Hello again from Terre Haute, IN, where the Trump administration plans to kill Lezmond Mitchell in just over an hour. Last month, 3 men were executed here in one week. I’m back at the FCC Terre Haute training center, where media witnesses should be leaving for the prison soon.
These are the vans that take reporters to the prison grounds, where they go through security before being led to the death chamber. There are some familiar faces here. A couple journalists here witnesses last months’ executions, which turned into punishing all-night ordeals.
Vans just pulled out. The execution appears to be set to take place on schedule.
Here's my last dispatch from Terre Haute, on last month's executions: theintercept.com/2020/08/02/fed…
And here's my story on Lezmond Mitchell. theintercept.com/2020/08/25/lez…
A number of things have changed since last month. For one, amid rising Covid numbers, the Indiana governor issued a mask order--and the ACLU sued to get information on potential links between the executions and a spike in coronavirus cases in Vigo County. acludc.org/en/cases/aclu-…
Also, demonstrators successfully sued the Indiana State Police to get access to the area in front of the prison, which had been blocked off. Last time they protested in front of a Ford dealership. (Which was actually quite effective in terms of visibility) tribstar.com/news/aclu-of-i…
With Lezmond Mitchell’s execution 15 minutes away, protesters are gathered across from the prison, next to the Dollar General.
At 6pm, the time Mitchell is set to die, the protesters take turns tolling a bell. Several people here have been personally impacted by executions. Randy Gardner is the brother of Ronnie Lee Gardner, who was killed by firing squad in Utah in 2010.
Now the demonstrators stand in prayer and silence until they get word that the execution has been carried out. Some drivers honk, rev their engines, and shout from their cars. One man earlier yelled “Kill him! Chop his head off!”
Just received an email alerting me that I can return to the training center. This almost certainly means Lezmond Mitchell has been executed. We've been told there will be a statement from the victims' family.
Daniel Lee, father of 9-year-old Tiffany Lee, delivers a statement through a lawyer. It begins, “I have waited 19 years to get justice for my daughter...I will never get Tiffany back, but I hope that this will bring some closure.” He thanks the Trump administration.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.