Abolition Day Events - Photos, News Coverage and Reports

Event Coverage 2003:

Event Coverage 2002:

Event Coverage 2001:

Reports and Media Coverage on 2003 International Abolition Day Events

EUROPE:

Voice of America - Council of Europe Urges Global Ban on Death Penalty

The Council of Europe urges nations across the globe to abolish the death penalty as the organization celebrates Death Penalty Abolition Day Saturday.
The council's secretary general, Walter Schwimmer, says the death penalty is arbitrary, discriminatory and irreversible.
Two years ago, the Parliamentary Assembly urged the United States and Japan to institute a moratorium on executions and to improve prison conditions. The council threatened to revoke the observer status of the two countries if there was no significant progress by January 1, 2003. A debate on this issue is scheduled for the Parliamentary Assembly's June session.
 
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FLORIDA:

Gainesville Sun - Letters to the Editor - Death penalty awareness needs community support

Mary Jo Hayes,
GCADP member,
Gainesville

Today is International Death Penalty Abolition Day. It has its roots in Detroit, Mich., in the early 1800s as a result of two cases that awoke the hearts and minds of the people of Michigan as to the irreversibility of state-sanctioned killing.

Patrick Fitzpatrick, a Detroiter living in an inn across the Detroit River, was accused of raping and murdering the innkeeper's daughter. Though the evidence was only circumstantial, he was executed. Seven years later, Fitzpatrick's roommate confessed to the crime while on his deathbed. The people of Detroit were outraged that an innocent man had been executed.

Stephen Simmons was a temperamental bartender who killed his wife, who was carrying their unborn child. He was hanged in front of an enthusiastic, bloodthirsty public and, before dying, Simmons sang a redemptive and prayerful song, asking God for forgiveness and mercy. As he hung from the gallows, the people were horrified at the cruel and vindictive act they had committed.

On March 1, 1847, Michigan abolished capital punishment. The people of Michigan continue in this noble practice and the current penalty for capital crimes is a mandatory life sentence without a chance of parole.

For more information on the death penalty, call Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty at 1 800 973-6548, go to www.cuadp.org or come to a meeting of Gainesville Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GCADP) at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Hurley House, which is located on the northwest corner of NW 17th Street and 1st Avenue.
 
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TENNESSEE:

Knoxville News - Group stages vigil protesting death penalty

James Staub knows what it's like to lose a loved one to a violent crime. His mother was murdered when he was 12 years old.

"I knew then that revenge wouldn't bring her back," the South Knoxville resident said.

So even though he is a victim of violent crime, he opposes the death penalty.

Staub and other members of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing held a small vigil Friday outside Church Street United Methodist Church in observance of International Death Penalty Abolition Day. It was 156 years ago today - March 1, 1847 - when the state of Michigan became the 1st English-speaking territory to abolish capital punishment.

Staub says the first argument death penalty advocates make is that opponents have no personal connection, he said. He holds himself up as proof that is not always true.

The coalition, Staub says, "is seeking a moratorium on the death penalty," adding that the policy needs to be evaluated "to see if it is exercised in a just manner."

Tennessee had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty from 1960 to April 2000, when Robert Glen Coe was executed by lethal injection.

"It is hypocritical to call for the killing of those who kill," said Lois Presser, a professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Tennessee.

People should take the responsibility to learn about the death penalty because if they are not protesting it, they are supporting it, she added.

"It's no time to just let things happen," Presser said.

Sister Anne Hablas of LaFollette who works with the local Catholic Diocese and a group called Justice-Peace-Integrity of Creation, agreed that knowledge is the key in understanding the death penalty.

"Capital punishment is immoral (and) unjust," she said, adding that the three Tennessee Bishops of the Catholic Church have spoken strongly against the death penalty.

"Telling people killing is wrong by killing other people doesn't make sense," said Glenda Struss-Keyes, director of the Creation group and a vigil participant. "Anything that destroys life affects everything else."
 
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TEXAS:

"Walking the Talk" with Abolitionwear

Abe,as you know from my e-mails, I live in the kill em state so what can I do for tomorrow? I am going to wear my anti death penalty shirt all over town tomorrow. Thank You
Rose
 
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WEST VIRGINIA:

"First Fast - Fast for Life"

I just wanted to write and share my individual efforts with you. There are no events in my region in which I can participate, but this year I will be participating in the First Fast. I also composed the following letter and e-mailed it to the President, Vice President, and Majority and Minority Leaders of the House and Senate. Thank you for all the hard work you do.
Staci

"March 1 is International Death Penalty Abolition Day. It marks the anniversary of the date in 1847 in which the state of Michigan officially became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish capital punishment. It is a day to remember the victims of violent crime and their survivors; it is a day to remember those killed by state sanctioned violence, guilty or not, and their survivors; and it is a day for intensified education and action for alternatives to the death penalty.

The death penalty in our country is very obviously flawed. Since 1972, more than 100 prisoners have been exonerated due to actual innocence and released from death rows in the United States. Others awaiting legal proceedings will be released shortly (CUADP Press Release, 2/28/03). Who knows how many innocent men and women have been put to death? The death of even one innocent person is too many.

The death penalty is barbaric and outdated. Other civilized nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and France have all abolished the death penalty. Yet we remain in the company of countries such as Iraq, Iran and North Korea. This is shameful.

The death penalty is costly. In North Carolina, for example, it costs $2.16 million per execution over the costs of a non-death penalty system imposing a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life(P. Cook, The Costs of Processing Murder Cases in North Carolina,Duke University, May 1993). It costs the state of Florida $51 billion a year above and beyond what it would cost to sentence all first-degree murderers with life in prison without parole (S. V. Date, "The High Price of Killing Killers," Palm Beach Post, Jan. 4, 2000).

Emotional involvement aside, the death penalty is simply bad public policy, both socially and economically. There are better ways. As a member of Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CUADP), I support the abolition of the death penalty and enactment of alternatives to the death penalty, such as requiring all persons convicted of capital murder to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before even being considered for parole and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in certain cases. Prisoners should work in jobs that allow for some sense of dignity and purpose while imprisoned; such work situations provide a safer environment for guards and other prison employees. A portion of prisoners earnings should fund their incarceration and a portion should be put into a fund for victims of violent crimes and their survivors. These funds could also provide financial help for families who have lost a wage earner to murder.

On this day of remembrance and recollection, I will be taking part in a worldwide fast to bring awareness to the death penalty. I urge you, enact a moratorium on executions now and work to bring an end to the death penalty in our country. Execution is not a real solution. Please do not kill in my name."
 
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Reports and Media Coverage on 2002 International Abolition Day Events

CALIFORNIA:

Report from Orange County

Just a note about the public witness last night - the turnout was small but the event was very successful. 7 vigilers held signs in the Circle and "tabled" along the perimeter inviting signatures for the CME. About 6:15, two of us went to Chapman U where Professor Said was to speak and we gathered more signatures before being asked to leave campus (next time we'll get a permit).
After dinner at Rutabagorz, 3 of us returned to Chapman U with the new AI banner and solicited more signatures from the public sidewalk. It was a high energy evening resulting in 73 more signatures and hopefully heightened awareness on DP issues. Peace,
Jan
P.S. We also got mooned at the Circle by 5 gothic youths! Ah, the intellectual challenge of the opposition!
(source: Jan Urban)
 
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CARIBBEAN:

Caribbean Justice marks International Abolition Day; Asks region to end death penalty

On 1 March 1847 the State of Michigan, USA, officially became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish capital punishment. It came about in part as a result of outrage at the hanging of an innocent man and March 1 has now been adopted as International Death Penalty Abolition Day. Michigan remains one of the 12 American non-death penalty states. The punishment for murder is a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Caribbean Justice is marking International Death Penalty Abolition Day by calling on all Caribbean governments to end judicial killing.

As in Michigan, wherever the ultimate, irrerversible punishment of death is practised, the chance of miscarriages of justice can never be totally eliminated. Since 1976, when the death penalty was reinstated in the United States, 99 people have been exonerated and freed from death row -- not always because the judicial system has worked, but because they have been fortunate to have families and friends working tirelessly to prove their innocence. Some have come within hours of execution.

There are many reasons to support alternatives to the death penalty and the possibility of making a mistake, while particularly compelling, is just one of them. Some people claim capital punishment is a deterrent to murder. Yet extensive studies have never found evidence to support this theory. A United Nations study concluded that "research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment and such proof is unlikely to be forthcoming". Nor has abolition been found to lead to an increase in homicides, as some fear. To those who say it is not deterrence but justice that counts, we point out that the death penalty is the only instance in which punishment is meted out in kind. It is contradictory to respond to the very act you condemn by repeating it. When the state takes life it undermines the very message it intends to send -- that killing is wrong. Of course those who commit murder should be punished. But there are non-lethal means to deal with those who commit heinous crimes which deliver justice while preserving society's moral integrity.

In lobbying for an end to capital punishment, we never forget the victims of crime and their families, and we also urge governments to ensure proper support strategies for all those whose lives have been blighted by violence.

All too frequently the death penalty is used as a political football between opposing parties in an effort to show their "tough" credentials. This is particularly true in a high crime environment. Yet such tactics are no more than an obstacle to the identification and implementation of

The increasing international rejection of capital punishment has led abolitionist countries -- including South Africa, Canada and members of the European Union -- to refuse to extradite individuals to retentionist states without guarantees that the death penalty will not be imposed. The United States' continued use of capital punishment could therefore undermine international co-operation on law enforcement. And reflecting growing global revulsion for judicial killing, the International Criminal Court, the International Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia do not permit it.

Among recent positive steps towards abolition internationally have been a pledge from Russia's President Vladimir Putin to continue his country's moratorium on the death penalty; a commitment from President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon to maintain a moratorium on executions; a ban by Pakistan on the execution of juveniles and its commutation of the death sentences of approximately 100 young offenders, and the abolition of capital punishment in Yugoslavia and Chile.

In the United States, executions fell by 22 % in 2001. Public support for capital punishment has dropped as concerns -- including those expressed by 2 pro-death penalty Supreme Court judges -- over unfairness in the criminal justice system have increased. 5 states have banned the execution of the mentally retarded and a recent survey showed that a majority of Americans favour a total moratorium.

Since 1990 more than 30 countries have called a halt to judicial killing, at an average of 3 a year. Retentionist states total 86. They are now in the minority and the worldwide trend towards world abolition is unstoppable, with 109 countries spurning state-sanctioned killing as an acceptable form of punishment. On this International Death Penalty Abolition Day, we strongly urge the countries of the Caribbean to join them.

(source: Jamaica Observer; Shelagh Simmons is co-ordinator for Caribbean Justice, England)
 
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FLORIDA:

Vigil for International Death Penalty Abolition Day

The Friday evening vigil held by Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (Broward County) on March 1st - International Abolition Day drew mixed responses. Some drivers honked agreement and gave thumbs up; some honked in disagreement; most didn't respond but just looked. One passer by from South America did take a camera from his backpack and took a photograph of the group.
(souce: Steve Jens-Rochow - Broward FADP)
 
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TENNESSEE:

Bottom Line: As an organization we are beginning to coordinate activities which is important. We established new working relationships within our communities which is more important for the long term task of building working relationships based on trust. Great job everyone!
 
Great work Memphis-TCASK in getting a cover story on Abu-ALi in the Tri-State Defender (TCASK prominently featured)
 
Knoxville-TCASK is tabling at the Joan Baez concert 3/13!
 
Opening Remarks Nashville
 
(source: Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing)
 
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Photos, News Coverage and Reports from Abolition Day 2001:

• Group fights to keep death penalty out of Massachusetts
• Alaska rises above death penalty
• Killer to be executed Thursday
• Editorial on Abolition Day
• Individual Actions and Reports

Group fights to keep death penalty out of Massachusetts
By: Jason Halpin

03/02/01

The death penalty is a crime against humanity, according to a local Amnesty International chapter.

The group met on Boston Common yesterday to persuade Bostonians to oppose any measures attempting to reintroduce capital punishment to the Bay State. Last week, Rep. Francis Marini (R-Hanson), the Massachusetts House Minority Leader, filed a bill that would allow for the death penalty in certain circumstances.

Although many legislators have said the bill stands little chance of passing, Scott Langley, the Death Penalty Coordinator for the Somerville-Arlington chapter of Amnesty International, said the introduction of the bill is, in itself, discouraging.

"It's disappointing that it was brought up at all," he said. "The fact that our state leaders and our governor, who all represent us, support something like the death penalty is very discouraging."

Langley said the death penalty is a violation of basic human rights.

"The Declaration of Human Rights, which is the document that Amnesty is governed by, states that all people have the right to life, and so obviously the death penalty is the ultimate violation of that.

"If a state chooses to take your life, they're violating the only thing that is essential to all of us."

He said the death penalty does not serve to achieve justice.

"To our group, there is no justice in killing someone," Langley said. "It's just perpetuating the violence. It's creating more victims."

He said capital punishment eliminates the possibility of reform, something he firmly believes in.

"All people should be given a second chance. All people are capable of rehabilitation," he said. "There's something ingrained in all of us that is good. The purpose of life is to find what is good in those people and to bring that out."

Langley said while stiff prison sentences are preferable to the death penalty, they are not the ultimate solution.

"I prefer [stiff sentencing] to killing people, but I think there are roots in the problems of society," he said. "There are things we need to address first. There are so many factors of what cause people to be criminals in the first place."

Langley said other states and nation have already addressed problems with the death penalty.

On March 1, 1847, the Michigan Legislature, in its first official action, abolished its death penalty. Now, every year on March 1, International Death Penalty Abolition Day recognizes the anniversary of the action.

"If [Michigan] can do it, then all other states can do it, and Massachusetts can keep the death penalty away as well," he said. "Today's a good day for us to localize an international movement."

Just last year, Illinois Gov. George Ryan placed a moratorium on executions in his state after discovering that since 1977 more death row inmates had been exonerated than executed.

Langley called Ryan's move wise, but said the governor has more to do.

"It's not the end at all," he said "This moratorium, it is one step, but complete abolition is the ideal theme."

He said he would like to see President George Bush, in a major change of policy, help to eliminate the death penalty. He said he is disappointed that Bush stands up for capital punishment.

"I think everyone should do everything in their power to make sure that no citizens are executed, because the death penalty violates human rights," he said. "For Bush to allow that to happen in this country is a monstrosity. I think the role of the president should be to defend human rights and to affirm the worth and dignity of all people."

Langley said college students can play a critical role in the movement to eliminate the death penalty.

"In college you actually have a lot of time and energy. It's a great environment for inducing social change," he said. "This whole movement is not purely on the shoulders of college students, but they're a huge help."

Story Source: The Daily Free Press

Alaska rises above death penalty:  Published March 1, 2001 in the Alaska Daily News

By Kathy Harris

Today is Worldwide Death Penalty Abolition Day, which commemorates the date over 150 years ago when the State of Michigan became the first English-speaking jurisdiction in the world to abolish capital punishment.  As debate about the death penalty grows, it is instructive to look at why Michigan became, and still remains, a place that no longer kills to punish killers.

In 1830, Stephen Simmons, a Detroit bartender, was sentenced to death for killing his wife in a drunken rage. The original sheriff in his case was greatly troubled by the sentence, and resigned rather than carry it out. A new Sheriff Woodworth took charge, and zealously went to work promoting the execution as a social event not to be missed. Simmons was paraded to the gallows accompanied by brass bands, waving officials, and vendors hawking souvenirs.

As Simmons stood quietly on the platform, the noose around his neck, Sheriff Woodworth asked if he had any last words. In a rich baritone voice, he sang:

Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive;
Let a repenting rebel live.
Are not thy mercies full and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee?
My crimes are great, but can't
Surpass the power and glory of thy Grace

The trap door opened, and Simmons hung. The crowd stood stunned, then filed away in silence.

A few years later, the citizens of Michigan learned in another case that they had executed an innocent man. In 1828, Patrick Fitzpatrick was hung for rape and murder. Several years later, his former roommate confessed to the crime from his deathbed. These events taught a bitter lesson that was not forgotten. When Michigan became a state in 1847, one of its first acts of statehood was to abolish the death penalty.

Experience with the death penalty in Territorial Alaska was no less troubling. Statistics from territorial days show that white men committed the vast majority of murders in the territory, but 75 percent of those executed were people of color. A U.S. Marshal in Fairbanks described the 1929 hanging of Constantine Beaver, a young Alaska Native, as "one of the saddest affairs I ever had to witness," and resigned shortly afterwards.  The 1950 Juneau execution of Eugene LaMoore, a black man, occurred after proceedings that left great doubts about his guilt; modern legal experts question whether the evidence against him supported even a conviction, much less a death sentence. This history must have weighed heavily on the minds of our early leaders. Like Michigan more than 100 years before, Alaska's territorial legislature abolished the death penalty in 1957.

Alaskans should be proud that we live in one of the few U.S. states that declines to partake in the sordid business of killing its own citizens.

First, we mirror the majority of the world's countries, which have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.

Second, our murder rates are at or below the national average, which shows that our long prison terms for murderers can protect the public without taking human life.

And finally, we enjoy a clear conscience -- because we know that killing is wrong, no matter how tempted we might be to think it will solve our problems.

Executions don't just take the lives of murderers; they erode our own lives as well. They usher us to the dark side of human nature, where the suffering and death of someone who has wronged us is morbidly satisfying.  They lead us away from the brighter side of humanity, where the hard work of reconciliation -- even forgiveness -- can take place. They treat vengeance as something righteous and noble, compassion as something laughable and weak. They exalt the power of hatred, dismiss the strength of love. As Alaskans, today we can celebrate the fact that we have not chosen such a hopeless path in the name of justice.

Kathy Harris is Amnesty International State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for Alaska. Amnesty International will sponsor a candlelight vigil against the death penalty from 5-6 p.m. tonight at Town Square in Anchorage. A chili-feed fundraiser, sponsored by Alaskans Against the Death Penalty, will run from 5:30-8 p.m. at 1401 West 11th Ave.

Killer to be executed Thursday
Would die on Death Penalty Abolition Day

BY FRANK GREEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 27, 2001

If all goes as scheduled, Virginia will mark International Death Penalty Abolition Day Thursday with the execution of a man who wants to die.  Two families, his own and his victim's, believe he should get his wish. His lawyers do not.

Thomas Wayne Akers is set for execution by injection at 9 p.m. at the Greensville Correctional Center for the Dec. 18, 1998, capital murder of Wesley Smith in Franklin County.

Smith, 24, of Roanoke, was robbed and beaten to death with an aluminum baseball bat.

Akers, 31, and his partner in the slaying, Timothy Dwayne Martin, were caught in New York state near the Canadian border. Akers had Smith's wallet. Martin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life.

Akers pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to death - a wish he'd harbored since at least 1987 when he was imprisoned on other charges and wrote a judge that he wanted to die in the electric chair.  He still wants to be executed but his lawyers are fighting - against his wishes - to save his life.

"I think the lawyers should butt out," said Marilyn Meador, Smith's mother.  "I know him dying is not going to bring my son back but if that's what he wants, let him have it," she said.

Meador said, "I feel sorry for his mom because she'll lose her son just like I lost my son but in a different way. I know it's hard on a mom, losing a son."

Smith was a machinist for a steel company in Salem. He had been living with his sister, Zshawn Morris, until a week before his death, when he moved into his own apartment. "He was a good boy," Morris said.

"I didn't believe in the death penalty until all this happened," Morris said. But "he killed my brother and it was a brutal murder," she said.  She said the last time she saw her brother was the night he moved out of her house. Morris' daughter, Katie, was 2 at the time. "He bent down, and I'll never forget this as long as I live, he said, 'Katie, just because Uncle Wes is leaving and moving out on my own doesn't mean I don't love you. I'm not going away forever.' . . .

"I'll never get over this." she said. "We were very close. . . . The only family I have left is my mother."

The Rev. Larry W. Lykens, pastor of The Family Worship Center in Roanoke, recently visited Akers on death row. In an e-mail to The Times-Dispatch, he said, "I found Tommy to be very sharp, I was totally amazed at his understanding of the Scripture, in fact his ability to quote the Scripture was amazing."

"I am the pastor who will be with him during his execution," he wrote.  Lykens disagreed with Akers' lawyers, Robert Lee and Marie Donnelly of the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center. They believe that Akers, who is retarded and is said to be mentally ill, is not competent.

An appeal and request for a stay of execution are pending before the Virginia Supreme Court. Lykens said, "I personally feel that Miss Donnelly and her association have their own agenda."

He said, "I also am the pastor of Tommy's mother and grandmother as well.  All that these folk want is for Tommy to be granted his wishes and be allowed to die on March 1."

According to Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, March 1 is International Death Penalty Abolition Day, marking the anniversary of the date in 1847 in which the state of Michigan officially became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish capital punishment. It still does not have the death penalty.

At 8:15 p.m., Virginia People of Faith for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will hold a vigil in the field outside the Greensville Correctional Center.

Kathleen Kenney, of the Office of Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, said she finds this execution especially abhorrent because "essentially, we're allowing state-assisted suicide."

The Rev. Stephen Ford, a Baptist prison chaplain, will speak at the vigil.  He has been a chaplain to death row inmates in Virginia and has accompanied several inmates to the death chamber.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, at least one other inmate, Robert Clayton, of Oklahoma, is scheduled to be executed Thursday.  If executed, Akers will be the 82nd inmate put to death in Virginia since capital punishment was allowed to resume in 1976. It will be the first execution in the state this year.

Editorial on Abolition Day - University of Florida Alligator

Time to abolish death penalty

Tomorrow is International Death Penalty Abolition Day. It marks the anniversary of the day Michigan became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish the death penalty in 1847. Since then, abolition has occurred in more than 100 countries around the world. Not only are there more abolitionist countries in existence than there are countries that retain the death penalty, but abolition is also now an entrance requirement for the European Union. Over 50 countries have abolished the death penalty in the last half-century. However, countries that continue to use the death penalty include Afghanistan, China, Libya, Syria, Iraq ... and the United States.

In 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court declared a moratorium on all executions when it ruled that death sentences were assigned capriciously, with biases against minorities and the poor. Four years later, in 1976, states that had reworked their capital punishment statutes were allowed to resume executions, and in 1979, the state of Florida carried out the country's first involuntary execution since the moratorium had begun. Were the "Band-Aids" that states placed on their judicial systems really enough to heal the pervasive inequalities that the Court condemned? The answer: no.  The same inequalities still persist to this day, as they have never been corrected. Consider these points:

• The death penalty is racist. Prosecutors seek the death penalty far more often when the victim is white than when the victim is black. Blacks convicted of killing whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death than any other group.
• The death penalty is economically biased. Over 90 percent of death row inmates were living below the poverty line before conviction, proving that "those without the capital get the punishment."
• The death penalty is geographically biased. Eighty percent of the nearly 700 executions since 1976 have been carried out by only 10 states. Almost all of these states are in the South - if you commit a murder in the Northwest, your chances of receiving a death sentence go down tremendously. However, if you commit a murder in a poor county in a death penalty state, the prosecutor will not likely seek a death sentence because the county can't afford it. Capital cases cost much more than other criminal trials - and if the defendant is poor, the state pays for both the prosecution and the defense.
• The death penalty is costly. In Florida, it costs $3.2 million to execute each person, nearly six times what it costs to incarcerate that person for life. As in many states, sentences of "life without parole" are an option in Florida.
• The death penalty is wrong. Not only morally, but judicially as well!  Every year, innocent people are freed from death rows across the country after it is proven that they were wrongfully convicted.  Since 1976, 89 death row inmates have been released from prison after successfully proving their innocence. How many more innocents remain on death row? How many innocent people have been unjustly put to death?

Last year, these questions prompted George Ryan, Republican governor of Illinois, to impose a moratorium on all executions in his state. Since 1976, more Illinois Death Row inmates have been exonerated than have been executed. Ryan still stands by his decision, saying, "Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty, no one will meet that fate."

We applaud Ryan's courageous decision. Even a longtime supporter of the death penalty such as he can recognize that, in practice, it does not work.  Across the country, citizens and legislators alike are following Ryan's lead and calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. Florida continues to rank third in executions (behind Texas and Virginia), despite having the largest number of exonerated death row inmates of any state. Gov. Bush, we call on you to take a closer look at the capital punishment system. Declare a moratorium now!

In recognition of International Death Penalty Abolition Day, a press conference will be held tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. on the steps of the Alachua County Courthouse, followed by a march and rally. Please come add your voice to the millions of abolitionists gathering worldwide on this momentous day.

Cecilia Aldarondo and Marisa Gwaltney are the Death Penalty Abolition Committee Chairs for the UF chapter of Amnesty International and are liberal arts and sciences seniors.

© Copyright 2000 Campus Communications, Inc.:  USED WITHOUT PERMISSION

Abolition Day 2001: Reports

What I did on Abolition Day, 2001!

Click photo to enlarge.

    I've spent many Abolition Days in frigid and rainy weather, carrying signs, visiting legislators, protesting state killings in any way that I can.  This year was the first that I spent a good part of it with my shirt off!  See the West Palm Beach report below for details of our action.  Once we finished making news for the cameras, a few of us took off on the Caitlin to make the most of an outstanding North wind.  Yes, I did keep the cell phone and pager on, but nobody called!  That's because this was the busiest Abolition Day on record since at least the late 80's.  People were busy DOING IT!  More than 20 events (that we know of) took place, and we received accurate news coverage that recognized Abolition Day in the context of the ongoing saga of the death penalty.  Abolitionism is alive and well folks.  Just don't forget that it's equally important to do something to that expresses a vision of life in a world without violence.  We went sailing. Carry on!

--abe

Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
On the "Caitlin" on March 1, 2001:  Abolition Day!

Fresno, California

Fresno was busy in front of the County Jail, and later we helped feed the homeless, and others in front of the jail.  We had many visitors, attorneys, sheriffs, city police,  dep. DAs, etc.  We made our point with a coffin, grim reaper robes, signs, etc.  what a time.

Gainesville, Florida

In Gainesville, nearly 75 people turned out for a march calling for a moratorium on the death penalty in Florida as the first step to abolition. Representatives from Gainesville Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty held a press conference announcing an education campaign for our city on issues surrounding the death penalty and also issuing a "call for actions" to other groups across our state who oppose the death penalty. Members of the local media -- including the Gainesville Sun, TV20 News (local ABC affiliate) and the Independent Florida Alligator -- attended the press conference where students from the University of Florida and members of GCADP held large signs with the photos of some of the 21 men who have been released from death row after evidence of their innocence came to light.  Members of GCADP -- Reverend Jack Donovan (Unitarian-Universalists for Alternatives to the Death Penalty), Elizabeth Clark (Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty) and Marisa Gwaltney (Amnesty International-UF chapter) -- read the GCADP press statement and answered questions with media members.

We also had radio interviews with 2 local stations, and ended up with articles and photos in the Gainesville Sun (photo and blurb) and the UF Alligator (photo and article). Both photos were of the George Bush head with the stop sign (Stop Me Before I Kill Again!) which suffered because of the rain.

Following the press conference, nearly 75 people marched from downtown Gainesville to the University of Florida, carrying signs, chanting, and passing out leaflets to draw attention to the need for a moratorium in our state.  Joined by 10-15 others once they reached the university, people gathered for a rally with speakers from half of the 15 organizations which sponsored the march and rally.

This is the statement we prepared for the media:

INTERNATIONAL DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION DAY STATEMENT
Gainesville Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GCADP)
March 1, 2001

Last year, Illinois Governor George Ryan, a Republican, took stock of the death penalty process in his state. He said, "There's a problem in this system and it needs to be studied and we need to have some answers." With 13 people released from death row since the reinstatement of the death penalty, Illinois ranked second in number of people who were sentenced to be executed, only later to be found innocent. The state that ranked first with 21 people sentenced to death later found innocent: Florida. Governor Ryan admits that there is a problem in the system because 13 people who were innocent were nearly executed in his state. Governor Jeb Bush, despite Florida's higher total of innocent persons condemned for crimes which they did not commit, sees no problem in our system. Is Governor Bush blind and stupid? Or is he simply so intent on state-sanctioned murder that even the possibility of killing an innocent person does not cause him to stop, take stock of the problems in our system, and declare a moratorium on executions in Florida?

The problems surrounding capital punishment and its application are legion, with the question of killing innocent people being only the most celebrated reason to at least consider a moratorium in Florida. Whether the issue is racial bias or inadequate legal representation; whether we consider that it is overwhelmingly the poor who are sentenced to death or the exorbitant cost to carry out death sentences; whether it is the issue of executing the mentally ill and the issue of executing children: the solution is the same: Moratorium Now!

Gainesville Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GCADP) believes that a moratorium on the death penalty is the first step toward abolition, and the time to take that first step is now. No longer can we stand by in silent protest as the machinery of death in our state continues unabated. It is time to raise our voices and take action so that our elected officials know that the death penalty in Florida must cease. To this end, GCADP announces two major initiatives to move our state toward a moratorium, and ultimately abolition.

The first initiative is that today GCADP is launching a city- and county-wide campaign aimed at opening a dialogue on the death penalty and sharing with citizens the facts about the death penalty process in Florida. Through the institution of the GCADP Speakers Bureau, we will provide to any group within our community people who can speak to a wide range of issues surrounding the death penalty. Our speakers include people from the academic community, religious community, legal profession, victims' advocates, victims' family members, former inmates, family members of death row inmates, and others willing to share their stories and insights regarding capital punishment in Florida. Additionally, GCADP is developing and promoting resources to be used in a variety of settings (faith communities, schools, civic groups, etc) to encourage discussion on the death penalty from moral, religious, and legal perspectives. Lastly, GCADP will continue to make the death penalty part of our civic dialogue by hosting regualr public forums, debates, and other events.

The second initiative is a call to action directed at groups not only within our city but across the state. GCADP calls groups throughout our state directly or indirectly working for a moratorium or abolition to creatively and nonviolently express in public action and witness their opposition to the death penalty as public policy in Florida. It is time to make our case through strong, persistent and persuasive actions that will insist upon the attention of our elected officials and the media and especially capture the publics imagination. What forms such action might take, we leave to the creativity and comfort level of death penalty opponents across the state. But we believe that coordinated actions among large and small groups throughout the state are key for bringing about a moratorium, and one day soon, abolition.

We are convinced that the taking of human life by the state in response to violent crime neither heals individuals nor restores our society. Our current system promotes revenge and is based, not on justice, but on vengeance. It is time that our state and especially elected officials, explore alternatives to the death penalty that promote real justice and the restoration of society, the healing of victims, and the rehabilitation of offenders. Such exploration can only be done with integrity if a moratorium is pronounced in Florida. May Governor Bush have the courage and intelligence to follow Governor Ryan's lead. Now is the time for a moratorium on the death penalty in Florida.

Palm Beach County, Florida

Click photo to enlarge.

In Palm Beach County (Home of the Butterfly Ballot!), ten of us spent the noon rush hour at the busy intersection of PGA Blvd. and Prosperity Farms Blvd.  We handed out about 100 fliers to drivers who would take them, and had discussions both hot and cold with many drivers and passers by as well.  We estimate that more than 5,000 people passed through that intersection during the hour we were there.  Our efforts were covered by two local TV stations, so our reach can now be counted in the tens of thousands, if not more! The police came by to inform us that they had received some complaints, but that we were well within our rights to be there, just so long as we did not block traffic.  A while later we were asked to not have the "Stop Sign" in the median, but otherwise, keep at it!  It felt like a good action.  Thanks to everyone who participated, in particular the head officers of both the state and local chapters of Pax Christi, among others.

Tallahassee, Florida

TO: TCADP
FROM: Walter Moore, Convener
SUBJECT: March 5 Rally

All should be pleased with the success of the Rally. For four windy hours on Monday, March 5, the front staircase of the Old Capitol Building was the scene of speakers and table displays calling for Justice and Accountability with respect to the death penalty in Florida. We were in a very visible place, and the numbers of people who saw us were increased by the crowds who were in the area to watch the space shuttle. Media coverage was good: even though Tuesday's Democrat carried not a line about the Rally, local radio and TV stations carried the story, and there were stories in a number of newspapers around the state. We owe much praise and thanks to the planning team (you know who you are!), and especially to Jeff Walsh, who led the planners and served as master of ceremonies.

I won't try to identify the high points. More than twenty people spoke: several attorneys, representatives of participating organizations, investigators, a woman whose father was murdered (Suezann Bosler), a man who was exonerated after spending time on Death Row (Dave Keaton of the Quincy Five), and of course Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project. I confess I had my doubts beforehand about a four-hour program of speakers. But I was glad I could stay and hear every one of them.

The Coalition was well represented. We had a display table, marked by our bright new banner (which withstood the wind admirably). I know you join me in thanking all who took their turns at the table: Peggy West, Chair of the Table(!), Ginny and Lynn Coultas, Marian Moore, Bill Bodiford, Mary Hardison, Nancy Smith Fichter, Alice Bejnar, Shimon Gottschalk, and Steve Angell (along with anyone else whose name I have left off the list). Staffing other tables were members Audrey Rivers (Kindred Spirits), Sheila O'Brien (Tallahassee Moratorium Committee), and Shirley Poore (Pax Christi). Angela Mann represented the Young Democrats, and Victoria McColm represented Amnesty International. Many other Coalition members were able to attend and help in various ways.

Barry Scheck closed the rally by reminding us of the dramatic and encouraging changes in attitudes toward the death penalty. This is no time to be discouraged. We're on the side of justice, and in this battle, justice is going to win!

Illinois

Abolition Day started our fairly uneventful It began with attending Mass and announcing to the congregation that it was "Abolition Day". Afterwards, many stopped and wanted to know more about it.  I told them it is day we should all remember. Little did I know how prophetic that would be. The remainder of the day I did my usual anti-death penalty activities and prepared my talk and handouts for a workshop on Saturday.

About 5:00 P.M. my phone rang, a call I will never forget. My friend Dick Cunningham had been murdered. He had been stabbed to death by his mentally ill son. Dick is a nationally know death penalty attorney, having compassionately worked on numerous death penalty cases. Most notably, he represented Ron Jones, one of the 13 Wrongfully Convicted in Illinois. He also worked on other cases of the 13 Wrongfully Convicted. He testified at before Governor Ryan's Commission on the Death Penalty and the day before had appeared with the Wrongfully Convicted for their testimony.

To merely recite cases, workshops, speeches and statistics would be inadequate. The 48 hours following Dick's murder proved what Dick was all about. The entire Death Penalty Abolitionist family in Illinois was in DEEP grief, devastated by the loss of a friend, a confident, a compassionate leader. Hundreds of people shared that they were totally unable to sleep that night. Phone calls and e-mails were exchanged by hundreds of people, not just abolitionists, who were sharing the meaning of the loss of Dick.

Dick suffered multiple stab wounds. As he came off the front porch, he saw a police officer with his gun drawn, pointed toward his son. With all the strength he had, Dick shouted "Don't shoot. Don't hurt him. He is sick".

Dick was taken to the hospital, minutes from death, literally seconds from death. He made a dying request "Get in contact with (he named a death penalty attorney friend), make sure he looks after Jesse. Have him take good care of him."  Then he died.

A passionate abolitionist who had spent 30 years fighting the death penalty, fighting injustice and reaching out with compassion to those accused of murder and reaching out with friendship to all those he came in contact with but always speaking our against injustice, had made Abolition Day a day that will never be forgotten by thousands.

Rev. George W. Brooks
President, Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty

Nebraska

I had intended to reply to your request for Abolition Day reports but was caught up in preparing testimony for the Nebraska Unicameral Judiciary Committee hearings on a bill to abolish the death penalty and bills to switch the method of execution to lethal injection.  Interestingly, there was not one person testifying  in opposition to abolition, and the only person in favor of switching to lethal injection works for the Department of Corrections and said they favor the switch for the sake of the staff who do the executions. (!)

Abolition Day:  About 75 people braved the Nebraska cold and stood on the corner of 72 and Dodge with signs calling for abolition with the alternative of life without parole.  The event was covered by radio, television, and the Omaha World-Herald, with all correctly reporting WHAT Abolition Day is, and WHY it's on this day.

This is was the only time we've done this and had the World-Herald send a photographer.  It's also the only time we've had a pro-death penalty person there.  Guess which photo made the paper? (I'll send you a copy.)
Thanks.

Marylyn Felion

Boston, Massachusetts

Amnesty International Group 133 organizes International Death Penalty Abolition Day event.

Death penalty activists from Group 133 and other area organizations gathered on March 1 to highlight International Death Penalty Abolition Day.  The event, organized by the Death Penalty Action Team, marked the anniversary of when the state of Michigan became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish the death penalty in 1847. Since then, more than 100 countries have followed suit.

With the infamous big yellow "No Death Penalty in Massachusetts!" banner, activits gathered at the Park Street MBTA station to distribute flyers, brochures, and stickers, encouraging passers-by to contact their representatives about the current legislative efforts to legalize executions in the Commonwealth.

Death Penalty Action Team members organized this public demonstration to show area residents what is going on locally in Massachusetts and what is happening in the bigger picture of capital punishment in the United States.  Several media outlets covered the event, including the Associated Press.

Lawrence, Massachusetts

This message was sent to Scott Langley, one of Amnesty's death penalty abolition coordinators in Massachusetts:

Hi Scott,

    Thanks for the info--I told my students about it, but unfortunately they're supposed to be in school right then.  We just got back from 4 snow days!  March 1st went well.  We caused quite a stir.  We had a poster campaign the week preceding with various thought-provoking quotes and on the actual day we had a table with information in the cafeteria and handed out your flyer (many thanks) and black ribbons to those who wanted them.  It was a success I think.  We made a lot of people think.  Good luck with your work!  Keep me posted of events.  We'll try to get a group into Boston one of these days.  Sarah

Tennessee

Last Thursday, March 1, several religious leaders, a member of Murder Victim's Families for Reconciliation, four musicians and a crowd of abolitionists joined TCASK director Randy Tatel to observe International Abolition Day.

       Speakers included Reverend Stacy Rector from 2nd Presbyterian Church, Representative Larry Turner (D - Memphis), Sala Nolan, United Church of Christ, Reverend Joe Ingle, UCC, and keynote speaker SueZann Bosler of Murder Victim's Families for Reconciliation.

             Interspersed with statements opposing the death penalty in general and Philip Workman's impending execution specifically, (scheduled for March 30th) some of Nashville's finest singer/songwriters voiced their opposition in song. Musicians included Kenny Mullins, Diana Darby, Michael Kelsh and Tom Kimmel.

       SueZann Bosler, who was stabbed repeatedly by an assailant who also stabbed and murdered her father in a 1984 burglary, summed up the day's message with a simple and passionate request; "Don't kill for me."

     The rally was attended by 75-80 people at War memorial Plaza.  Media coverage was extensive.  There were two early morning interviews on WLAC 1510 am and WTM 99.7 fm.  Stacy Rector and SueZann Bosler were guests on Newschannel 5 + MorningLine Show and both Channel 5 and 50 gave the rally advance publicity. Channel 2 had an outstanding and very long piece on the 6 pm news while Fox 17 covered the rally on its 9 pm broadcast.

     A 6' x 16' "petition" to the State Legislature was signed by all the guests.  It was a vivid proclamation for abolition using yellow paint on a dark green backdrop.

     The event was co-sponsored by TCASK, Amnesty International, and the American Civil Liberties Union.  We look forward to an annual event on International Abolition Day and to the day that the TN Legislature removes the death penalty
statute from the books.

Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing
P.O. Box 120552
Nashville, TN 37212

tcask@earthlink.net
(615) 329-0048 phone
(615) 329-0058 fax
www.tcask.org

France

Here in France we just phoned, wrote or e-mailed to the US embassy ; it's very little thing but it was the first time we were doing something.

                                 -- Colette, Struggle for Justice

Individual

I spent yesterday evening with a class of prosecutors in training. Their professor thinks it is important for them to THINK about the DP and whether or not they want to be part of the process. I think that I am on my 7th yearly visit! These are thoughtful young people.

         PEACE be with YOU, Sister Therese Bangert in KCK

Individual

I do not write well I guess, but did do the "One woman protest" at the San Fernando Valley courthouse,,,,,,,,,,, I had suits who cheered me on, and lots of everyday people, and in this primarily Hispanic town, they look as though are so beaten down, they were actually afraid to say Hi to me! I was told that day March 1st that I was at a pro death penalty courthouse,(how well I know).

I was also harassed by that same woman SGT. that tried to arrest me, or find reason, at my husbands' trial. She was in plain clothing and demanded my address, and said "why don't you tell the other side of the (DP) story,,,,,,,,,,,I did not give her my address, and shined her, as I don't need to go to jail ! She still tried to intimidate me, so I just sauntered on down the side walk, ignoring her. I had a wonderful day, showing my sign that tells this:

Americans: We are sending our children the wrong message, that Social Revenge is right,,,,,,,,,,,,,the Death Penalty = Social Revenge.

I got the idea from a local LA news caster, he was reporting on a kid-again-going into a school to shoot up his enemies,,,,,,,,,,,this guy was saying "Why are our children in a mode of Social Revenge? We know now don't we.
                                         --JG

Individual

I spent the day providing PREEMPTIVE mental health psychotherapy to troubled teens, troubled drug addicts, and parolees, while awaiting the Storm of the Century that never was...
                                 --Phyllis Pautrat