NADP Newsletter- Winter 2010

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 1

The Abol i t ionisThe Abol i t ionis tt

Cartoon used courtesy of Paul Fell Cartoons (www.paulfellcartoons.com)www.paulfellcartoons.com/

(Continued on Page 5: 22 State Senators Call for More Information)

Why I love my job!By: Jill L Francke, Statewide Coordinator

I am constantly surprised by how quickly time moves, and the last year has been no excep-tion. As the holiday lights and decorations go up around my neighborhood, I can’t help but take a moment to reflect on the past year, taking stock of all the changes that have taken place and the progress that has been made. This year I am struck by how lucky I am. I am lucky enough to be part of a very small club of people who go to work every day, trying to put myself out of a job. I am lucky to be part of a movement that is working diligently and strategically to accomplish its important goal. As with every year, 2010 has been full of ups and downs, both at Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty and around our state and country, but as I look back over the past year, I am happy to report that we have a lot to celebrate! In early 2009, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill that enabled the State to move to-wards resuming executions by lethal injection. This was in response to the State Supreme Court’s ruling that the electric chair, the only legal means of execution for decades, is cruel and unusual. Despite the passage of the lethal injection bill more than a year and a half ago, we still have not seen the state attempt to schedule an execution. And another year without an execution is very good news! While we know that this respite will not last forever, we have been taking full advantage of this time to continue educating Nebraskans about the many fatal flaws in our state’s death penalty system. As you can see in this newsletter, NADP has been working hard to reach out to citizens in every corner of the state, and we have been very en-couraged by the results. I am inspired by the wide range of people that I get to work with everyday; one of our big-gest assets is the diversity of our movement. We are working with students and senior citizens, farmers and ranchers, attorneys and police officers, Catholics and Unitarians, Democrats, Re-publicans, and everyone in between. As we have watched political discourse become more and more divisive, we here at NADP are finding more and more that we agree on. The risk of exe-cuting an innocent person is real; the system has failed victims’ families; fairness in the death penalty is a moving target; and the long and complicated process has clogged our courts and wasted precious financial resources. These are the points that are bringing hundreds of aver-age citizens to the same conclusion: the death penalty is dying and Nebraskans are ready to see it go. So today I invite you to get excited, and I invite you to get involved. Take a few minutes to read this newsletter and to think about how you might like to help. Do you have a church, community, or student group that would like to hear from a speaker on the death penalty? Are you interested in being a point person for organizing in your community? Would you like to make a donation or contact your legislator? Whether you have five minutes or five hours you want to spend working with us, we have a way you can help keep the momentum going here in Nebraska. As always, we welcome you to contact our office. You can call us at (402) 477-7787 or email me directly at [email protected]. As you can probably see, I mean it when I say I love my job, and I look forward to the day when it is no longer needed!

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 2

NADP Hits the Road!The past few months have been nothing short of amazing in our work to repeal the death penalty in Nebraska! NADP has launched a new campaign to increase our outreach to faith communities in Nebraska, and we are happy to report that we held the first of what we hope will be many "Death Penalty Sundays" at Sidney's St. Patrick's Catholic Church in August. We also recently held another event at St Michael's Catholic Church in Spalding. Additionally, we participated in an incredible retreat featuring Sister Helen Prejean at the St. Benedict center in Schuyler. This unique event offered an in-depth look into the life and work of Sr. Helen as well as the important role that the Catholic Church is playing in efforts to end the death penalty around the country. Take a minute to read more about these amazing events below!

Death Penalty Sundays Being Held Across Nebraska

On August 7th and 8th, NADP traveled to Sidney, NE to hold the first of what we hope is an ongoing series of events that we are calling "Death Penalty Sundays". At the invitation of Father Art Faesser, our statewide coordinator, Jill Francke, was able to address more than 300 parishioners at St. Patrick's Catholic Church on the issue of the death penalty and the teachings of the Catholic Church. We were both humbled and encouraged by the warm reception we received from those in attendance and by the impact that this event has had on our work! A second Death Penalty Sunday was held in Spalding, NE on November 20th and 21st. The event offered another great opportunity for NADP to reach more than 250

Nebraskans with an invitation to join in our growing campaign. To maximize the outcomes of these events, we distributed postcards that provided a way for people to connect to our campaign and to make their opposition to the death penalty known to their elected officials. As a result of our first Death Penalty Sunday event, we have gained more than 75 new supporters in areas where we have previously only been in contact with a handful of individuals! We want to say thank you again to Father Art Faesser, Father Don Buhrman, and everyone in Sidney and Spaulding who made our visits so fun and successful! We need your help as we continue these important outreach efforts around the state! If you are a member of a church or community organization that would like to hold a Death Penalty Sunday or host a table on the death penalty, please contact our field organizer at (402) 477-7787 or [email protected].

Father Art Faesser, Carla Stormberg and Jill Francke at St. Patrick’sCatholic Church in Sidney, NE

Supporters taking actionin Sidney, NE

St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Spalding, NE (Continue on Page 5: NADP Hits the Road)

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 3

Greetings from NADP’s Board of Directors Nic Swiercek joined the board of NADP earlier this year and is thrilled to help serve NADP in a more formal capacity. Nic participated in NADP’s action committee over the past few years and coordinated student groups’ abolition advocacy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He joined Jill on two trips last year to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s Abolitionist Leadership Training Institute in Washington, DC and an Equal Justice USA training in Connecticut. Nic was recently elected NADP’s Vice Chair, and he is very excited to bring some new ideas to NADP! One project that Nic has been developing with Jill is a new internship program for NADP. The internship – what we are calling the NADP Organizing Fellowship – will provide young Nebraska students an opportunity to develop their advocacy skills under NADP’s guidance and help NADP expand its base of support. The fellows will coordinate events on their college campuses and develop strategies to identify new supporters. This fall marked the beginning of our NADP Organizing Fellowship, and we look forward to introducing you the amazing students participating in this project in the near future! We are excited about the energy these young people will bring to our campaign and the new network of abolitionists that they will help to identify at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton University, Doane College and other colleges and universities in Nebraska. If you’re interested in participating in the program in upcoming semesters or know of a student who might be, contact Nic at [email protected] or (402) 659-1420.

NADP Board Member, Nic Swiercek

Connect With NADP As the world of online activism continues to grow, NADP is working to stay connected to our supporters on the World Wide Web. We are currently utilizing various social networking sites and other forms of online communication to keep you up to date with our work and activities. We hope that you will take a minute today to visit our website at www.nadp.net. We work very hard to keep the website up to date and informative, so check back often to see what we are up to. When you visit the website, please sign up to receive our email updates. This is the quickest and most cost effective way for us to keep you informed about the events taking place in your area and the many ways that you can take action. You can also become a fan of NADP on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com and searching for Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty. You can follow NADP on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/N_A_D_P. If you have questions about our online outreach or if you would like to receive email updates, please send an email to [email protected].

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

NADP would like to thank the Tides Foundation and the Death Penalty Mobilization Fund for their generous ongoing support of our work! The Tides Foundation has been

supporting organizations working for positive social change since 1976, and NADP is proud to be part of that history. You can learn more about the foundation by visiting

their website at www.tidesfoundation.org.

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 4

National death penalty update

New poll shows views on the death penalty are changing

The Death Penalty Information Center (www.deathpenaltyinfo.org) recently released the results of one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted of Americans' views on the death penalty. The poll shows that the majority of Americans now support alternatives, such as life without parole and restitution for victims, over death sentences. It also shows that capital punishment is simply not the hot button issue people once thought it was. Most poll respondents said that if their representatives supported repeal of the death penalty, it would either make them more likely to vote for them or would make no difference. "For decades, politicians have equated being tough on crime with support for the death penalty, but this research suggests voters want their elected officials to be smart on crime, use tax dollars wisely, and fund the services they care about the most. Capital punishment is not a high priority for voters and is not the 'third rail' of politics," said Richard Dieter, Executive Director of Death Penalty Information Center.

Shortage of Lethal Injection Drugs

A nationwide shortage of thiopental sodium, the first drug in the most commonly used three-drug lethal injection protocol, has forced several states to postpone executions, while preventing others from scheduling any executions for the foreseeable future. Some states have completely exhausted their supply of thiopental, and other states face the looming expiration of their only doses, leaving many scrambling to obtain usable doses from other sources as execution dates approach. A few states have proposed alternate drugs that are not part of standard protocols, giving defendants new grounds to seek delays in court. Hospira Inc., the only domestic manufacturer of thiopental sodium, suspended production of the drug almost a year ago because of problems obtaining its active ingredient. Hospira informed states this spring that it does not support the use of its products for capital punishment. Officials in Nebraska have indicated that the shortage of drugs is one reason for the delay in scheduling the state’s first execution under the newly approved lethal injection protocols. NADP sees this complication as just another indication of how badly broken the capital punishment system.

Innocence Matters

Recent DNA tests raise serious doubts about the conviction of a man executed in Texas in 2000. The tests revealed that a strand of hair found at the scene of a liquor-store shooting did not belong to Claude Jones, as was originally implied by the prosecution. Instead, the hair belonged to the victim. Jones was executed for the murder of the store's owner. The strand of hair was the only piece of physical evidence that placed Jones at the scene of the crime, and this revelation raises the question of whether Texas executed the wrong person for the murder. In other news from Texas, Anthony Graves was released from a Texas prison on October 27th after Washington-Burleson County District Attorney Bill Parham filed a motion to dismiss

For decades, politicians have equated being tough on crime with support for

the death penalty, but this research suggests voters want their elected officials to be smart on crime, use

tax dollars wisely, and fund the services they care about the most.

(Continue on Page 5: Innocence Matters)

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 5

Calling all churches, social clubs, and reading groups!

Do you belong to a church or social club that would like to host a speaker on the death penalty? Is your reading group looking for its next page turner? If so we are here to make that happen! We can provide you with informational speakers, videos of different lengths, written materials, and books that are perfect for any book club. In order for our movement to be successful we must first reach out to the people and places with which we are most familiar, and we need your help! Contact our office at 402-477-7787 or [email protected] to inquire about our public education resources. Remember that no group is too large or too small. Every individual that we reach makes a difference!

NADP Hits the Road!

Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues (Continued from Page 4)

One hundred lucky Nebraskans got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend an entire day listening to and talking with Sister Helen Prejean, one of our movement’s most formida-ble forces. Sister Helen set out to light a fire in the hearts and minds of those who gathered at the beautiful Saint Benedict Center in Schuyler. She spent the morning speaking about her own awakening to the need to work for social justice and about her early work living with the poor at the Congregation of St. Joseph in New Orleans. The afternoon provided an opportunity for the group to explore what Sister Helen refers to as the "two arms of the cross", through a discussion of her work with both death row inmates and their fami-lies and the families of homicide victims. She has had many up-close and personal experiences with the failings of the death penalty and the damage it causes to everyone involved. Sister Helen called on each individual to find the fire within them that leads them to work for an end to the state's broken death penalty system, and we invite you put that passion to work! Sister Helen Prejean

National death penalty update

Innocence Matters (Continued from Page 4)

all charges that had resulted in Graves being sent to death row 16 years ago. Graves is the 12th person to be exonerated from Texas's death row since 1973 and the 138th such person in the country. On October 19th, PBS's FRONTLINE aired “Death by Fire”, a documentary closely examin-ing the evidence used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham of the arson deaths of his three children. The documentary focused on a critical finding that was revealed just weeks before Willingham's execution—that fire investigators relied on outdated arson science to determine that Willingham had set the fire that killed his children. The Texas Forensic Science Commis-sion and a special Court of Inquiry are examining Willingham’s case to determine if Texas exe-cuted an innocent man. You can watch the documentary at www.pbs.com/frontline.

The Abolitionist | Winter 2010 | Page 6

2010 Annual Dinner a Success How do you win a campaign to repeal the death penalty? While there is no magic answer to this very important question, there is someone who knows a whole lot about it: Shari Silber-stein. NADP was lucky enough to have Shari deliver the keynote at our Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet, held on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University on October 8, 2010.

Shari is the Executive Director of Equal Justice USA (www.ejusa.org), one of the quintessential national organiza-tions leading the charge in ending the death penalty. Since joining Equal Justice USA in September 2000, Shari has be-come a nationally recognized anti-death penalty organizer, campaign strategist, and trainer. She has provided hands-on technical assistance, capacity building, strategic planning, training, and cam-paign coordination to more than two dozen state organizations working for death penalty reform, moratoria, and abolition. Shari played a leading role in the first two state campaigns that ended the death penalty in the modern era –

New York in 2005 and New Jersey in 2007. NADP is proud to have been working with the amazing staff at EJUSA since 2007. Shari's hands-on experience in winning campaigns left the crowd deeply inspired to continue the important work here in Nebraska. She spoke about the importance of building a strong grassroots constituency of individuals who support an end to our broken death penalty system. We invite you to become a leader in your own commu-nity as we build our base of support in Nebraska! There are many ways to be involved in our campaign: identify-ing and organizing NADP supporters in your area and en-couraging them to contact their State Senator and local media outlets; setting up church group meetings, house parties, and community conversations that will facilitate healthy discussions; and becoming a liaison between NADP and your own State Senator. To learn more about getting involved in your local community, please contact Jill Francke, Statewide Coordinator at 402.477.7787 or [email protected]. NADP was also pleased to honor UNL Law Professor Eric Berger, J.D. with the C.A. Sorensen Award and the Sisters of Mercy with the Angel of Mercy Award. We want to thank all the individuals, organizations, and local busi-nesses that donated to our Silent Auction! The financial support we receive from this event is critical to our success throughout the year, so thanks again to everyone who attended or who sent in a special donation! If you were unable to at-tend, you can still contribute to our efforts by visiting www.nadp.net/donate.htm or by send-ing a check to our office at 941 'O' Street, Suite 725, Lincoln, NE 68508.

2010 Silent Auction

Jill Francke, NADP Statewide CoordinatorShari Silberstein, EJUSA Executive Director

Amy Miller, NADP Board Chair