With sincere gratitude, I recognize the contributions each of you made over the past few weeks to save the life of Ernest Lee Johnson. We are filled with the kind of sadness and loss that builds fortitude and fuels the fire necessary to move forward in this work. The death penalty abolition movement is large, and it is growing. People across Missouri and the nation are opening their eyes to the many reasons to abolish the death penalty. We need your continued support!
I want to thank all of the Missouri organizations who showed up and spoke out about this grave injustice in hopes of bringing attention to the cruelty of state violence and the mass incarceration system. The Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, ACLU of Missouri, Missouri Faith Voices, Lou Health, Second Chance Freedom Foundation, Our Lives Matter, Missouri Prison Reform, Reale Justice Network, Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Community Remembrance Project of Missouri, The Missouri Catholic Conference, The Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of Missouri, Jerusalem Farms, SURJ-KC, Sunrise Movement- KC, Organization for Black Struggle, and others.
Thank you to Congress Woman Cori Bush, St. Louis Mayor Tishara Jones, Representative Kimberly Ann Collins, Representative Marlon Anderson, Representative LaKeySha Bosley, and Representative Rasheen Aldridge for their letters and show of support for Ernest Johnson.
Thank you to Faith Leaders Rev. Darryl Gray, Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Pastor Carol Jackson, Pastor Richard Jackson, Pastor Bowie, Marie Kenyon, and countless others in faith communities who prayed for Ernest and for the end of the death penalty in Missouri.
And thank you to the millions of people across the world who called the Governor, shared information on social media, and took a variety of actions to shed light in the darkest of times. Each action creates a ripple and impacts countless others.
There are 19 people with death sentences in Missouri, most in the final rounds of appeals. With dozens of pending capital cases across Missouri, we have our work cut out for us. Please take a moment to donate to MADP today so we may continue the work ahead. Capital punishment is, and has always been, a broken process that needs to end. MADP is the only state-wide organization with the single mission of abolishing the death penalty. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Elyse Max
State Director
Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty