On July 25, 2020, Attorney General William Barr issued an order to resume federal executions after a nearly 20 year moratorium. All of the federal executions are happening at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. As of this writing, 7 people have been executed there in the past two months, more than were executed in the previous 60 years. The word is that 15 – 30 more executions are planned between now and the election in November. The logic behind this spree of executions is simple, and stupid. Ignoring evidence that many people on death row are innocent, and that the death penalty itself is inhumane, the Trump administration argues that holding people on death row indefinitely is a waste of money, and a violation of victims’ rights. While those arguments might be compelling to people who understand absolutely nothing about the racist application of the death penalty, it is important that people with a better understanding raise their voices and fight against Trump’s execution mania!
IDOC Watch spoke with the sister of another person on death row, who may soon be scheduled for execution, about her brother’s case and the federal executions. Billie Allen is a Black man from St. Louis who has been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death. There is no evidence linking him to the crime for which he was convicted – like so many others, he is a victim of a racist legal system that constantly and arbitrarily destroys the lives of poor people. Please visit https://www.freebillieallen.com to learn about Billie’s innocence and join the fight to free him!
Listen to Billie Allen’s sister Yvette discuss her brother’s case, the federal executions, and the fight to free Billie and stop the executions:
