Here’s Why LA’s Top Law Enforcement Official Wants to Ban the Death Penalty

By District Attorney George Gascón | Word In Black(WIB) – The execution of Marcellus Williams serves as a stark reminder of the injustices of the death penalty. Today, as we reflect and mourn this death, we must consider the facts of the final hours of Mr. Williams’ life: There were ample concerns about the evidence of the case, including DNA evidence that refuted early claims. In a petition to the court, the victim’s family asked that Mr. Williams not be put to death. Prosecutors in Missouri objected to this execution—a fact that grieves many prosecutors, including me as the LA County District Attorney. Part of our work as prosecutors is to serve victims of crime, and this execution was a painful disservice to the family Lisha Gayle, who have sought justice since she was killed in 1998.Today I am calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to use executive action to commute the death sentences of nearly 700 people on California’s death row and sentence them to life without the possibility of parole instead.While the death penalty has been halted in California due to the Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 moratorium on executions, the state has not formally joined the 23 other states...