Over 2,500 groups call for a moratorium

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).

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.