BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Members of Death Penalty Action gathered Friday morning outside the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as federal proceedings continued in the case involving Luigi Mangione, protesting the federal government’s pursuit of the death penalty and raising concerns about politicization of capital punishment.
The protest took place between 10 a.m. and noon. According to a press release from the organization, the demonstration focused on what it described as inconsistency and inequity in the federal government’s use of capital punishment.
Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, criticized federal leadership and said, “Attorney General Bondi inserted the Administration’s political agenda into this case by calling for the death penalty even before Mangione was indicted, immediately politicizing the case.” The organization said in its press release that it takes no position on Mangione’s guilt or innocence and that the protest was organized in response to the broader implications of seeking capital punishment.
In its statement, Death Penalty Action pointed to what it called disparities between Mangione’s case and other high-profile federal prosecutions. The group said “the federal government’s decision to seek the death penalty from the start, while not pursuing it in others like the El Paso Walmart shooting, raises serious questions about the equity that deserve public attention.” The organization said the protest was intended to challenge how prosecutors decide when to seek the death penalty.
The press release also referenced the victims of the El Paso Walmart shooting while questioning federal sentencing decisions in that case. Death Penalty Action stated, “Those people in Texas were doing nothing other than shopping when they were gunned down by a racially motivated mass shooter who traveled hundreds of miles to ensure he could kill as many Hispanics as possible.” The organization argued that the absence of capital punishment in that case, despite its severity, illustrates inequities in the justice system.
Concerns about the Mangione case have also been raised by the Death Penalty Information Center. In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, center Executive Director Robin Maher described the announcement that prosecutors would seek the death penalty as “rare” and said it “in combination with the unusual timing in this case, suggests that the death penalty is being used here to achieve some sort of political purpose.” The organization has raised questions about the role of political considerations in capital charging decisions.
Death Penalty Action also noted that New York has abolished the death penalty, while federal prosecutors are pursuing capital punishment in a case arising within the state. In its press release, the organization stated, “Luigi’s case is in the State of New York, a jurisdiction which has rejected capital punishment.”
The group further argued that parallel prosecutions are unnecessary. “Prosecution of Mr. Mangione while the state pursues its own case is an unnecessary waste of government resources while at the same time inserting the Trump Administration’s authoritarian agenda for purely political purposes,” the organization said.
According to the press release, Death Penalty Action describes its work as focused on advocacy, education and direct action related to capital punishment. The organization said it seeks greater equity and consistency in federal prosecutions and sentencing and noted that its members have demonstrated outside state and federal courthouses in New York during previous hearings in the case.
The organization said it plans to continue urging public opposition to the use of the death penalty in the Mangione case.
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