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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Death Penalty Abolition, Orange County, North Carolina

Dear Earl,

I hope you are well.

It has been a long time since we worked with Ismael Balderas "down on the farm."

I am writing today to ask your support in tonight's vote on The Death Penalty Repeal Resolution.

For three generations my family has worked to abolish the death penalty.

A decade ago, our (then) 8 year old daughter, Maria, came across an Independent Weekly cover story about a black man who would soon be executed. 

In tears, Maria wrote a letter to the governor, and, to everyone's surprise, he granted clemency.

We now know that there is overwhelming racial bias in the application of the death penalty and that the "deck" is lopsidedly "stacked" against people-of-color. 

This predictable discrepancy does a grave disservice to Justice.

A long line of death row inmates has been exonerated in recent years, mostly by DNA testing. 

Since you or I  or any of our loved ones can be on the receiving end of a "wrongful conviction"  the potential for extreme (and irrevocable) miscarriage of justice gives me pause. 

Just today, Frank Stasio devoted his WUNC program, "The State of Things," to "wrongful conviction." 

If you have time to listen, I encourage you to check out Frank's show. It took my breath away.


Many thanks for considering this matter.

And thank you for your dedicated public service on the Board of Commissioners.

Gratefully,

Alan Archibald
225 West Margaret Lane
Hillsborough, NC 27278




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