Activists Gather in Texas to Organize Towards Moratorium

Lois & Ken Robinson hold a photo of their mentally-ill son Larry during his execution at Huntsville, TX, on January 21.
Lois & Ken Robinson hold a photo of their mentally-ill son Larry during his execution at Huntsville, TX, on January 21.

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!

By Shari Silberstein

Since 2000, Shari Silberstein has dedicated her career to transforming the justice system from one that harms to one that heals. Under her leadership, and using campaign strategies she helped develop, Equal Justice USA has helped end the death penalty in nine states, built first-of-its-kind conservative and evangelical coalitions for justice reform, secured millions in state funding for healing services to families of murder victims, launched an innovative model for training and dialogue between police and communities on trauma and race equity, and strengthened dozens of local organizations across the nation working for justice, violence reduction, and healing. Shari has been a national voice in helping to break down the silos between criminal justice reformers and crime survivor advocates. Her expertise has been a source in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and Harper’s Magazine, and she has written op-eds for an array of media outlets, including Fox News, the Marshall Project, and U.S. News and World Report. Shari has a bachelor's degree in film from New York University and a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Texas at Austin.