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What's In The Brown Paper Bag?

A Story From Death Row

Here is a letter by Luis Ramirez in which he writes about his first day on Death Row. Luis was executed in Texas in October, 2005, and always professed his innocence.

"I'm about the share with you a story who's telling is long past due. It's a familiar story to most of you reading this from death row. And now it's one that all of you in "free world" may benefit from. This is the story of my first day on the row.

I came here in May of 1999. The exact date is something that I can't recall.

I do remember arriving in the afternoon . I was placed in a cell on H-20 wing over at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Tx. A Tsunami of emotions and thoughts were going through my mind at the time. I remember the only things in the cell were a mattress, pillow, a couple of sheets, a pillow case, a roll of toilet paper, and a blanket ... I remember sitting there, utterly lost.

The first person I met there was Napolean Beasley. Back then, death row prisoners still worked . His job at the time was to clean up the wing and help serve during meal times. He was walking around sweeping the pod in these ridiculous looking rubber boots. He came up to the bars on my cell and asked me if I was new.. I told him that I had just arrived on d/r. He asked what my name is. I told him, not seeing any harm in it. He then stepped back where he could see all three tiers. He hollered at everyone, "There's a new man here. He just drove up. His name is Luis Ramirez."

When he did that, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I thought I had made some kind of mistake. You see ? Like most of you, I was of the impression that everyone on d/r was evil. I thought I would find hundreds of "Hannibal Lecter's in here. And now , they all knew my name. I thought "Oh well," that's strike one. I was sure that they would soon begin harassing me. This is what happens in the movies after all.

Well, that's not what happened . After supper was served. Napolean was once again sweeping the floors. As he passed my cell, He swept a brown paper bag into it. I asked him "What's this"? He said for me to look inside and continued on his way . Man, I didn't know what to expect. I was certain it was something bad. Curiosity did get the best of me though. I carefully opened the bag. What I found was the last thing I ever expected to find on death row, and everything I needed. The bag contained some stamps, envelopes notepad, pen, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush, a pastry, a soda, and a couple of Ramen noodles. I remember asking Napolean where this came from ?

He told me that everyone had pitched in . That they knew that I didn't have anything and that it may be a while before I could get them. I asked him to find out who had contributed . I wanted to pay them back. He said, "It's not like that . Just remember the next time you see someone come here like you.You pitch in something ?"

I sat there on my bunk with my brown paper bag of goodies, and thought about what had just happened to me. The last things I expected to find on death row was kindness and generosity. I thought of how many times I had seen "good people" of the world, pass by some man, woman, or child holding a sign that read, "Hungry, or will work for food." I'm guilty of the same. I just passed them by. By the end of the block, or upon reaching my destination . That poor, hungry, tattered, and perhaps dirty , soul had been forgotten. Lost among my daily challenges and struggles with life. Yet, here on death row Among the worst of the worst . I didn't have to hold up a sign.

They knew what I needed and they took it upon themselves to meet those needs.

They did this without any expectation of reimbursement or compensation. They did this for a stranger, not a known friend. I don't know what they felt when they committed this act of incredible kindness. I only know that like them,, twelve "good people" had deemed me beyond redemption. The only remedy that these "good people" could offer us, is death. Somehow what these "good people" saw and what I was seeing didn't add up. How could these men, who just showed me so much, humanity, be considered the "worst of the worst."

It chills me to my core when I think about it. Those twelve "good people" were given this enormous God like responsibility . They had to decide who lives, and who dies. The state of Texas gave them this responsibility. But they didn't give them any God like training. I'm sure that they all meant well. They probably thought, as the DA and judge told them, that they were doing their civic duty. I personally have never considered murder a civic duty. That aside, how many times have we gotten this wrong ? I'm on the inside looking out now. I have that advantage over you. So I can tell you this. I have yet to meet a man here who I feel is beyond redemption. If you took a good look, and I invite you to do that, You may just come to realize how often you have been wrong.

Ever since Napolean was executed, for a crime he committed as a teen. I've wanted to share this story with his family. I've never been able to find anyone with their address. If anyone out there can share this with them, I would appreciate it very much. I would like for them to know that their son was a good man. One who I will never forget. I want for them to know how sorry I am that we as a society failed them and him. I still find it ridiculous that we as a people feel that we cannot teach or love our young properly. I'm appalled at the idea that a teen is beyond redemption, that the only solution that we can offer is death. It's tragic that this is being pointed out to the "good people" by one of the "worst of the worst." God help us all.

What's in the brown paper bag? I found caring, kindness, love, humanity, and compassion of a scale that I've never seen the "good people" in the free world show towards one another.

Luis Ramirez*
# 999309
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA

In Memory - Napoleon Baezley"

(*Remark: Luis Ramirez was executed on 10/20/2005)

Napoleon Beazley

USA (Texas) Napoleon Beazley(m), black, aged 25, was executed in Texas on 28 May 2002 for a murder committed when he was 17 years old. International law prohibits the execution of those who were under 18 at the time of the crime.

In a final written statement, Napoleon Beazley wrote: 'The act I committed to put me here was not just heinous, it was senseless. But the person that committed that act is no longer here - I am. I'm sorry that John Luttig died. And I'm sorry that it was something in me that caused all of this to happen to begin with. Tonight we tell the world that there are no second chances in the eyes of justice. Tonight, we tell our children that in some instances, in some cases, killing is right... No one wins tonight. No one gets closure. No one walks away victorious'.

A few hours before the execution, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) announced that they had voted 10-7 against clemency. Governor Rick Perry refused to intervene, stating: 'To delay his punishment would be to delay justice'.

It is believed that tens of thousands of people in the USA and around the world appealed to the Texas authorities to spare Napoleon Beazley's life. A single website in a Swedish national newspaper, for example, raised more than 13,000 appeals for commutation in an online petition, which Amnesty International Sweden then arranged to be handed over to the BPP. Among the individuals who have appealed for clemency in this case are the District Attorney from Napoleon Beazley's home county, a former warden of Texas death row, and the judge who oversaw Napoleon Beazley's trial.

US organizations which appealed for clemency included the American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the Child Welfare League of America, the Children's Defense Fund, The Constitution Project, the Juvenile Law Center, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League, and the Youth Law Center.

Internationally, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Swiss and Mexican governments, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the Canadian Bar Association are among those to have called for the execution to be halted.

Six Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa called for clemency. In a six-page letter to the BPP, Archbishop Tutu wrote: 'I am astounded that Texas and a few other states in the United States take children from their families and execute them...The State forces the innocent family to atone for the death of the victim by causing it unbearable grief...As a pastor, I ask this Board to join in the world unity protecting the rights of children... Spare the child. Spare the family.

Spare the community. Spare us all the degradation of the death of another child offender, when by opening the hope of a future for him and his family, you give hope to us all... I humbly plead with you to spare the life of Napoleon Beazley, the integrity of his family, and the hope of his community for a more just society'.

One of the seven Board members who voted for clemency, when told of the execution, said: 'I'm really apprehensive that this is a day we're going to be sorry about for a long time. I just feel like something really wrong has happened.'

Napoleon Beazley became the 10th child offender to be executed in the USA since 1995. Six of them were killed in Texas. In the same period, seven child offenders were reported to have been executed in the rest of the world combined, three in Iran, two in Pakistan, one in Democratic Republic of Congo, and one in Nigeria. Last year, President Musharraf of Pakistan announced that he would commute the death sentences of all child offenders in Pakistan.

Napoleon Beazley was the 30th person to be executed in the USA that year, and the 779th since judicial killing resumed there in 1977. Texas accounts for 270 of these executions.

Final Statement of Napoleon Baezley

The act I committed to put me here was not just heinous, it was senseless. But the person that committed that act is on longer here -- I am.

I'm not going to struggle physically against any restraints, I'm not going to shout, use profanity, or make idle threats. Understand though that I'm not only upset, but I'm saddened by what is happening here tonight. I'm not only saddened, but disappointed that a system that is supposed to protect and uphold what is just and right can be so much like me when I made the same shameful mistake. If someone tried to dispose of everyone here for participating in this killing, I'd scream a resounding, "No." I'd tell them to give them all the gift they would not give me ... and that's to give them all a 2nd chance.

I'm sorry that I am here. I'm sorry that you're all here. I'm sorry that John Luttig died. And I'm sorry that it was something in me that caused of this to happen to begin with.

Tonight we tell the world that there are no second chances in the eyes of justice ... Tonight, we tell our children that in some instances, in some cases, killing is right.

This conflict hurts us all, there are no SIDES. The people who support this proceeding think this is justice. The people that think I should live think that is justice. As difficult as it may seem, this is a clash of ideals, with both parties committed to what they feel is right. But who's wrong if in the end we're all victims?

In my heart, I have to believe that there is a peaceful compromise for our ideals. I don't mind if there are none for me, as long as there are for those who are yet to come. There are a lot of men like me on death row -- good men -- who fell to the same misguided emotions, but may not have recovered like I have. Give those men a chance to do what's right.

Give them a chance to undo their wrongs. A lot of them want to fix the mess they started, but don't know how. The problem is not in that people aren't willing to help them find out, but in the system telling them it won't matter anyway.

No one wins tonight. No one gets closure. No one walks away victorious.

On May 1st, 2005, the US - Supreme Court abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders, ruling 5 to 4 that it is unconstitutional to sentence anyone to death for a crime he or she committed while younger than 18.