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Topic: Executed man's last request honored (Read 532 times)

Rhune
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Executed man's last request honored
« on: May 10^th, 2007, 7:43pm »

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Executed man's last request honored -- pizza for homeless
POSTED: 10:25 a.m. EDT, May 10, 2007

By Ashley Fantz
CNN
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(CNN) -- Hundreds of homeless people in Nashville, Tennessee, ate well Wednesday evening -- all in the name of a man who the state put to death just hours earlier.

Philip Workman, 53, requested that his final meal be a vegetarian pizza donated to any homeless person located near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

He was executed there at 2 a.m. ET Wednesday. (Watch witnesses describe his last moments )

But prison officials refused to honor his request, saying that they do not donate to charities.

That apparently upset a few people willing to pay for and deliver a lot of pies themselves.

Homeless shelters across Nashville were inundated with donated pizzas all Wednesday. (Watch homeless feast on piles of pizza )

"I was like, 'Wow, Jesus!' " said Marvin Champion, an employee of Nashville's Rescue Mission, which provides overnight shelter, food and assistance to more than 800 homeless people a night.

"I used to be homeless, so I know how rough it gets. I seen some bad times -- not having enough food, the cupboards are bare. But we got pizza to feed enough people for awhile," Champion said.

"This really shows the people here that someone out there thought of them."

$1,200 worth of pies
Donna Spangler heard about Workman's request and immediately called her friends. They all pitched in for the $1,200 bill to buy 150 pizzas, which they sent to the Rescue Mission.

"Philip Workman was trying to do a good deed and no one would help him," said the 55-year-old who recruited a co-worker to help her make the massive delivery Wednesday evening.

"I knew my husband would have a heart attack -- I put some of it on the credit card. But I thought we'll find a way to pay for them later," she said. "I just felt like I had to do something positive."

Spangler wasn't the only person to place an order in Workman's name.

The president of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals read a news story about the prison denying the inmate's last request and ordered 15 veggie pizzas sent to the Rescue Mission Wednesday morning.

"Workman's act was selfless, and kindness to all living beings is a virtue," said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.

Not far away, 17 pizzas arrived at Nashville's Oasis Center, a shelter that helps about 260 teenagers in crisis. By 9 p.m. ET, more pizzas had arrived, said executive director Hal Cato.

"We talked to the kids and they understand what this is tied to and they know that this man [Workman] wanted to do something to point out the problems of homelessness."

When Workman robbed a Wendy's in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1981, he was a strung-out cocaine addict looking for a way to pay for his next high, he has said.

He was homeless at the time. Workman was convicted of shooting and killing Memphis Police Lt. Ronald Oliver during the robbery.

Many of the pizzas ordered in Workman's name were delivered anonymously, but the first 17 at Oasis Center came from a Minneapolis, Minnesota, radio station that devoted much of its morning show time talking about Workman's request.

"They were upset about it," said Cato.

He plans to call other homeless shelters in Nashville Thursday and share the pies. "They should be able to benefit from this, too," he said.

Cliff Tredway, the director of public relations for the Rescue Mission, said it's more than pizzas that helped that shelter.

"It's the story of a guy whose execution translated into a generous act," he said. "It's people donating to other people they don't know.

"It's about a group of people who society often writes off getting a pizza party today."

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Rhune
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #1 on: May 10^th, 2007, 7:45pm »

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I understand why the prison couldn't follow through on that request, and don't think they should be faulted for it. I do like that other people were inspired by it, and that so many people pitched in to do this act of kindness as a result.

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Joab
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #2 on: May 12^th, 2007, 1:39am »

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I'm honouring the executed man for his effort. This is inspiring, indeed.

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Bumper
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #3 on: May 12^th, 2007, 5:47pm »

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on May 10^th, 2007, 7:43pm, Rhune wrote:

Executed man's last request honored -- pizza for homeless
POSTED: 10:25 a.m. EDT, May 10, 2007

By Ashley Fantz
CNN

(CNN) -- Hundreds of homeless people in Nashville, Tennessee, ate well Wednesday evening -- all in the name of a man who the state put to death just hours earlier.

Philip Workman, 53, requested that his final meal be a vegetarian pizza donated to any homeless person located near Riverbend Maximum Security Institution.

He was executed there at 2 a.m. ET Wednesday.

But prison officials refused to honor his request, saying that they do not donate to charities.

That apparently upset a few people willing to pay for and deliver a lot of pies themselves.

Homeless shelters across Nashville were inundated with donated pizzas all Wednesday.

"I was like, 'Wow, Jesus!' " said Marvin Champion, an employee of Nashville's Rescue Mission, which provides overnight shelter, food and assistance to more than 800 homeless people a night.

"I used to be homeless, so I know how rough it gets. I seen some bad times -- not having enough food, the cupboards are bare. But we got pizza to feed enough people for awhile," Champion said.

"This really shows the people here that someone out there thought of them."

$1,200 worth of pies
Donna Spangler heard about Workman's request and immediately called her friends. They all pitched in for the $1,200 bill to buy 150 pizzas, which they sent to the Rescue Mission.

"Philip Workman was trying to do a good deed and no one would help him," said the 55-year-old who recruited a co-worker to help her make the massive delivery Wednesday evening.

"I knew my husband would have a heart attack -- I put some of it on the credit card. But I thought we'll find a way to pay for them later," she said. "I just felt like I had to do something positive."

Spangler wasn't the only person to place an order in Workman's name.

The president of the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals read a news story about the prison denying the inmate's last request and ordered 15 veggie pizzas sent to the Rescue Mission Wednesday morning.

"Workman's act was selfless, and kindness to all living beings is a virtue," said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.

Not far away, 17 pizzas arrived at Nashville's Oasis Center, a shelter that helps about 260 teenagers in crisis. By 9 p.m. ET, more pizzas had arrived, said executive director Hal Cato.

"We talked to the kids and they understand what this is tied to and they know that this man [Workman] wanted to do something to point out the problems of homelessness."

When Workman robbed a Wendy's in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1981, he was a strung-out cocaine addict looking for a way to pay for his next high, he has said.

He was homeless at the time. Workman was convicted of shooting and killing Memphis Police Lt. Ronald Oliver during the robbery.

Many of the pizzas ordered in Workman's name were delivered anonymously, but the first 17 at Oasis Center came from a Minneapolis, Minnesota, radio station that devoted much of its morning show time talking about Workman's request.

"They were upset about it," said Cato.

He plans to call other homeless shelters in Nashville Thursday and share the pies. "They should be able to benefit from this, too," he said.

Cliff Tredway, the director of public relations for the Rescue Mission, said it's more than pizzas that helped that shelter.

"It's the story of a guy whose execution translated into a generous act," he said. "It's people donating to other people they don't know.

"It's about a group of people who society often writes off getting a pizza party today."

It is truely a shame that there is such a long period of time between the occurence and the accounting.

Workman committed the ULTIMATE offense. He KILLED an innocent person. He DENIED a family their son, he DENIED a wife her husband, he DENIED a child their father.

But it seems that none of these people are concerned about the VICTIM. These shallow twits are actually impressed that a murdurer wants some people to have a pizza.

If Phillip Workman had ACTUALLY wanted to do a "good deed" before he faced his executioner, he could have APOLOGIZED and asked FORGIVENESS from the family of the man he gunned down. He could have made ANY number of requests . . . . such as asking people to donate to the area's VICTIM"S Fund, or to an educational fund for victim's children, . . . . . . but he didn't .

If PETA ("because kindness to any living thing is a virtue") had wanted to do something that mattered, , it should have taken the money they spent on 15 pizza's and donated it to ANY area hospital emergency room, Trama Unit, a Rescue Squad or any other organization that is in the business of trying to save the lives of innocent people when they have been victimized by the likes of turds like Philip Workman. . .

. . . but they didn't.

ALL of those people should have stopped a minute and thought about the LIFE that was too soon snuffed out by a doper and common thief . . . . .

. . . . . but they didn't. They ordered pizza.

. . .and THAT is shameful.

« Last Edit: May 12^th, 2007, 8:59pm by Bumper »

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Joab
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #4 on: May 12^th, 2007, 9:56pm »

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Bumper, how do you know the prisoner hasn't done that?

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Tyler
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #5 on: May 12^th, 2007, 11:22pm »

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Popo, he doesn't know that. And yes Bumper, they ordered pizza, but it was for a good cause. You are acting as it was a sin for him to make an act of kindness because he is already tagged as a killer. Although, he has done things bad in the past, this time, he has done a good thing and it is unfortunantly being overshadowed by somthing that happened 26 years ago.

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navywife65
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #6 on: May 12^th, 2007, 11:38pm »

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I agree with Bumper. Besides the fact that these people couldn't help out homeless shelters before? They had to wait for a convicted murderer about to be executed to push them into doing it. And you said unfortunately being overshadowed. I'm sure it isn't unfortunate to the victims family and friends. Should I be impressed that he asked for pizza to be delivered? Ok it's a nice gesture. But his murdering someone, in my opinion, far outweighs that.

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Bumper
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #7 on: May 13^th, 2007, 12:42pm »

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on May 12^th, 2007, 11:22pm, TylerC wrote:

In all of the information available, I have found no reference to this killer offering any apology to the family of the man he killed, to the other Police Officer he shot at (and tried to kill) or to the people he terrorized during the course of the robbery. On the contrary, he and his lawyers have spent 25 years appealing this case to any and every Court, trying to get the death penality verdict overturned. Phillip Workman chose his path in life . . . and he paid the price.

In MISSING the point of my original post, you and others have overlooked the real victims. That's natural I guess since it has been 25 years since Ronald Oliver was gunned down. Instead, you focus on the shallow, the ordering of a pizza, and FAIL to put yourself in the shoes of the victim's family. Think for a moment or two of what it might be like to kiss a loved one goodbye as they leave for work . . . . and never see them again. Think for a moment that it might have been YOUR Father that waved "bye" one day and never came home. Think about all the important milestones in your lives that are shared with a parent . . . . . . that will never be.
PETA and all those others, IF they had had real empathy for the victim or his family, could have very well done the same act of kindness in the name of the VICTIM of Workman's crime . . . but they didn't.

IMO, Phillip Workman was nothing but a selfish, self-centered loser. He thought of nothing but himself. For others to FOCUS on his act of requesting pizza and not on the lives of the people he FOREVER harmed . . . in my book, will ALWAYS be shameful.

I'll stand by my original post with no apologizes. I will take a few quiet moments and say a prayer for the family who last saw their son, their husband, their father when he went to work . . .. . twenty-five years ago.

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Rhune
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #8 on: May 13^th, 2007, 1:44pm »

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I don't think the killer was innocent and am certainly not upset that they followed through on the death penalty. I am sorry for the family of his victim, but I do also like that people were inspired by this and did an act of kindness. I'd have preferred that he never shot the police officer in the first place. I don't believe my liking that a kindness was done because of this takes away from the fact that he did a wrong thing and was put to death for it.

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Bumper
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #9 on: May 13^th, 2007, 10:30pm »

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on May 13^th, 2007, 12:42pm, Bumper wrote:

PETA and all those others, IF they had had real empathy for the victim or his family, could have very well done the same act of kindness in the name of the VICTIM of Workman's crime . . . but they didn't.

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Joab
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #10 on: May 14^th, 2007, 8:06am »

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I think Bumper made a point, but i have to agree with Rhune, i'm inspired by the man's actions, whether be it he's a murderer or not. You don't get people who's going to die request for an act like this often.

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Rhune
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #11 on: May 14^th, 2007, 8:30pm »

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I don't want to say that I'm inspired by his actions, but I like that so many people were inspired by his suggestion and actually followed through on an act of kindness because of it. I would have liked if they'd have included the officers or that particular officer's family as well...I'd have liked that more, but I still get to like that something was done at all.

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Jeff
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Re: Executed man's last request honored
« Reply #12 on: May 19^th, 2007, 10:44pm »

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Four words I thought I'd never say: I agree with Bumper. That was a bit tough. Ok, it wasn't tough Wink

I do agree that if they wanted to do an act of kindness, the pizzas should have been delivered in the name of the victim, not the killer. It's human to want to leave a legacy and be remembered and it seems to me that this guy just wanted people to remember him and not as being a murderer. I would be more impressed if the guy requested that the pizzas be delivered in the name of the victim and wanted the world to remember and honor the memory of the man who this murderer took away from the world.

Asking for some people to give some pizzas to some other people... yeah, whatever.

If any more pizzas are delivered anywhere concerning this, put the name Ronald Oliver on the label and not whatever this man's name is. I know the guys name is listed above, but I will not keep the memory of this man alive through me by even bothering to learn the guy's name. Instead, I will remember the name Ronald Oliver.

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