11 June
2014
Rick Scott, Governor, State of Florida
cc: Pam Bondi, Attorney General, State of Florida; Adam Putnam, Agriculture Commissioner, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Jeff Atwater, Chief Financial Officer, Florida Department of Financial Services
Dear
Governor Scott,
We are
writing to you once again to request you undo injustice committed in your state
by granting executive clemency/commutation of sentence for Felix Garcia. Mr. Garcia,
a partially Deaf man, has served 32 years in prison for a crime he did not
commit, a crime his Hearing brother recently confessed to committing. Both his
brother and his sister have provided affidavits concerning his innocence. Additionally, Mr. Garcia never had full
access to information during his arrest, his trial, and imprisonment due to the
failure to provide him with reasonable communication accommodations. Thus, he
was unable to fully assist with his own defense.
Audism Free
America (AFA), as well as others in the Deaf community has a grave concern for
Deaf citizens in Florida, as evidence by the treatment of Felix Garcia. AFA is a national grassroots advocacy
network working to combat audism. Audism
is attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of
those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of
privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice—in
overt or covert ways—against Deaf culture, American Sign Language, and Deaf
people of all walks of life. Felix
Garcia has been a victim of audism in being denied his rights to a fair trial
and wrongful imprisonment. We
believe you have the opportunity now to look again at his application for
clemency and do the right thing—granting him his freedom. With the growing inmate population in
Florida, you cannot afford to keep innocent individuals imprisoned.
Please do
not let Felix Garcia be an example of the failure of the Florida justice system
toward innocent Deaf citizens.
Let Freedom
Roll,
Karen
Christie, Patti Durr and Ruthie Jordan on behalf of Audism Free America
