#DeathRowInmate #LastMeal #PhilipWorkman #Charity #PizzaForHomeless #TIL
🍕 The story of Philip Workman, an inmate on death row, has touched the hearts of many people around the world. His final act of kindness has inspired a wave of generosity and compassion that continues to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
In this article, we will delve deeper into the story of Philip Workman and the impact of his final request on the community. We will also explore how the public’s response has created a lasting legacy of compassion and giving.
## The Story of Philip Workman
Philip Workman was a death row inmate in Tennessee who made a remarkable request for his last meal. Instead of asking for an extravagant feast, he requested that a vegetarian pizza be given to a homeless person located nearby. This simple act of kindness demonstrated Workman’s compassion and empathy, even in the face of his own impending death.
Despite this heartfelt request, prison officials refused to honor it, stating that they do not donate to charity. This decision sparked outrage and disbelief among many people who were moved by Workman’s gesture.
After Workman’s execution, the public decided to take matters into their own hands. People from all walks of life came together to donate pizzas to homeless shelters in Workman’s name. This outpouring of support and generosity demonstrated the power of compassion and the impact that one person’s actions can have on others.
## The Impact of Workman’s Last Request
Workman’s final act of kindness touched the hearts of people around the world and inspired a wave of charitable giving. The impact of his request went beyond the walls of the prison and ignited a spirit of generosity in the community.
The public’s response to Workman’s request created a lasting legacy of compassion and giving. People were inspired to pay it forward and help those in need, in honor of Workman’s selfless gesture.
The donated pizzas not only provided food for the homeless, but also served as a beacon of hope and compassion in the community. Workman’s final request sparked a movement of kindness and generosity that continues to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
## Creating a Lasting Legacy
The story of Philip Workman and the public’s response to his final request serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of one person’s actions. Workman’s simple act of kindness has inspired a movement of compassion and giving that continues to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
The public’s generosity in donating pizzas to homeless shelters in Workman’s name has created a lasting legacy of kindness and compassion. It has shown that even in the darkest moments, there is still the potential for positive change and meaningful impact.
Workman’s last request has also sparked important conversations about the treatment of death row inmates and the power of compassion in the face of adversity. His story has brought attention to issues of charity and the ways in which we can make a difference in the lives of others, even in the most challenging circumstances.
## Conclusion
The story of Philip Workman’s final request for a pizza for a homeless person has captured the hearts of many and inspired a movement of generosity and compassion. His simple act of kindness has created a lasting legacy of giving that continues to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
Workman’s story serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of one person’s actions and the potential for positive change, even in the most difficult of circumstances. The public’s response to his request has demonstrated the power of compassion and the ability to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.
The legacy of Philip Workman and the response to his final request for a pizza for a homeless person serves as a testament to the enduring power of kindness and the potential for positive change in the world. His story has touched the hearts of many and inspired a movement of generosity and compassion that continues to make a difference in the lives of those in need.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/05/09/execution.pizza/
Somebody made a killing
“We have no problem wasting your tax dollars on keeping your fellow citizens in a jail cell for the rest of their lives, but how dare you ask us to use you tax dollars to feed the hungry!”
American conservatives do “right to life” really weird.
Prison officials are the scum of the earth. They run a for-profit business that relies on keeping their prisons 100% occupied.
I have done a fair amount of research into this case. Important to know:
* Workman was struck on the head by a police flashlight as he was fleeing from a robbery.
* His firearm discharged and one of the officers pursuing him were killed.
* An examination of the ballistics evidence showed that the shots that killed the officer were inconsistent with the weapon Workman was carrying and were far more consistent with the weapons the Memphis Police Department were carrying; what seems most likely to have happened was Workman was hit by the flashlight, discharged the gun into the ground by accident, and the officers overreacted and killed Lieutenant Oliver by mistake.
* A witness who was instrumental in Workman’s conviction later testified under oath that he made the story up for reward money but was threatened by law enforcement and prevented from recanting until Workman’s defense team tracked him down themselves.
* Lieutenant Oliver’s daughter asked for the state to give Workman clemency but was ignored.
In all likelihood, Workman made this sacrifice of his last meal not only as he knew he was about to die, but knowing he was innocent. I pray his soul is at rest and that the death penalty is destroyed.
Edit: A lot of people have brought up the concept of felony murder and rather than quibble with everyone individually about it I thought I’d say something about it up top. There are some US states where you can face murder charges and even be executed when someone dies during the commission of a felony, even if the killing was unintentional. Different states handle this in different ways. You can face murder charges if:
* You kill someone inadvertently during the commission of a felony yourself
* You did not kill anyone but a criminal accomplice or co conspirator kills someone during a felony you participated in (classic example being the getaway driver for a robbery in which the guy who went into the bank shot someone)
* You did not kill anyone but someone was killed in the commission of the crime anyway (this can include being charged with the murder of your accomplice if your accomplice is killed by police, if someone is knocked over by police in pursuit of you and falls down and hits their head and dies, etc)
Different states use different variations of these different rules. Workman was convicted of first degree murder because Lieutenant Oliver was shot during the commission of a felony. Workman never denied that he committed the robbery or that he was armed. However, he was not convicted under a rule like example 2 or 3 but example 1. This was despite clear evidence indicating his gun did not fire the fatal shots and that Oliver was killed by a shot consistent with MPD weapons. So while felony murder is a thing, Workman was still executed wrongfully.
TIL an example of the state being more evil and useless than a dude on death row.
Tfw it’s the very first time when I thought about how much fear has it to be when you wait for death and that last meal don’t rly seem to be enjoyable when your stomach curls up
All I can think of is Booker T
“The justice system’s job is to *punish* poor people, not help them or improve the lives of anybody!! You moron! Now die!”
I didn’t think it was worth bringing up in the original post but I recall reading that an MPD officer that was terminated for cause later stated that the department knew that the fatal shots came from an officer and made sure everyone got their stories straight. I have only seen this reported secondhand and I don’t know who that cop was or exactly what he said so I don’t rely on it. However, for what it’s worth, the chaplain who provided guidance to Workman on death row seemed to believe this was true, from his book on their relationship.
See this is why humanity sucks and doesn’t suck.
Why the hell couldn’t the prison just give a fucking pizza to some homeless dude. So much needless bullshit in every aspect of life, and even death.
I’m the end it worked out pretty well I guess.
Obligatory fuck the death penalty. Barbaric practice that has no place in civilized society.
And even if you disagree on the barbaric part, the fact that innocent people are falsely executed at all is reason enough to abolish it. 1 false execution is 1 too many, and there is no government on Earth that I’d trust to get it right 100% of the time.
Philip Workman was convicted in 1982 for the murder of a police officer following a robbery of a Wendy’s restaurant in Memphis and sentenced to death by lethal injection.
“We’re in the business of killing, not feeding, we can’t do that!”.
Here’s your reminder that there isn’t a shred of data to suggest that the death penalty serves as an effective deterrent for criminals, there is an enormous likelihood that innocent people will be sentenced to death, and minorities are exponentially more likely to be sentenced to death than their white counterparts. Capital punishment is more expensive than someone serving a life sentence. There have been so many botched lethal injections lately that even states that are wanting to execute people have put a moratorium on executions. There is no reason to continue with the death penalty beyond a vindictive bloodlust that has no place in modern society.
I’ll get off my soapbox now, but I took a capital punishment seminar in law school and it makes my blood boil anytime it comes up.
This is one of the examples on why the death penalty is not encouraged much in the country anymore.
I get the impression it was more of a legality reason than a “le prison man bad” situation.
“The cruelty is the point.”
“look man, we don’t feed people unless we get to kill them afterwards”
“You want us to do something *nice?* For *peasants*?”