TO THE EDITOR:
The loss of life is abominable in any instance. However, it is most appalling when supported and enforced by the government.
In this “civilized,” this “free,” this nation for and by the people, the U.S. government maintains the authority to kill its own citizens.
Let Troy Davis’ death be mourned, and let it also be seen as a symptom of a larger problem.
The national mindset that supports death as a legitimate means of law enforcement devalues life and violates human rights.
In 2009, the country held the fifth place for most executions (following China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia) with 52 in that year alone. Over two-thirds of the nations of the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
I have sat with my dissent in silence, apathetic to the social injustice before my very eyes. But enough is enough. The problem is not the lethal injection. The problem is not corruption in the courts.
It is something much deeper.
It is using death as a solution, forgetting that violence begets violence. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. Consider a new system that incorporates mercy.
Frankie Barrett
Sophomore
Art History
