par-newhaven.org

Progressive Action Roundtable: A forum for progressive groups in the Greater New Haven Area where actions and ideas may be publicized so that others are aware of peace, health, justice, energy, environmental and other issues for the common good.

Archive for category Death Penalty

Help Repeal the Death Penalty in Connecticut

Jan 29

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

By Ben Jones, CT Network Against the Death Penalty

The 2012 legislative session begins in February. We have no time to spare to ensure our elected officials know that THIS is the year to end Connecticut’s death penalty.

Please take a moment and sign the petition to Governor Malloy and your legislators in support of repeal: signon.org/sign/end-the-death-penalty-3.  Then please forward the petition to as many people as you can (CT citizens and beyond).  If we generate enough signers now, MoveOn.org will forward this petition to their entire Connecticut list – which is tens of thousands of individuals!

We’ll need everyone for this year’s lobby day for repeal, Wednesday, February 29th. At 10 a.m., a press conference will feature CT Murder Victims’ Families Speaking Out Against the Death Penalty.  At 11 the CT ACLU is sponsoring a lobbying training and a free lunch at noon. To participate in the training and free lunch, RSVP to ACLU Field Organizer Isa Mujahid at gimujahid@acluct.org or at 860-523-9146.

In the afternoon on February 29, we will all go in groups to talk with our legislators about repeal.   It is important that we are able to fill the Capitol with repeal supporters, so please plan now so you can join us on the 29th. Thank you for all you have done to get to this point, where Connecticut is on the brink of repealing its death penalty. Together, over coming weeks of the legislative session, we will be working hard to make sure we achieve our goal.

Tags:

Abolishing the Death Penalty in CT

Oct 29

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

– Ben Jones, Exec. Director, CNADP

We’re just three months from the start of our next legislative session and the CNADP is kicking our campaign into high gear. To ensure 2012 is the historic year we finally eliminate state killing in Connecticut, we are pulling out all the stops. And we could really use your help! If you have a few hours to donate – starting now and throughout the legislative session – please contact our volunteer coordinator Kristin at kristin.bollig@cnadp.org or (860) 796-8745.

Earlier this month we joined with Equal Justice USA, Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, and murder victims’ families from across Connecticut (and beyond!) to discuss the role of victims’ families in our campaign to end the death penalty. We saw last year the powerful role victims’ families had in the discussion about the death penalty. At our gathering, we discussed why victims’ voices are so important in Connecticut and how we can ensure that the many victims’ family members who are opposed to the death penalty are heard as we move toward repeal. It was a pleasure to be able to spend time with these smart, savvy individuals who have endured so much and are selflessly working to end our broken death penalty system.

In October and November we will be hosting events in our speakers’ series “Beyond Repair: True Stories of CT’s Broken Death Penalty.” Join us for one of our presentations featuring Vicki Coward, who has spoken passionately against Connecticut’s death penalty after the murder of her son in New Haven in 2007, and death row exoneree Juan Melendez. Here are some of the events coming up, and stay tuned for more:

  • Saturday, October 29, 6 p.m. at the Shiloh Baptist Church, 322 Butternut St., Middletown. Speakers: Juan Melendez and Vicky Coward
  • Sunday, October 30, 1 p.m. at the Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 29 Grove St., Stamford. Speakers: Juan Melendez, Vicky Coward, and Catherine Ednie
  • Thursday, November 3, 6 p.m. at the East End Baptist Church, 548 Central Ave., Bridgeport. Speakers: Juan Melendez and Vicky Coward

If you know someone who has lost a loved one to murder and is concerned about the death penalty, please encourage them to reach out to Ben at ben.jones@cnadp.org or (860) 231-1489.

Tags:

Troy Davis Executed Sept. 21

Oct 4

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

– Ben Jones, Exec. Director, CNADP

Today [Sept. 22] is a sad day. Despite strong doubts over his guilt, the state of Georgia killed Troy Davis at 11:08 p.m. Wednesday night. The Supreme Court issued a last minute reprieve, which delayed the execution by several hours, then declined to intervene in the case.

This execution is an embarrassment to our nation. This case illustrates everything that is wrong with the death penalty. As too often happens in the criminal justice system, the state of Georgia put finality over ensuring that a potentially innocent man was not executed. As long as there is a death penalty, potentially innocent men like Davis will continue to be executed.

We are all in mourning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Davis family, who has endured a cruel roller coaster ride through the criminal justice system during the past two decades. Before his death, Davis delivered the following message: “The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace.” Davis’ memory will remain with us as we fight with renewed urgency to end this country’s shameful system of capital punishment.

Thank you all who have taken action in support of Davis. The commitment of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe shows the strength of our movement. Davis’ death is a tragedy that only will hasten the end of capital punishment.

Troy Davis never should have been executed. We cannot change that now. But we can make sure there never is another Troy Davis. And that means, in Connecticut, we will do our part and end the state’s death penalty. No more excuses or delays – this shameful system must go before it wrecks further havoc on our state and nation.

To raise awareness and funds to help end the death penalty in Connecticut, Ben Jones and CNADP Field Organizer Kristin Bollig will run in the 2011 Hartford Marathon. On October 15th Ben will be running the full marathon (26.2 miles) and Kristin will be running the half marathon (13.1 miles)! 

We on staff at CT Network Against the Death Penalty (CNADP) are determined to go the distance to repeal the death penalty in 2012. Help us go the distance on October 15th by running with us, becoming a corporate sponsor, or making a donation to the CNADP today! Thank you! 

Ben Jones   Online: www.cnadp.org/

Tags: ,

Going Forward After Troy Davis’ Execution

Oct 4

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

– ANSWER Coalition

[Troy Davis was convicted of the August 19, 1989 murder of Mark Allen MacPhail, an off-duty police officer. Troy maintained his innocence. There was no DNA or other physical evidence that proved he was the murderer, and seven of the nine witnesses at his trial have since recanted. See Amnesty International's website for more information. www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis.

–Eds.]

Troy Davis was not only a victim; he was a leader. He demonstrated courage in the face of his executioners. His spirit will be formative in the creation of a new people’s movement that is coming into existence. In fact, millions of people took action together in a massive but unsuccessful effort to prevent his legal lynching. This is the important legacy that Troy Davis has given us. The movement to save Troy Davis needs to grow in support of all those who are the victims of racism and injustice.

A new generation of leaders will take the helm. Rather than function as a tail to the Democratic Party, they will be guided by the famous words of Frederick Douglass:

If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

We have volunteer meetings around the country. If you have been part of this struggle, please join us in working to fight racist injustice. The New Haven ANSWER Coalition can be reached at (203) 606-0319 or ct@answercoalition.org.

 

Tags:

CT Network To Abolish The Death Penalty Fundraising!

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

– Ben Jones, Exec. Director, CNADP

To raise awareness and funds to help end the death penalty in Connecticut, Ben Jones and CNADP Field Organizer Kristin Bollig, will run in the 2011 Hartford Marathon. On October 15th Ben will be running the full marathon (26.2 miles) and Kristin will be running the half marathon (13.1 miles)!

Meet Kristin Bollig, CNADP Runner: She’s not a runner, but she sure wants to repeal the death penalty!

Kristin: Is it that time again? Just one year ago, I was preparing to run my leg of the marathon as part of a relay team. I ran/jogged a little under 4 miles, and we raised around $2,000 dollars! I’m not exactly “athletic”, but 4 miles didn’t seem so bad. This year, someone (my boss, what could I do?) talked me into registering for the half marathon. Actually, he registered for me. So now I’m training to run 13.1 miles, and I need your help to make it to the finish line!  Donations of any amount and runners of any skill level (or no skill level) are welcome on Team CNADP!

We on staff at CNADP are determined to go the distance to repeal the death penalty in 2012. Help us go the distance on October 15th by running with us, becoming a corporate sponsor, or making a donation to the CNADP today!

Thank you!  Ben Jones, Executive Director, CNADP online: www.cnadp.org/

Tags: ,

Death Penalty In The News

Apr 1

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

By CT Network Against the Death Penalty (CNADP)

Bud Welch will be visiting Connecticut April 5-7, and will be speaking in Milford, Manchester, and Southbury. Bud’s daughter, Julie, was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. After a period of being consumed by anger and a desire for revenge, Bud felt moved to make contact with the family of Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber). Since this experience, Bud has traveled the country speaking out against the death penalty. He has appeared on 60 Minutes and Good Morning America, and has written pieces for both Time and Newsweek. Please come and hear Bud’s incredible story.

Here are the dates and locations:

  • April 5, 7 p.m.: St. Gabriel Church Hall (50 Broadway,  Milford, CT) Contact Bo at (614) 581-5109 for more information.
  • April 6, 7 p.m.: St. Bridget Church School Auditorium, (80 Main St, Manchester) $5 suggested donation, light refreshments. Info: Marguerite Demarse (860) 432- 5355.
  • April 7, 7 p.m.: Sacred Heart Church (910 Main Street  South, Southbury). Info: Dawn Dietsch (203)262-1698.

Thank you to all those who gave their time and talents for the public hearing on March 7. The Judiciary Committee, co-chaired by Senator Coleman and Representative Fox, heard testimony for 14 hours. We are so grateful for those of you who testified, including those who submitted written testimony, and especially those who stayed until 1:30 a.m. to show your support.

CNADP regular meeting 2nd Tues. of the month.

Tags:

Exonerated Prisoners Get Their Wish | New Haven Independent

Jan 29

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

Ronald Taylor and George Gould are headed back to court—state Supreme Court. At their own request.

A state judge freed the two New Haven men from prison last April after concluding they didn’t commit the murder for which they were convicted.

However, state prosecutors aren’t giving up. They’ve appealed the ruling.

via Exonerated Prisoners Get Their Wish | New Haven Independent.

Tags: ,

CT Network To Abolish The Death Penalty

Dec 29

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

— Ben Jones, CNADP

 As hard as it is to believe, another year is coming to a close. Looking back, there are many reasons to be optimistic that the death penalty is on its way out in Connecticut. Developments during the past year have put Connecticut closer to repealing the death penalty than ever before in the state’s history.

This past March, an effort in the Judiciary Committee to “fix” the current death penalty went nowhere, as legislators realized that the death penalty is broken beyond repair. Jeffrey Deskovic, who spent 16 years imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, best summarized the mistaken logic behind efforts to reform the death penalty in his testimony before the Judiciary committee: “There is no ‘fixing’ the death penalty other than abolishing it all together, because no matter how many reforms are passed aimed at preventing wrongful convictions, in the end the system is operated by human beings, and human beings make mistakes. The only way to be sure that an innocent person is not executed is to abolish the death penalty.”

The focus of 2010 was not the legislature, however, but building support for repeal at the grassroots level. Throughout the past 12 months, thousands of Connecticut residents at CNADP-sponsored events have heard from those directly impacted by the death penalty how it is failing all of us. In April, author and death row chaplain Dale Recinella shared the pain of witnessing an execution. In May, Randy Steidl traveled across Connecticut, sharing with churches and universities how corruption sent him to death row and kept him wrongfully incarcerated long after evidence emerged pointing to his innocence. Then in CNADP’s busiest month on record, Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights Chair Vicki Schieber, and death row exonerees Kirk Bloodsworth and Juan Melendez all were in Connecticut sharing the harm inflicted by the death penalty and the urgent need to repeal it.

Finally, the elections this fall saw Connecticut select for the first time in decades a Governor who publicly supports repeal of the death penalty. This break puts us in an excellent position to move forward with repeal legislation. We now must capitalize on this rare opportunity.

Our work, building a true grassroots movement, is the key to success. The death penalty will come to an end as you and people across the state continue to stand up and say enough is enough – Connecticut deserves better. Thank you for your support throughout the year.

CNADP, 56 Arbor Street, Suite 213, Hartford, CT 06106. 860-231-1489, www.cnadp.org.

Tags: ,

CT Network To Abolish The Death Penalty

Dec 1

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

By Bo Chamberlin, CNADP

As Connecticut approaches the 2011 legislative session in January, there is already talk that a bill to abolish the death penalty will come before the legislature. When a similar bill came before the legislature in 2009, both chambers of the General Assembly voted for it. The bill was subsequently vetoed by Governor Rell. As the new year approaches, CNADP is gearing up for what we hope will be our final push to end the death penalty in CT.

Connecticut is one of a number of states likely to see a strong drive against the death penalty in the coming months. An effort to pass a bill to abolish the death penalty is underway in a lame duck session of the legislature in Illinois. New Hampshire is awaiting the results of a study commission that has been examining that state’s death penalty over the last several months. States such as Maryland and Colorado are also likely to see renewed efforts to repeal the states’ death penalty.

In Connecticut, efforts continue to focus on education and mobilization. Upcoming speaking events with death row exonerees, murder victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty and others will continue to take place throughout the coming months. For details and up-to-date information please sign up to receive updates on CNADP’s website www.cnadp.org. Also, please feel free to contact us if you are interested in helping out as a volunteer!

CNADP, 56 Arbor Street, Suite 213, Hartford, CT 06106
860-231-1489 (office) bochamberlin@cnadp.org

Tags: ,

Reasons To Abolish The Death Penalty

Oct 24

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

– Bo Chamberlin, CT Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP)

This October saw a lot of activity around the death penalty in Connecticut. Murder Victims’ Family Members and former death row inmates who were wrongfully convicted and later released shared their stories at many locations throughout the state. The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty continues its efforts to educate people about the flaws, inadequacies, and injustices that plague the death penalty in Connecticut and elsewhere.

One highlight among many was a visit from Vicki Schieber whose daughter was brutally raped and murdered while working on a PhD at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. Vicki spoke at many locations around the state about both her moral opposition to capital punishment and her experiences with how the death penalty places additional burdens on the families of victims by causing them to live through a long legal ordeal that fails to provide them with any kind of closure or peace.

Also speaking in October was Kirk Bloodsworth, the very first man exonerated of a death penalty crime by DNA evidence. Kirk spent eight years in prison for a crime that he was later proven not to be guilty of and says that he is ‘living proof’ that the system is flawed and that we make mistakes. Kirk has worked ardently since his release for far-reaching reforms to protect the innocent, one of which is abolishing the death penalty.

The CNADP will continue its efforts at education into November with a visit from Rev. Walter Everett, a Methodist minister from Hartford, CT, whose son was murdered more than 20 years ago. Rev. Everett received a phone call that would change his life forever. The call was to tell him that his son Scott had been murdered. In the years that followed, Rev. Everett was so consumed with grief that he had difficulty performing his duties as Pastor. As Walter says, the first release he felt was when he heard his son’s killer express remorse; he also took this as a sign that God was nudging him towards forgiveness. After forgiving his son’s killer, Walter became very involved in efforts to end the death penalty and to promote restorative justice. Walter will be speaking at First and Wesley United Methodist Church in West Haven on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Bo Chamberlin, Field Organizer, bo@cnadp.org, (614) 581-5109.

Tags: , , ,

Abolish The Death Penalty

Oct 3

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty, Events | No Comments

By Bo Chamberlin, CNADP

Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty enlists new voices in a renewed effort to end the death penalty.

The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP) held its annual meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Catholic Church in Hartford. The meeting was well attended and helped to kick off a year in which Connecticut is primed to abolish the death penalty. Among the speakers was former NYS Police Investigator Terrence Dwyer, who told attendees that in all of the homicides he investigated in his career, not once did he say to himself, “If we had the death penalty this wouldn’t have happened.” Law enforcement officers are an increasingly vocal group calling for repeal of the death penalty. If you know someone in law enforcement or are yourself a law enforcement officer who opposes the death penalty, please contact the CNADP (www.cnadp.org).

Also increasingly vocal in the movement to abolish the death penalty are people who have lost loved ones to murder. Bob Curley’s 10-year-old son was abducted by pedophiles and found murdered. After the two men responsible were captured, Bob Curley became a spokesman for the movement to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts. Years later, however, Bob had a change of heart on the death penalty.

This month Bob will be sharing his stories at a number of locations in the New Haven area. On Sunday, Oct. 17, Bob will speak at 11 a.m. at the North Haven Congregational Church and again at 12:45 p.m. at Unitarian Society of New Haven in Hamden. On Monday, Oct. 18, Bob will speak at 3 p.m. at the Quinnipiac University Law School. All events are free and open to the public.

Bo Chamberlin, Field Organizer, bo@cnadp.org, (614) 581-5109.

Tags: , ,

Overview Of Public Hearing On Death Penalty Reform Bill (HB-5445)

Mar 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Death Penalty | No Comments

by Ben Jones, Exec. Dir. Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP)

On March 10, the Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on a bill that proposed reforms to Connecticut’s death penalty. A long list of reforms are included in the bill: limiting habeas petitions, establishing a death penalty authorization committee, allowing discrimination as a basis for challenging death sentences, increasing training and resources for capital cases, re-establishing proportionality review of death sentences, and instituting new measures to limit wrongful convictions in capital cases.

Few testifying at the hearing favored the bill, at least as a whole. The Public Defender’s Office opposed the provision to limit appeals and questioned them as unconstitutional. Although Chief State Attorney Kevin Kane favored the habeas reforms, he opposed the other reforms in the bill on the grounds that they would further prolong the legal process. Dr. William Petit testified against the provision in the bill that a victim’s impact statement be read after, rather than before, a jury has reached a verdict.

Both an exoneree and a victim’s family member testified against the bill, both arguing that the way to reform the death penalty is to do away with it. Jeffrey Deskovic spent 16 years in jail for a rape and murder he did not commit. He said in his testimony that “There is no ‘fixing’ the death penalty, other than abolishing it altogether, because no matter how many reforms are passed aimed at preventing wrongful convictions, in the end the system is operated by human beings, and human beings make mistakes.” Pamela Joiner, whose son Jumar was murdered in 2008, said that the bill to reform the death penalty “will not help me…. I don’t want more money going toward a death penalty we don’t use… I want those resources to go toward investigating my son’s murder.”