As someone born and raised in New Hampshire, a small state in the US, it was surprising that the first time I heard of Renny Cushing, a US politician, was when I began my work on researching the death penalty in Taiwan. Renny was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives as a Democrat from the town of Hampton. First elected in 1996, he served nine non-consecutive terms.
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) has had a long relationship with Renny and his humanitarian efforts. His own organization, Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights (MVFHR), was a sister abolition organization of the TAEDP.
That I came to know Renny halfway across the globe goes to show the large and sweeping effects that he had during his life. From his endeavors to lower the voting age in his state to protesting nuclear power, Renny was a revolutionary. His impact on the death penalty was one of his greatest battles, though.
Renny had opposed the death penalty for a long time, but after his father was murdered in 1988, his stance on abolishing the death penalty became even more prevalent. The night of the murder, a disgruntled off-duty police officer appeared on the Cushings’ doorstep. When Robert R. Cushing Sr, Renny’s father, opened the door, the officer raised his gun and shot him. There, in the entrance to their home, Renny’s father passed away. Afterward, when the public approached him, they strongly pushed for the officer to be sentenced to death.
Renny felt differently. He showed the world that a victim’s family member, despite the tragedy experienced, should not lose their ability to maintain their values. He gave families agency and a voice to take ownership of their story. Renny demonstrated this core value by moving into the home his father was murdered in, raising his three children and eventually passing there.
In 2019, with Renny the head of the movement, New Hampshire finally appealed the death penalty.
Elizabeth Zitrin, another life-long advocate for abolishing the death penalty, said: “He worked in an area primarily where there is so much pain, heartbreak and violence, and he used his personal power and empathy to be able to articulately express that creating more violence and more pain cannot be the answer.”
“We lost a real fighter in our mission,” said Toshi Kazama, a photographer and the MVFHR Asia director.
For Renny, his fight was real, and it was powerful. A story he told Toshi illuminates the origins of his driving force to end the death penalty.
Robert Cushing Sr was a soldier who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He took Renny to Japan while he was younger and told him the story of the horrendous battle. The words that became engraved in Renny from that trip were “all the blood was wasted on that island.”
Robert Cushing Sr’s perception went beyond war and expanded into Renny’s view of life. War and capital punishment are blood wasted by order of the government.
Renny has been very influential at home, but most do not know about his impact in Asia.
Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡), executive director of the TAEDP, met Renny in 2007 during the MVFHR’s “Victims, We Care” speech tour in Asia.
It was the group’s first of many tours in the region. The idea that there were victims’ families that do not support the death penalty shattered a lot of embedded beliefs in public opinion in Asia.
Renny demonstrated that there is not only one face for victims, there are many faces. No matter if Taiwan abolishes the death penalty now or, eventually, in the long run, Renny’s work conveyed that victims’ protection is important and should be a priority of any government.
His impact has influenced Taiwan’s judicial system. The concept of restorative justice in Taiwan started with a seed planted by Renny and has begun to bloom.
MVFHR codirector Kate Lowenstein’s collaboration and friendship with Renny grew from their shared commitment to making sure that those who were already harmed by murder were not further harmed by the systems and movements that were supposed to be supporting them.
When remarking on Renny, Kate said: “He was exhausting and wonderful, he was a pain in the ass, and the very very best of humanity. I will always wish I could be more like Renny.”
Renny has made the world a better place. His impact will continue to improve the lives of those to come. From New Hampshire to Japan and Taiwan, his absence will be felt. Thank you for all your hard work, Renny.
Maria Wilkinson is a research intern at the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty.
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