Hometown Snubs Schwarzenegger Over Death Penalty
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Hometown Snubs Schwarzenegger Over Death Penalty
The stadium in Graz, Austria, now has a generic name (top). Its old name was taken down as a protest over the California governor's decision to allow the execution of an inmate.
2005, Dez. 27th. For years the pretty Austrian town of Graz trumpeted its special relationship with its outsize native son, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Born in a village nearby and schooled in Graz, Mr. Schwarzenegger was an honorary citizen and holder of the town's Ring of Honor. Most conspicuously, the local sports stadium was named after him.
But early on Monday, under cover of darkness, his name was removed from the arena in a sort of uncontested divorce between the California governor and the town council, which had been horrified that he rejected pleas to spare the life of Stanley Tookie Williams, who was executed by the state of California two weeks ago.
The 15,000-seat stadium had been named after Mr. Schwarzenegger in 1997 as an act of both self-promotion and loyalty toward the poor farmer's son and international celebrity, who has always identified Graz as his native place.
But when he declined to commute Mr. Williams's death penalty, the reaction was swift and angry in Graz, which, like most places in Europe, sees the death penalty as a medieval atrocity.
What do you think about this reaction of the town council in Graz?
California - Capital Punishment
Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the oldest prison in the state, and the location of California's only gas chamber and death row.
Music legend Johnny Cash performed a concert for inmates at San Quentin in 1969. During the concert, the song "San Quentin", about an inmate's loathing of his incarceration, received such an enthusiastic response that it was immediately encored.
/Execution chamber where lethal injection is used.
Does my state have the death penalty?
Yes, California has executed a total of 13 people since 1976.
What is my governor's position on the death penalty?
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supports the death penalty.
How many people are on Death Row in my state?
There are currently 648 prisoners on Death Row in California. Of the 648 Death Row prisoners, 233 are black, 251 are white, 130 are Latino, 14 are Native American and 20 are Asian. Of the 648 prisoners on Death Row, 15 of them are women.
Was anyone on Death Row ever found innocent in my state?
Three innocent people were exonerated on Death Row in California. Jerry Bigelow was released in 1988 after serving 8 years, Patrick Croy was released in 1990 after serving 11 years, and Troy Lee Jones was released in 1996 after serving 14 years.
Schwarzenegger allows execution
Thursday January 20, 2005
BNE: Arnold Schwarzenegger finally played real life Terminator earlier today as he allowed the execution of multiple murderer, Donald Beadslee, 61, to be put to death by lethal injection. This is the first California State execution for Arnie and the first in the state in three years. Arnie rejected the pleas for mercy, that commonly surround capital punishment in America, saying Beardslee was fully aware of how serious his crimes were. The Republican governor stated, “The federal courts have affirmed his conviction and death sentence, and nothing in his petition or the record of his case convinced me that he did not understand the gravity of his actions or that these heinous murders were wrong". Beardslee’s defence lawyers, however, tried to get the death penalty overturned on the grounds that he was suffering from brain disorders when he killed two women over a drugs deal in 1981. He had previously served seven years in prison for strangling a woman in 1969, and had been on Death Row since 1984. About 300 protestors staged a vigil outside the infamous San Quentin prison hoping for the last minute reprieve, which never came. California restored the Death Penalty in 1978 and now has the largest Death Row population in America, with over 600 inmates awaiting execution.
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