OKC students stage walkouts ahead of Julius Jones' executions date

Her mother went to school with Julius Jones.

She knew about his case her entire life.

That’s why Morgan Rafter, 15, decided to walk out of Classen School of Advanced Studies High School at Northeast on Wednesday with about 100 of her classmates in support of Jones, who is scheduled to be executed Thursday.

“He's been in jail for 22 (years), that's longer than I've been alive,” Rafter said. “For the governor to be toying with this, it's kind of kiddish, honestly. It's not that hard to give an answer. Yes or no.”

Timeline: From a murder charge to requests to commute his execution, a look at Julius Jones' case

Students across the Oklahoma City metro area walked out of class Wednesday in support of Jones. At Jones’ alma mater, John Marshall High School, dozens pledged to remain outside for the rest of the school day.

Hundreds more walked out at other high schools, like Northwest Classen and Putnam City North.

The walkouts occurred as Oklahoma awaited a decision from Gov. Kevin Stitt on whether he would stop Jones' execution. The state Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-1 on Nov. 1 in favor of granting clemency and reducing his sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

The final decision on Jones' fate rested in the hands of the governor, who had not yet announced his decision.

Classen SAS students marched more than 10 blocks from their high school at 3100 N Kelley to the state Capitol, where pastors, lawmakers and supporters of Jones spoke. The Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion have become epicenters of the movement’s plea for Jones’ release.

SAS senior Vivian Smith, 17, said she and a group of friends wanted to do something more than a walk out.

“We were just going to go to the football field, have 22 seconds of silence and that was it,” Smith said. “Then we went to the front because we were like, ‘Why are we hidden in the back of the school where nobody can see us? Nobody knows what’s happening. We should go to the front. Everyone should know about what is happening to Julius.’”

Then, their conversation turned to a march toward the Capitol from Classen SAS, said Lailah Smith, 17.

“We just said if we actually want to make a difference and feel like we’re being heard by people then we should just march.”

Oklahoma City rapper and activist Jabee Williams, a longtime supporter of Jones, spoke at length Wednesday afternoon to the students at the Capitol.

“Julius loves you, he appreciates you, and he knows he is not alone,” Williams said. “What you guys did today was so brave. One of the things we’ve been trying to do this entire time is make a statement. And out of all the things we’ve done, all the rallies, all the marches … what you guys did today was the biggest statement.”

'He would have wanted us to do this.'

Keymonti Hammon, 17, is two years younger than Jones when he was arrested for the 1999 killing of Edmond businessman Paul Howell.

Hammon said he sees himself in Jones as a young Black man growing up in Oklahoma City.

“Julius Jones is someone who was like me; he went to John Marshall, not too far away from where we go,” Hammon said. “He grew up just like me.”

Angela Ulloa, 17, said other classmates related to Jones, too.

“We also connected to Julius in a way because we’re high school students and he was taken into jail while he was fresh out of high school,” Ulloa said. “He would have wanted us to do this.”

Hammon said he and his classmates felt supported in their decision to stage a walkout. Several administrators walked with the students to ensure their safety, he said.

Students were told there may be “consequences” to leaving school for the day, Rafter said.

“It was worth it,” Hammon said.

Oklahoma City Public Schools said it respected the students’ decision to protest.

"OKCPS supports our students' rights to peaceful assembly and their freedom of expression,” the school district said in a statement Wednesday. “We have worked closely with students and student groups who wished to assemble today so we could provide them with a safe space to express themselves regarding an issue they are passionate about. Our top priority is always to support the academic and social emotional needs of our students while maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment for all."

'Dark cloud' will hang over Oklahoma if Jones is executed

Oklahoma has been in a dark place as Jones' fate remains uncertain, Williams said.

“If this man is executed, there’s a part of us that will be executed, too. We won’t be the same,” he said. “If tomorrow Julius Jones isn’t breathing, and Friday Julius Jones isn’t breathing, that dark cloud will continue to hang over Oklahoma. We want our governor to know the world is watching.”

Jones is scheduled to be executed at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Jones, now 41, has been on death row for more than half of his life for the murder of Paul Howell. He has maintained his innocence, saying he was not responsible for the fatal shooting in Edmond in 1999. Jones' family insists he was at home at the time of the shooting.

A community organizer and supporter of Jones from Tulsa, Greg Robinson, praised the students for their walkout.

“Why is it that a group of high schoolers,” Robinson said, “got more courage than the people that walk through this building?”

He said there is still more that supporters can do, encouraging them that the fight is not over. And it’s not just on Gov. Kevin Stitt, he said, though Stitt is the one who will make the final decision.

“It is absolutely on that governor, but it is on every staff member, every senator, every representative,” Robinson said. “It’s on everybody sitting at home thinking, ‘Oh, maybe he did do it.’”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC students stage walkout in support of Julius Jones