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| Protestors gather at the entrance to Idaho's Maximum Security Institution in protest against the execution of Paul Ezra Rhoades, Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, in Boise, Idaho. |
Bright lights cast shadows in the darkness Friday morning as the first protesters arrived. As the sun rose over the South Idaho Correctional Institution, roughly 100 demonstrators gathered to voice their opposition to capital punishment in one prison lot, while a dozen turned out in support of Paul Ezra Rhoades’ execution in another.
Most of those opposed huddled in a circle, lighting candles while Mia Crosthwaite of Idahoans Against the Death Penalty led a prayer. A smaller cluster simply sat facing the prison in silence. For those in favor of the execution, motivations ranged from showing support for the victims and their families — at least one pro-death-penalty demonstrator had known a Rhoades victim personally — to expressing the importance of free speech and assembly.
But regardless of their motivations, they all had one thing in common: Convictions strong enough to brave the early morning cold and darkness.
“I think it’s immoral and it’s wrong to have state-sanctioned killings, and I think that for a nation that claims to be a nation of Christians, we’re a nation of hypocrites,” Michael Lucero of Caldwell said. “Actions speak louder than words, and we need to have our voices heard. The laws will never change until the people’s hearts change.”
On the other side of the field, Craig Bennett stood with a sign depicting victim and schoolteacher Susan Michelbacher, accompanied by the words “My teacher, my friend.” Bennett, an 8th and 9th grade student of Michelbacher’s, described her as one of his favorite teachers.
Michelbacher disappeared a few years after he sat in her classroom, Bennett said. When he first heard the news, he thought there must be some mistake. When her body was found a few days later, however, he said he wasn’t surprised. With a small child at home, he said, she wouldn’t have left town on her own.
Bennett was visibly emotional Friday as he talked about the lessons and memories he carries nearly three decades later.
“For me, it’s not about the politics, although there is that component, of course. For me, it’s about remembering that there were victims involved in this,” Bennett said. “I’m honestly conflicted about the death penalty, for or against. But that’s not what brings me out here.”
Colin McNamara of Boise braved the frigid Friday morning in a red t-shirt to lend his voice to the crowd. He wasn’t making any particular statement, he said, he’s just “built for the cold.” He added a scarf to the ensemble as the morning progressed, though it may not have helped much.
“As a citizen or Idaho, it disturbs me that this man is being put to death in my name,” McNamara said. “I am part of the apparatus that kills him. So I came here to pray over that fact.”
Some demonstrators had endured the cold for hours when Rhoades was executed at 9:15 a.m. Protesters formed a line and faced the prison complex as the appointed time arrived, standing in silence for several minutes with their heads bowed in silent prayer. As the sun came out from behind the clouds, they returned to their vehicles quickly and quietly.
“We’re going to do away with the death penalty,” demonstrator Henry Krewer said as the crowd dispersed. “It’s going to happen. And because it’s going to happen, it’s like the guy killed on the last day of the war. Why are we killing people when we know where the tide is going?”
In a recent Idaho Press-Tribune online poll, 89 % of respondents voiced their support for Rhoades’ execution, though comparatively few faced the chilly November morning to counter those protesting the event. For Chris Bentley of Boise — who favors capital punishment — the right to assemble and speak freely is the most important thing, regardless of one’s position.
“I wanted to come out and support any voice to be heard,” Bentley said. “I’m definitely more on the side of being for the death penalty, but I understand where they’re coming from as well.”
Source: Idaho Press-Tribune, November 19, 2011
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