6/22/2000: CUADP APPEAL
Sent via the Internet
June 22, 2000
Greetings Friends,
In the past few days, a lot of people have asked me why
I'm not in Texas, or if I plan to be there to work on the Shaka Sankofa/Gary
Graham case. My answer: Everyone else is there - CUADP was
established to go where others have not, or will not. When Jesse
Jackson or Bianca Jagger are on the ground, the spotlight is already
there, and CUADP can choose to spend its scarce resources elsewhere.
This is why CUADP has recently put so much effort into
building an activist base in Florida, a state that has been all but
ignored by the other national groups. In the past few months we've
helped build the capacity of *activists* in Florida, providing
resources, leadership, and training. With the people on the ground
here, we've established Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(FADP). We've been noticed and are producing results. http://www.fadp.org
When Tennessee killed its first prisoner in 40 years,
not one other leader of a national organization was present. At
the request of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing (TCASK),
CUADP traveled to Tennessee TWICE, and we didn't just fly in for the
press conferences. We WORKED. If you ask the folks in TCASK,
I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you of the contributions we made
there, as well as the support we continue to give. http://www.tennessean.com/sii/00/04/19/coevigil19.shtml
When Sam Reese Sheppard asked for CUADP's logistical and
personal support, we dropped just about everything to be present for a
man who has dedicated his life to making the criminal justice system
work better. How could we say no? Despite the shock of
that terrible defeat, the lessons learned during the experience of the
Sheppard civil trial only strengthen my resolve to work for reform of
our legal system. The Sheppard case ain't over yet. CUADP
was pleased to support Sam in his efforts and will continue to do so.
http://www.samreesesheppard.org
Now the death penalty issue has finally caught the
attention of the mainstream media. Suddenly, George W. Bush is
under the microscope of the world press. Which national group
launched a website and helped Texas activists put the focus on G.W.
early on? Yep, you guessed it. CUADP provided resources and
leadership to ensure a demonstration on the occasion of G.W.'s 100th
prisoner killing. That was back in September. Now Mr. Bush
is up to 134, or 135 if he kills Shaka Sankofa. See http://www.cuadp.org/bush.html
for what is still one of the most comprehensive reviews of G.W. Bush's
DP background.
Next week, we'll again coordinate the Abolitionist
Action Committee's 7th Annual Fast & Vigil at the U.S. Supreme
Court. We are also working with Indiana activists to produce a
90-mile, "March For A Federal Death Penalty Moratorium,"
leading up to the first federal execution under current laws (Juan
Garza/August 5,2000) For more information on these planned
activities, both of which will be organized under the name of the
Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC), please visit http://www.abolition.org. (Indiana
March info will be posted soon.)
All of that, and I have not even mentioned the only
comprehensive calendar of upcoming death penalty related events http://www.cuadp.org/upevents.html. Or
our free site where prisoners who claim innocence may post their appeal http://www.cuadp.org/pot.html.
Or the AbolitionWear program, which to-date has put into circulation
more than 30,000 buttons, bumper stickers and t-shirts with the
abolitionist message.
Like many non-profits, CUADP operates on a shoestring
budget. Unlike most, we pay no salaries and offer no benefits.
All the money goes to activism. We are all volunteers. Also,
because we are not a 501c3, donors can't "write-off"
contributions to our efforts. Therefore, your support is
especially vital if CUADP is to continue to help our movement grow and
be effective. Please send a special gift at this time, and ask people
you know to support CUADP as well. It can be as simple as copying
this message for a friend, clergy person or relative, with a note
saying, "I support CUADP. Will you?" Please give
it a try!
It is true, we have some debt. Sometimes our
vendors have to wait a while to get paid. Recently, the bank
account was down to $5. The time I spent away at the Sheppard
trial seriously curtailed CUADP's income for the first quarter.
With a full agenda this summer, we really need YOUR help to get back on
track.
If everyone reading this e-mail stuck a $5 bill in an
envelope and mailed it to us, that would be a huge boost. If
everyone reading this sent as large a contribution as they can, be it $5
or $5,000 or even more, CUADP might be able to get on better footing,
which would make our efforts to fight the death penalty *lethal*.
(Pun intended!) Please stretch your wallet for solid abolitionist
work by sending as much as you can to CUADP today. Click Here to make a contribution.
Yours in the Struggle,
--abe
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director, CUADP
PS: We need your help now, but please also support your
local and state abolitionist organization(s) and the National Coalition
to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Click Here to make a
contribution to CUADP
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