Religious Leaders Call for Immediate Suspension of Death Penalty in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties We are religious leaders of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, Florida, who have come together to call on our officials to change course in their use of the death penalty. Our counties have gained the dubious distinction of sentencing individuals to death at some of the highest rates in the country. That troubles us, especially given that our corrections system today can keep society safe without needing to resort to executions. None of us deny the need for accountability and severe consequences for those guilty of grave crimes. At the same time, our criminal justice system must recognize the dignity of every person, and not close off hope and the possibility for redemption. For this reason, we are deeply concerned by a new report documenting Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties’ overreliance on the death penalty. Of the over 3,000 counties nationwide, Hillsborough and Pinellas are among only 16 counties to produce five or more death sentences between 2010 and 2015. The State Attorneys’ Offices in these counties have zealously pursued the death penalty, which has put us out of step with the rest of Florida and the nation. There is evidence that the death penalty prolongs the suffering of many murder victims’ families, since capital cases involve years of legal uncertainty, hearings, and frequent media headlines that can reopen old wounds. Victims’ families spend years and often decades waiting for an execution that may never come. The death penalty’s racial disparities suggest that it is being applied unjustly. From 2010 to 2015, a majority of those sentenced to death in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties were African American. This disproportionate use of the death penalty against African Americans perpetuates a long legacy of racial bias. A criminal justice system that fails to treat everyone equally erodes trust between the community and its officials. In sum, excessive use of the death penalty in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties reflects an attitude that we cannot accept – that certain offenders are beyond redemption. No matter what someone did, they remain God’s creation and have intrinsic value. When holding offenders accountable, our justice system cannot lose sight of the dignity of every individual. Reforms are needed in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties to reflect this truth. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the State Attorneys’ Offices for the 6th and 13th Judicial Circuits covering Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties to immediately suspend use of the death penalty. 75 clergy from Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, listed below alphabetically, joined the letter. Deacon John Alvarez Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Deacon Peter Andre Director of Prison Ministry for the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Andy Bell Director of Lakewood Methodist Counseling Center, St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Moses Brown Tampa, FL Deacon John Buckley Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Sabrina Burton Schultz Director of Life Ministry for the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans Hyde Park UMC, Tampa, FL Deacon Elix Castro Nativity Catholic Church, Brandon, FL Rev. C. Timothy Corcoran St. Mary Catholic Church, Tampa, FL Pastor George Corrigan, OFM Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Tampa, FL Deacon Raymond Dever St. Paul Catholic Church, Tampa, FL Rev. Willie Dixon Tampa, FL Fr. Kazimierz Domek Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Gary Dowsey Our Lady of Lourdes, Dunedin, FL Fr. Dermot Dunne St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Clearwater, FL Pastor James Favorite Tampa, FL Rabbi Carla Freedman Beth Israel Congregation of Sun City Center, FL Pastor Robert Gibbons St. Paul’s Church, St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Paul Gibson Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, FL Deacon Steven Girardi Espiritu Santo Catholic Church, Safety Harbor, FL Deacon James Grevenites Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Mel Harris Valrico, FL Rabbi Garson Herzfeld Tampa, FL Bishop Charles Leigh Communion of Synodal Churches, Tampa, FL Deacon David Lesieur Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Jacquie Lewis Trinity United Church of Christ, St. Petersburg, FL Fr. John Lipscomb Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Deacon William Lovelace Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, St. Petersburg, FL Most Reverend Robert N. Lynch Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Mike MacMillan Faith United Church of Christ, Dunedin, FL Pastor M. Richard Malivuk Lutz, FL Deacon James Manzi Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rev. John Marino St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Clearwater, FL Pastor Guillermo Marquez-Sterling Pass-A-Grill Beach Community Church, FL Deacon Theodore Martin Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, Temple Terrace, FL Rev. Roy Mathis New Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Tampa, FL Elder Michael McDaniels River of Life Church Ministries, Brandon, FL Pastor Terry McMillan Tampa, FL Deacon Michael Menchen Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Russell Meyer Executive Director of the Florida Council of Churches, Tampa, FL Pastor Waldemar Meyer Temple Terrace, FL Pastor Craig Morley Holy Family Parish, St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Msgr. Robert Morris Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Fr. Michael Muhr St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Tampa, FL Pastor Clarence Nathan Tampa, FL Elder Tommy Neal River of Life Church Ministries, Brandon, FL Rev. Jerry Nealy Friendly Missionary Baptist Church, Tampa, FL Theology Professor Stephen Okey Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Leonard Piotrowski Espiritu Santo Catholic Church, Safety Harbor, FL Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson Trinity, FL Rev. Sally Purvis St. Petersburg, FL Bishop Steven Rosczewski Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches, Safety Harbor, FL Rabbi Jason Rosenberg Tampa, FL Deacon Richard Santello Saint John Vianney Parish, St. Pete Beach, FL Bishop Robert Schaefer Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Tampa, FL Pastor Robert Schneider St. Stephen Catholic Church, Valrico, FL Pastor Andre Shaw Tampa, FL Rev. Susan Sherwood St. Petersburg, FL Rev. Michael Smith Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Temple Terrace, FL Deacon Cris Stout St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Tampa, FL Minister Sharon Streater Tampa, FL Pastor Clethen Sutton Tampa, FL Theology Professor Mathew Tapie Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Rabbi Betsy Torop Largo, FL Deacon Michael Waldron St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, Palm Harbor, FL Rev. Vicki Walker Hyde Park United Methodist Church, Tampa, FL Rev. Kathleen Walter St. John’s Episcopal Church, Clearwater, FL Elder Rodney Watkins River of Life Church Ministries, Brandon, FL Sr. Marlene Weidenborner Vicar for the Religious of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL Pastor Kim Wells Lakewood United Church of Christ, St. Petersburg, FL Deacon Rick Wells St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Clearwater, FL Apostle Tony Woods El Shaddai International Ministries, Plant City, FL Pastor Bruce Wright Refuge Ministries, St. Petersburg, FL Deacon Richard Zeitler St. Stephen Catholic Church, Valrico, FL Deacon Joe Zucchero St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Clearwater, FL