Chaumtoli HuqEditor’s Note: In June, as part of our Community Based News Room (CBNR), we published an article by Chris Young, “Death Row Saved My Life.” Chris was on death row in Texas and scheduled to be executed by the state on July 17, 2018. For Father’s Day, we published an emotional piece by his 13-year-old daughter Crishelle Young, “I Don’t Want My Father to Die. In addition to these pieces, many people advocated for clemency for Chris, including his lawyers up to the last minute, the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Mitesh Patel (the son of the victim, Hasmukh Patel) with a compassionate plea, media outlets like NowThis News and The Texas Tribune, Sister Helen Prejean, and other high-profile activists and celebrities. The state of Texas still executed Chris.
Christopher Young brought us all together in the fight to save his life. It is fitting to share his words in his last statement and his video message encouraging us to continue our fight against the death penalty.
“I want to make sure the Patel family knows I love them like they love me,” Young said. “Make sure the kids in the world know I’m being executed and those kids I’ve been mentoring keep this fight going.”
We remain committed to amplifying social justice issues, including the death penalty, to give a space to those who are most most impacted by our legal system.
Our Community Based News Room publishes the stories of people impacted by law and policy. Do you have a story to tell? Please contact us at CBNR. To support our Community Based News Room, please make a donation.
