Differences run through demonstrator camps
By Peter Ciancone and Zach Taylor
Tribune-Star
Few of the more than 300 pro- and anti-death penalty demonstrators at the U.S. Penitentiary, Terre Haute, celebrated the news of Timothy McVeigh's death Monday - the first federal execution in nearly 40 years.
A handful of pro-death penalty demonstrators cheered, while most pondered McVeigh's crime as they stood in a fenced-in section of the prison grounds. Meanwhile, in another roped-off area hundreds of yards away, concentric circles of anti-death penalty advocates joined hands and prayed for an end to the death penalty.
"Timothy McVeigh does deserve what he's getting," said Maci Porter of Cincinnati, a death penalty supporter who was offended by the cheers. McVeigh's death wasn't a cause for celebration for her.
"It's sad that we put to death somebody because of the hatred in him," Porter said. "You can see the hatred in those cheers. This brings out the worst in people."
Geoff Wilson of Indianapolis cheered.
"It's one less monster that we have to deal with," he said.
Questions and differences of opinion ran through both camps. Even the prayer offered at the pro-death penalty camp brought protest from one woman, who refused to pray for McVeigh or his family.
After anti-death penalty demonstrators had spent 168 minutes of silence - one for each victim of the bombing - they started singing "We Shall Overcome," only to be interrupted by a minister from Atlanta.
"Jesus loves Tim McVeigh," the Rev. Fred Smith shouted about the singers' voices.
"Is anybody concerned about Tim McVeigh's soul? This is nothing but a political agenda," Smith chastised the singers wishing for a federal moratorium on the death penalty. "Maybe he's going to stand next to you in heaven. Maybe he was born again today. You never know."
The demonstrators responded by raising their voices to "overcome" Smith.
The mood at the pro-death penalty camp was somber as members of the group, outnumbered by the anti-death penalty demonstrators, tried to come to terms with what McVeigh had done.
"I'm sure some people may see him as a hero," said Christopher Gibson of Indianapolis. Gibson emphatically did not, and tried to understand the reasons McVeigh planted the bomb in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.
"He's a product of something," Gibson said. "That raises a lot of questions, too."
Questions of a different nature were brought up at the anti-death penalty camp.
Shannon Webb said the FBI documents that weren't produced until a week before McVeigh's original May 16 execution date leave a lot unanswered. He carried a sign reading "Corporate media + DOJ + Federal Judiciary = A Fraud against the People! Due Process Dead?"
"This town has been thrust into a gross cover-up,"
said Webb of Louisville, Ky. "I think the American people
have a right to know exactly what he's guilty of and who else
is guilty.
"I've lost faith in my federal government."
But while demonstrators may have held different views, all could agree that the Murrah building bombing was a disaster that affected the whole country.
"It's a tragedy from start to finish," said Dan Johnson of Tacoma, Wash. "It's a tragedy for the victims, a tragedy for McVeigh and a tragedy for the country."
Porter agreed.
"The day he bombed that building, America became a victim, not just the people in Oklahoma City," Porter said.
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