Dear Governor Lee: 

We write to you as a faith community of Quakers in Memphis to ask that you, in your capacity as Governor of Tennessee, have mercy and grant clemency to Pervis Payne and commute his sentence.

Quakers have a long history of opposition to capital punishment because we believe that there is that of God in everyone. We embrace the humanity of the victim and that of the accused.

During your gubernatorial campaign you spoke often about your experience with the prison ministry organization, Men of Valor, and the way it compelled you to work on criminal justice reform. Many in our Quaker meeting have similarly been trained in the prison-based Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), which has brought us into jail settings where we have experienced the power of being in community with those who are incarcerated. Those of us who are part of AVP have received support from the entire Memphis Friends Meeting in this volunteer work. As a faith community, we are committed to remain connected to those who are in the criminal justice system and to seek nonviolent solutions together.

Mr. Payne, the son of a pastor, is a stalwart participant in church services on Tennessee’s death row. A pastor who has come to know him well is Kevin Riggs of Franklin Community Church, who first met Mr. Payne over six years ago. Rev. Dr. Riggs describes him as kind, friendly, and always wanting to know more about God.

Mr. Payne’s case calls to us because we oppose the death penalty on spiritual grounds and because we see so much evidence that Mr. Payne has spiritual gifts to offer to the wider community.

We take note that Mr. Payne was denied the chance to prove his innocence with DNA analysis because the sample in custody was lost. We are also aware that he has been intellectually disabled since birth but has not yet been afforded his constitutional right as an intellectually disabled person to be protected from capital punishment.

Echoing the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “The time is always right to do what is right,” we ask that you please commute Mr. Payne’s sentence.

In the light,

Coldwell Khyber Daniel, Clerk

Approved in Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business on 14 March, 2021.