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Amid circus, a handful stood fast

Onlookers: Some came for the spectacle, others for the principle

By Scott Koeneman

Crest Hill -- One wonders if John Wayne Gacy's alter ego, Pogo the clown, would have appreciated the circus atmosphere created for his execution on the grounds of Stateville Correctional Center.

Demonstrators began to assemble on a corner of the prison property before 7:30 p.m. In the beginning, reporters and television camera crews outnumbered them.

By the time of Gacy's execution, the demonstrators numbered close to 2,000.

As midnight approached, the crowd grew louder and more raucous. They chanted, they cheered, they sang and mugged for cameras in scenes reminiscent of rock concerts and professional sporting events. Only a handful were there to voice opposition to the death penalty. Of the remainder, the clear majority were in their teens or early 20s. Josh Emanuel, 17, of Downers Grove showed up in a multi-color clown wig and a T-shirt that said, "My parents went to Gacy's execution and all I got was this stupid T-shirt."

"It takes the edge off," Emanuel said. "He's awe-inspiring in his evil. There are people who build him up, but he's a pathetic man who is evil." George Tsokatos, 34, of Lemont, wore a T-shirt, bought from a vender just off the prison grounds, that said "No tears for the clown." "It's definitely a party. I bought this (the T-shirt) for $10 and can probably sell it for $100 after this," he said. Some however, were very serious about being on the grounds for Gacy's execution.

Anne Lanute and Claudia Mendiola, both 17-year-old Naperville residents and students at Benet Academy, started out to prove a point and ended up becoming part of the circus.

The two said they were studying the death penalty in school and had debated its value in class.

Both said they support it.

"I just think his crimes were so heinous that this has to happen," Lanute said. "It's not happening enough. We're being too soft on criminals." The two agreed that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. "I wish it was," said Mendiola. "If it happened more often, it would be." Moments later, the two girls screamed and cheered after writing "Send in the clown" on their sweatshirts.

"I have no pity for anyone like that," Lanute said. "He's sick." Later that night, four of the pair's teachers showed up to oppose the death penalty and the execution of Gacy. The four stood with other opponents, surrounded by screaming teens. The young people shouted profanities and demanded the small group of dissidents blow out their candles.

The Rev. Becket Franks said he knew the two girls would be there. "I'm defending my faith. I'm standing up for life," he said. "They expect us to stand up for what we believe in." It was not easy to make his stand, Franks said as the crowd crushed in on him.

"I'm petrified," he said. "Thank God for the state police." Minutes after midnight, the crowd began to cheer and sing louder. Teen-age girls sat on their boyfriends' shoulders and held lit lighters. They passed people over their heads. At least two people were taken into custody by police.

Sue Morris, from the Catholic Diocese Office for Social Concern out of Springfield, tries to keep her candles lit while pro-capital punishment demonstrators, cheering for the death of John Wayne Gacy, blow them out. "It is like they're trying to blow out another life," said Morris.