WARREN Opponents of execution speak at JFK

By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Rather than advocating the death of the mentally ill homeless man who stabbed his younger brother to death, Art Laffin instead prayed for the man.
Laffin, who spoke to students Tuesday at John F. Kennedy High School, is part of the Ohio Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing, an effort sponsored by Ohioans to Stop Executions. It's a 17-day speaking tour across the state by death-penalty opponents who are family members of murder victims. The event started last month in Dayton and concludes this weekend in Columbus.
Laffin is a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Work House of Hospitality of Washington, D.C. His brother, Paul, worked at a homeless shelter in Connecticut for 10 years before his 1999 murder.
"Paul would never want the man who killed him to be murdered also," Laffin said of his brother.
He advocates following Jesus Christ's teaching to love one's neighbor and to forgive. His brother's killer was ruled incompetent to stand trial and has been hospitalized.
"Some say executions bring closure to the victims' families," Laffin said. "We say that they only create more victims. We don't want to see what has happened to us happen to other families. We want to break the cycle of violence."
Teresa Tyson, another member of the group, encouraged students to sign a death-penalty moratorium initiated by Sister Helen Prejean, a death-penalty opponent whose book "Dead Man Walking" was turned into a movie several years ago.
Signing the moratorium doesn't mean one is anti-death penalty, Tyson said. It's just asking for a temporary stop until a way is devised so it may be applied more justly.
"There are no rich people on death row," Tyson said.
The presentation generated differing opinions on the topic. One girl, who said her mother was a murder victim, opposes the death penalty. Others said most people on death row belong there and that they'd want someone who had killed one of their loved ones to be executed.
Laffin and Tyson favor life in prison for those convicted of murder. Laffin believes that violence begets violence. The group's goal is healing and restoration.
"You can't kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong," Laffin said.
denise.dick@vindy.com