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.”
