From abe at cuadp.org Thu Jun 7 07:58:54 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:58:54 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] FURMAN at 35 - F&V UPDATE! Message-ID: <20070607114454.50CEC13C4AE@daisy2.compar.com> Sent to ALL Abolitionists - At Least Once! Please forgive cross-posts Please forward Greetings All! UPDATING & INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN The ABOLITIONIST ACTION COMMITTEE'S STARVIN ' FOR JUSTICE 2007 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 - July 2, 2007 (Arrive June 28 and depart July 3 for full attendance Read the who, what, when, where, why and how of this important annual abolitionist event by visiting http://www.abolition.org NEWLY CONFIRMED SPEAKERS! Joining the speakers list for our series of evening teach-ins is Moreese "Pops" Bickham, about to turn 90, the oldest of the men who survived death row and was eventually paroled as a result of the Furman decision! See the (still in development) list of confirmed evening speakers at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ -- more will be announced next week! NEW SPONSORS! See the full list of F&V Co-Sponsors to-date (June 7) and get co-sponsorship information at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html Since the last update the following groups and individuals have become co-sponsors of the 13th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty (in reverse alphabetical order, just for Kurt and all out friends at WTI !: Witness to Innocence --- http://www.witnesstoinnocence.org Texas Students Against the Death Penalty --- http://www.texasabolition.org/ Amy Jo Smith Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty --- http://www.PADP.org New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty ---- http://www.NJADP.org Minnesotans Against the Death Penalty --- http://www.mnadp.org Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty --- http://www.cnadp.org Dale Baich AND THIS YEAR - Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (www.VADP.org) was the first co-sponsor to actually get their money in the door! Many thanks Jack! ************* NOTICE - SPECIAL EVENTS ON JUNE 28 9:30 AM - Witness the trial of the AAC Activists arrested at the US Supreme Court on January 17th of this year - the 30th Anniversary of the first execution of the current death penalty era. (NOTICE - civil disobedience does NOT take place during the F&V!) 5:30 PM - Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing FUND RAISER - see http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/events-pops.htm ************** The Fast & Vigil takes place on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, considered by many to be the heart of the legalized killing machines in this country. In addition to the strong public witness, this is an excellent opportunity to meet other abolitionists and to "recharge your batteries" while engaging in public outreach and maintaining a physical presence at the Court. ***FASTING IS OPTIONAL*** BOTTOM LINE, this is a great experience and training ground for people who want to learn more about this issue and to become very adept at talking about the dp. Prisoners, activists from other countries, and abolitionists who are unable to come to Washington, D.C. have fasted or held events in solidarity with the action at the Court. This tradition continues to grow as well - those who participate in solidarity are asked to communicate details of their actions and contact information to the Fast & Vigil organizers. E-mail aac at abolition.org or write to the address below. TO BECOME A CO-SPONSOR, please visit: http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html The Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through non-violent direct action. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ or by calling 800-973-6548 ************ SENT BY: The Abolitionist Action Committee www.abolition.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Sun Jun 10 17:27:05 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:27:05 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] Death of a Friend & This & That.... Message-ID: <20070610211306.87DD113C40E@daisy2.compar.com> Sent *ONLY* to CUADPUpdate Feel Free to Forward CONTENTS Death of a Friend Bob Nave wins teaching award JOB announcement Dropping By.... DEATH OF A FRIEND Mary from Washington State sent the following. Agnes has been a long-time and regular donor to CUADP. Not long ago she sent me a copy of her book about her correspondence with a death row prisoner, along with a request for us to discuss it. I must confess that I could not find the time to get too far into it, but I did try, and I did try to reach her several times. We played phone tag but kept missing each other. I regret not connecting. More about the book is here: http://www.cuadp.org/books.html#1420875922 More about Agnes is here: http://www3.sympatico.ca/mighty1/personal/agnes.htm and here: http://www.sanjuanislander.com/records/obits/agnes-vadas.shtml Mary, from Friday Harbor Amnesty International Group #607, sent this: >Friends, > >Many of you may have known Agnes Vadas, the longtime group coordinator >of the Friday Harbor group in Washington state. One of her group members >wrote this morning with the news that yesterday, on June 3, she passed >away. > >A survivor of the Holocaust and talented violinist, she devoted many of >her later years to tirelessly working for human rights. She was >passionate about ending the death penalty, and just in the past few >years published a book of letters between herself and an inmate on death >row in Ohio. She was a very spunky and passionate lady, and once you met >Agnes, you couldn't help but remember her. > >She will be greatly missed here in Washington state and in the human >rights movement. > >Mary Grybeck >Bellingham, WA ************** CELEBRATION OF BOB NAVE Celeste wrote: >I am very pleased to pass along the good news >that Bob Nave, one of our hardest working >colleagues in the abolition movement, has been >honored with a prestigious peace award from the >Connecticut Education Association. See below >for details. Congratulations, Bob! What a >wonderful spotlight on both your good work and >the need to end the death penalty! Congratulations, Bob! --abe PRESS RELEASE LOCAL TEACHER WINS STATE AWARD FOR PEACE EDUCATION Robert Nave, teacher at Plymouth High School, is being awarded the Mahatma Gandhi - Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award by the Connecticut Education Association, to be presented at their 2007 Awards Dinner. Mr. Nave is nationally known for his work to abolish the death penalty. He is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty and sits on state, regional and national committees for Amnesty International. Sister Helen Prejean, a death penalty abolitionist and author of the book "Dead Man Walking", (later made into a major motion picture), has worked closely with Mr. Nave to bring an end to capital punishment. "The progress we see of the death penalty being abolished in this country is due in no small part to heroes of human rights like Robert Nave", she said recently. In the classroom, Mr. Nave, a social studies teacher, seeks to promote the interest and involvement of students in issues such as the use of non-violence, the rights and needs of various races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, and criminal justice reform. He has brought in speakers on these topics, organized students to go to peace demonstrations in Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C ., organizes annual student bus trips to Osborne Prison in Somers, and has operated a hugely successful annual Voter Registration drive since 1996. The criteria for this award include promoting the study of peace education materials to develop positive attitudes among students and educators, maintaining cooperative links with peace groups, advocating the study of conflict resolution without violence, and securing funds from local, state and national sources to promote peace education opportunities. # 30 # Release submitted by: Hilary Carpenter, CNADP Vice-President: hilary.carpenter at gmail.com 860-597-2579 and Amy Harris, CNADP Board Member: amyharrisct at yahoo.com 860-673-1597 for more info on: CEA: www.cea.org CT Network to Abolish the Death Penalty: www.cnadp.org to schedule an interview with Bob Nave: robertnave at cnadp.org or 203-206-9854 ********************* JOB ANNOUNCEMENT (Even though this says applications are due June 6, this was still being circulated last week, so if this is you - it's worth a shot!) *Job Announcement - Lethal Injection Fellowship* *Boalt Hall School of Law Death Penalty Clinic* *Berkeley, California* *Overview*: The Death Penalty Clinic (DPC) at the Boalt Hall School of Law invites applications for its Lethal Injection Fellowship. The DPC's mission is to expose and tackle problems endemic to the administration of the death penalty; seek justice for indigent clients on death row; and offer a rich opportunity for hands-on training to law students. The DPC faculty -- Director Elisabeth Semel and Associate Director Ty Alper -- are experienced capital lawyers who also serve as a resource for lawyers representing death row inmates nationwide. *Job Description:* **The DPC has created a website devoted to the nationwide challenges to lethal injection as a method of execution. (http://www.law.berkeley.edu/clinics/dpclinic/resources.html.) The DPC seeks to hire a full-time Lethal Injection Fellow to take over all aspects of the administration of the website, and transform it from what is essentially a repository into a vast clearinghouse of both public and password-protected information related to lethal injection challenges. In addition to posting content for the clearinghouse, the Fellow will play a substantial role in researching and organizing relevant content. The Fellow will: * Research ongoing nationwide lethal injection litigation and solicit relevant pleadings and orders from litigators; * Research scholarly publications in legal and medical journals related to lethal injection in order to post relevant articles and studies; * Establish network of sources -- media, lawyers, legislators, etc. -- for relevant website content; * Work with national lethal injection legal and medical experts to cull and publish archive of relevant lethal injection documents. The web-based clearinghouse will be of great practical assistance to attorneys currently litigating lethal injection challenges on behalf of death row inmates; will provide the public (including journalists) with a "one-stop shop" for up-to-the-minute lethal injection information; and will serve as an historical archive that will enable us to draw larger lessons about the death penalty from our nation's experiment with lethal injection. *Qualifications and Experience:* ? Interest in issues related to the administration of the death penalty and challenges to lethal injection as a method of execution ? Strong research skills, including internet-based and legal/medical database research ? Understanding of Internet technologies and how they relate to the operations of a large, complex website ? Experience with ongoing website content management ? J.D. degree preferred ? Experience working in a criminal defense, public defender, or capital defense office preferred ? Experience using Web authoring, graphic design, and desktop publishing applications such as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, InDesign or similar programs ? Experience with Adobe Professional ? Proficiency with MS Office Suite of software ? Ability to take initiative with managing detail-oriented content and responsibility for posting fully proofed and correctly edited content to the web site with little direct supervision *Compensation:* Salary is $46,872 to $56,424 commensurate with experience. A description of UC Benefits can be found at http://hrweb.berkeley.edu . *How to Apply:* Applications are due Friday, July 6. Applications should include the following three documents: 1) a cover letter; 2) a resume; and 3) a list of three references. Applications should be emailed to Clinic Director Elisabeth Semel and Associate Director Ty Alper c/o Edwin Bish at ebish at law.berkeley.edu. Applicants should be prepared to begin work by August 2007. For more information about the Death Penalty Clinic, please visit www.deathpenaltyclinic.org. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley is committed to the support and encouragement of a multi-cultural environment and seeks candidates who can make positive contributions in a context of ethnic and cultural diversity. ******************* DROPPING BY... THE FAST & VIGIL My former colleague, ED DiFiglia, now lives in the DC area. Last week he wrote: >Hey Abe, > >I want to participate in the fast and vigil, but >I'm not sure what my schedule is going to look >like for those days just yet. What's the policy for people just dropping by? > >Ed D./ My response: Come any time, stay as long as you can, leave when you must and come back when you can, if you can! The first rule of the F&V is that there are no rules.... Each person makes the most of it given what they have to offer and what they seek from the experience. The main goals of F&V are to have a presence at the US Supreme Court, but also to have quality time with fellow abolitionists in an environment that is neither rushed nor pressured. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ CAN'T MAKE IT TO DC? Join dozens of organizations and a handful (at this point) of individuals who have become co-sponsors of the Fast & Vigil by sending a donation to help cover the costs of this event. It usually costs about $5,000 to pull this off. Because I got started organizing late this year, we are well behind in meeting the need - only $1,275 is in the door and we are less than three weeks away! $5 helps. $500 helps more! Do what YOU can to join with Amy Jo Smith, Ron Keine, Martha Mortenson, Susan Gries and Dale Baich as individual co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court. Even if you cannot be there person, you CAN be there in spirit AND with tangible support.... Visit https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html to make your donation today! Many Thanks! --abe www.CUADP.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Mon Jun 11 22:53:32 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 22:53:32 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] On deterrence, and this & that.... Message-ID: <20070612023932.278F013C4D3@daisy2.compar.com> Sent ONLY to the Recipients of CUADPUpdate Feel Free to Forward Greetings All! So many of you wrote to me asking about the Associated Press article about "new" studies suggesting a deterrent effect to the death penalty that I felt it best to pass along some resources. The story has been picked up widely, so some response would probably be good. But I encourage people to use it as an opportunity to point out the problems in the death penalty, rather than give too much play to the studies themselves. Some points for consideration are below. But first, A little This & That! Up front, this time.... Rawanda Abolishes the Death Penalty! Larry Peterson Story on NPR! Gary Beeman Op-Ed Abolitionists meet the President On Deterrence - several items.... UP FRONT THIS TIME Yesterday I posted this at the end of my message to no response. Today I put it up front. Organizations are co-sponsoring, but the amounts being sent are smaller this year almost across the board. If you can help, please do.... DROPPING BY... THE FAST & VIGIL My former colleague, ED DiFiglia, now lives in the DC area. Last week he wrote: >Hey Abe, > >I want to participate in the fast and vigil, but >I'm not sure what my schedule is going to look >like for those days just yet. What's the policy for people just dropping by? > >Ed D./ My response: Come any time, stay as long as you can, leave when you must and come back when you can, if you can! The first rule of the F&V is that there are no rules.... Each person makes the most of it given what they have to offer and what they seek from the experience. The main goals of F&V are to have a presence at the US Supreme Court, but also to have quality time with fellow abolitionists in an environment that is neither rushed nor pressured. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ CAN'T MAKE IT TO DC? Join dozens of organizations and a handful (at this point) of individuals who have become co-sponsors of the Fast & Vigil by sending a donation to help cover the costs of this event. It usually costs about $5,000 to pull this off. Because I got started organizing late this year, we are well behind in meeting the need - only $1,275 is in the door and we are less than three weeks away! $5 helps. $500 helps more! Do what YOU can to join with Amy Jo Smith, Ron Keine, Martha Mortenson, Susan Gries and Dale Baich as individual co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court. Even if you cannot be there person, you CAN be there in spirit AND with tangible support.... Visit https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html to make your donation today! Many Thanks! --abe www.CUADP.org 800-973-6548 ****************** RAWANDA ABOLISHES THE DEATH PENALTY! I was in my car on Sunday, driving to meet Beth and Isaac at the playground. They wondered why I sat in the car for so long before I got out. I was listening to the report about this fantastic news.... Read more at http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com/2007/06/rwanda-moves-toward-abolition.html and as to deterrence, here's a quote: >Survivors of the slaughter welcomed the >decision, noting that the death penalty had >existed in Rwandan law before the genocide. > >"It didn't deter people from picking up machetes >to slaughter their fellows - that's why we are >not bothered by its removal," said Theodore >Simburudali, president of the Ibuka genocide survivors' group. ************** Lots of other good news is here: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ ************** LARRY PETERSON STORY ON NPR! Until two weeks ago, Larry Peterson was New Jersey's most recent exoneree, and the only one to have faced the death penalty at trial. He received a life sentence. Nevertheless, Larry has been outspoken about his case. National Public Radio's All Things Considered program followed Larry for more than a year to produce a two part story that will air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Some of this *may* have been recorded at last year's Fast & Vigil, where Larry spoke at one of our evening teach-in's. Other parts may have been recorded during several NJADP events where NPR showed up to capture Larry's activities. We'll just need to listen to see what made the cut! Here is an article about it. If you don't live near an NPR broadcast station, you can listen and download after the fact at www.NPR.org http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-06112007-1361124.html Wrongly convicted, man fought for vindication By: MIKE MATHIS (Mon, Jun/11/2007) Larry Peterson's lengthy fight for vindication in the rape and murder of a Pemberton Township woman nearly 20 years ago played out in the courtrooms in New Jersey and in the local and regional media. Now a national radio audience will learn the details of Peterson's battle to win his freedom and clear his name. National Public Radio will air ?The Exoneration of Larry Peterson,? a two-part documentary that explores the Pemberton Township resident's successful efforts to overturn his conviction and life sentence for the killing of Jacqueline Harrison. The documentary is scheduled to air tomorrow and Wednesday as part of the daily NPR News program ?All Things Considered.? Locally, the program begins at 4 p.m. on WHYY-FM (90.9). The body of Harrison, a 25-year-old mother of two, was discovered in a soybean field near her home in the Lake Valley section of Pemberton Township on Aug. 24, 1987. Peterson, 56, was convicted in 1989 of raping and killing Harrison. He served 16 years of a life sentence before a judge overturned the conviction in July 2005 because a DNA test did not link Peterson to the crime. DNA testing was not available when Peterson was convicted. The documentary includes interviews with Peterson and Jacqueline Harrison's sister, who, despite the DNA results and the recantation of a key witness, still believes Peterson is guilty. Christopher Turpin, executive director of ?All Things Considered,? said the decision was made to do the documentary on Peterson after the program aired a segment about DNA exonerations. ?We wanted to find out what happens to prisoners who are exonerated, what happens to them after they re-enter society,? Turpin said. Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said he did not participate in the documentary because Peterson has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages as compensation for the time he spent in prison. Bernardi dropped the case against Peterson in June 2006 after deciding a lack of DNA evidence connecting Peterson to the crime would have made it difficult to win a second conviction. ?When there is a civil lawsuit pending against this office and members of it, I don't think it would be beneficial to (participate),? Bernardi said. ************* GARY BEEMAN OP-ED Kurt writes: >Congratulations are in order for Witness to >Innocence's Gary Beeman, whose incredibly >powerful op-ed appeared in Sunday's edition of the >Buffalo News. Gary's account of his ordeal of >having been sentenced to Ohio's death row for a >crime he did not commit reached more than a >quarter million readers in the second largest >city in New York state. Read all about it at: > >www.buffalonews.com/opinion/editorials/story/95570.html > >Peace, > >Kurt Rosenberg >Director, Witness to Innocence PS - To read even more about Gary go to http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/gary_beeman.htm **************** ABOLITIONISTS MEET THE PRESIDENT From: Mario Marazziti To: 'Bill Pelke' Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 1:05 PM Subject: Dear Bill, from Mario Bush, during Italy visit, to shine spotlight on Sant 'Egidio group 2007-06-08 13:17:54 - ROME (AP) - When U.S. President George W. Bush visits Rome, he will cast an unusually bright spotlight on the Sant'Egidio Community, a lay Roman Catholic organization that for 40 years has been quietly helping the poor, mediating civil wars _ and fighting the death penalty. After meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday, Bush is expected to participate in a round table discussion with members of Sant'Egidio at the U.S. Embassy. On the surface, a Bush meeting with Sant'Egidio seems implausible. The organization is at the forefront of the international anti-death penalty movement, working city by city to generate support for a worldwide moratorium on capital punishment. Spokesman Mario Marazziti acknowledged there was an obvious clash of cultures regarding capital punishment. Bush allowed 152 executions while he was governor of Texas, the U.S. state that executes more inmates than any other. But Marazziti said Saturday's encounter _ which the White House requested _ should still be constructive. Sant'Egidio's other social justice initiatives _ such as running schools for the poor, soup kitchens for the hungry and home visitations for the elderly _ are the type of faith-based programs that Bush often embraces. ?We will try not to be naive, to be respectful ... but at the same time sincere, to find all the ways in which poverty can be fought and human dignity can be supported,? Marazziti said. One area where the two find common ground is fighting AIDS in Africa, and that is expected to be a focus of Saturday's discussion, Marazziti said. Bush recently urged the U.S. Congress to authorize an additional US$30 billion (?22 billion) to fight AIDS in Africa over five years, doubling the current U.S. commitment for the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief. Five years ago, Sant'Egidio launched an AIDS project to provide free antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive people in Africa _ a staggering mission considering that sub-Saharan Africa is home to an estimated 24.7 million people with HIV. The program, which has an annual budget of US$25 million and is operational in 10 African countries, combines access to free antiretroviral drugs with follow up and home care. It has also created a network of molecular biology laboratories across Africa that are working to ensure that the virus does not become resistant to generic drugs. Sant'Egidio boasts that of the 1,500 children born to HIV-positive mothers in its program, 98 percent were born without the virus, and that 95 percent of the people on its program adhere to the strict drug regimen. Sant'Egidio created the DREAM program (Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition) because it rejected the notion that prevention programs were the only way to cope with Africa's HIV crisis. Many have argued that treatment programs were too expensive and complicated for Africa's HIV problem. ?We could not accept a genocide,? Marazziti said. ?We tried to demonstrate that therapy was possible. The DREAM program first began in Mozambique, where Sant'Egidio had a long history of involvement _ including mediating an end to the country's civil war. Sant'Egidio hosted the warring parties at its Rome headquarters over the course of 27 months until a peace agreement was signed in 1992. The organization's success in Mozambique propelled it into other mediating roles, including in Algeria, Guatemala and the Balkans _ work that has earned it multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations. Part Catholic charity, part non-governmental organization, part mini-United Nations, Sant'Egidio has some 50,000 volunteer members in 70 countries. Created in 1968, it relies on funding from Italian banks, the World Bank and private and corporate sponsors. On the Web Sant'Egidio is at www.santegidio.org ******************** ON DETERRENCE - SEVERAL ITEMS Randy Tatel sent this: Death penalty findings: Not so fast Steve Levitt, the economist behind "Freakonomics," doesn't buy the new reports concluding that the death penalty has a deterrent effect: Analyses of data stretching farther back in time, when there were many more executions and thus more opportunities to test the hypothesis, are far less charitable to death penalty advocates. On top of that, as we wrote in Freakonomics, if you do back-of-the-envelope calculations, it becomes clear that no rational criminal should be deterred by the death penalty, since the punishment is too distant and too unlikely to merit much attention. As such, economists who argue that the death penalty works are put in the uncomfortable position of having to argue that criminals are irrationally overreacting when they are deterred by it. Read more of his thoughts here. ************* NCADP's Fact Sheet is here: http://www.ncadp.org/fact_sheet5.html DPIC's Fact Sheet is here: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=12&did=167 And here are some additional excellent points to consider.... From DPIC's Resource Guide ? Generally, states without the death penalty have consistently lower murder rates than states with the death penalty. A New York Times review in 2000 of murder rates over the past 20 years found that the murder rate in states with the death penalty has been 48% to 101% higher than in non-death penalty states. ? When contiguous states are compared, the one without the death penalty usually has a lower murder rate than the neighboring state with the death penalty. E.g., West Virginia (no death penalty) has a lower murder rate than Virginia, and Massachusetts (no death penalty) has a lower murder rate than Connecticut. ? The South accounts for over 80% of the executions in this country and has consistently had the highest murder rate of the four regions. The Northeast, which has had only 4 executions since the death penalty was reinstated, has the lowest murder rate of the regions. ? The U.S. with the death penalty has a much higher murder rate than countries in Europe which do not have the death penalty. ? More sophisticated studies of deterrence and the death penalty have failed to show a conclusive effect. Expert criminologists from around the country were polled on their views of such studies and 84% of them concluded that the death penalty did not act as a deterrent to murder. ? Some recent studies have shown a reverse deterrent effect, or brutalization, associated with the death penalty. Murders in some jurisdictions increased in the periods following well-publicized executions, just the opposite from what a deterrent effect would produce. From scholarly articles and from DPIC's "News & Developments" on Deterrence (in some cases, there's more information on DPIC's Web site): Researchers Find Flaws in Studies Claiming Deterrent Effect In an article entitled The Death Penalty: No Evidence for Deterrence, John Donohue and Justin Wolfers examined recent statistical studies that claimed to show a deterrent effect from the death penalty. The authors conclude that the estimates claiming that the death penalty saves numerous lives "are simply not credible." In fact, the authors state that using the same data and proper methodology could lead to the exact opposite conclusion: that is, that the death penalty actually increases the number of murders. The authors state: "We show that with the most minor tweaking of the [research] instruments, one can get estimates ranging from 429 lives saved per execution to 86 lives lost. These numbers are outside the bounds of credibility." The authors conclude that the evidence of deterrence is far too weak to rely on as a justification for the death penalty: The view that the death penalty deters is still the product of belief, not evidence. The reason for this is simple: over the past half century the U.S. has not experimented enough with capital punishment policy to permit strong conclusions. Even complex econometrics cannot sidestep this basic fact. The data are simply too noisy, and the conclusions from any study are too fragile. On balance, the evidence suggests that the death penalty may increase the murder rate although it remains possible that the death penalty may decrease it. If capital punishment does decrease the murder rate, any decrease is likely small. John Donohue is a professor at Yale Law School and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Justin Wolfers is a professor at the Wharton School of Business and a Research Affiliate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. (The Economists' Voice, April 2006). Researchers Retest the Deterrence Studies A new edition of the Stanford Law Review contains an article entitled Uses and Abuses of Empirical Evidence in the Death Penalty Debate. The article examines and performs comparison tests on recent studies that have claimed a deterrent effect to the death penalty. Authors John J. Donohue of Yale Law School and Justin Wolfers of the University of Pennsylvania state their goal and conclusions: (O)ur aim in this Article is to provide a thorough assessment of the statistical evidence on this important public policy issue and to understand better the conflicting evidence. ... Our estimates suggest not just ?reasonable doubt? about whether there is any deterrent effect of the death penalty, but profound uncertainty. ... We are led to conclude that there exists profound uncertainty about the deterrent (or antideterrent) effect of the death penalty; the data tell us that capital punishment is not a major influence on homicide rates, but beyond this, they do not speak clearly. Further, we suspect that our conclusion that econometric studies are highly uncertain about the effects of the death penalty will persist for the foreseeable future. ... Aggregating over all of our estimates, it is entirely unclear even whether the preponderance of evidence suggests that the death penalty causes more or less murder. 58 Stanford Law Review 791 (2005). A Review of Deterrence Studies and other Social Science Research Robert Weisberg, a professor at Stanford University's School of Law, examines recent studies on deterrence and the death penalty, as well as other social science research regarding capital punishment in the U.S. In The Death Penalty Meets Social Science: Deterrence and Jury Behavior Under New Scrutiny, Weisberg notes that many of the new studies claiming to find that the death penalty deters murder have been legitimately criticized for omitting key variables and for not addressing the potential distorting effect of one high-executing state, Texas. Later in the article, Weisberg examines studies on race-of-victim discrimination and on capital jurors. This article will appear in the forthcoming edition of the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. (1 Annual Review of Law and Social Science 151 (2005)). Expert Testimony Faults Death Penalty Deterrence Findings In testimony before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary regarding proposed legislation to initiate a "foolproof" death penalty, Columbia Law School Professor Jeffrey Fagan analyzed recent studies that claimed that capital punishment deters murders. He stated that the studies "fall apart under close scrutiny." Fagan noted that the studies are fraught with technical and conceptual errors, including inappropriate methods of statistical analysis, failures to consider all relevant factors that drive murder rates, missing data on key variables in key states, weak to non-existent tests of concurrent effects of incarceration, and other deficiencies. "A close reading of the new deterrence studies shows quite clearly that they fail to touch this scientific bar, let alone cross it," Fagan said as he told members of the committee that the recent deterrence studies fell well short of the demanding standards of social science research. (J. Fagan, Public Policy Choices on Deterrence and the Death Penalty: A Critical Review of New Evidence, testimony before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary of the Massachusetts Legislature on House Bill 3934, July 14, 2005). WALTER C. RECKLESS MEMORIAL LECTURE Death and Deterrence Redux: Science, Law and Causal Reasoning on Capital Punishment by Jeffrey Fagan "The new deterrence literature fails to provide a stable foundation of scientific evidence on which to base law or policy. Nor can this evidence be used to calibrate the normative implications of new ?facts? about lives saved or lost. As in the debate over Ehrlich?s findings, simple but necessary changes in the functional form of regression equations, combined with measurement strategies that provide more complete and accurate data, produce different results that differ from the current crop of studies, results that are far more equivocal. Even more significant modifications to these studies, such as using research designs that more closely approximate quasi-experiments that account for murder trends in states with no executions, also produce different and equivocal results.276 Conceptual errors and omissions in specifying the multiple influences on murder rates seriously bias the estimates of deterrence." 4 OHIO STATE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW 255, 314 (2006) ************* Carry On! --abe abe at cuadp.org www.CUADP.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Wed Jun 13 23:06:19 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:06:19 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] FURMAN at 35 - Another special guest speaker - F&V UPDATE! Message-ID: <20070614025214.16C3C13C48C@daisy2.compar.com> Sent to ALL Abolitionists - At Least Once! Please forgive cross-posts Please forward Greetings All! UPDATING & INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN The ABOLITIONIST ACTION COMMITTEE'S STARVIN ' FOR JUSTICE 2007 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 - July 2, 2007 (Arrive June 28 and depart July 3 for full attendance Read the who, what, when, where, why and how of this important annual abolitionist event by visiting http://www.abolition.org ************* NEWLY CONFIRMED SPEAKERS! Joining the speakers list for our series of evening teach-ins is Ron McAndrew. As both a past warden of Florida State Prison and a supporter of the death penalty, Ron has come full circle in the past six years and now believes the death penalty should be abolished. "I personally saw both physical and mental pain and anguish by those being executed at FSP and in Texas where I participated in a number of executions," he says. Come hear the sound bites during the noon rally on June 29 and the full story, with Q&A, at the evening teach-in that same day. More about Ron is at http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/18/Worldandnation/From_outside__he_push.shtml See the (still in development) list of confirmed evening speakers at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ -- more will be announced next week! *************** NEW SPONSORS! See the full list of F&V Co-Sponsors to-date (June 13) and get co-sponsorship information at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html Since the last update the following groups and individuals have become co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty. ACLU Capital Punishment Project --- http://www.aclu.org/capital/index.html Suzanne Carter -- www.zanncarter.com and also - just because I love it - http://www.chairisacloset.blogspot.com Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty --- http://www.FADP.org Gainesville Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Jeff Gamso Susan Gries Leadership Conference of Women Religious --- http://www.lcwr.org Magdaleno M. Rose-Avila --- http://www.magdaleno.org/ Martha Mortenson New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty --- http://www.nyadp.org Scott Taylor The DEADLINE to be listed in the printed brochure fast approaches - Sponsor with a credit card at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html ************* NOTICE - SPECIAL EVENTS ON JUNE 28 9:30 AM - Witness the trial of the AAC Activists arrested at the US Supreme Court on January 17th of this year - the 30th Anniversary of the first execution of the current death penalty era. (NOTICE - civil disobedience does NOT take place during the F&V!) June 28, 2007 at 9:30 a.m., with Judge John Bayly, District Courtroom 321, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC. 5:30 PM - Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing FUND RAISER - see http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/events-pops.htm ************** DROPPING BY... THE FAST & VIGIL My former colleague, ED DiFiglia, now lives in the DC area. Last week he wrote: >Hey Abe, > >I want to participate in the fast and vigil, but I'm not sure what >my schedule is going to look like for those days just yet. What's >the policy for people just dropping by? > >Ed D./ My response: Come any time, stay as long as you can, leave when you must and come back when you can, if you can! The first rule of the F&V is that there are no rules.... Each person makes the most of it given what they have to offer and what they seek from the experience. The main goals of F&V are to have a presence at the US Supreme Court, but also to have quality time with fellow abolitionists in an environment that is neither rushed nor pressured. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ CAN'T MAKE IT TO DC? Join dozens of organizations and a handful (at this point) of individuals who have become co-sponsors of the Fast & Vigil by sending a donation to help cover the costs of this event. It usually costs about $5,000 to pull this off. Because I got started organizing late this year, we are well behind in meeting the need - only $1,275 is in the door and we are less than three weeks away! $5 helps. $500 helps more! Do what YOU can to join with Amy Jo Smith, Ron Keine, Martha Mortenson, Susan Gries, Dale Baich, Scott Taylor, Magdaleno Rose-Avila and Suzanne Carter as individual co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court. Even if you cannot be there person, you CAN be there in spirit AND with tangible support.... Visit https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html to make your donation today! ****************** WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? The Fast & Vigil takes place on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, considered by many to be the heart of the legalized killing machines in this country. In addition to the strong public witness, this is an excellent opportunity to meet other abolitionists and to "recharge your batteries" while engaging in public outreach and maintaining a physical presence at the Court. ***FASTING IS OPTIONAL*** BOTTOM LINE, this is a great experience and training ground for people who want to learn more about this issue and to become very adept at talking about the dp. Prisoners, activists from other countries, and abolitionists who are unable to come to Washington, D.C. have fasted or held events in solidarity with the action at the Court. This tradition continues to grow as well - those who participate in solidarity are asked to communicate details of their actions and contact information to the Fast & Vigil organizers. E-mail aac at abolition.org or write to the address below. TO BECOME A CO-SPONSOR, please visit: http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html The Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through non-violent direct action. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ or by calling 800-973-6548 ************ SENT BY: The Abolitionist Action Committee www.abolition.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Sun Jun 17 01:31:23 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 01:31:23 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] F&V Makes National News Message-ID: <20070617051836.473A313C483@daisy2.compar.com> Sent FIRST to CUADPUpdate Sent to All Abolitionists - At least once! Please Excuse Cross-Posts Please Forward Greetings All! Read about Larry Peterson here: http://deathpenaltyusa.blogspot.com/2007/06/saga-of-larry-peterson.html Last week, National Public Radio aired a 45 minute radio documentary over two days, examining Larry's case. Larry faced the death penalty, got life + 50 years, and spent 18 years in the pokey for a crime he had nothing to do with. He was one of our speakers at last year's Fast & Vigil, and a snippet of Larry's presentation is included in that NPR report. If you go to this site you can hear it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10974437 AND while at that site, if you click on SLIDESHOW, you will see Larry wearing the official Fast & Vigil t-shirt from last year. Very Cool! By supporting this year's Fast & Vigil with a contribution of $36 or more, I will send you THIS YEAR's 35th Anniversary of Furman Commemorative F&V t-shirt. Go to this site to see this year's shirt: http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/merchandise.html And there's more, but first, a little background: With less than two weeks to go until the start of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court, the deadline for the printed brochure that we hand out to thousands of passers-by is upon us. WEDNESDAY, June 20 at 8am is the deadline for those wishing to be listed as sponsors in the printed brochure. All Sponsorships received to-date are listed at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html. Please note that individuals as well as organizations are invited to participate as co-sponsors. Individuals giving at $36 or more will receive an official "Starvin' for Justice '06" t-shirt OR one of the alternative items noted below The budget of the Fast & Vigil usually ends up being between $4000 and $5000. This year it is a bit higher because: * we no longer have the "at-cost" printer that we have been using since 1999, and * the F&V this year includes two weekend days, meaning more hours that we have to pay the security guard costs for access to the United Methodist Church Building when the building is closed (they give us the space for free, but we have to pay the extra security fees). Currently in hand or known to be on the way: about $2,500. We must double that in the next week. SO - will you help? $36 or more gets you the t-shirt or one of the other items mentioned below. Our largest single individual contributor thus far came in at $100. Last year, the largest was $500. Please give what you can! Please join the co-sponsors listed below by visiting https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html - and be sure to indicate that your support is for the Fast & Vigil and let us know how to list you! If you wish to mail a check, please use the form that you will find at http://www.abolition.org/starvin13.sponsors06.html, but also send an e-mail to so that we know it is coming and can list you in the printed brochure. ALTERNATIVE PREMIUMS #1 - BACK FROM THE DEAD: One Woman's Search For The Men Who Walked Off America's Death Row, by JOAN CHEEVER This new book was officially released in the U.S. last year on July 2, the anniversary of Gregg v. Georgia. Author Joan Cheever gave a talk about her book and the story behind it that night as part of the evening Teach-In series at the Fast & Vigil. The film of that talk will hopefully be available soon. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO aired an interview with Joan on Morning Edition last year: >You can listen to the report at: >http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5662491 >Thursday, August 17, 2006 > >On the Trail of Former Death Row Inmates > >Morning Edition, August 17, 2006 ? Joan Cheever, author of Back from the >Dead, followed former death row inmates who were released when the Supreme >Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972. > >Cheever talks to Steve Inskeep about what she found. The cover price is $24.95. CUADP will kick in shipping for a minimum suggested donation of $25 (or more). You can get a better deal on Amazon.com, but it would not be helping the movement. See below for how to order! *********************** AND AND AND *********************** DEAD MAN WALKING CONCERT DVD/LEGACY EDITION CD PACKAGE: CUADP has a few copies left of the Dead Man Walking CD Legacy Edition featuring Bruce Bringsteen, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Cash, Suzanne Vega, Michelle Shocked, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Tom Waits and others, PACKAGED WITH the never-before-available and award winning film of the "Not In My Name" Concert (featuring Steve Earle, Annie DeFranco, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Vedder and others). It is selling in stores and on-line for $30.00, CUADP will kick in shipping for a minimum suggested donation of $30 (or more). You can get a better deal on Amazon.com, but it would not be helping the movement. See below for how to order! ************************* HOW TO SPONSOR Use Paypal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover by filling in the on-line donation form at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html Make sure to say what you want in the comments section. OR SEND A CHECK. If you wish this option, send me an e-mail at to tell me what you want so I can set it aside and I will tell you where to send the check. ************ Wishing you warm summer greetings.... See you in DC! --abe SENT BY: Abraham J. Bonowitz abe at cuadp.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Tue Jun 19 01:20:17 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:20:17 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] Support the Journey - June 28, 2007 Message-ID: <20070619050619.716CD13C433@daisy2.compar.com> Dear Friends, As a long-time supporter and former member of the board of directors of the Journey of Hope ...From Violence to Healing, Inc., I sincerely hope you will join me at this event, if not in person than with your financial support. Yours in the Struggle, --abe ********************** Friends of the Journey, June 17, 2007 You are invited to Journey of Hope from Violence to Healing?s Birthday Party for Reverend Moreese ?Pops? Bickham on Thursday June 28, 2007, at the National Press Club in Washington DC. "Back From the Dead: One Woman's Search for the Men Who Walked off America's Death Row", by Joan Cheever, tells a story in Chapter Nine about Moreese "Pops" Bickham. On June 29, 1972, the US Supreme Court handed down a ruling called Furman v. Georgia. The Furman decision declared the death penalty unconstitutional in its application and death rows were emptied throughout America. It was law of our land until Greg v. Georgia, July 2, 1976 allowed for resumption of executions. Joan refers to those taken off of death row through Furman as the ?Class of 72?. Pops Bickham is the oldest living survivor of that class and the Journey of Hope will be honoring Pops ninetieth birthday on June 28th 5:30 PM ? 7:30 PM at the National Press Club, Holeman Lounge, 13th Floor 529 14th Street N.W. Washington, DC As president of the Journey "Advisory Committee" Joan has worked tirelessly in preparation for this tremendous event. Through her research she gathered a spectacular list of people from the Furman era and they have been invited to join Pops celebration as special guests. The heroes of Furman have been invited. For those no longer living, a family member has been invited. The Journey of Hope is grateful to Joan for all of her hard work, to Pops for joining the Journey, and to all those responsible for helping the US Supreme Court to make its historic decision. Joan wants Pops to have a great 90th party. When you read Joan?s book you will see why Pops means the world to her. You will see that the Furman decision is what caused her to write the book. And you will see why the Journey of Hope also means a lot to Joan. It was on the 2005 Texas Journey of Hope that Sister Helen Prejean and Marietta Jaeger Lane?s powerful ministries helped bring Joan the closure on ?Back from the Dead? that she was looking for. Pops participated in the Virginia Journey of Hope last year and plans on participating on the October 12-28 Journey in Texas this year. In fact at the start of the year Pops told some folks he was coming to the Texas journey even if he had to walk or crawl. He calls us the ?people of Hope.? We lovingly call him Pops. We don?t want Pops to walk or crawl. We want Pops to come to Texas as our honored guest as we travel around the state working for abolition. This fundraiser is designed to help make this happen. Five of the six Journey of Hope board members will be in DC on the 28th when we honor Pops. Leading abolitionists from DC and around the country are coming. We would like for you to come too. There is only one catch. You must RSVP now so we can let the press club know how many people are coming. We are asking for a minimum donation of $75 per person. You can pay at the door but we must have a RSVP now. EVENT DETAILS June 28th 5:30 PM ? 7:30 PM The National Press Club, Holeman Lounge, 13th Floor 529 14th Street N.W. Washington, DC If you would like to come please RSVP immediately to . If you cannot attend you can still make a donation to the Journey in honor of Pops by clicking here. http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/support.htm http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/events-pops.htm pictures Pops with Sister Helen last year on the Virginia Journey. On June 29th, the 35th anniversary of Furman, Pops will see the US Supreme Court Building where the decision was made that saved his life. Pops has prayed for this day. Help us make this a special time for Pops. You can send him a birthday message in care of me at . Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested. Peace, Bill Bill Pelke President Journey of Hope Journey of Hope from Violence to Healing PO Box 210390 Anchorage, AK 99521-0390 www.journeyofhope.org 877-9-24(GIVE)4483 Toll free From abe at cuadp.org Tue Jun 19 22:10:14 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:10:14 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] FURMAN at 35 - Last Chance to be Listed! - F&V UPDATE! Message-ID: <20070620015616.494F713C45E@daisy2.compar.com> Sent to ALL Abolitionists - At Least Once! Please forgive cross-posts Please forward Greetings All! UPDATING & INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN The ABOLITIONIST ACTION COMMITTEE'S STARVIN ' FOR JUSTICE 2007 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 - July 2, 2007 (Arrive June 28 and depart July 3 for full attendance) Read the who, what, when, where, why and how of this important annual abolitionist event by visiting http://www.abolition.org ************* NEWLY CONFIRMED SPEAKERS! Joining the speakers list for our series of evening teach-ins is David Elliot, Delia Perez Meyer, Renny Cushing and Joan Cheever, and we're waiting for final confirmation on a few others. The schedule will be posted by the end of the week! Ohhhhh, this is SO exciting! We're almost there! See the (still in development) list of confirmed evening speakers at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ -- more will be announced by weeks end! *************** NEW SPONSORS! NOTE: The DEADLINE to be listed in the printed brochure is TOMORROW NIGHT - 6/20/07 at 10pm eastern time - Sponsor with a credit card at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html - or let me know that your check is on the way. We go to print at 8am Thursday. See the full list of F&V Co-Sponsors to-date (June 13) and get co-sponsorship information at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html Since the last update the following groups and individuals have become co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty. K. Bandell Trudy Conway Equal Justice USA --- http://www.ejusa.org/ Marc Ferrara John McDiarmid Jonathan Groner & Cathy Levine (ALPHABETIZE BY GRONER) Marianist Social Justice Collaborative --- http://www.msjc.net/default.aspx Dick & Eileen Melia Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty -- links to http://www.moabolition.org/ New Hope House --- http://www.mennonitemission.net/Work/Service/SOOP/locations/georgia.asp Ohioans to STOP Executions --- www.otse.org Open Door Community --- http://www.opendoorcommunity.org/ Pax Christi - Baltimore --- http://www.paxchristibaltimore.org/ Pax Christi Pentagon Area --- http://www.paxchristinova.org/pentagon/ Vivienne E. Perkins Joanne Schwarz AGAIN, The DEADLINE to be listed in the printed brochure is TOMORROW NIGHT - 6/20/07 at 10pm eastern time - Sponsor with a credit card at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html - or let me know that your check is on the way. We go to print at 8am Thursday. ************* NOTICE - SPECIAL EVENTS ON JUNE 28 9:30 AM - Witness the trial of the AAC Activists arrested at the US Supreme Court on January 17th of this year - the 30th Anniversary of the first execution of the current death penalty era. (NOTICE - civil disobedience does NOT take place during the F&V!) June 28, 2007 at 9:30 a.m., with Judge John Bayly, District Courtroom 321, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC. 5:30 PM - Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing FUND RAISER - see http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/events-pops.htm ************** DROPPING BY... THE FAST & VIGIL My former colleague, ED DiFiglia, now lives in the DC area. Last week he wrote: >Hey Abe, > >I want to participate in the fast and vigil, but I'm not sure what >my schedule is going to look like for those days just yet. What's >the policy for people just dropping by? > >Ed D./ My response: Come any time, stay as long as you can, leave when you must and come back when you can, if you can! The first rule of the F&V is that there are no rules.... Each person makes the most of it given what they have to offer and what they seek from the experience. The main goals of F&V are to have a presence at the US Supreme Court, but also to have quality time with fellow abolitionists in an environment that is neither rushed nor pressured. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ CAN'T MAKE IT TO DC? Join dozens of organizations and a handful (at this point) of individuals who have become co-sponsors of the Fast & Vigil by sending a donation to help cover the costs of this event. It usually costs about $5,000 to pull this off. Because I got started organizing late this year, we are well behind in meeting the need - only $1,275 is in the door and we are less than three weeks away! $5 helps. $500 helps more! Do what YOU can to join with Amy Jo Smith, Ron Keine, Martha Mortenson, Susan Gries, Dale Baich, Scott Taylor, Magdaleno Rose-Avila and Suzanne Carter as individual co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court. Even if you cannot be there person, you CAN be there in spirit AND with tangible support.... Visit https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html to make your donation today! ****************** WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? The Fast & Vigil takes place on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, considered by many to be the heart of the legalized killing machines in this country. In addition to the strong public witness, this is an excellent opportunity to meet other abolitionists and to "recharge your batteries" while engaging in public outreach and maintaining a physical presence at the Court. ***FASTING IS OPTIONAL*** BOTTOM LINE, this is a great experience and training ground for people who want to learn more about this issue and to become very adept at talking about the dp. Prisoners, activists from other countries, and abolitionists who are unable to come to Washington, D.C. have fasted or held events in solidarity with the action at the Court. This tradition continues to grow as well - those who participate in solidarity are asked to communicate details of their actions and contact information to the Fast & Vigil organizers. E-mail aac at abolition.org or write to the address below. TO BECOME A CO-SPONSOR, please visit: http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html The Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through non-violent direct action. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ or by calling 800-973-6548 ************ SENT BY: The Abolitionist Action Committee www.abolition.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Fri Jun 22 08:51:08 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:51:08 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] FURMAN at 35 - SCHEDULE POSTED - F&V UPDATE! Message-ID: <20070622125012.90BA713C477@daisy2.compar.com> Sent to ALL Abolitionists - At Least Once! Please forgive cross-posts Please forward Greetings All! UPDATING & INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN The ABOLITIONIST ACTION COMMITTEE'S STARVIN ' FOR JUSTICE 2007 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court June 29 - July 2, 2007 (Arrive June 28 and depart July 3 for full attendance) Read the who, what, when, where, why and how of this important annual abolitionist event by visiting http://www.abolition.org ************* NEWLY CONFIRMED SPEAKERS! Joining the speakers list for our series of evening teach-ins is Art Laffin, Shabaka WaQlimi, Georgi Fisher, Marshall Hartman, Phyllis Prentice, and Bill & Jennifer Bishop Jenkins. The schedule of who is speaking each evening HAS BEEN POSTED, however exact order of speakers for each evening will remain a surprise until we get a bit closer. See the full list of confirmed evening speakers at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ and see the F&V Schedule at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/schedule.html *************** NEW SPONSORS! NOTE: The DEADLINE to be listed in the printed brochure was Wednesday night - Sponsors are STILL coming in and may be listed on the web page even after the fact! Sponsor with a credit card at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html - or let me know that your check is on the way. See the full list of F&V Co-Sponsors to-date (June 21) and get co-sponsorship information at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html Since the last update the following groups and individuals have become co-sponsors of the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty. Alaskans Against the Death Penalty American Friends Service Committee Jennifer Bishop Jenkins Catholics Against Capital Punishment Joan Cheever Florida Death Row Advocacy Group Phyllis Lawrence Legislative Initiative Against Capital Punishment Connie Nash Hilary Naylor United Church of Christ - Justice & Witness Ministries See the full list of F&V Co-Sponsors to-date (June 21) and get co-sponsorship information at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html It's never too late to sponsor with a credit card at https://www.compar.com/donation/donateform.html And THANKS to ALL who have come forward to help make this event happen! ************* NOTICE - SPECIAL EVENTS ON JUNE 28 9:30 AM - Witness the trial of the AAC Activists arrested at the US Supreme Court on January 17th of this year - the 30th Anniversary of the first execution of the current death penalty era. (NOTICE - civil disobedience does NOT take place during the F&V!) June 28, 2007 at 9:30 a.m., with Judge John Bayly, District Courtroom 321, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC. 5:30 PM - Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing FUND RAISER - see http://www.journeyofhope.org/pages/events-pops.htm ************** JOURNEY OF HOPE EVENT PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oldest Former Death Row Inmate and Lawyers/Abolitionists of the Sixties To Be Honored by The Journey of Hope in Washington, D.C. on the Eve of the 35th Anniversary of Landmark Supreme Court Case That Abolished the Death Penalty Louisiana?s Moreese Bickham, the oldest member of ?The Class of ?72? whose 1958 death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972, will honored, along with the lawyers/abolitionists of The Sixties and Seventies, at a reception from 5:30-7:30 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. by The Journey of Hope from Violence to Healing. (journeyofhope.org) Bickham was one of 587 men and two women whose lives were spared on that day when the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty in a 5-4 vote. Bickham, who celebrated his 90th birthday in early June, will also be a featured speaker at the 14th Annual Fast and Vigil in Washington, D.C. on June 29, 2007, on the 35th anniversary of the landmark ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that saved his life ? Furman v. Georgia. The Fast and Vigil is coordinated by the Abolitionist Action Committee. (www.abolition.org) The reception to honor Mr. Bickham and the lawyers/abolitionists of The Summer of ?72 is being hosted by members of the board of The Journey of Hope From Violence to Healing, a 501c3 nonprofit educational group, led by murder victim family members against the death penalty. ( www.journeyofhope.org) Tickets to the fundraiser, which will be held on the eve of the historic Furman ruling, are $75 per person and can be purchased at the door. Bill Pelke, president of The Journey of Hope, said the organization is honored to host an event with such legendary figures in the abolition movement of The Sixties and Seventies who took the Furman case to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Summer of ?72, as well as current leaders of national anti-death penalty organizations. Moreese ?Pops? Bickham made his first Journey of Hope trip in Virginia in October 2006 and plans to travel to Texas in October for the Texas Journey. The event will be held Oct. 12-28 in Houston, San Antonio and Austin. When the United States Supreme Court abolished the death penalty on June 29, 1972 in the landmark ruling of Furman v. Georgia, there were 45 men on Louisiana?s Death Row ? and a total of 587 men and two women on Death Rows in 30 states and the District of Columbia. They were all eventually moved into the general prison population. Since that time, 322 former Death Row inmates have been released from prison and are the subject of a recently published book by Joan M., Cheever, Back From the Dead: One woman?s search for the men who walked off America?s death row. (John Wiley & Sons 2006). Bickham was released from prison in 1996 in Louisiana after serving 38 years inside Angola, once described as ?the bloodiest prison in America.? While Bickham was on Death Row from 1958 to 1972, he had seven execution dates; on one date, he came within 14 hours of execution. Bickham?s lawyer, Michael Alcamo of New York City, who was instrumental in gaining Bickham?s freedom in 1996, will be in attendance as will members of the original NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund legal team that represented all those inmates who were under the sentence of death in the Summer of ?72 when the Furman decision was handed down. LDF lawyer Michael Meltsner, former dean of Northeastern Law School and author of the recent book, The Making of a Civil Rights Lawyer, will also be at the party, along with members of the original LDF legal team ? Elaine Jones, Jack Himmelstein, Lynn Walker and Mel Bruder. Meltsner says he believes abolition of capital punishment is in the immediate future. ?We had a measure of justice 35 years ago and its not going to take that long to get it back," Meltsner said. ?Everyone really knows that executions are ineffective, inconsistent and prohibitively expensive. Only the fear of our politicians keep capital punishment around." Meltsner wrote a detailed account of the Furman decision and its road to the U.S. Supreme in ?Cruel and Unusual: The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment. (Random House, 1973). Moreese Bickham, a World War II veteran with no prior record, was sentenced to death for the July 12, 1958 murder of two Louisiana police officers who came to his house at 3 a.m to arrest him for a bar fight earlier in the evening. Bickham maintains it was self-defense (he was shot first, in the chest) and he says the police officers were members of the Ku Klux Klan. The all-white male jury took only 2 ? hours to find Bickham guilty and sentence him to death. Bickham says he is looking forward to both the birthday celebration and the event, and most especially, to visit the Supreme Court and pay homage to ?all those good men and women who worked so hard to free me.? Contact Information: Joan Cheever, 210-241-3771; backfromdeadusa at aol.com The Fast and Vigil: Abe Bonowitz, CUADP Director and CoFounder at: 561-371-5204; abe at cuadp.org The Journey of Hope: Bill Pelke 305-775-5823 Lawyer Michael Meltsner: 617 373 3218/617 354 5328 ****************** WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? The Fast & Vigil takes place on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, considered by many to be the heart of the legalized killing machines in this country. In addition to the strong public witness, this is an excellent opportunity to meet other abolitionists and to "recharge your batteries" while engaging in public outreach and maintaining a physical presence at the Court. ***FASTING IS OPTIONAL*** BOTTOM LINE, this is a great experience and training ground for people who want to learn more about this issue and to become very adept at talking about the dp. Prisoners, activists from other countries, and abolitionists who are unable to come to Washington, D.C. have fasted or held events in solidarity with the action at the Court. This tradition continues to grow as well - those who participate in solidarity are asked to communicate details of their actions and contact information to the Fast & Vigil organizers. E-mail aac at abolition.org or write to the address below. TO BECOME A CO-SPONSOR, please visit: http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html The Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through non-violent direct action. Learn more at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/ or by calling 800-973-6548 ************ SENT BY: The Abolitionist Action Committee www.abolition.org 800-973-6548 From abe at cuadp.org Tue Jun 26 01:19:09 2007 From: abe at cuadp.org (Abraham J. Bonowitz) Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:19:09 -0400 Subject: [CUADPUpdate] Starvin' for Justice Speaker Schedule, Press Release, and Other Info Message-ID: <20070626051816.7053913C42D@daisy2.compar.com> Hi All, Please excuse cross posts. See below for the schedule of who is speaking when, and we have some GREAT speakers and also a few surprises! See below! If you are in the DC area or you know anyone there, please forward this info and encourage attendance. Many thanks! Special thanks to our many financial and in-kind co-sponsors, who are listed at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/sponsors.html - We could not do it without each one of you! --abe *********** LOOKING FOR SOMETHING to do on The Hill? Check out The A B O L I T I O N I S T A C T I O N C O M M I T T E E ' S STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2007 the 14th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court June 29 through July 2 We're there all day, each day, with the following special events. NOTE - all events are on the sidewalk in front of the US Supreme Court. In the event of rain or serious threat thereof, we will be inside the United Methodist Church building immediately adjacent to the Court - just across Maryland Ave. Thursday, June 28, starting at 9am - the Trial of the DC-9 - Please support them by being present in the courtroom! Details are at http://www.abolition.org/jan17-2007.html Friday, June 29 at 9:15pm - Join us for the Last Supper at a local restaurant. Please RSVP to aac at abolition.org for details. Friday, June 29 at 12am (Midnight of June 28) - Join us for the opening circle. FRIDAY, June 29, Starting at NOON - Press Conference/Rally commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Furman Decision. See press release below. And, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 6pm each evening, join us for the Death Penalty Teach-In, featuring Death Row Survivors, Murder Victim Family Members, Death Row Family Members, Scholars and other Movement Leaders. See http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/schedule.html to learn more about the speakers and who is scheduled for which evening. JULY 2: Closing Circle begins at about 11:15 or 11:30pm. The Breaking the Fast meal will take place immediately following. GET DETAILS AT: www.ABOLITION.org *************************** A MEDIA ADVISORY FROM THE ABOLITIONIST ACTION COMMITTEE (AAC) ********************************************************************* CONTACTS: Abolitionist Action Committee 561-371-5204 (mobile) aac at abolition.org David Elliot, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 202-543-9577, ext. 16 202-607-7036 (mobile) delliot at ncadp.org ********************************************************************** Press Conference Announcement EX-WARDEN WHO EXECUTED IN FLORIDA & TEXAS AMONG MANY CALLING FOR END TO DEATH PENALTY ON HISTORIC 35TH ANNIVERSARY As part of STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2007; THE 14TH ANNUAL FAST AND VIGIL TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY AT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT WHO: Former Florida State Prison Warden Ron McAndrew (Participated in executions), Former Louisiana Death Row Prisoner Moreese Bickham (removed from Louisiana's death row by the Furman decision), Attorney Marshall Hartman (worked on historic Furman case), Death Row Survivors, Murder Victim Family Members, and other leaders of various anti-death penalty organizations. WHAT: Press Conference WHEN: NOON, Friday, June 29, 2007, the 35th Anniversary of the Historic Furman Decision WHERE: On the sidewalk in front of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC WHY: July 29, 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the Furman V. Georgia decision in which the United States Supreme Court struck down all laws allowing executions in the U.S. Persons of interest noted above will join leaders of the anti-death penalty movement in speaking out about recent developments regarding the issue, noting how the death penalty continues to fail as a public policy in the United States. July 2, 2007 marks the 31st anniversary of the Gregg V. Georgia decision in which the United States Supreme Court upheld laws written in various states to reinstate the death penalty in the wake of the Furman decision in 1972. This press conference is part of the Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court, wherein anti-death penalty activists will converge on Washington, D.C. from Friday, June 29 through Monday, July 2 for four days of activities commemorating the historic 1972 and 1976 Supreme Court rulings that suspended the death penalty in the United States and later allowed executions to resume. This is the fourteenth year in a row that the Abolitionist Action Committee will hold its annual Fast and Vigil between the dates of these two landmark decisions. Activists, many of whom are fasting the entire four days, are travelling to Washington D.C. from across the United States and beyond. Highlights of this highly visual and interactive annual event include live music and evening teach-ins by death row survivors, murder victim family members, and noted activists and scholars. Please see details at http://www.abolition.org/starvin14/schedule.html ATTENTION REPORTERS, EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: Consider interviews with activists from your specific state or region. A press conference will be held at Noon on Friday, June 29 on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, but we are available all day and evening on June 29 and 30, and July 1 and 2. SEE THE LIST OF SCHEDULED EVENING SPEAKERS. RAIN ALERT: In the event of rain or significant threat thereof, the press conference and other events requiring amplification will take part inside the United Methodist Church Building, immediately adjacent (across Maryland Ave. on 1st St.) **************************************************************** 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. Contact the AAC at: 800-973-6548 <aac at abolition.org> http://www.abolition.org ****************************************************************