New York – A letter signed by the executive heads of seven Jewish organizations was sent to Florida Governor Charlie Crist today, imploring him to grant clemency to Martin Grossman, a death-row inmate scheduled for execution next Tuesday, and to allow him to repay his debt to society by serving the rest of his life in prison. The signatories also request a meeting in person with Governor Crist to discuss the matter and better relate the depth of their concern.
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Mr. Grossman was convicted of killing Margaret Parks, a Florida Wildlife Officer in 1984, when he was 19 years old. “Nothing in our humanitarian plea,” the letter reads in part, “is intended in any way to minimize the horror of the crime Mr. Grossman committed or the tragedy of Ms. Parks’s killing.”
But, the letter continues, the crime was committed when Mr. Grossman was under the influence of drugs and alchohol, and he “has conducted himself as a model prisoner since his incarceration some 25 years ago… [and] has shown profound remorse and regret for his actions.”
Organizations or individuals who can assist in this emergency effort are asked to contact Rabbi Zvi Boyarsky at [email protected] / 718-415-2221 Or Rabbi Moshe Matz at mmatz@agudathisrael 305-532-2500
Hashem please grant this request.
Everyone should be contacting Governor Christ for his decision is likely to be based on a political calculation more than anything else. If he is inundated with letters from the Jewish community — an important voting constituency in the state of Florida — voicing their displeasure with his decision, he may just issue a stay of execution. You never know. Every letter and email counts.
we all hope that the govner will have racmunes
Nice To See Both Satmar’S Agreed On A Issue UJ CARE and UJO
how do i contact the governors office?
Let’s keep praying, it’s never to late!!! Miracles can always be there…
Contact the Governor!! If you can’t fax a letter, call the Executive office below.
If anyone wants to help with this really big mitzvah of saving a fellow jew please write and call the Office of Governor Charlie Crist.
Address-State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Telephone:
* Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
* Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]
Fax: (850) 487-0801
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-martin-grossman
But not every Jew agrees. I know plenty of people who think he’s no more deserving of being spared than anyone else on Death Row.
It’s about time all these organizations are bonded together under one umbrella organization.
If it’s political considerations, that makes execution more likely.
Governor Crist is now trailing in the Republican Senatorial primary, and his opponent is to the right of him politically. Since capital punishment is popular with the right wing of the Republican party, any clemency is likely to be a political negative. And since either Republican candidate would likely beat the Democratic candidate, the primary is the important election.
have just read and signed the petition: “Save Martin Grossman”.
Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 50000 signatures – please sign here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-martin-grossman
Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well
From what I read the boy grew up with a very sick father whom he had to take care of and who passed away when he was 14. After that tragedy, his mother could not cope and there was nobody to raise him in a normal happy environment during childhood. He also had severe learning disabilities (IQ 77) which made him unable to succeed or adjust well while in school.
These are the points which should be emphasized. I have no idea why these Rabbanim are emphasizing the drug and alcohol issue as a cause for leniency. I think the letter should be completely rewritten and resent.
Hashem yerachem bimheiro.
It is simply absurd for these organizations to support clemency just because the condemned is Jewish. This is a MASSIVE Chilul Hashem, and these organizations have lost all credibility going forward.
heard rabbi oirechman from talahasse and kaploun in NMB have been working hard on this project
As someone who doesn’t believe that man (including government) has a right to take another man’s life, I ask this question; where are these organizations for all the other people who are murdered under the guise of “death penalties”?
Oh, please. Stop calling fellow Jews anti-Semites because they don’t agree with you. Sham on you, buddy.
I’m guessing that if he had killed somebody in your family you wouldn’t care what religion he was. And I’m guessing that if he wasn’t a Jew, you wouldn’t even care if he was guilty or innocent.
Liberalism is a disease. Look at all the bleeding hearts.
Who are we to be judge and jury here? This man commited murder and was found to be guilty in a court of law in a state where they execute murderers. Reb Moshe says that in our society, there is a need for capital punishment. This is pashut to me. I would never sign a petition for a murderer. Even if a Yid commits a crime, he must pay the price.
Reply to previous story # 109
Part # 1
Over all I agree with your view, and you show that you have a heart of a Jew and I applaud you willingness to speak up while some on this pages call for blood, you are not deterred and seek justices. But let me explain to you the meaning of premeditation, it is not that the perp had to sit down and calculate that he will kill this officer, the law is clear that if the perp had even only one second to plan and make a decision to kill, it is considered premeditation. Unfortunate for Grossman, he wrestled away the gun from the officers and shot her with her own gun, after he begged the office not to report his gun possession, because he was already on parole, so the jury looked at this case as premeditated because he know that if the officer reported him he will go to jail.
I will fail in honesty if I don’t make an objection to you comment “Once upon a time any Jew accused of any crime was considered guilty without trial and not just merely guilty of a crime but guilty of a “premeditated” crime. Could it be (just by chance) that this happened also to this jury? You’ll forgive me for asking. One thing is for sure, a name like “Grossman” wasn’t to his benefit;” I think it is counter productive to raise the victim mentality, we don’t need people to write to the Governor that he was railroaded in the justices system, I would like you to retract that specific comment.
Over the last few years, we argued and debated numerous issues and sometimes we agree or disagree, but I always am inclined to stand with the victim, but regardless I always considered myself a Jew first, I always look at any Jew as part of my family, in essence he is my brother and I am responsible to do whatever I could do to negate any pain a Jew might have especially if the death penalty is on the table, yes I am family, and I would ask every Jew who considers himself part of the Jewish family, to speak up, even if you are Pro Death Penalty, if your brother C’V is on death row would you do what you could as a brother to save his life for sure yes. The same here I don’t care if he is a killer of a police officer I am not subjective; I am willing to beg the Governor to grant clemency. It is no contradiction in my core beliefs, the reason why I beg of you to sit down and right a letter or e-mail to the Governor, is not that I want to minimize Grossman crime, no I will not trash the jury system in the state of Florida, no I am only begging the Governor, as a fellow brother-Jew we need to help Grossman to stay alive, to give clemency to an individual who changed his life and is a model prisoner for the last twenty five years. Please remember that you need to be respectful and before you send something read and make sure that you write to the point and with heart.
Write to the Governor Charlie Crist you could easily Google for the e-mail address.
Reply to previous # 109
Part # 2
Although I am for the death penalty, simply I cannot take the death penalty off the table for a Nazi; therefore, I cannot claim that I am totally against the death penalty. However in this case I am fully supportive of any person who would call on Governor Chirs to grant clemency to Grossman, first he is a Jew and as a Jew I am bound by the fact that he is my brother, and yes he did commit a terrible crime, but I as his family member, hope and pray that he is not put to death, in particular that he changed his behavior and he will stay for life in jail.
Finally I hope and pray that everyone will write to the governor Charlie Crist and please use a measured tone, for god’s sake do not attack the Florida judicial system, just plead for clemency only.
Margaret Park, a five foot two inch Florida wildlife officer. She came upon two men target-shooting. Groosman was a formerly convicted criminal on parole with a stolen gun. Grossman beat Park with her flashlight while she screamed into her police radio, hitting her 20 to 30 times as she begged for her life – as his friend Thane Taylor held her down. Grossman took her gun then shot her in the back of the head with her own .357-caliber Magnum. Grossman was six foot three and 250 pounds, and was 19 when he killed her. They later confessed to the murder to several friends, who testified at their trial.
As required in the Noahide Laws this society has established courts & has ruled the man committed murder. He was then sentenced to death—if we follow Dina d’malchuta dina (“the law of the land is law”), then why not put him to death? The Gemara supports capital pubishment. Shemuel HaNagid’s community even executed a man on Yom Kippur to drive the point home that when a court makes a ruling, it is binding.
I’m sure the woman’s family who is still mourning after their daughter’s murder would agree that this man, just because he is Jewish, deserves no special attention.
My thoughs…
What kind of a chillul hashem are you showing by one hand supporting the death penalty ,for every murderer ,but if he is Jewish not ,you look like a big laughing stock & huge hypocrit,unless you are against the death penalty period .I believe life in prison is bigger torture than Capital punishment ,but a majority of my frum community around the world support the death penalty ,therefore what is it going to be? This is a huge chillul hashem when the goyim see that the jews see themselves as being superior to others even when commiting a henious crime as murder wether under the influence of drugs ,smoke ,crack or whatever ,shhhhhhhhhhhhh if it was a shvartzer ,we would not be happier.
Let the family of the victim decide what to do with this guy ,if they say fry ,then fry if they say let him go then thats it.They deserve retribution & i am sure that if someone chas vashalom did the same to your family you would want the same ,I know it could be difficult ,however you have to look at the big picture ,think about the low life in monsey that gave treif to the whole community or thar garbage that stole money from hundreds of frum people Im sure you would have no problem of those two guys yemach shimom if they can do such a heartless thing to others.