Murder Victim's Families for Reconciliation (MVFR) is an independent
organization. While MVFR often works in cooperation with other abolition
movement entities, the appearance of this statement on the AAC web page
should not be interpreted as an endorsement by MVFR of any other part of
the AAC or CUADP web pages, or of any actions which may take place in
conjunction with the planned killing of Timothy McVeigh. Please visit
MVFR's web pages at <http://www.mvfr.org> for more information about the
work of this vital movement partner.
The April 19, 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building
murdered 168 people, injured hundreds more, devastated
Oklahoma City, and tore the heart of our nation. On May 16,
2001 in Terre Haute, Indiana, the federal government is
scheduled to kill the man convicted of the Oklahoma City
bombing, Timothy McVeigh. We oppose his execution, as we do
all executions.
As members of Murder Victims' Families for
Reconciliation, a national organization of people who have
lost a family member to homicide and oppose the death
penalty, our hearts know that pain for which there are no
words. With the surviving family members of those
killed in the Oklahoma City bombing, we share lives that
involve a continual healing process. Empty chairs at
holidays, disbelief and anger at unexpected times, and
moments of quiet tears are part of our reality as victims.
And as victims, we oppose the death penalty. While we
come to this position from many different paths, we all know
that killing murderers does not bring back their victims. We
believe that cold calculated killing by our government,
replicating the very act of violence that brought us to
pain, dishonors the lives and memories of our beloved. The
ritual of executions damages all of us in society and
creates another grieving family. With the focus on putting
someone to death, capital punishment makes anti-heroes out
of murderers, while the lives of victims are forgotten and
the needs of survivors are often ignored. Everyone knows the
name of the bomber; few know the names of the 168 who died.
Last spring, on the 5th anniversary of the bombing, a
national memorial was dedicated in Oklahoma City. The
dignity and serenity of the memorial honors the lives of the
victims. It is for the lives of our own loved ones that we
reject executions as some kind of tribute to victims.
As it often does, the death penalty has divided the
surviving families. Those who oppose the death penalty
have their pain pitted against the pain of other,
pro-death-penalty survivors for the entertainment of a
viewing audience. And Oklahoma City bombing victims' family
members who oppose the execution of McVeigh are isolated and
shunned by some, and abandoned by our top officials.
As Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation continues
to provide quiet support for our members and for other
Oklahoma City bombing victims' families who oppose the death
penalty, we remain committed to ending capital punishment
and to focusing on supporting programs that prevent crime
and promote healing for victims. Seeking the death penalty
has cost millions of taxpayer dollars; we wish that money
could have gone to victims counseling, scholarships for kids
who have lost parents to murder, compensation funds to aid
victims, anti-hate-crime education programs in schools, and
to the upkeep of the memorial in Oklahoma City so that we
will always remember the names of those who were killed and
not the name of the killer. In the name of our own loved
ones who have been victimized by homicide, we renew our call
for the federal government to end the cycle of violence:
halt the execution of Timothy McVeigh and others facing a
federaldeath sentence, and give full support and resources
to helping the families of victims of homicide.
April 24, 2001
For further information contact:
Renny Cushing, MVFR Executive Director 617 868 0007 Ext. 1
Kate Lowenstein, MVFR National Organizer 617 868-0007 Ext. 3
Or visit http://www.mvfr.org
