Wear what you believe in
Some people in Valley making profit from death penalty debate by selling opinionated T-shirts
By Zach Taylor
Tribune-Star
The death penalty debate has come down to T-shirts.
Four shirts bearing slogans for and against the execution of Timothy McVeigh can now be found in the Wabash Valley. One of the shirts favoring McVeigh's May 16 execution can be found on the Internet auction site eBay.
Jim Handlin, designer and seller of the shirt, said he has thus far sold seven copies of the shirt bearing the words "Hoosier Hospitality/McVeigh/Terre Haute/May 16, 2001, Final Justice" and featuring a picture of a syringe.
"It's no big deal. They haven't really been flying," the Terre Haute man said. "I look to have more sales as time gets closer and there's more publicity on national TV."
Buyers of the unusual and timely garb have come from as far away as New York, but three of them have sold locally, Handlin said.
"I sold one to somebody whose [e-mail] address is iamadrunk.com," he said. "I don't know what kind of people are buying them, but I know that a lot of people are looking at them."
The shirts sell for approximately $7 depending on the bidding wars on the auction site. Handlin said they cost him about $2.50 to make. Area businesses are planning to sell the shirts locally as the execution date nears, he said, but declined to say which businesses.
"I'm not really in the T-shirt business. I just bought a machine, a heat press here a month ago or so," 65-year-old Handlin said. "The idea just popped in my mind that these would sell pretty good."
Tony Lewis of Terre Haute is taking multiple stances on the death penalty and a more traditional selling approach. His "Stop the Killing, Let McVeigh Live" T-shirts that feature a man strapped to a gurney, much like the one to be used in the execution, and his "Terre Haute Extra Hangin' Times, Die!, Die, Die!" shirt that uses a newspaper front with McVeigh's likeness can be found at Body Art Emporium, 127 S. Seventh St., Terre Haute.
Lewis is offering a third shirt, which also uses the "Hangin' Times" theme but is profanity laden.
He is selling buttons bearing similar themes as well.
I'm doing it "just to make a little money," Lewis said. "To support of the death penalty."
So why make the anti-death penalty shirt?
"To make a little money," Lewis responded. "It's fun, ya know. It's a conversation piece."
About 100 of Lewis' T-shirts have sold so far, and the buyers are of all ages, he said.
"Of course, no minors or anything like that," Lewis said.
Debbie Walker, who is selling Lewis' shirts at Body Art, said the shirts are selling for between $20 and $25. The shirts have been a "fantastic" item, she said.
"They have been selling like hotcakes," she said. The shirts are selling well because people view them as "collector's items," Walker added.
"Let's face it: This is the first time this has been done in Terre Haute, let alone that this guy ruined so many lives," she said.
Walker said she and Lewis planned to give $5 from the sale of every shirt to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, "but they didn't know if they wanted money from these shirts. They deserve it though."
Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, could not be reached for comment.
Lewis said he's not seeing much of a profit from the shirts yet but is expecting things to pick up as the execution approaches. He said he'll have more shirts printed if needed.
The shirts have garnered a mixed response, the 31-year-old Lewis said.
"I think there's more people who are certainly for it," he said. "A lot of people don't want to get involved with it one way or another even though they are for it."
Lewis doesn't have much to say to those against it.
"That's their opinion," he said.
Those opinions are held by some local officials. Rod Henry, president of the Greater Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, said city officials would prefer local residents refrain from profiting on death.
"We just kinda of hope that we can escape that kind of vendor activity," Henry said.
Suzanne Carter, of the Terre Haute Abolition Network and chair of the Terre Haute chapter of Unitarian Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, agreed.
"I just think it's completely inappropriate to create souvenirs for this event," Carter said. "It's in poor taste."
However, Handlin contends there's nothing wrong with selling them, and the people who know he's doing it are behind him.
"The man killed 168 people and he wants to die," he said. "I don't see anything wrong with it. There's nothing really degrading on [my]" shirt, he added.
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