“Georgia’s moratorium campaign has entered into its second year and each step of the way has been a learning experience! From the beginning we have relied on EJUSA to provide us with the technical support that we were lacking.
“EJUSA staff visited with our activists at the outset of our campaign and offered successful strategies for developing a grassroots and legislative campaign. Learning from them about the experience in Maryland inspired confidence that we could achieve similar results in Georgia, not only because of their legislative successes, but because their experiences provided us with a model for tackling such a monumental task.
“Last year we commissioned a public opinion survey, collected thousands of individual endorsements, had a regular presence at the state capitol, organized several public education events, put together two press conferences, began developing our statewide grassroots network, and learned the nuances of the moratorium strategy and language. EJUSA helped us at each step of the way with useful information, models from other states, strategic thinking, critical feedback, and their contagious enthusiasm. We are excited about year two and know that EJUSA will be there to continue providing invaluable support and expertise.
“We in the Garden State are on the verge of a series of victories. Our bill to convene a Capital Punishment Study Commission to conduct one of the country’s most comprehensive death penalty reviews is on the verge of passing. Thanks to a recent Federal Circuit Court decision that delayed executions in New Jersey for at least two years, the study will be completed before any execution could potentially take place.
“New Jerseyans for a Death Penalty Moratorium has grown in three years from a handful of members to a group with a membership base of over 8,000. In 2002, our budget was in excess of $100,000. With EJUSA’s help, we conducted conferences and activities throughout New Jersey, produced a video and a White Paper about capital punishment in our state, sent four mailings to our members, accomplished over forty visits to many of our state legislators, and commissioned a poll which indicated that a majority of New Jersey residents agree with our position.
“None of these achievements would have been possible had it not been for the support of EJUSA and the dedication of its Field Office Organizer, Celeste Fitzgerald. The EJUSA formula of putting people on the ground to work with local activists, combined with back-up from a well-respected national organization, has been a winning one.
“It has taken years to get us to this point; we can anticipate more years of struggle to finally eliminate the scourge of state executions. Knowing that our friends and partners at EJUSA will continue to support and inspire us on this journey ensures our ultimate success.”
Stefanie Faucher, Campaign Coordinator
Californians for a Moratorium on Executions
a campaign of Death Penalty Focus
“The Legislative Toolkit prepared by Equal Justice USA is an incredibly useful resource for activists working to establish a moratorium on executions in their states. Navigating through the legislative circus in an enormous state like California is a daunting task, but as I read through the Legislative Toolkit I found that it answered all of my questions about introducing legislation, everything from how to approach and lobby legislators to developing the appropriate language for a moratorium bill. It also includes a comprehensive appendix with helpful examples of press releases, bill excerpts, talking points and more. The toolkit helps take much of the guesswork out of crafting a legislative bill. With the toolkit in hand, one can turn from a grassroots activist into a politically savvy lobbyist in no time at all. I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about achieving a moratorium on executions in their state.”
Tom Block, Convener
Moratorium Planning Committee of
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP)
“I first contacted Equal Justice USA in the Fall 2002 for assistance in formulating a proposal to MADP to appoint an Ad Hoc Moratorium Planning Committee to build a long range strategy. EJUSA Organizer Shari Silberstein helped me identify areas that should be included in the proposal and areas to focus on in our 3-year planning.
“Soon after, at a national conference in Chicago, Shari went out to lunch with some of the Missouri activists at the convention and agreed to be our resource person on our journey towards passing a moratorium bill in Missouri. She has done so much already to help us to tell our Missouri story that I am sure I will leave some things out.
“Along with expert advice, EJUSA has supplied our committee with moratorium resolutions, bills, and fact sheets from other states and groups, a Legislative Toolkit, and other resources. Shari has reviewed and commented on our past moratorium bills and has participated by phone in our first two meetings.
“We are presently developing our state-specific message and model MADP moratorium resolution for distribution statewide. We are also doing research on specific areas like arbitrariness, innocence, and racial bias. We are identifying legislative supporters for sponsoring moratorium legislation. EJUSA’s expertise and advice is extremely valuable to our success.”
…Provided direct, on-the-ground assistance to groups in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware.
…Produced action alerts that were distributed via postcard and email to 8,000 New Jerseyans.
…Co-produced New Jersey-ans for a Death Penalty Moratorium (NJDPM) video, “Time-Out: Perspectives on New Jersey’s Death Penalty.”
…Co-wrote NJDPM White Paper on NJ’s death penalty for the new Governor.
…Sparked & facilitated a NY-NJ-DE tour of the Journey of Hope… From Violence to Healing (murder victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty).
…Assisted NJDPM in developing a poll that revealed 66% of New Jerseyans support a moratorium on executions.
…Recruited new local leadership for the New York City Chapter of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty (NYADP), which won a resolution in the New York City council.
…Produced and distributed 30,000 action alert postcards in conjunction with the NAACP, and a follow-up emergency mailing to Quixote Center constituents. The Governor’s staff reported that they were flooded with e-mails, calls, and letters.
…Led a delegation to meet with Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who expressed support for a moratorium and promised to talk to the Governor. The following week, the Governor halted executions.
…Assisted Maryland Citizens Against State Executions with a successful grant proposal to hire their first temporary staff person for the post-moratorium campaign.
…Provided information to the media about the moratorium, the forthcoming race study, and the new Republican Governor’s pledge to lift the moratorium.
Beyond 2002… Race study was released in January 2003, revealing serious racial bias in Maryland’s death penalty. EJUSA and others embarked on an intense campaign to pass emergency moratorium legislation to preserve Maryland’s moratorium. It is pending.
Five years ago, we set out to build a movement to halt executions, resolution by resolution, church by church, and school by school.
We dreamed that our strategy would shatter the political inertia of the anti-death penalty struggle and build the people’s movement that is now sweeping the nation. Capturing the imagination of local and state organizers, we planted seeds of hope that helped launch the country’s first state moratorium campaigns in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, and even Texas.
Within three years, Illinois had imposed a moratorium. In 2001, 19 states considered moratorium bills. And in 2002, we won the nation’s second victory in our home state of Maryland.
The National Tally of Moratorium Endorsers has surpassed 2,500 groups calling for a halt to executions. The list includes faith communities, civil rights groups, businesses, unions, professional associations, 78 city, county, and town councils, and more. Some of the more recent additions include the New Jersey chapter of the National Organization of Women, 75 Texas Democratic Party precincts collected by the Texas Moratorium Network, and two large New York City unions representing nearly 200,000 people. In June, New York City also became the largest city in the country to pass a moratorium resolution, after years of work by New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty and Equal Justice USA.
Among state groups, North Carolina’s People of Faith Against the Death Penalty leads the way with over 500 resolutions, while Californians for Moratorium on Executions has racked up over 350. Congratulations to the groups nationwide who have worked tirelessly to initiate dialog and broaden support for halting executions. The effort is working! Several national and regional news stories in recent months have referenced the 2,500-group list. To get your group or local government on board, contact Equal Justice USA or use the sample resolutions and step-by-step guide on our website (www.quixote.org/ej).
The Quixote Center’s Equal Justice USA program made history this year when we won the nation’s second state moratorium in the country in our home state of Maryland. On October 26 in Chicago, the national movement honored that achievement when the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty named Equal Justice USA project coordinator and founder Jane Henderson “Abolitionist of the Year.” Jane accepted the award on behalf of all the staff of Equal Justice USA, which, under her leadership, pioneered a movement that is now sweeping the nation.
Jane presents the “Bold Dreamer” award to Delegate Salima Siler Marriott.
Three weeks later, on November 16, Equal Justice USA issued an award of its own, presenting Maryland Delegate Salima Siler Marriott with the Quixote Center’s 25th Anniversary “Bold Dreamer” award. Back in 1997, Delegate Marriott was the nation’s first legislator to propose a moratorium. In true Quixote style, she ignored those who said she was tilting at windmills, leading a movement that was ultimately victorious.
“I remember even in the beginning of 2001 legislators told Delegate Marriott she was crazy,” said Jane Henderson as she presented the award. “And that was the year the bill passed the House and nearly passed the Senate.”
Bryan Knedler, Mayor of Mt. Rainier, welcomes the audience to the award ceremony.
Appropriately, the event was held in Mt. Rainier, MD, the first local government in the nation to call for a moratorium. Seventy-six other cities and counties have followed Mt. Rainier’s lead, and 20 different states have followed Delegate Marriott’s in considering moratorium legislation.
“We didn’t pass the resolution back then because we thought we were making history,” Mayor Knedler told the crowd. “We did it because it was the right thing to do.” Mayor Knedler recalled the well-orchestrated testimony of Equal justice USA organizers during the moratorium resolution’s hearings. Never since have I seen a group come before our town council with such a creatively organized testimony, he said.
Both the “Abolitionist of the Year” and the “Bold Dreamer” awards were presented as a celebration of the victory in Maryland and the extraordinary vision of those who led the movement.
Delegate Joanne Benson pays tribute to her colleague, Delegate Marriott and issues a powerful challenge to Maryland Governor-elect Robert Ehrlich.
But the November 16 event also opened a new chapter in the movement to halt executions. The morning that Equal Justice USA awarded Delegate Marriott with the Quixote Center’s Bold Dreamer award, the Washington Post reported that new Maryland Governor-elect Robert Ehrlich intends to lift the moratorium when he takes office in January. Attending state legislators used the event to issue a powerful call to action.
Maryland Delegate Joanne C. Benson, who introduced Delegate Marriott, told the crowd, “Not that I believe in war or anything, but if Ehrlich wants a war, we will give him one.”
During its 2001-02 term, the United States Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings: one barring the execution of the mentally retarded and another which requires such fundamental changes in how some states impose death sentences that it has led to special legislative sessions. Thus far this year, no death row appeal taken on by the Supreme Court seems to open the door to such sweeping change. Yet the court clearly is keeping an eye on the administration of our country’s ultimate punishment – good news for moratorium advocates! See right for a summary of the death penalty issues now under Court scrutiny.
Racial bias in jury selection:
In October, the court heard the case of Miller-El v. Cockrell. At issue was whether blacks were unfairly kept off Thomas Miller-El’s original jury. Miller-El is an African American man from Texas convicted of the murder of a white hotel clerk. His lawyers are challenging his 1986 conviction because they say Dallas County prosecutors engaged in unconstitutional, race-based jury selection tactics in order to exclude African American jurors. Back in 1986, the Supreme Court forbid the exclusion of jurors based on race (Batson v. Kentucky), but the practice has continued, often without appeals court scrutiny. Miller-El’s evidence includes a manual for Dallas prosecutors that recommended excluding blacks and minorities from juries and a Dallas Morning News investigation of 100 trials in which prosecutors struck 92% of black jurors.
New Evidence:
On November 6, 2002, the court heard oral arguments in the case of Tennessee death row inmate Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman. At issue is when a defendant can present new evidence in federal court. Abdur’Rahman claims that prosecutors misled jurors and withheld exculpatory evidence (including evidence that his clothes had no blood on them). In recent years, men have been executed without having their new evidence of innocence ever heard by any court due to procedural bars. The question in this case is whether Abdur’Rahman will ever have the merits of his appeal heard before he is executed.
Ineffective defense counsel:
Also in Abdur’Rahman’s case, the court will consider his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. A majority of Abdur’Rahman’s original jurors now say that if they had heard the mitigating evidence that his lawyer failed to provide, they would not have sentenced him to death.
The court will also clarify standards for evaluating claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in Wiggins v. Corcoran. At Kevin Wiggins’ trial, his appointed attorney did not tell the jury that Wiggins suffered from mental retardation or that he was beaten and raped as a child after being abandoned by his mother. Such mitigating evidence might have convinced a jury to impose a life sentence instead of death. Wiggins may also have a valid claim of innocence, given that his conviction was based on circumstantial evidence and jailhouse snitch testimony. Questions linger about whether Wiggins was the actual trigger person in the murder, which is required for the death penalty.
