USA: California, from the Gas Chamber to Lethal Injections; Corfu, Greece - A Connection

A Greek-American friend (a Corfiot-Californian) and koumbaros, from my early days in Corfu, Greece, campaigned long and hard on his return to the States to have the death penalty abolished in California. He and his colleague travelled around the state with a replica of the gas chamber on the back of a truck, enabling people to understand what it looked and felt like inside - and what really went on.

From the San Francisco Community Press poster.

"Ten dollars a head"

Flamenco Guitarists

These are some of the first pictures I have of him, taken 49 years ago, in 1968
 (I didn't take the double exposure at Meteora, or the shots in Ioannina and Delphi):

Corfu

(Double exposure, Meteora)

Dodoni/Dodona

Ioannina

Delphi, April, 1968

San Francisco, 1978

This one was probably taken around 18 months year later, before he returned to California:

Later Visits to California:

I have written elsewhere about his extraordinary writings; here I want to draw attention to the issue of capital punishment in California, and in other US states. His campaign and contribution undoubtedly made an impact at the time. But the effect wasn't long-lasting.

From Wikipedia - Capital punishment in California


I was prompted to make this posting after reading a grim article by Ed Pilkington in The Guardian: "Eight executions in 11 days: Arkansas order may endanger staff's mental health"

Times don't change - only the methods of execution.

Update: BBC, US prosecutor in death penalty row

Update, ABC News, April 17, 2017, Arkansas fights on multiple legal fronts to begin executions

Crime and punishment in America - Arkansas fails to break an execution speed record, The Economist

Executed Arkansas man 'convulsed and groaned', BBC News, 28 April, 2017

I think of Jimmie ("DKT") on his protest crusade with the mobile gas-chamber on the back of a truck. Sadly, he died (from natural causes) in November 2009.

RIP, DKT