You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

Texas Executes Shaka Sankofa (Gary Graham)

Listen
Media Options
Listen

Related

    Beaten up and handcuffed, Shaka Sankofa, Gary Graham was executed by the state last night at 8:49 Texas time. He reportedly kept his vow to fight like hell when the authorities tried to strap him to the gurney. He had refused to eat his final meal on the table of those who would execute him. And when it came time for him to be transferred to the room where he would die, he resisted. The prison sent in what they called a Cell Extraction Team to remove him by force. It took five jail guards to strap him to the gurney. Handcuffed, Graham gave a six-minute statement, in which he asserted his innocence and called his execution a lynching. He reportedly died looking at the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was a witness in the chamber. His final words, “They are murdering me tonight.”

    Tape, Audio Mix Of The Day Of The Execution Featuring:

    • Rev. Jesse Jackson, who witnessed the execution.
    • Texas Gov. George Bush
    • Minister Robert Muhammad, Shaka Sankofas spiritual advisor.
    • Michael Graczyk, a writer for the Associated Press who witnessed the execution.
    • Loyd Guyet, of Fox 26 News who witnessed the execution.
    • Salatheia Bryant, staff writer of the Houston Chronicle who witnessed the execution.
    • Larry Fitzgerald, Huntsville Prison Spokesperson.

    Related Story

    StoryMar 22, 2024U.S. Said It Was Calling for a Gaza Ceasefire, But Its U.N. Resolution Didn’t Say That: Phyllis Bennis
    The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

    Non-commercial news needs your support

    We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
    Please do your part today.
    Make a donation
    Top