[CUADPUpdate] Death Penalty Civil Disobedience Planned for 30th Gilmore Anniversary (press release)

[Abraham J. Bonowitz]

Greetings All,

I was a participant in this action in 1997 and 
2002.  See reports and photos on the 2002 action 
at http://www.abolition.org/jan17-2002.html and 
the trial transcript from the 1997 action 
here: 
http://www.abolition.org/transcripts/trial2_1.html 
I am with these folks in spirit and regret that 
this year I am unable to be with them in 
person.  Please support them with your prayers if not in person.....

ALSO - see press release below for the event that 
will take place at the prison near Salt Lake City THIS SATURDAY (1/20/07)

--abe

*****************

Civil Disobedience Planned to Mark 30th Anniversary of Executions
At U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON -- Thirty years after the first execution under contemporary laws
of Gary Gilmore, members of the Abolitionist Action Committee will stage a
highly visual demonstration at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, January
17. Wednesday also marks the day that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear
three Texas death penalty appeals and when the 1,060th prisoner since 1977
is scheduled for execution.

Participants will peacefully and visibly call for an immediate cessation of
all executions in the United States through civil disobedience and the risk
of arrest. On the 20th and 25th anniversaries of that first state-sponsored
killing, a total of 25 arrests were made of death penalty abolitionists for
unfurling a banner that read "STOP EXECUTIONS!" at the top of the stairs
leading to the front doors of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Activists, media and other concerned citizens are invited to join the
Abolitionist Action Committee for a peaceful and nonviolent demonstration of
resistance to the death penalty and to decry this shameful anniversary.

A legal vigil outside the Court will coincide with the action and all are
invited to attend.

January 17

10:00 am - Briefing at the United Methodist Building, Room #3
Location: 100 Maryland Avenue, NE (next to U.S. Supreme Court)

For directions, call the Methodist building at 202-488-5600
For more info about the action, call Scott Langley at 214-226-0503

See 
<http://www.abolition.org>http://www.abolition.org 
for more information on past actions and for a
report on the 2007 action later this week.




MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
16 January 2007

CONTACTS:
SCOTT LANGLEY or SHEILA STUMPH
214-226-0503 (mobile)

Civil Disobedience Planned to Mark 30th Anniversary of Executions
At U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON -- Thirty years after the execution of Gary Gilmore, the first
execution under contemporary laws, members of the Abolitionist Action
Committee will stage a highly visual demonstration at the U.S. Supreme Court
on Wednesday, January 17.  Wednesday also marks the day that the U.S.
Supreme Court will hear three Texas death penalty appeals and when the
1,060th prisoner since 1977 is scheduled for execution.

Participants from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kansas and
Vermont will peacefully and visibly call for an immediate cessation of all
executions in the United States through civil disobedience and the risk of
arrest.

"Whether by lethal injection, electrocution, hanging, or firing squad, the
death penalty has proven to be a complete failure to the victims, to the
families of the executed, and to our society as a whole. It is time for us
all to recognize this and act upon it. We have tolerated a broken death
penalty system for 3 decades too many," said Rachel Lawler, founding member
of Vermonters Against the Death Penalty.

Thirty years ago, on January 17, 1977, the State of Utah shot to death Gary
Gilmore, who "volunteered" to be killed in revenge for his murder of Ben
Bushnell and Max Jenson.  This state-assisted suicide was the first
execution under the Supreme Court's upholding of the death penalty in 1976.

On the 20th and 25th anniversaries of that first state-sponsored killing, a
total of 25 arrests were made of death penalty abolitionists for unfurling
banners that read "STOP EXECUTIONS!" at the top of the stairs leading to the
front doors of the U.S. Supreme Court.  January 17th, 2007 will be the 30th
anniversary.  To date there have been 1059 prisoner-killings, with another
scheduled in Texas on the evening of January 17.

"Public and legal opinion in the U.S. is strongly against executions.  In
2006 we saw Maryland, California, Florida and New Jersey all stop lethal
injections in their states, and in the last seven years, we have seen a
dramatic decrease nationally in both death sentences and executions. Now is
the time to end this practice once and for all," said Scott Langley,
Abolitionist Action Committee organizer for the January 17th action.

The Abolitionist Action Committee is an ad-hoc group of individuals
committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives
to the death penalty through nonviolent direct action.

#     #     #



15 January 2007

For immediate release

RICK   HALPERIN TO APPEAL FOR END OF DEATH PENALTY DURING UTAH VIGIL

OGDEN, UT – Dr. Rick Halperin will call for an 
end to the death penalty in Utah   during a vigil 
at the Utah State Prison in Draper January 
20.  Halperin is chairman of the board of directors of Amnesty International.

Halperin told local supporters, "My entire life 
has been spent defending and advocating the idea 
that there is no such thing as a lesser person, 
and that all persons, regardless of whatever they 
have done, still have and remain worthy of their 
inherent dignity and must not, for any reason, be 
tortured or be put to death."

Halperin said, "As a member of the history 
department at Southern Methodist University [in 
Dallas, Texas], I have been able to offer 
graduate and undergraduate courses in human 
rights.  Many of my students are preparing for 
law school and are just now coming to grapple 
with ideas of law, human rights, justice, 
responsibility, victims and perpetrators, and, impunity and reconciliation."

  "Since 1972, I have been actively involved in 
the effort and struggle to abolish the death 
penalty in the United States.  I work with many 
anti-death penalty (abolitionist) organizations, 
capital defense attorneys, representatives of 
various communities of faith, newspaper editorial 
boards, victims' rights groups, members of the 
families of the condemned, and many death row inmates throughout the country."

The vigil will start at 2 PM at the Utah State 
Prison at Draper to mark the 30th anniversary of 
the execution of Gary Gilmore.  Gilmore was the 
first person executed in the United States after 
reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.   His 
victims were Ben Bushnell and Max Jensen.

"Help us end the death penalty," asks Salt Lake 
City coordinator James Griner. "Participants at 
the vigil will remember the families of victims 
of violence, those who have been executed in Utah and their families."

The prison is located about 20 miles south of 
Salt Lake City alongside Interstate 15.

Death penalty fact sheets:
<http://www1.webng.com/oneil/News/DeathPenaltyFacts.htm>http://www1.webng.com/oneil/News/DeathPenaltyFacts.htm

CONTACTS:
Lydia Kalish
Utah State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator,
Amnesty International
(801) 393-4467
email: <mailto:pokey.gal at hotmail.com>pokey.gal at hotmail.com
http://www.amnestyutah.org/


Rick Halperin, Ph. D.
email: <mailto:rhalperi at mail.smu.edu>rhalperi at mail.smu.edu
http://www.journeyofhope.org/old_site/rick_halperin's%20bio.htm