Abolish the Death Penalty

The Texas Democratic Party held its 2010 State Convention June 25-26 in Corpus Christi and adopted a party platform that endorses a moratorium on executions. The convention was attended by more than 7,000 delegates. The party platform has supported a moratorium in every platform since 2004.

In addition to adopting a moratorium in the platform, the Resolutions Committee of the TDP State Convention also passed a resolution in support of a moratorium. Juan Melendez, an innocent person who was wrongfully convicted and spent 17 years on death row before being exonerated and released, was allowed to address the Resolutions Committee when it was considering the moratorium resolution. The photo at left in this post is of Juan addressing the Resolutions Committee.

Below is the language in the platform from the section on capital punishment.
Capital Punishment
When capital punishment is imposed, Texans must be assured that it is fairly administered. Texas Democrats extend our deepest sympathies to all victims of crime and especially to the families of murder victims, and we strongly support their rights. The Texas death penalty system has been severely criticized by religious leaders, appellate courts and major newspapers that have observed that the current system cannot ensure that innocent or undeserving defendants are not sentenced to death. The Dallas Morning News has called for abolition of the death penalty in Texas.

In the modern era, Texas has executed over 400 people, far more than any other state in the nation. The frequency of executions and inadequacies in our criminal justice system increase the likelihood that an innocent person will be executed. The State of Texas may have already executed at least two innocent people, according to major newspaper investigations into the cases of Carlos DeLuna and Cameron Todd Willingham. Another inmate, Ernest Willis, was exonerated and released from Texas Death Row in 2004 after 17 years of wrongful imprisonment.
We condemn Governor Perry’s manipulation of the forensic science commission investigation of the science which led to the execution of a possibly innocent person.
In order to promote public confidence in the fairness of the Texas criminal justice system, Texas Democrats support the establishment of a Texas Capital Punishment Commission to study the Texas death penalty system and a moratorium on executions pending action on the Commission’s findings.
Texas Democrats support the following specific reforms:
• establishing a statewide Office of Public Defenders for Capital Cases to ensure that every person accused of a capital crime has equal access to well-trained trial and appellate attorneys, regardless of income, race or the county of jurisdiction;
• allowing testing of any possibly exculpatory DNA evidence to ensure guilt or innocence before executions are carried out, and allowing testing of DNA evidence after an execution to determine if an innocent person has been executed;
• establishing procedures to determine before a trial takes place whether an accused has mental retardation, in order to be sure that Texas complies with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ban on executions of people with mental retardation;
• banning death sentences and executions for people with mental illness;
• requiring the Board of Pardons and Paroles to meet in person to discuss and vote on every case involving the death sentence;
• restoring the power to the Governor to grant clemency in death penalty cases without a recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Paroles. To restore public confidence in the process, the Board should meet in public and decisions should be made by majority vote;
• when the imposition of the death penalty is before the Parole Board or the Governor we urge consideration of all reasonably certain scientific or factual evidence that has become known since the trial; and
• reforming statutes related to the “Law of Parties,” to make sure individuals who actually commit crimes are the primary focus of prosecution.

Here is a video of Juan Melendez speaking to the Resolutions Committee, followed by the Committee discussing the issue, and ending with several members coming up to Juan to offer him handshakes and hugs. Be sure to watch for the standing ovation given to Juan by the committee after his remarks and before they start discussing the issue. It was a very touching moment.

Juan Melendez said, "I was extremely moved by the response of the Resolutions Committee following my testimony and I would like to thank everyone of the Committee members for voting unanimously for a moratorium resolution. I truly believe that the Texas Democratic party is on the right side of history on this and that it is both a morally and politically sound position to take."

On Friday at the TDP State Convention, Juan Melendez gave a 30 minute talk about his experience as an innocent person being sentenced to death to a meeting of the "Democrats Against the Death Penalty" caucus. Also speaking were Rep Lon Burnam, Judi Caruso, Jamie Bush who introduced Juan Melendez and Keith Hampton who dropped by to introduce himself to the caucus attendees. Keith is a candidate for judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The caucus was founded in 2004 by Scott Cobb of Texas Moratorium Network.

Juan Melendez's appearance at the TDP State Convention was organized by Texas Moratorium Network and supported by Witness to Innocence, which made it possible for Juan Melendez to fly to Texas for the convention.

Juan also spent a lot of time at the convention talking to people who came by the booth of Texas Moratorium Network in the exhibition area. In the photo below are Jamie Bush, Scott Cobb, Alison Dieter, Juan Melendez and Judi Caruso - the Texas Moratorium Network/Witness to Innocence team at the convention. Sherri Clausell and Angie Agapetus, two anti-death penalty activists from Houston, also attended the convention.

If anyone would like to help us train the next generation of anti-death penalty activists by donating to the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, you can donate by paypal or by sending a check to:

Texas Moratorium Network
3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251
Austin, Texas 78731

paypal@texasmoratorium.org or use this url
http://tinyurl.com/yeau24m

We have students registered from across Texas and some from other states. They will spend four days in Austin with six innocent people exonerated from death row. We will teach them about the injustice of the death penalty and how to work to change public policy. There will be workshops on working with the media, building coalitions, art and activism, lobbying, religion and the death penalty, mental illness, murder victims family members, and more. On the last day, the students will organize a press conference and panel discussion at the capitol and a couple of them will speak at the rally on the south steps of the Texas Capitol along with the six death row exonerees.

The full schedule of events is on the website:

http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

Thanks!

http://www.letdavidlive.org

After more than 30 years, a date is set for the execution of a man convicted in the killing of an Austin police officer.

David Lee Powell is on death row for shooting and killing Officer Ralph Ablanedo in 1978.

Powell will be executed by lethal injection June 15.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/abolish_the_death_penalty

Texas Moratorium Network sent an email out a few days ago asking people to vote for "Abolish the Death Penalty" in the Ideas for Change contest at Change.org. 236 TMN members have voted so far, which is a little more than one-quarter of the total votes of 820 as of now. Thanks for everyone who already voted. If you have not yet voted, please do. We need another hundred votes or so to move into the top ten. The idea was started at change.org by Gilles Denizot . Nice job Gilles!

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/abolish_the_death_penalty

Take a moment to vote for the Abolish the Death Penalty as an Idea for Change in America at Change.org. (You will have to register atChange.org to vote.) If the idea becomes one of the top ten, Change.org will host an event in Washington, DC, where each of the 10 ideas will be presented to representatives of the media, the nonprofit community, and to relevant officials in the Obama Administration. After the announcement, Change.org will mobilize the full resources of their staff, their 1 million community members, and their extended network of bloggers to support a series of grassroots campaigns to turn each idea into reality.

This is the second annual ideas competition powered by Change.org. The first competition was launched immediately following the 2008 presidential election, during which time people submitted more than 7,500 ideas and 650,000 votes.

How it Works

Beginning January 20, 2010, individuals and organizations everywhere can (1) submit ideas for change they want to see implemented, (2) discuss these ideas with others, and (3) vote for their favorite ideas and promote them across the web.

During the first round of voting, ideas will be organized into 20 different issue-based categories. First round voting ends at 5pm ET on February 25th, at which point the three top ranked ideas in each category will advance to the second (and final) round of voting, starting March 1, 2010 . In this final round, all 60 qualifying ideas (top three in each of 20 categories) will be in open competition. The final round of voting concludes at 5pm ET on March 11th, and the 10 most popular ideas at the conclusion of voting will be named winners – the “Top 10 Ideas for Change in America.”

The Top 10 Ideas for Change in America

To formally announce the winners, Change.org will host an event in Washington, DC, whereeach of these top 10 ideas will be presented to representatives of the media, the nonprofit community, and to relevant officials in the Obama Administration. After the announcement, Change.org will mobilize the full resources of their staff, their 1 million community members, and their extended network of bloggers to support a series of grassroots campaigns to turn each idea into reality.
How to Turn this Idea into Reality?

We need to remain first and be amongst the Top 10 Ideas for Change in America on March 4th, 2010. We need to build a movement to support this idea and bring it to Washington D.C.

We need to understand that it will ONLY happen if we do what we need to make it happen. And we only have until February 25th, 2010! Let’s get ready for Washington D.C.

Texas Moratorium Network sent an email out asking people to sign the petition for Hank Skinner that sends an email to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. It looks like the number of signers went up by about 500 soon after the email went out, so thank you to all the TMN members who signed. The total is now over 5,000. If you have not signed yet, please do.

Sign the petition here:

http://www.change.org/actions/view/hey_texas_please_dont_execute_an_inno...

Write, call, fax or email your own letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and Texas Governor Rick Perry. Urge them to stay the execution to allow testing of DNA. In the subject line of your emails or in any letters to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, write "Attention Case of Hank Skinner #999143".

Hank Skinner is scheduled to be executed in Texas on March 24 for three murders he maintains he didn't commit. Several key pieces of biological evidence from the crime scene have not been tested. DNA testing could prove Skinner's innocence or confirm his guilt, but prosecutors are opposing Skinner's appeals and seeking to execute him. There are several pieces of probative biological evidence from the crime scene that haven't been tested. Among this untested evidence are hairs from one victim's hand, a rape kit, fingernail clippings and a windbreaker that could have been worn by an alternate suspect. It is crucial that this testing be conducted before Texas carries out a sentence it can't reverse.

DNA testing can prove the truth. It is not a delay tactic or a diversion -- it has the potential to confirm Skinner's guilt or prove him innocent and you would be making a grave mistake to allow Skinner to executed without first conducting DNA tests.

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
Fax: 512-463-1849
Main number: 512-463-2000
Website email contact form

Clemency Section
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
8610 Shoal Creek Blvd.
Austin, TX 78757-6814
Fax (512) 467-0945
bpp-pio@tdcj.state.tx.us

Take a moment to vote for the Abolish the Death Penalty as an Idea for Change in America at Change.org.

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/abolish_the_death_penalty

(You will have to register at Change.org to vote.) If the idea becomes one of the top ten, Change.org will host an event in Washington, DC, where each of the 10 ideas will be presented to representatives of the media, the nonprofit community, and to relevant officials in the Obama Administration. After the announcement, Change.org will mobilize the full resources of their staff, their 1 million community members, and their extended network of bloggers to support a series of grassroots campaigns to turn each idea into reality.

Finally, if you want to spend four days learning about the death penalty and training to take action, register for the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas.

http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

It is designed for high school and college students, but all the workshops and events are open to the public of all ages. We have arranged many interesting speakers, including four innocent, exonerated former death row prisoners, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Shujaa Graham and Perry Cobb, as well as the national director of Sister Helen Prejean's Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, Bill Pelke of Journey of Hope, Susannah Sheffer of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights and Brian Evans from the Washington D.C. office of Amnesty International.

If anyone is interested, you can register at the website http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

Here is the schedule, subject to minor changes to time slots for workshops, of the 2010 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break. Looks pretty amazing! Register now for housing before all the rooms are taken. All events are open to the public of all ages, but the housing is reserved for young people.

Register for the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break and help us send forth some of those tiny ripples of hope in the river of change that will cross each other for years from a million different centers of energy and daring to build the current which will sweep down even the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

(This is the tentative schedule. Times and topics of sessions may change.)

Monday, March 15 (room to be announced on campus of The University of Texas at Austin)

· Afternoon: Housing check-in for people who have signed up for housing.

· 4:30-5 PM: Introduction to the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

· 5:00-6:00 PM "Overview of the Death Penalty Issue" with Brian Evans from Washington, D.C. office of Amnesty International USA’s Death Penalty Abolition Campaign

· 6- 6:30 “Live from Death Row” - Telephone Call from a person on death row, organized by Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin Chapter

· 6:30- 7 PM Snacks and socializing

· 7:00- 8:15 PM Panel discussion with death row exonerees Shujaa Graham (3 years on California death row) and Perry Cobb (8 years on Illinois death row), plus family members of people on death row, Delia Perez Meyer, Terri Been and Crystal Halprin. Delia’s brother Louis Perez is on Texas Death Row. Terri’s brother Jeff Wood is on Texas Death Row. Crystal’s husband Randy Halprin is on Texas Death Row. The Law of Parties will be one topic covered by Terri and Crystal.

· Evening Time on your own for enjoying Austin, including the SXSW film festival.

Tuesday, March 16 Issues Day (room at UT)

· Noon to 1 PM “Mental Illness and the Death Penalty”, presented by Susannah Sheffer of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights. “Prevention, Not Execution”. Read background report: "DOUBLE TRAGEDIES: Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty for People with Severe Mental Illness"

· 1- 2 PM: “Religious Views of the Death Penalty” presented by Steven Crimaldi, National Director of Dead Man Walking School Theater Project. Steven will also explain how students can get involved by doing a production of the play at their schools or in their communities.

· 2:15-2:30 Break

· 2:30-3:30 Mary K. Poirier, mitigation specialist from The McCallister Law Firm. Mary will discuss her work on capital trials in Texas and elsewhere and how activists can work with legal teams. A good mitigation specialist can save someone from being sentenced to death.

· 3:30-3:45 Break

· 3:45- 5:00 PM Bill Pelke, president of Journeyof Hope … From Violence to Healing” will present clips of a film of the work of Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing. The film documents family members of murder victims speaking out against the death penalty. Also, we will introduce and hear comments from two death row exonerees who will arrive on Tuesday: Ron Keine (almost 2 years on death row in New Mexico) and Curtis McCarty (19 years on death row in Oklahoma).

· 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Petition Signature Gathering Competition: We will divide into teams and fan out throughout Austin to collect signatures on a petition against the death penalty. People can collect signatures at places such as where SXSW events are taking place such as the convention center, outside certain bookstores or other stores if they allow it, on the streets in downtown Austin and wherever else the teams want to try. The team that collects the most petition signatures (with names, addresses, email addresses and possibly phone numbers) will win a prize of $100.

· Evening Free time on your own for enjoying Austin

Wednesday, March 17 Training Day

· Noon - 1:00 Media Workshop with Pedro de la Torre III of Campus Progress.Workshop will give tips on communicating effectively with reporters, writing press releases, organizing press conferences and other topics.

· 1:00 - 2:00 PM Lobbying Workshop in preparation for next day's lobbying at capitol, with Alison Brock, Chief of Staff to Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner.

· 2:00 - 2:15 Break

· 2:15 - 3:15 “Art and Activism” with John Holbrook, photographer of Texas death row, whose work has been exhibited internationally and at the Texas Capitol. A selection of John's photographs and other death penalty-themed artworks will be on display.

· 3:15 - 3:30 Break

· 3:30 - 4:30 PM Campus Organizing and Coalition Building Workshop with Pedro de la Torre III of Campus Progress. There’s so much more to working in coalition than inviting people to join you in your efforts. It’s hard work and requires skill, understanding and strategy, but the rewards for you, your partners, and your cause are endless (and fun!). Learn the importance of working in coalition, how to identify allies, how to engage non-traditional partners, where coalition building fits in with your campaign plan, and why it might be just what you need to take your issue campaign to the next level.

· 4:30- 5 PM Discussion of next day's press conference, lobbying visits and rally.

· Dinner break (on your own)

· 7:00 Screen Printing Workshop with Garry Spitzer of CEDP, plus sign-making session for next day's rally. Screen printing is a method of applying images to signs and t-shirts.

· Free Time to enjoy Austin

Thursday, March 18: Lobby Day and Justice Rally

· 11 AM - Press conference in Texas House Speaker's Committee Room at Texas Capitol (Press conference will be organized, moderated and run by students from spring break).

· 12:30- 2:00 Death Penalty Panel with Four Exonerated Former Death Row Inmates and Bill Pelke - President of Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing. Location: Committee Room in the Texas State Capitol.

Panelists:

Shujaa Graham, who spent 3 years of his life on California's death-row for a crime he did not commit.

Curtis McCarty, who spent 19 years of his life on Oklahoma's death-row for a crime he did not commit.

Ron Keine, who spent almost two years on death row in New Mexico for a crime he did not commit.

Perry Cobb, who spent 8 years on death row in Illinois for a crime he did not commit.

Bill Pelke, president of Journey of Hope … From Violence to Healing and former Chairman of the Board of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Bill authored a book entitled "Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing", which details the May14, 1985 murder of his grandmother Ruth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. He shares his story of forgiveness and healing, and how he came to realize that he did not need to see someone else die in order to heal from his grandmother's death. He also helps organize Journey tours nationally and abroad. Bill has traveled to over forty states and ten countries with the Journey of Hope and has told his story over 5,000 times.

· 2:00 - 2:30 Break

· 2:30 - 3:15 PM Screening of 17-minute film about Todd Willingham and how Rick Perry recently shook-up the Texas Forensic Science Commission, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Joshua Riehl.

· 3:30 - 4:45 Lobbying Visits with legislators and/or their aides.

· 4:45 - 5:30 Set up for Justice Rally

· 5:30 - 7:30 Justice Rally on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol

Rally Speakers include death row exonerees Shujaa Graham, Ron Keine, Perry Cobb and Curtis McCarty; Bill Pelke, president of Journey of Hope and past chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; students participating in Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break; representatives of Clinton Young; a representative of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty; Gloria Rubac of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement; Delia Meyer-Perez, whose brother Louis Castro Perez is on death row; and others.

· After Rally: Last Supper. Food and discussion of the rally as well as the entire spring break. We will go to a restaurant (everyone buys their own meal and drinks). Fill out feedback forms.

Friday, March 19: Fun Day on your own in Austin.

This is Spring Break, so today we will have some fun and take a break after all the hard work we have done all week. Everyone is free to choose their own activities. Some things people could do are: Go swimming at Barton Springs Pool, attend a SXSW film or music event, go shopping, take a Segway tour of Austin, go jogging around Town Lake, go bike riding, visit a museum or do something else. Some of these activities cost money, so plan accordingly.

First of all, thank you to all who are forwarding and promoting the support note for Hank's Clemency Petition; please continue to do so! Both petitions (commutation and reprieve) as well as three statements attached to the petitions can be dowloaded in the "legal documents" section of the webiste.

Hank sent a 5-page letter to the Gray County D.A. Lynn Switzer with a number of exhibits, which was received by her office on January 27th 2010.

Those documents can be downloaded in the "legal documents" section - "DNA Issue" paragraph on the website.

Please take the time to read the letter, the exhibits document all the points and statements made by Hank in his letter.

As you will understand from his letter, Hank is asking the D.A. to put the execution warrant on hold, to grant him a 120-day reprieve and order the DNA testing.

It is important to support him in this vital attempt. Of course the purpose is NOT to write to the D.A. and attack her for what she hasn't done or should have done. What needs to be emphasized is that justice calls for the truth and the untested evidence is crucial to prove his innocence. Her position as D.A. is to ensure that justice is served and not to allow the execution of an innocent man when so many issues remain unresolved just a few weeks from his execution date.

You can send your letters with reference "Hank Skinner - Execution Date February 24, 2010" to:

Ms. Lynn Switzer
District Attorney
Gray County Courthouse
Pampa TX 79065

For more impact, you may consider copying your letter to a local media of your choice and also to enclose a copy of Hank's letter as well. If you do so, make sure you include the information after your signature; ie: cc. Houston Chronicle (whathever newpaper you choose).

http://www.hankskinner.org

The clemency petition is seeking a commutation of Hank's death
sentence to life in prison in order to enable him to prove his
innocence and seek a pardon.

The letters can be mailed in support of his clemency petition
starting February 4th and to arrive no later than February 17th.

Please write the following reference "Attention: Hank Skinner Case -
#999143" on each page of your letter (as well as the covering page
if you send it by fax) and on the front of the envelope.

Clemency Section
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
8610 Shoal Creek Blvd.
Austin, TX 78757-6814

Fax (512) 467-0945

DO NOT SEND YOUR LETTER TO INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, IT WOULD
SIDETRACK YOUR LETTER AND IT MIGHT NOT EVEN REACH THE BOARD IN GOOD
TIME TO BE CONSIDERED.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

All the details of the case are available on the website, however,
here are some of the points you can raise:

Hank was sentenced to die on the basis of a perjured testimony and
circumstancial evidence

The accusation theory relied on that one witness, who later recanted
and explained how she was threatened to
make a false statement to the police and give a deposition at trial
which was based on a script supplied by the district attorney's office

The little forensic analysis done before his trial excluded him as
the killer

The additional and minimum testing done during his post conviction
appeals excluded him too

The available scientific evidence proves his physical incapacitation
at the time of the crime

The important quantity of evidence remaining to be tested is
essential to reveal the truth about his innocence

His motions for DNA testing have been denied although he has always
offered to pay for the costs

The state of Texas has a very poor record in terms of wrongful
convictions and DNA exonerations

The interest of justice is to find out the truth and to not execute
an innocent

The state is withholding the untested evidence that can prove Hank's
innocence

The commutation of his death sentence is the only way for justice to
be served

For more detailed information on the case, please visit:
http://www.hankskinner.org

Register at http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

The Annual Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break is an invaluable experience. Participants will come away with firsthand knowledge of the anti-death penalty movement and a new understanding of how they can affect public policy. Plus, they will have an opportunity to form new friendships that could last a lifetime. During the spring break students will have plenty of free time to enjoy Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World and home of the University of Texas at Austin and the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festival, which takes place the same week as our alternative spring break.

Guest speakers this year include three innocent, exonerated people who together spent a total of more than 23 years on death row, Curtis McCarty, Shujaa Graham and Ron Keine.

Join us March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas for the award-winning Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break. It's free, except for a $25 housing fee for those who need us to arrange housing for you. We will house you in a shared room with other spring breakers in either a hotel or dorm. You are responsible for your travel, food and other expenses, but the program and most of the housing costs are on us, except for the $25 housing fee.

Alternative Spring Breaks are designed to give college and high school students something more meaningful to do during their week off, rather than just spending time at the beach or sitting at home catching up on school work. The specific purpose of this Alternative Spring Break is to provide five days of anti-death penalty activism, education and entertainment. This is the place to be if you want to become a part of the next generation of human rights leaders. Go to the beach to change your state of mind for a week, come here to change the world forever.

We will provide participants with workshops led by experienced, knowledgeable presenters who will teach them skills that they can use to go back home and set up new anti-death penalty student organizations or improve ones that may already exist. The skills participants will learn can also be used in other issues besides the death penalty.

Students will gain valuable training and experience in grassroots organizing, lobbying, preparing a direct action and media relations. During the week, students will immediately put what they learn into action during activities such as an Anti-Death Penalty Lobby Day and a Protest Day with a rally at the Texas Capitol. There will be opportunities to write press releases, speak in public, meet with legislators or their aides, and conceive and carry out a protest.

Now is one of the most critical times ever to learn about and organize against the death penalty.

In Sept 2009, we learned from a state-funded report that Texas executed Todd Willingham for arson/murder even though the fire was not arson it was just a fire, so Texas executed an innocent person.

Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, has been charged with incompetence and misconduct for saying “we close at 5″ on Sept 25, 2007 when lawyers called her court to submit a late appeal for a person later executed that same day.

Texas leads the nation by far in number of executions. In 2009, Texas carried out almost 46 percent of all executions in the United States. Texas executed 24 people in 2009. There were a total of 52 executions in the U.S. in 2009. Since the U.S Supreme Court ruling in 1976 that allowed executions to resume after a four-year period during which they were considered unconstitutional, there have been 1193 executions in the United States (as of Jan 25, 2010). Texas has performed 449 of those executions, which amounts to about 37 percent of the national total. According to the 2000 census, Texas has only 7.4 percent of the nation's entire population.

There has been progress against the death penalty. In 2009, New Mexico became the 15th state to abolish the death penalty. New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007. Death sentences have dropped in the last several years. Texas only sentenced nine people to death in 2009.

Nationwide, there are now 60% fewer death sentences yearly than in the 1990s. There were 106 death sentences in 2009 compared with a high of 328 in 1994.

Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break is a program of Students Against the Death Penalty, Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty, Campaign to End the Death Penalty - Austin Chapter, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Texans Against the Death Penalty, Campus Progress and Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing.

http://springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty

The daily schedule will be released soon and posted at the official website.

On the afternoon of Thursday, March 19th, there will be a Rally for Justice as part of the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break at the Texas Capitol.

Tell the State Commission on Judicial Conduct not to let Sharon Keller off the hook.The Republican judge at her trial has recommended that she not be further punished, but the state commission can still punish her for saying "we close at 5" and refusing to accept a late appeal on the day of a person's execution.

Send an email to: seana.willing@scjc.state.tx.us.

In polite, professional language, tell Executive Director Ms Willing that Sharon Keller has brought the Texas judiciary into disrepute and if they let Keller of the hook, the disrepute will only get worse. Restore Integrity, Remove Keller, at least punish her with a formal reprimand.

http://www.scjc.state.tx.us

Our communications to the State Commission will serve as support that Keller has embarrassed the Texas judiciary.

You can call, but they only answer the phone during business hours.

State Commission on Judicial Conduct • P. O. Box 12265 • Austin, TX 78711
Telephone: (512) 463-5533 • Toll Free: (877) 228-5750 • Fax: (512) 463-0511 • TDD: (800)-RELAY-TX

The 4th World Congress against the Death Penalty, will take place from February 24th to 26th, 2010, in Geneva’s International Conference Center : and within two of the cities’ cultural landmarks; La Comédie and the Bâtiment des forces motrices.

http://www.abolition.fr/ecpm/english/congres.php?art=693&suj=208&topic=7...

The World Congresses against the death penalty gather hundreds of participants who unite to elaborate national, regional and international strategies towards universal abolition.

In line with the Strasbourg (in 2001), the Montreal (in 2004) and the Paris (in 2007) Congresses, "Geneva 2010" will once again be a unique reunion of abolitionists, coming from all over the world.
This year, special emphasis is devoted to appeal to participants - civil society representatives, international law experts, political and institutional key actors, media etc. - coming from retentionist countries.

Under the patronage of Jacques Chirac and Angela Merkel, the 3rd World Congress witnessed a record attendance, with over 150 speakers and 1 000 participants, including a large number of political leaders.
The 4th World Congress is organized under the patronage of the Swiss Confederation.
High international figures such as Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Jose Luis Zapatero, Prime Minister od Spain, have already confirmed their participation.

A Congress turned towards the United Nations

This 4th Congress being in Geneva, world capital city for human rights, will also focus on attracting the international diplomatic community, in particular the participants to the session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.

Today, I received the phone call from Sister Helen Prejean that I won from the Texas Moratorium Network raffle. This really was an honor for me, and Sister Helen was as thoughtful and generous as I have heard.

When she called, she was actually on her way home from a death row visit in Louisiana. We spoke of several topics with regard to the abolition movement, and then she asked me about my brother’s case. (Jeff Wood) We also talked briefly about the efforts of the Kids Against the Death Penalty and their being asked to speak in Geneva; she then mentioned that she would also be at the 4th World Congress next month in Geneva, and looked forward to meeting us if we were able to raise the money.

Our phone conversation lasted about half an hour, but she called back a second time (while I was in class) and spoke with 7 of the KADP members separately, (who were together to protest tonight’s execution of Gary Johnson) as well as to my husband, Steven. They were all very excited to speak with her, and were thankful for the additional call, which was a surprise to us all!

She assured me that there was a reason she and I were able to connect; and I am looking forward to working/collaborating with her in the future; not only for the sake of my brother, but for all who are affected by this barbaric form of “punishment”. She is truly an inspiration, and I cannot thank her enough for her time. Further, I would like to thank Scott Cobb from the Texas Moratorium Network not only for this amazing opportunity but also for being an instrumental part in the effort to save my brother’s life.

I know that together, we can, and will win the fight for abolition!

We have a winner in our drawing to win a phone call from Sister Helen Prejean.

Terri Been is the winner. She will soon be receiving a personal phone call from the Nobel Prize nominated world-wide known author and anti-death penalty advocate Sister Helen Prejean.

Terri said, "Yeahhhhhhh!!!!! I won the phone call from Sister Helen Prejean! I can't wait to speak with her!!!! Thanks to Scott Cobb of the Texas Moratorium Network for setting up the contest! What a once in a lifetime opportunity!!!!"

This is Scott. I have come up with an idea for a fun fundraiser for the New Year. Lots of people make New Year's resolutions in hopes of making some changes or improvements to their lives. One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to get fitter and maybe drop a few pounds or kilograms.

My idea is to have a "Fitness Fundraiser Against the Death Penalty" to raise money by asking people to pledge to make a donation to help Texas Moratorium Network organize against the death penalty. My goal is to drop twenty pounds (9.09 Kgs) by March 1.

You can help me reach my goal and donate to our work against the death penalty at the same time by pledging to donate a certain amount for every pound I lose. For instance, you could pledge to donate one dollar for every pound I lose. If I reach my goal by March 1, then you would send a donation of $20 to Texas Moratorium Network. Or you could pledge to donate $2.50 for every pound I lose, then if I lose 20 pounds, you would donate $50 to TMN. Or whatever amount you want to pledge.

March 15-19, 2010 we will be holding our Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, which is a program where we invite high school and college students to come to Austin for five days to learn about the death penalty and get trained in organizing against the death penalty. If I raise any funds though the "Fitness Fundraiser Against the Death Penalty", I plan to use them towards organizing the alternative spring break.

You can read more about our alternative spring break here:

http://www.alternativespringbreak.org/deathpenalty.

I will announce my starting weight on Jan 1. I think it is going to be around 208 (94.55 Kgs), so if I lose 20 pounds, I will weigh about what I did in high school.

If you want to make a pledge per pound, let me know in the comments to this blog or on the wall.

If you also have a few pounds to lose, then you can do a similar project and ask your friends to pledge to donate to a cause or charity of their choice or one of your favorite charities for every pound you lose.

http://camerontoddwillingham.com/?page_id=6

A petition to Governor Rick Perry and the State of Texas to acknowledge that the fire in the Cameron Todd Willingham case was not arson, therefore no crime was committed and on February 17, 2004, Texas executed an innocent man.

The man's name was Todd Willingham and he was executed for intentionally starting a fire that killed his three children. Five years later, we know that when Willingham professed his innocence, he was telling the truth.

All of the outside experts who have reviewed the evidence of the Dec. 23, 1991 fire that killed the Willingham children have concluded that there is no reason to think arson caused the fire.

The most recent of these reports, released in August 2009, concluded that that the fire investigators who initially said that the Willingham fire was arson didn't know what they were talking about. The report found that they ignored the accepted methods of investigating fires and based their conclusions on unscientific folklore and conjecture.

Far from being a murderer, Todd Willingham was the victim of a terrible tragedy. But the tragedy Willingham faced at the loss of his children was compounded by the injustice of his treatment by the Texas justice system.

Governor Perry can't bring Todd Willingham back, but he can clear Willingham's name and acknowledge that a terrible injustice was committed by the State of Texas.

Sign our petition below to urge Governor Perry to clear Willingham's name by publicly accepting the findings of the fire experts about the lack of arson and acknowledging the innocence of Todd Willingham.

New Yorker Article Casts Doubt on All Evidence that Led to Execution of Todd Willingham

Governor Perry Should Urge Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, Judges and DAs to Suspend Executions

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann

The New Yorker has published a 16,000 word report by David Grann that examines all the evidence used against Todd Willingham that led to his execution and finds that none of it was valid. There is no doubt now that Texas executed an innocent person. The State of Texas should halt executions in light of the New Yorker report and last week's news that the investigator hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission has concluded that the fire in the Willingham case was accidental and not arson. Willingham was executed for arson/murder in 2004. In fact, there was no arson, so there was no crime. Texas executed an innocent person.

"This is the greatest crisis in the history of capital punishment in Texas. Our state has lost the moral authority to continue conducting executions after having executed an innocent person. Texas Moratorium Network calls on Governor Perry to urge the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend stays for all ten people who currently have scheduled execution dates. Perry should also urge all District Attorneys and judges in Texas to stop setting new execution dates and to withdraw all pending execution dates. Governor Perry does not have the authority to unilaterally impose a moratorium, but he can act to create a consensus among judges, district attorneys and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop executions. The Texas system of carrying out executions must be suspended and the Governor should appoint a balanced commission to examine all aspects of the Texas death penalty system to determine what went wrong in the Willingham case and whether it is possible to prevent any more executions of innocent people. A moratorium on executions is the only way to guarantee that another innocent person is not executed", said Scott Cobb, president of Texas Moratorium Network.

"Governor Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles were provided a report written by fire expert Gerald Hurst before Willingham's execution that cast considerable doubt on the conclusion that the fire was arson. They ignored Hurst's report. Now, they have a responsibility to take action to ensure that Texas does not execute another innocent person", said Cobb.

Time magazine mentions TMN's website called SharonKiller.com this week http://sharonkiller.com.

We need people in San Antonio to join us at 8 AM at the Bexar County Courthouse 100 Dolorosa for a demonstration against Keller before we go inside to watch the trial. Spread the word to anyone you know in San Antonio to come to the trial. Bring signs.In 2007 TMN filed a complaint against Keller signed by about 1900 people.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915814,00.html

Soft-spoken and a devout Christian, Judge Sharon Keller presides as chief justice of Texas' highest criminal court. She's also known as "Sharon Killer" by her opponents, who are going to see her in court next week on charges of judicial misconduct. They charge that Keller refused a condemned man a last-minute appeal in 2007. Now she faces a trial in a San Antonio courtroom that could lead to her removal and will certainly focus wide attention on Texas' enthusiasm for the death penalty.

Keller finds herself at this pass because of a four-word sentence she uttered on Sept. 25, 2007: "We close at 5." According to a newspaper interview with Keller in October 2007 and pretrial testimony last year, she said those words to Ed Marty, general counsel for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). As the court's logistics officer, Marty had called the judge at the behest of lawyers for Michael Richard, 49, who had been on death row for two decades and whose execution was scheduled for that evening. The lawyers were allegedly having computer trouble and problems getting last-minute paperwork to the Austin court. Keller was reportedly at her home dealing with a repairman that afternoon when she got the request — and made her reply. Richard's lawyers failed to meet the deadline, and at 8:23 p.m. Richard was declared dead following a lethal injection.
(Read a brief history of lethal injection.)

An outcry followed. "This execution proceeded because the highest criminal court couldn't be bothered to stay an extra 20 minutes on the night of an execution," Andrea Keilen, executive director of Texas Defender Service, told ABC News in 2007. Not only did Texas defense attorneys quickly file complaints with the state's judicial oversight commission, in an unprecedented move, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers joined the filing. Newspapers across the state and nation weighed in with scathing editorials, and anti–death penalty campaigns went on the attack. The Texas Moratorium Network set up sharonkiller.com.

A year and a half later, in February, Keller was charged by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with "willful and persistent" failure to follow the CCA's protocols for last-minute appeals and for bringing public discredit on the court. Opponents say her actions displayed a dogmatic affinity for the death penalty.

For the whole article go to Time.com

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915814,00.html

The 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty is October 24, 2009 in Austin, Texas. If you would like to donate to help us with the march expenses, you can use the donate button on our Amazee project page on the right.

Each October since 2000, people from all walks of life and all parts of Texas, the U.S. and other countries have taken a day out of their year and gathered in Austin to raise their voices together and loudly express their opposition to the death penalty. The march started in Austin in 2000. In 2007 and 2008, the march was held in Houston. This year, it is coming back to Austin.

The annual march is organized by several Texas anti-death penalty organizations, including the Austin chapter of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Texas Moratorium Network, the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty and Kids Against the Death Penalty. If your organization would like to be a co-sponsor of the 10th Annual March, contact any of the organizations listed above and let them know, so we can list you in future announcements.

http://communicause.com/1818

Vote for Texas Anti-Death Penalty Groups For a $25,000 Social Media Makeover From Communicause.

We are competing through the non-profit Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center

Each year, MindComet, the interactive agency behind the CommuniCause campaign gives back to our community by providing non-profit organizations free-of-charge agency services and donations. In the past, we’ve worked with the Orlando History Center, Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, Race for A Cure, and Toys for Tots, and we’re really proud of the work we’ve done.

This year, we just couldn’t pick a favorite, so we launched CommuniCause, allowing America to help us select the organization to receive our pro bono social media services. We are allowing America to nominate and vote for their favorite charity that they’d like to see win the grand prize of a Social Media Makeover valued at $25,000.

A winner will be randomly selected from the top ten charities that receive the most votes and upon awarding the winner, MindComet will provide the winner with expert consulting services to help improve their social media presence and fundraising outreach.

http://communicause.com/1818

The Jenzabar Foundation Soical Media Leadership Award – FINALISTS
May 11, 2009 · No Comments

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/05/11/the-jenzabar-foundation-...

The Foundation would like to reiterate how impressed we were with all of the submissions from the 15 organizations that nominated their campaigns. The following FIVE organizations received the most votes, and thus, are the finalists for The Jenzabar Foundation Soical Media Leadership Award:

-The Stolen Chair Theatre Company

-Dream Activist

-Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty

-Forge

-The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

The winner will be selected from this pool of campaigns and will be announced by the Foundation on Wednesday, May 13th.

The deadline for voting in the Jenzabar Social Media Leadership Award has been extended until May 8. The winning group will get $3,000 to use in their cause.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

Please help anti-death penalty groups in Texas win by going to the link below and leaving a comment. Your comment is your vote for us to win.

The winner will be the entry that gets the most people to comment on their entry by May 8. To "vote", you leave a comment on the blog post at the link below. We are only about 100 votes behind in the contest.

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/24/texas-friends-and-allies...

Our entry is called "Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty"

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

Vote for us and help us win $3,000 to use against the death penalty.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

We have also started a new initiative to organize protests of the 200th execution under Texas Governor Rick Perry, which is likely to take place on June 2, 2009. Go here to sign the petition to protest the 200th execution.

http://www.protest200executions.com/petition.php

We are looking for people to organize protests in many cities in the U.S. and around the world. We already have protests being organized in Houston, Austin, Huntsville and Paris France. You can organize a protest in any city you live in. Go to the website below to learn more how to protest the 200th execution.

http://protest200executions.com

The deadline for voting in the Jenzabar Social Media Leadership Award. has been extended until May 8. Please help us win by going to the link below and leaving a comment. Your comment is your vote for us to win.

The winner is the entry that gets the most people to comment on their entry by April 30. To "vote", you leave a comment on the blog post at the link below.

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/24/texas-friends-and-allies

Our entry is called "Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty"

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

Vote for us and help us win $3,000 to use against the death penalty.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

If you are the admin of a group on Amazee and you would like to collaborate with us to help us win this contest by sending a message to your members, please contact me. If you help us, I will return the favor by helping you with your project somehow.

This morning we are only 109 votes behind in the voting to win $3,000 in the Jenzabar Social Media Leadership Award. Voting ends April 30. Please help us win by going to the link below and leaving a comment.

The winner is the entry that gets the most people to comment on their entry by April 30. To "vote", you leave a comment on the blog post at the link below.

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/24/texas-friends-and-allies...

Our entry is called "Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty"

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

Yesterday, we were at the Texas capitol from 9:30 to 1 AM meeting with legislators about HB 2267 to end the death penalty under the Law of Parties, talking to the media and testifying at the hearing on the Sharon Keller impeachment resolution.

We spoke with members of the Calendars Committee about the Law of Parties and were encouraged by what we heard from a couple of offices. We also ran into Rep. Terri Hodge in the hall and exchanged a few hugs and thank yous.

While we were there, we updated our friends and supporters online around the world by posting to our blog, using Twitter and uploading videos while we were still at the capitol to Facebook and YouTube, all good examples of using social media tools to affect change and build a movement, and a good reason we should win the Social Media Leadership Award. Vote for us at the link below.

Our group at the capitol yesterday included the sister of Jeff Wood, who is on death row and Lawrence Foster (grandfather of Kenneth Foster,jr) and Kenneth Foster Sr (father of Kenneth Foster). Foster's death sentence was commuted in 2007.

Here is a video of a news report on Austin TV that includes a statement by Terri Been and shots of us in the press conference by Lon Burnam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_oau98Lo5s

Vote for us and help us win $3,000 to use against the death penalty.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

If you are the admin of a group on Amazee and you would like to collaborate with us to help us win this contest by sending a message to your members, please contact me. If you help us, I will return the favor by helping you with your project somehow.

I just got home from Sharon Keller impeachment hearing. It is 1:12 AM. We were at the Capitol all day lobbying on Law of Parties, attending the press conference and then the impeachment hearing. We blogged, twittered, uploaded video to YouTube and facebooked, all examples of using new social media to affect change and build a movement, and a good reason to win the $3.000 Social Media Leadership Award. Vote for us at the link below.

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/24/texas-friends-and-allies...

To vote, go to the link above and leave a comment by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and using the comment entry form. The entry with the most comments by April 30 wins $3,000, which we will use against the death penalty.

Several Texas anti-death penalty groups are jointly entered in the Jenzabar Social Media Leadership Award contest for $3,000. The winner is the entry that gets the most people to comment on the entry by April 30. We have a good chance to win this. Our entry mentions Amazee as a social collaboration site that we use.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

You can just leave short comments or longer ones. Short ones could be like "nice work" "good job", "they are doing a great job", "impressive work"etc etc. Several Texas anti-death penalty groups are entered jointly, so in your comment you can be specific to one group or say something general about all the groups.

The number one entry only has 153 comments, so we could easily win this $3,000. There are only 12 groups in the contest now, but some of them have zero comments.

When you leave a comment, they ask you to enter your name,a website and email address, but that is just a basic form that a lot of blogs use. A lot of people do not enter a website, but if you have one enter it. Some people put both their first and last names, but some have just left their first name.

Our entry is called "Texas Friends and Allies Against the Death Penalty"

http://thejenzabarfoundationblog.com/2009/04/24/texas-friends-and-allies...

From the entry:

I would like to nominate for The Jenzabar Foundation Social Media Leadership Award: a group of allied organizations in Texas that have been using social media to effectively work together against the Texas death penalty: Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, the Austin chapter of Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty, Kids Against the Death Penalty, Students Against the Death Penalty and the Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center. These groups have a cause on Facebook called Abolish the Death Penalty in Texas. Each organization brings unique skills and experiences to the cause. Decisions on how to use any award money will be made jointly by these organizations.

This alliance is a great example of how small organizations can have a remarkable impact way out of proportion to their funding by using social media tools to work together.

Texas is a challenging environment in which to work against the death penalty, but these groups have found a way to make significant progress against the death penalty by working together both offline and online using social media tools for education, outreach and grassroots organizing.

Texas is a large state, so it is vitally important for groups here to use social media tools effectively. In the future, we want to increase our capacity to work for human rights in Texas by finding new ways to expand our use of online social media tools in order to identify new activists and grow our movement to achieve legislative victories on policy and to organize campaigns to stop specific executions.

If you think we have have been doing a good job using online social activism tools, especially considering that we are all-volunteer organizations, please vote for us in The Jenzabar Foundation Social Media Leadership Award by leaving a comment on our entry.

http://tinyurl.com/cyf8fx

We are looking for someone interested in helping us re-design our home website http://www.texasmoratorium.org. If you know of a web design company that would be interested in donating some of their time or if you have the kind of technological knowledge to help us out, please let us know.

We would like a new site that uses either MovableType (which is the system that Barack Obama used to develop his campaign website, or Drupal or Joomla or another good content management system.

We would also like to start using CivicRM as our database to store member data and to send out emails. That system works either as a standalone for which we could create a new domain, or incorporated into a Drupal or Joomla based site.

http://civicrm.org/

CiviCRM is an open source and freely downloadable constituent relationship management solution. CiviCRM is web-based, open source, internationalized, and designed specifically to meet the needs of advocacy, non-profit and non-governmental groups. Integration with both Drupal and Joomla! content management systems gives you the tools to connect, communicate and activate your supporters and constituents.

We have two needs, someone to do the technical work and someone to create some nice graphics for the new site.

If you can help, let us know by email to scottcobb99@gmail.com or leave a message on Amazee.

Thanks,

Scott Cobb

Yesterday, March 24, we conducted our biennial Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty. The Texas Legislature meets once every two years, so we conduct a lobby day during the time when they are in session. This year was the largest lobby day ever against the Texas Death Penalty. We held a training session in the morning from 10 AM to noon to discuss the bills and issues and to train people in how best to communicate with legislators. Two weeks ago we held a special training session in Houston, so the group of people who attended that session were able to start lobbying at 10 AM after leaving Houston at 7 in the morning to drive to Austin. There was also a group of people who drove all the way from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas to come to Lobby Day, included in that group was the family of Humberto Garza and Robert Garza, both of whom are on death row in Texas. Members of the Garza family are in the picture above.

The main focus of the lobby day was to advocate for the bill that would end the death penalty for people convicted under the Law of Parties, which is the law that allows people to be sentenced to death even though they did not kill anyone. The families of Kenneth Foster and Jeff Wood were at Lobby Day and went to many legislative offices all day telling and retelling the stories of Kenneth and Jeff, two people who were sentenced to death even though they did not kill anyone. Kenneth's death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 2007, after a long campaign on his behalf by many of the groups and people who also organized lobby day. Jeff Wood remains on death row, but many people are still fighting and organizing to save his life. Jeff never killed anyone. He was sentenced to death under the law of parties because someone else killed someone.

The sponsor of the bill, State Representative Terri Hodge, met with us at 1 PM in the House Speaker's Committee Room. She gave us an inspiring speech and pledged to do everything in her power to work for this bill. She broke down in tears briefly telling us how emotionally affected she was by the testimony she heard from the family members of people convicted under the law of parties at last week's committee hearing. You can watch the video of that hearing by clicking on this link, which will stream a video file to your computer. It is powerful stuff, so as Shakespeare wrote, "if you have tears, prepare to shed them now." The father of Kenneth Foster starts speaking at around minute 23. The girlfriend of Randy Halprin gives her moving testimony at around the one hour point. The sister of Jeff Wood, Terri Been, starts her powerful testimony at around minute 32. Terri does a wonderful job explaining to the committee the injustice of the Law of Parties.

In all we contacted 90 legislative offices on lobby day, the majority were in person visits by the people who came to lobby day, others were contacts by phone and email. We had many teams going to visit offices all day. We heard reports back from the teams that the receptions they got were overwhelmingly favorable. Based on the feedback we received, we believe that the bill to end the deat penalty under the law of parties will receive a favorable vote in committee soon.

http://tinyurl.com/cp67sk

Jeanette Popp, mother of a murder victim and TMN's former chairperson has just published a new book, Mortal Justice: A True Story of Murder and Vindication.

Her book tells the story of her daughter Nancy's murder, the wrongful conviction of two innocent men Chris Ochoa and Richard Danziger, their eventual exoneration, the subsequent conviction of the real killer, and Jeanette's many years of activism against the death penalty, including a jailhouse meeting with the real killer and her successful efforts to prevent him from being sentenced to death.

A recent Dallas Morning News article said, "Ms. Popp asked prosecutors not to seek the death penalty, because she says she did not want her daughter's memory stained with someone's blood. "I'm not a bleeding heart liberal," she says. "But I do have a heart."

We talked to Jeanette yesterday and she plans to come to Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24 at the Texas Capitol in Austin. In 2001, Jeanette's testimony to the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee was instrumental in persuading that committee to vote in favor of a moratorium on executions. This year, the same committee will again consider a proposal by State Rep Harold Dutton to enact a moratorium on executions and create a commission to study the death penalty system in Texas.

It would be great if Jeanette would be able to give signed copies of her book to members of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. As a mother of a murder victim who opposes the death penalty and campaigned to prevent her daughter's killer from getting the death penalty, her story is very powerful, so she can really help us on Lobby Day. If there is a subcommittee meeting that day, she can testify and then give out copies of the book to each member. But if there is no subcommittee hearing that day, then she can still take copies to the members' offices.

You can buy a copy of the book for yourself on Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/cp67sk

We want to give copies of her book to legislators on Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24, signed by her and personally delivered by her, but to do that, we have to buy the books.

So, if anyone would like to make a donation, we need donations to help us buy 15 - 20 books for Jeanette to give away on Lobby Day March 24.

If you want to donate 15 dollars per book so we can buy a book, you can donate online here or send a check to:

Texas Moratorium Network
3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251
Austin, Texas 78731

Or you can buy a book on Amazon, read it, then give it to us so she can give it away to legislators on Lobby Day. Of course, as the author, she gets a percentage of all sales from her publisher, so if you buy a book, you help her increase sales.

You can also buy a book on Amazon and have it sent it to us at the address above. We will give it to Jeanette to sign and she will give it legislators during Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty at the Texas Capitol. http://tinyurl.com/cp67sk

In her new book, Jeanette includes the story of her jailhouse meeting with the man who had murdered her daughter in 1988 in Austin. Two innocent men were wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for 12 years before they were exonerated and the real kill was found and convicted. She tells the story in her book of how she met with the real killer in jail before his trial because she wanted to convince him to take a plea bargain and accept life in prison istead of going to trial and risking the death penalty. In the jailhouse meeting, she told him,

"Mr Marino, you know I don't want you executed?"

"I've heard that," he answred stoically.

"It's the truth. I don't want you to die."

He shook his head and told her, "Mrs Popp, I'd rather be executed than spend the rest of my life in prison."