Washington, DC – On the occasion of last night’s scheduled execution of Kevin Cooper, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today sent the following letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urging the Governor to invoke a moratorium on California’s use of capital punishment:
 

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing to convey my own convictions and the strong sentiments of many of my constituents who have contacted me in opposition to the death penalty.  The Kevin Cooper case has brought this issue to the forefront in our state, but the fundamental injustice of capital punishment and the many flaws and inequities in its practices go far beyond any single case.

Therefore, I urge you to declare a moratorium on all executions in California, just as other governors have done.

I believe we must eliminate capital punishment on both the federal and state levels.  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2574, which would abolish the death penalty under federal law, and I have previously cosponsored legislation that would have provided a temporary moratorium on carrying out of the death penalty to assure that persons able to prove their innocence are not executed.

The practice of capital punishment in this country has been plagued by inadequate representation, racial disparities, insufficient access to DNA testing, and many other inequities.  Life imprisonment without parole is a far better mechanism to protect society while upholding our own standards of fairness and justice.   For all these reasons, as well as my firm belief that the death penalty is neither an effective deterrent nor a valid instrument of justice, I respectfully urge you to exercise your authority to invoke a moratorium on the exercise of capital punishment in California.

Sincerely,
Barbara Lee
Member of Congress

 

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