Last month, an African American prosecutor in central Florida received an especially disturbing piece of hate mail: a racist note and a noose. The prosecutor, State Attorney Aramis Ayala, made national news earlier this year when she announced she would not seek the death penalty in future cases. Her constituents broadly supported the decision, and…
On Monday, Arkansas officials planned to start an assembly line of executions – 8 in 10 days. After dozens of court challenges and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the first two executions were halted. But the state still hopes to carry out up to 5 executions before the end of next week, in order to…
On April 11, we released a letter that has received national attention. It was signed by 25 notable Virginia conservatives calling on Virginia Governor McAuliffe to halt the planned execution of Ivan Teleguz. His execution is scheduled for April 25, despite a complete lack of physical evidence and the fact that two of the three…
In these politically divisive times, EJUSA is as committed as ever to standing together with our partners to fight the death penalty and advance justice and healing. There is tremendous strength in working together. I know this because of you. Your passion, your persistence, your unwavering partnership with EJUSA has made me – and everyone…
Yesterday was quite a whirlwind. The day started early with preparations for the rally and petition delivery at the Arkansas State Capitol and ended late in the evening with the announcement that all of the scheduled #8in10 executions had been put on hold. I spent the morning with our coalition partners, preparing over 150,000 petition…
Local and national civil rights and racial justice leaders signed a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, calling on him to halt the series of executions scheduled in the coming weeks. EJUSA Campaign Strategist Mona Cadena was on hand at the Capitol to deliver the letter (left), which outlined the concerns the group has with the death…
It’s outrageous. As I write this, Arkansas is planning to carry out eight executions over ten days starting next week. The state plans to execute so many people so rapidly in order to use up nearly-expired (and dangerous) execution drugs. EJUSA is standing strong against this extreme move, which goes against the national trend toward…
More than two dozen national Evangelical leaders called on Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to stop the upcoming “assembly line of executions.” Their letter, released today, described Easter as “a sacred day when Christians celebrate Christ’s triumph over death,” noting the “unfortunate timing” of the executions. Notable signers of the letter include many of EJUSA’s longstanding Evangelical partners and…
Busloads of people from all corners of Florida descended on the state capitol in Tallahassee this morning for a “Rally in Tally” to show their support for State Attorney Aramis Ayala. Ayala announced earlier this month that she will not seek the death penalty during her tenure as the head prosecutor of Orange and Osceola…
At a time when the world – and the country, especially – is so polarized, many are looking for leaders that can build bridges and cross the divide. EJUSA has been building these bridges for over 20 years, among law enforcement, crime survivors, Evangelicals, conservatives, and more. This month’s Harper’s Magazine takes an in-depth look…