Plagued with campaign trail questions about the moratorium in Illinois, and the likelihood that the innocent will be executed, Governor George Bush keeps insisting on the guilt of everyone he has executed. No wonder. Already this year, Texas has sent 13 people to its execution chamber, including 62-year old domestic violence victim Bettie Lou Beets. In the spirit of a “true reformer,” George Bush has executed 122 to date, proving himself to be a speedier, if not more compassionate, executioner.
The weekend of January 22-23, in the midst of a string of five executions, Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) rallied people from across the state and country to Huntsville, home of Texas’ death row, to discuss “Strategies to Achieving a Moratorium.” The energy was electric.
Members of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation spoke about stopping executions and fostering healing. Moratorium 2000 shared plans to deliver one million signatures urging a moratorium to the United Nations this December, specifically reaching out to students and the religious community. Moratorium Now! and the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) announced their partnership to ignite a moratorium resolution drive throughout the state. Activists from other states shared their stories and strategies of public education and lobby efforts and talked about the importance of civil disobedience. The meeting was a celebration of the expanding movement to halt executions.
A major moratorium campaign is underway in Texas, building towards the passage of legislation to be introduced in 2001. The aim is to reach out to organizations and city councils throughout the state, urging them to adopt resolutions calling on state officials to halt executions. They hope to bring public attention to innocent people executed in Texas. “We really do see momentum growing for a moratorium in Texas already,” says Dave Atwood, President of the TCADP, which is spearheading the effort. “Most recently, Texas’ Catholic bishops have written to Governor Bush to ask for a moratorium on executions.”
To get involved, contact TCADP at 713-520-0300 or dpatwood@igc.apc.org. One day, we will see a moratorium on the killing in Texas!
