Protest America's 1,000th Execution
As you read this, the United States is close to carrying out its 1,000 execution since the reinstatement of the death penalty in this country in the 1970's. The current death penalty system is marked by racial discrimination, wrongful convictions, arbitrariness and the politicization of capital punishment.
The 1,000th execution is expected to take place in either late November or early December. At present, it is likely that the 1000th execution will take place at 9:00 PM on November 30th. The Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is marking the shameful milestone with a vigil on the afternoon of day after the execution to protest the ongoing use of capital punishment.
The vigil will take place between 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams Streets in Chicago. ICADP will send out an e-mail alert to notify you of the date of the vigil. If you are already receiving our e-newsletter, you will get the notice. If not and you would like to receive our newsletter and notice, please sign up at our website at www.icadp.org.
The Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty 180 N. Michigan, Suite 2300 Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-849-2279; Fax: 312-201-9760;
website: www.icadp.org
e-mail: info@icadp .
Additional Resources
SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING
http://www.1000executions.org/events.php
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VICTIMS STATEMENT ON 1000TH EXECUTION
Renny Cushing Writes:
Dear Friends,
Sadly, it is likely that within the next two weeks the 1000th execution since the 1977 resumption of executions in the United States will take place.
As this country marks that solemn occasion of a thousand violations of human rights, a thousand caskets filled from ritual killings carried out by government employees, it is important that the public to hear the voices of opposition to the death penalty. One group of people with a stake in our criminal justice system and the moral authority to speak on the matter of capital punishment are survivors of homicide victims.
Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights and The Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, two organizations whose members include such victims, have on behalf of family members of homicide victims opposed to the death penalty issued a joint statement on the 1000th execution calling for an end to capital punishment.
The statement is here and can also (soon) be found on the web at <http://www.murdervictimsfamilies.org> and <http://www.1000executions.org>
Please forward (and use) this statement.
Renny Cushing, Executive Director
Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights
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Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights and The Journey of Hope….From Violence to Healing on the 1000th Execution
Victims’ Families Call for End to Executions
As our country approaches the 1000th execution since 1977, we think about the losses represented by that number. We think of the loss of the life of the murder victim, and the loss to that victim’s family and community. We are people who have experienced that loss directly. The question, “How would you feel if someone in your family were murdered?”
is not a hypothetical question for us; it is the reality we must live with every day. But we do not believe that the death penalty will bring us closure, healing, or justice. Another killing does not bring back our family member and it does not make us feel safer. We would like to live in a society that demonstrates its concern for victims by devoting resources to preventing violence and to addressing the real needs of victims in the aftermath of violence.
We think, too, about all the families who have been left behind in the aftermath of 1000 executions: the families of the person who was executed. After 1000 executions, how many parents, siblings, children, and other relatives are left isolated in their grief and lacking the support offered to others who suffer the loss of a family member? It is time to consider the social costs of the death penalty: how many people are affected by a single execution? In particular, how many children?
As families of murder victims and families of people who have been executed, we stand together and declare that it is time to abolish the death penalty.
Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights and the Journey of Hope…From Violence to Healing are two organizations whose membership includes survivors of homicide victims who are opposed to the death penalty.
Contact information:
Renny Cushing, Executive Director
Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights
617 491 9600 (0) 617 930-5196 (c)
rrcushing@earthlink.net
http://www.murdervictimsfamilies.org/
Bill Pelke, President
Journey of Hope…From Violence to Healing
877-924-4483 (O) 305-775-5823 (C)
www.journeyofhope.org
bill@journeyofhope.org
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TOLLING BELLS - A LASTING ORGANIZING OPPORTUNITY
The "For Whom The Bells Toll" campaign has been steadily growing since its inception several years ago. In a nutshell, the campaign encourages communities of faith to indicate opposition to executions either by tolling bells for two minutes at the time of an execution (or whatever time is convenient), or for communities without bells, by displaying a banner or message on the day of an executions. Participating communities are also encouraged to inform their own members and the broader community about their participation in the project. While participating communities are encouraged to recognize *every* U.S. execution, some only do so on executions in their own state. It is left up to each community to decide how extensive its participation will be.
As we approach the 1000th execution, organizers in Connecticut, Ohio, Oklahoma (and others?) are using the opportunity to reach out to faith communities by asking them to participate in a special tolling of the bells to protest this ugly landmark killing. In reaching out in advance of this singular occasion we have an opportunity to encourage ongoing participation. We should all take a lesson from those who are leading us with this effort in Connecticut, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Learn more about the For Whom the Bells Toll campaign at http://www.curenational.org/~bells/
NOTE: At http://www.curenational.org/~bells/ you can join the (usually) weekly execution update list, now with more than 500 recipients!
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During recent decades, we have seen that the death penalty is unnecessary and unjustified, undermining respect for human life and dignity and supporting a culture of death. At their meeting in Washington DC earlier this month the US Catholic Bishops approved a statement: "A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death". In A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, the bishops call for our nation to abandon the use of the death penalty as we move one step closer to building a culture of life. As a tool for education and reflection, this pastoral statement is an effort to help Catholics better understand and apply the Church's teaching on the death penalty. All Catholics-from religious and political leaders to the parishioner in the pew-are called to join in the efforts to bring an end to capital punishment through prayer, outreach, education, reflection, and action. The full text of the Bishops' statement is available at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/penaltyofdeath.pdf
Submitted by Legislative Advocacy Committee member John Bagley
