I’d like to include a disclaimer for what you're about to read: I hate Dylann Roof as much as the next person, I am not a supporter of his, he is an awful terrorist, and he deserves to go to prison for the rest of his life.
In my own life, I have grown up as a Democrat, a feminist, a political activist, and a Black Lives Matter supporter. I'm also a Unitarian Universalist, an environmentalist, and a vegetarian, so I believe killing any creature for any reason is wrong. And because of this, I also believe that Dylann Roof should not have been given the death penalty.
In the long run, I don’t think giving Roof a death sentence will bring a feeling of justice to the families of the victims, and I don’t think it solves the underlying problem of white supremacy in America. I don’t believe it’s the right way to carry out justice; it’s another death in a world full of a lot of death already. There were bombings in Syria every day for the past year, and thousands of people lost their lives. Adding another person to the list of the dead, no matter how horrible he is and the horrible things he did, seems inherently wrong.
Yes, Roof is a terrorist and I don’t think he’s misunderstood or mentally ill. Yes, he definitely had hateful intentions. The families of the people he killed will never recover. But as the famous saying goes, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” How can we follow unbelievable violence and hatred with more violence and hatred? How can we stoop to this terrorist’s level and use the same hateful method on him that we’re punishing him for using on others? If he were simply given a life sentence in prison, he would still never kill another person and he’d have to face his punishment until the end of his days; that’s a death in and of itself.
In the courtroom at Roof's trial, Bethane Middleton-Brown, the sister of one of the victims, stated, "We have no more room for hate." She, and the other victims' families, knew they wouldn’t feel like more justice had been served if Roof were killed than if he were sent to prison. In the end, putting Dylann Roof to death won’t bring back their loved ones. Middleton-Brown also stated, "We have to forgive. I pray God on your soul. And I also thank God I won't be around when your judgement day comes with him."
In fifty years, when people look back on the attack in Charleston and remember the victims, they won’t remember what happened to Dylann Roof. They won’t remember if he was given the death penalty or simply sent to live out the rest of his days in prison. All they’ll remember is that he got the punishment he deserved. All they’ll remember is that he wasn’t allowed to kill again, that he was taken somewhere where he could do no more harm. All they’ll remember is that justice was served.
