Houstonians honor the victim of Missouri’s death penalty

Activists held a vigil for Imam Khalifa Marcellus Williams outside of the county jail in Houston after this innocent man was executed by the state of Missouri on Sept. 24. The event on Sept. 26 was held to honor his life and stand in solidarity with all victims of this unjust system.

The action was organized by Al Awda, the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement (TDPAM), Queers for Palestine, Houston Jews for Palestine, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine, Fort Bend Coalition for Palestine and Healthcare Workers for Palestine. 

A number of Muslims attended as Wiliams converted to Islam while incarcerated and became an Islamic leader in prison before his execution.

Speaking for TDPAM, organizer Caleb Granger invited everyone to Texas’ 25th annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty on Oct. 19, beginning at the S.H.A.P.E. (Self-Help for African People through Education) Community Center in Houston at noon.

Granger told Workers World: “I spoke about our upcoming march and how we fight for abolition in all cases, innocent or guilty. I talked about some of the Texas innocence cases like Ivan Cantu, who was executed earlier this year, and the cases of Ruben Gutierrez and Rodney Reed, two innocent men fighting for their lives. 

“Williams’s execution brought so much attention to the injustice of the death penalty that many are taking a closer look at what is happening in Texas.”