The life of Kenneth Foster Jr.

I'll be out of town beginning Wednesday, so I won't be able to attend. But if you're in the Washington, D.C. area, please consider stopping by and supporting this event.

This comes from Art Laffin, longtime death penalty opponent and the family member of a murder victim:


SAVE THE LIFE OF KENNETH FOSTER!
Abolish the Death Penalty!

Vigil at Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 29, from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Dear Friends,
As a murder victim family member who opposes the death penalty, I'm writing to invite you to join me and other death penalty abolitionists in helping to save the life of Kenneth Foster, who is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Thursday, August 30, at 6:00 p.m. (See below more info about Foster's case).

I also ask you to oppose two other scheduled executions in Texas this week: Daroyce Mosley--August 29, and John Amador--August 29.

Kenneth Foster is innocent of the murder of Michael LaHood. The state of Texas has admitted that Foster did not commit the murder. LaHood was killed by Maurecio Brown, who has already been executed. The murder of LaHood occurred when Brown left the car that Foster was driving and got into an altercation with LaHood. Foster had no prior knowledge that Brown would carry out this killing. But under the state's "Law of Parties" Foster was convicted and sentenced to die. We can not let this happen.

All over Texas people are organizing and demanding that Foster's life be spared and that he be pardoned. Foster is now on a hunger-strike to protest his execution. According to Democracy Now, Foster and another prisoner, John Amador, are refusing all food since Wednesday, August 23. Both men said they will commit to a protest of passive non-participation in their executions. In a statement released on August 22 the men said: "We will not walk to our executions and we will not eat last meals. We will not give this process a humane face."

What can we do here in the D.C. area? I would like to invite you to a vigil at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 29 from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. to call on the Supreme Court Justices to grant a stay of execution for Kenneth Foster as well as for John Amador.

Thank you for doing what you can to save Kenneth Foster's life and to stop state-sanctioned homicide.

In peace and hope,

Art Laffin

If you'd like to write Texas Gov. Rick Perry a letter opposing Foster's execution, you can do so here. Perry has the option of issuing a 30-day stay; only he and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, acting in concert, can commute Foster's sentence.