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Execution of Wanda Jean Allen Oklahoma's Gov. Frank Keating Told of Prosecution's Bias Prisoner's IQ of 80 Cited by NGLTF & Progressive Groups |
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Compiled by GayToday
After two years of being involved in a violent relationship, Allen, an African-American lesbian, admitted to shooting her partner, Gloria Leathers, on Dec. 1, 1989 just outside Oklahoma City. NGLTF is calling upon Governor Keating to grant clemency to Allen both because of the organization's opposition to the death penalty and because of questions that have been raised regarding whether Allen received a fair trial. Allen's attorney failed to investigate fully Allen's background showing that she has an IQ of 80 and has neurological problems that cause her to lose control in stressful situations - factors that were not introduced into court. In addition, according to a review of court records, prosecutors attempted to use Allen's sexual orientation and relationship with her partner to prejudice the jury against her.
"The death penalty is wrong in all instances," said NGLTF Executive Director Elizabeth Toledo. "Its inherent injustice is compounded when the condemned person has a history of mental impairment and when this information is not presented to the jury. "In opposing the execution of Wanda Jean Allen, we are mindful of the fact that criminal justice issues as well as issues surrounding domestic violence are important to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Our view of social justice demands equality for GLBT people, but it also demands a criminal justice system that treats all people with respect and dignity." "Anyone who doubts that the death penalty is administered unjustly should take a close look at Wanda Jean Allen's case," said Michael Adams, Associate Director of the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. "We've had a number of cases where people's sexual orientation has been a factor in sentencing them to die--including people who are now on death row in Texas and Missouri. Just as the death penalty is applied selectively to people of color and low-income people, it is also used against lesbian and gay people. It's unconscionable - and it's also unconstitutional." "Given the history of racial inequity in its application, Gay Men of African Descent opposes the death penalty," said Kevin McGruder, GMAD's executive director. "Wanda Jean Allen was convicted of taking the life of her partner. If we as a society truly believe that taking a person's life is wrong, then we should not condone the State taking a person's life." "The death penalty is a human rights violation in all cases," said Surina Khan, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "As we approach the 10th of December, International Human Rights Day, we urge Gov. Keating to grant clemency in Ms. Allen's case and to publicly commit himself to the abolition of the death penalty in Oklahoma." "There is a disturbing and all too common trend in the U.S. to execute people who are mentally challenged, poor and/or who are of color," said Craig Bowman, executive director of National Youth Advocacy Coalition. "Wanda Jean Allen's case sadly typifies our most vulnerable citizens and the quality of legal representation and treatment they can expect to receive by our oppressive justice system. Certain states' fervent rush to murder citizens is as heinous and immoral as the alleged acts of those criminals sentenced to death. Capital punishment has no place in a civil and just society; the majority of our industrialized Western peers understand this indisputable fact, when will America?"
"Capital punishment fundamentally highlights our struggle for human justice--an act of state-sanctioned violence in the form of the death penalty is no more or less violent than the barbaric acts of attackers. We oppose violence in every form, regardless of the perpetrator. Our community's thirst for justice in any context must not obscure the fact that the death penalty is wrong. First, the history of our criminal justice system is riddled with scores of cases of innocent people being wrongly executed. Second, the death penalty is meted out unfairly, and racism, classism and even homophobia overwhelmingly play a role in the judicial decision to invoke it. Third, the death penalty is, in our view, 'cruel and unusual' punishment, and violates the 50-year old Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United States co-authored. And finally, state-sanctioned lethal violence is against our missions as organizations working towards a fair and just society." "We know that our government has made grave mistakes throughout history in its unequal treatment of minority groups," said Kent Doss, spokesman for the Board of the Oklahoma Lambda Intercollegiate Coalition. "Unfortunately, we see the trend continued today in the case of Wanda Jean Allen and her lack of access to a fair trial. Please join with the Oklahoma Lambda Intercollegiate Coalition and other concerned groups: vocalize your concerns to Governor Frank Keating or the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board and let them know that this blatant injustice is unacceptable." "The University of Oklahoma Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Friends (GLBTF) urges Governor Keating to grant clemency to Wanda Jean Allen," said Amanda Bowles, co-chair of University of Oklahoma GLBTF. "We oppose the unfair enforcement of the death penalty against persons of color and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons as well as other marginalized groups. "We believe that Allen was convicted based on biased evidence and stereotypical views of lesbians. Thus, we support the position of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and other progressive GLBT organizations and encourage our members and members of the surrounding community to contact Governor Keating and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board." In February 1999, eleven major GLBT organizations--many of the same organizations that are calling on Governor Keating to grant clemency--issued a joint statement in opposition to capital punishment as prosecutors in Wyoming were considering seeking the death penalty for the accused murderers of Matthew Shepard. |
