Peace and Justice Network of the Triad

Death Penalty reform bills in NC legislature

From People of Faith Against the Death Penalty:

Two bills to reform the death penalty recently passed out of the state House of Representatives – the Proportionality Review Bill (H341) and the Racial Justice Act (H1291). Both bills are now in the Senate. Contact your local senator to ask him or her to sponsor these important bills.

To find out who your senator is, visit http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/Who_Represents_Me/Who_Re
presents_Me.html

For more information, contact Katie Maslanka at katie@pfadp.org or (919) 933-7567.

The Proportionality Review Bill would widen the scope of cases that the supreme court would use to determine whether a death sentence is disproportionate to other factually similar cases where a sentence of life without parole was imposed.

The Racial Justice Act would forbid the death sentence if the decision to seek it was based in any way on race, and would allow for the use of statistical evidence to prove racial bias.

Here is a sample e-mail (please personalize your own!):

Dear Senator,

I am writing to ask you to support two death penalty reform bills that will soon be heard in the Senate. The Racial Justice Act (H1291) and the Proportionality Review Bill (H341) are two bills that would make the death penalty less prone to racial bias and less unfair.

The Racial Justice Act would forbid the death penalty if the decision to seek it was based in any way on race, and would allow statistical evidence – some of the most valuable evidence available – to prove racial bias. The Proportionality Review Bill would widen the scope of cases that the state Supreme Court would use to determine whether a death sentence is disproportionate to other factually similar cases where a sentence of life without parole was imposed. Currently in
proportionality review the supreme court only examines cases where a death penalty was imposed, ignoring the 99 percent of murder cases where the death penalty is not the result.

The death penalty must be as little unfair and as little prone to racial bias as possible. These two bills would be a strong step in the right direction, and I encourage you to support them. Thank you for your time and hard work.

Sincerely,

Greensboro Chapter of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty Meeting – June 25, 2007

Please plan to join us as we discuss...

NC Death Penalty Legislation and Reforms

Monday, June 25, 7:00 PM

Presbyterian Church, 501 S. Mendenhall (corner of Walker and Mendenhall)

Special Guest: Steve Dear, Executive Director of PFADP

A number of important reform bills are working their way through the NC General Assembly. Please join us to learn more about this legislation and what each of us can do to make a difference.

For more information, e-mail Kvell@aol.com.

Interfaith Service – Tuesday, June 5, 2007

People of Faith Against the Death Penalty is sponsoring an interfaith service and meal for family members of those on death row to be held this fall.

Organizing Meeting in Raleigh
Tuesday, June 5, 7 p.m.
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
1801 Hillsborough St., Raleigh

Volunteers Needed for Interfaith Service and Meal for NC Death Row Families & Friends.

This service will be similar to one PFADP organized in 2000 called Stay Strong: An Interfaith Service for Families and Friends of People Living on North Carolina's Death Row. For an article on that event visit http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/PrintFriendly?oid=oid%3A14897.

We hope this event will be an excellent opportunity for support for and fellowship with family members and friends of people living on the row.

We need:
Volunteers to plan the event
Volunteers at the event
Donations to cover costs
Congregations and groups to co-sponsor

For Further Information: PFADP Volunteer Matt Toth will be coordinating the planning of the service and meal in cooperation with PFADP's Wake County Chapter. You can reach Matt at mattrtoth@yahoo.com or through PFADP's office at 919-933-7567.

Can't make the meeting but want to help? Contact Matt, mattrtoth@yahoo.com.

Thank Your Representative – NC Racial Justice Act

Sponsored by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty

Please take a moment and send two notes on passage in the NC House of Representatives of the NC Racial Justice Act.

Please (1) write your state representative and (2) thank NC Rep. Larry Womble, who championed the bill.

Thanking legislators for voting our way and expressing your concern if they did not is just as important as initially asking for their votes.

First, find out who represents you. To do so please visit: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/Who_Represents_Me/Who_Represents_Me.html

For further information about this action, please visit People of Faith Against the Death Penalty.

House Committee Unanimously Passes Racial Justice Act

Information sponsored by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty

Today, thanks to your efforts, North Carolina is a step closer to becoming the second state in the nation to pass a Racial Justice Act on the death penalty.

The House Judiciary II committee unanimously passed the Racial Justice Act, H1291. It will go to the House floor for a vote soon.

The Racial Justice Act forbids the death penalty if the decision to seek a death sentence is based in any way on race, and it allows for the use of statistical evidence to prove that race was a factor in the decision.

Contact your representative today and ask them to support the Racial Justice Act when it goes to the House floor!

In addition, the Proportionality Review Bill (H341) will be heard on the House floor on Wednesday, May 16. Click here to read more and to contact your legislator about the Proportionality Review Bill!

Thanks to your efforts, the death penalty could soon be less unfair and less prone to racial bias. Keep up the good work!

Vigil at Central Prison – Every Monday

Sponsor: People of Faith Against the Death Penalty. Contact: (919) 833-4129 or e-mail scott@langleycreations.com.

Author Elizabeth Beck at The Regulator –Thursday, May 3, 2007

7 p.m. – Regulator Bookshop
720 Ninth St. Durham, NC 27705
Cost: Free and open to the public

Elizabeth Beck, co-author of the new book, In the Shadow of Death: Restorative Justice and Death Row Families, will discuss and sign copies of her book at the Regulator Bookshop on Thursday, May 3, 2007, at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

In the Shadow of Death examines the debilitating effects that a death sentence can have on the families of the offenders. Using real life stories, Beck argues that such families should have a greater voice in the national death penalty debate. With a forward by Steve Earle, the book provides an in-depth analysis of restorative justice, which focuses on crime as an act against an individual or the community, rather than the state.

Hugo Adam Bedeau, editor of The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies, writes, "The staggering toll of human misery that unfolds in these pages is more than sobering; it is terrifying. The authors' plea for restorative justice that runs through their book is reassuring; it shows that there are constructive strategies and tactics within our reach if only the will and the funding are available to implement them."

Beck is associate professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State University. Her work has been in the areas of community practice and forensic social work, and she is currently examining restorative justice in a community context. She has consulted on numerous capital cases and has served as an expert in state and federal cases. She also conducts trainings for capital defense lawyers in several states, at the national level, and for the federal system. She is presently on the board of the Alternative Sentencing and Mitigation Institute, Inc.

For more information, contact Kacey Reynolds at the Capital Restorative Justice Project, 919.801.1781or thecrjp@hotmail.com

Greensboro Premier of Documentary: Love Lived on Death Row – Monday, May 14, 2007

Screening followed by panel discussion.

Date and Time: May 14, 7:00 p.m.

Location: Temple Emanuel, 1129 Jefferson Road (corner of Jefferson and Hobbs) Greensboro, NC

$5.00 Donation Suggested

Film Synopsis:

Love Lived on Death Row tells the story of the four Syriani siblings whose father was sentenced to die for the murder of their mother in 1990 and Meg Eggleston, who became their father's friend and spiritual advisor through letters to him in prison. Orphaned and estranged, the Syriani children lived with hate, anger and confusion as the man they could only refer to as 'Him' lived on North Carolina's death row.

But in 2004 they collectively decided to visit him in prison, seeking answers so they could move on with their adult lives. What transpired that day was a miracle of forgiveness followed by a journey of healing, restoring family memories and then a battle for his clemency.
Love Lived on Death Row's portrait of a family torn apart by tragedy and reunited by another impending tragedy is a powerful examination of not only the healing process, but also of the role capital punishment plays in serving justice.

Panel Discussion Following the Screening:

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring individuals prominently involved with the production of this film, including the film's director, Linda Booker, the attorney for the Syriani family, and Meg Eggleston.

Below is a link to the film's web site for additional information:
http://www.lovelivedondeathrow.com/index.html

Contact: kvell@aol.com

Murder Victims' Families to Organize Against the Death Penalty in NC – Saturday, April 28, 2007

Please join Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation, North Carolinians who have lost loved ones to murder and who oppose the death penalty, and anti-death penalty leaders from across the state to meet, learn and celebrate.

"Raising Our Voices: Tools and Techniques for Increasing Our Role as Murder Victims' Families in the North Carolina Death Penalty Abolition Movement"

Saturday, April 28, 2007
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. with reception following
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh
3313 Wade Ave.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-781-7635

MVFR is the nation's oldest organization of murder victim family members and families of the executed who oppose capital punishment and has made North Carolina one of its top priorities. MVFR's national board will be meeting in Raleigh on April 27th and 29th, and on Saturday April 28th MVFR is hosting a day-long workshop for murder victim family members and leaders in North Carolina's anti-death penalty community who work with victims' families.

The workshop and reception are cosponsored by MVFR, People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, NC Coalition for a Moratorium, Capital Restorative Justice Project, the Center for Death Penalty Litigation and the NAACP.

The workshop will share ideas about finding and activating new members, effectively telling your story, dealing with the press, and working with policy makers. The workshop is only for those who have lost a loved one to murder or execution, and abolitionists who work with victim family members. The reception is open to all supporters.

The workshop runs from 9:30 - 5:00pm, with lunch and snacks provided. The reception will go from 5:00 - 7:30pm. For more information or to participate please contact Peter Loge at MVFR: 877-896-4702 or info@mvfr.org.

Vigil at Central Prison – Every Monday

Sponsor: People of Faith Against the Death Penalty. Contact: (919) 833-4129 or e-mail scott@langleycreations.com.