6/22/2000: CUADP APPEALSent via the Internet 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 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.
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