Wednesday, January 18th 2017, at 9pm, Ricky Javon Gray will be executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will be holding 16 vigils to protest capital punishment: for locations and details, see the link.
Gray and his nephew, Ray Joseph Dandridge, are undisputed guilty of murdering seven people, including two children. Their victims are Kathryn, Bryan, Stella, and Ruby Harvey, Ashley Baskerville, Mary Baskerville-Tucker, and Percyell Tucker. He also likely killed his wife, Treva Gray, and a stranger, Sheryl Warner.
The question, however, is not whether Gray is guilty or even whether he deserves to die for his crimes: it's whether the state of Virginia has the moral authority to impose that punishment. I contend that it does not.
The Richmond vigil will take place at 8:30pm, at the Richmond Friends Meeting (4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond VA). For more information, contact Margaret Rittenhouse at margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com or (804) 690-4942.
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