying atrocities, especially against Black folk.

The history of this country has already proven that, despite many advances in civil rights, we remain prime targets to be killed by police, executed by States, beaten, and disenfranchised.

These times augur an opportunity for Black folks to leverage our collective power to stand up against the systems of State-sanctioned murder where we are disproportionately awaiting execution.

We cannot afford to endorse capital punishment against ourselves. What can we do to organize and exact real change?
Do we have any power?

Most importantly, how do we take on the fights that matter- and win.

These are the questions raised and answered in a new book by Randall Robinson, social justice leader, strategist, who was for fourteen years the head of Color of Change, a national force for racial justice.

One of Robinson’s milestone wins in 2020 came when he led a thousand-company boycott of Facebook and Instagram.

His list of ‘wins’ is long. His book: From Presence to Power is a how-to manual, filled with practical winning strategies/tactics.

I heard Mr. Robinson discuss his theories at Roots Bookstore, Liberty City, Miami, Florida, where he peppered his remarks with colorful illustrations of real experiences from the early days of the Civil Rights movement, to the present.

One of the most poignant questions he addressed is how profiteering (follow the money) is a root cause of so much of the strife visited on the Black population; developing strategies targeting this power structure are paramount.

For example, corporate profiteering of mass incarceration can successfully be taken on by strategic, organized initiatives, beyond marches and protests.

One tactic: elect local prosecutors who can be held accountable to reform the criminal justice system, to advocate for human rights, to correct imbalances in sentencing, etc.

This small, but effective leverage can help us win our fight to decrease the number of Blacks sentenced to life and/or death; to move us closer to real justice.

But is it too little, too late under Trump’s march toward complete, unfettered control; toward more draconian forms of punishment?

The time is ripe for taking power. Caution: there have been too many broken alliances with other so-called marginalized groups, e.g., white women, immigrant groups, other minorities ,therefore we must carefully vet those who purport to support our agenda for true justice.

Power to the (Black) people. Vote, vote, vote.