We, the comrades of Unit 1012, send our thanks and our
utmost respect to DA Michael Ramos who spoke out against the abolition of the
death penalty in California in 2012. He played a huge part in defeating Proposition 34 on November 6, 2012.
We believe that Chief Justice Rayner Goddard would be
proud of this DA if he was alive today. Like Goddard, Michael Ramos showed his
love and care for the victims and their grieving families. God bless you! You
deserve the Rayner Goddard Acts of Courage Award.
 |
| Michael A. Ramos |
Here are his article and his quotes
in defending capital punishment and the rights of victims:
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20121006/nothing-safe-about-repealing-californias-death-penalty
Nothing
'safe' about repealing California's death penalty
By District
Attorney Michael Ramos
Posted:
10/05/12, 9:00 PM PDT
As District Attorney of San Bernardino
County, my mission is to not only uphold the criminal justice system and
represent the people of our county, but to also make victims' rights a
priority. Just recently, there have been exaggerated efforts to repeal the
death penalty in the state of California, and I refuse to sit back and allow
the very people who elected me to this office to be manipulated by a blatantly
deceptive campaign.
This November, voters will have the
chance to vote on a ballot initiative known as the SAFE California Act, or
Proposition 34, which seeks to replace California's death penalty with a life
sentence with no chance of parole as the maximum punishment for murder. The
citizens of California have already voted for and approved the death penalty.
If this initiative passes, more than 700 death row inmates will be given life
without the possibility of parole, as well as lifetime housing and medical
care.
Let me be very clear: I oppose this
initiative, as do sheriffs, police chiefs, prosecutors, community leaders and
crime victims from all across the state.
First of all, the name itself is as
misleading as the arguments posed by Prop. 34 supporters. It's an insult to
voters as well as victims and their families, because those who support the
initiative want voters to believe that in some way we will all be
"safer" as a result of passing this initiative. Nothing could be
further from the truth. Backers of Prop. 34 also are hoping to gain advantage
by those voters who might not take the time to research the language or
implications prior to voting. There is absolutely nothing "safe"
about the SAFE California Act.
There are 37 inmates who were
convicted of crimes in San Bernardino County currently awaiting execution. Take
confessed triple-killer Jimmy Dale Kelley. When deputies arrived at the scene,
they found three victims with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. The
female victim had electrical wiring wrapped and tied around her head and face,
and the two males had their necks slashed open. Or what about the appalling
murder of Rialto Police Sgt. Gary Wolfey, who was gunned down in cold blood by
Dennis Mayfield? Or Brett Pensinger, who sexually abused and beat to death a
5-month-old child?
The list of criminals convicted and
sentenced to death by juries of law-abiding citizens goes on: Across the state,
we are talking about 135 sexual assault murderers, 126 torture murderers, 135
child murderers, and 41 individuals who killed police officers. These are the
worst of the worst criminals, and by seeking the death penalty, it is important
to remember that it is not a reflection of our brutality, but rather an
expression of our disdain for their brutal actions.
The Yes on 34 Campaign has asserted
that the current system is broken and expensive. Sadly for the victims' family
members, it does take far too long for convicted criminals to move through the
justice system, but the very people who are now crying foul, are the same
individuals who have bogged down the system for years with frivolous appeals.
We don't need to repeal the death penalty - we need to enact measures that
would mend the current system and prevent countless motions and appeals by the
ACLU and its supporters from clogging up our justice system.
Take Kevin Cooper, for example, one of
San Bernardino County's most notorious killers convicted nearly 30 years ago of
four gruesome murders in Chino Hills, including two children. Cooper has been
sitting on Death Row for 27 years. He has appealed 10 times each to the
California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The current appellate
process needs to be streamlined in order to prevent these all-too-familiar
delay tactics. Rather than provide brutal killers with lifetime housing and
health care, let's fix the current system and carry out what the voters
approved years ago.
As district attorney, the decision to
pursue the death penalty is perhaps the single most difficult decision that I
have to make. To condemn someone to death is the ultimate punishment, and it is
reserved for those who commit the worst imaginable crimes. I have nothing but
respect for the entire process, and just as much respect for our victims and
their families who didn't have a choice. You want to save money, let's start carrying
out the will of the voters and putting the prisoners on death row to death.
Preserve the death penalty. Protect California. Vote NO on Prop 34.
Michael Ramos is San Bernardino County
District Attorney.
 |
|
Michael Ramos with the Three Musketeers of
California. [[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.sbcountyda.org/AboutDARamos/AboutDistrictAttorneyMichaelRamos.aspx]
|
QUOTES BY MICHAEL RAMOS:
QUOTE 1: San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael
Ramos was among fellow top prosecutors at the steps of the state Capitol on
Tuesday April 24, 2012 voicing their opposition to a measure that aims to
abolish California's death penalty.
The
California District Attorneys Association, of which Ramos is past president, is
opposed to the SAFE California Act, a November ballot measure that would
replace the death penalty with the punishment of life in prison without
parole.
The measure
to abolish the death penalty official qualified for the November ballot on
Monday.
If voters
approve, 725 death row inmates would have their sentences converted to the new
punishment, which would be the harshest that prosecutors could seek.
In
Sacramento, Ramos marched with fellow district attorneys and victims' family
members in support of Crime Victims Week, which began on Monday. Opponents say
the measure removes justice for victims of death row prisoners.
"It's
a horrible idea and I think (supporters of the measure) are manipulating the
facts," Ramos said.
"Nobody sitting on California's death row has ever been proven innocent.
These people brutally and horrifically murdered citizens of our county. We are
careful about who we select for the death penalty and we don't make these decisions
lightly ... I can tell you that the people sitting on death row are not only
guilty, but they deserve the ultimate punishment."
QUOTE 2: Saturday May 5, 2012 - San Bernardino County
District Attorney Michael A. Ramos is speaking out against a November ballot
initiative that aims to end the death penalty in California.
In an
interview, he said it's his priority right now.
The SAFE
California Act was cleared last month for the fall ballot. It seeks to replace
the death penalty with a sentence of life in state prison without the
possibility of parole as the maximum punishment for murder.
The
initiative's proponent, Savings, Accountability and Full Enforcement for
California, cited several reasons for the repeal effort, including the state's
significant budget crisis, the high cost of maintaining the death penalty and
the risk of executing an innocent person.
If the
initiative passes, more than 700 death row inmates - including 43 who committed
their crimes in San Bernardino County - would join the prison's general
population. But it would require the inmates to work and pay restitution to the
state victim compensation fund.
"I
think it's wrong," Ramos said of the repeal effort. "As we know, the citizens of California have voted for
and approved the death penalty."
Ramos said
the title of the SAFE California Act is misleading and that its proponents are
simply using California's tough economic times to further their cause.
We
have nobody who is innocent sitting on death row, he
said.
QUOTE 3: Ramos said the non-profit RAND Corp. found no
objective data as to the true cost of the death penalty. The state will have to
pay for housing either way, he said.
"I'm
such an advocate for the death penalty," said
Ramos, who also advocates for victims' rights. "You
want to save money, let's start putting people (on death row) to
death."
Statewide,
41 death row inmates killed police officers, 141 killed children and 135
sexually assaulted and raped their victims, Ramos said.
One of San
Bernardino County's notorious killers, Kevin Cooper, has been sitting on death
row for 27 years after being convicted of the hatchet slayings on June 4, 1983,
of Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old house
guest in Chino Hills.
Cooper appealed
10 times each to the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, Ramos
said.
"Each
time, the evidence got stronger against him," he said. "Cooper wanted us to conduct DNA testing and we did. The
most recent blood tests revealed Cooper's DNA."
QUOTE 4: No execution date has been set for Cooper or any
other California death row inmates because of concerns that the state's lethal
injection method, which uses three injections, is inhumane.
But Ramos
does agree that the death penalty needs to be fixed. There should be an
appellate process, he said, but it needs to be streamlined to prevent appeals
just for the purpose of delay.
Ramos also
believes the method used should be a single injection and that it's not cruel
and unusual punishment.
"It's
a humane way," he said. "It
basically puts them to sleep. I will tell you this, our victims didn't have
that choice. They didn't get to say goodbye to family members."
QUOTE 5: District attorneys statewide use their discretion
when deciding whether to seek the death penalty.
"This
is probably one of the most serious decisions I have to make as a DA,"
Ramos said, "whether or not to seek the death
penalty. I have a lot of respect for the whole process. It's a huge decision to
make."
QUOTE 6: Wednesday October 3, 2012 - San Bernardino County
District Attorney Mike Ramos, a Catholic, said he respects Prejean.
But Ramos,
who did not attend Wednesday’s speech, said the death penalty truly is for the
worst of the worst. He pointed to Rickie Lee Fowler. A jury convicted Fowler of
five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson in connection with
the 91,000-acre Old Fire. The same jury Sept. 28 recommended that Fowler be
executed. Earlier this year, Fowler was sentenced to 75 years to life for
repeatedly raping a cellmate.
“If
Fowler is not executed”, Ramos said, “he’s going to
continue to commit crimes on other victims. Our question is, ‘Will he kill
someone in prison? Will he kill a correctional officer?’”
QUOTE 7: Ramos said passage of Prop. 34 would cause pain
and suffering for the families of victims. Murderers like Fowler will be able
to receive visits from their families.
“Where
do our families go?” Ramos asked. “They go to
the cemetery.”
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