"The Blood Is On All Our Hands: Protesting 25
Years of Executions"
EDITORS: HIGHLY VISUAL PHOTO OP!!!
WHO: The Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC)
WHAT: Starvin' for Justice: The 8th Annual Fast &
Vigil to
Abolish the Death Penalty
WHERE: The Supreme Court of the United States of America
WHEN: June 29 to July 2, 2001 (See Schedule Below)
WHY: "The Blood Is On All Our Hands: Protesting 25
Years of
Executions"
MORE INFO AT <http://www.abolition.org>
Anti-Death Penalty activists from across the United
States will travel to Washington DC this week to participate in "Starvin'
For Justice," the 8th Annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty, an
event held in front of the U.S. Supreme Court each year. Solidarity events
will take place across the U.S. and in other countries.
The Fast and Vigil begins at 12:00 AM on Friday, June
29, the anniversary of Furman v.Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court's 1972
decision which found the death penalty to be unconstitutional in practice,
forcing all states to rewrite their death penalty laws. The Fast and
Vigil
ends at midnight on July 2, which this year is the 25th anniversary of Gregg
v. Georgia, the 1976 decision which allowed the resumption of executions
in the U.S. The activists, many of whom will begin a liquids-only fast
tonight at 12:00am, will maintain a four-day presence in front of the Court,
ending at midnight on July 2, 2001. Their purpose is to highlight growing
concerns about the application of the death penalty in the United States,
to educate the
public about why the death penalty is a fatally flawed
public policy, and to discuss readily available alternatives.
"We are standing up against the culture of
violence and asking our nation to adopt alternatives to the death penalty," said
Abe Bonowitz, Director of Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
"As Florida is about to release yet another wrongly convicted man from
death row, we ask everyone to give pause, and to reflect on the questions:
"Do we really want to trust our government with the power to kill
citizens?" and "After 25 years, and the blood of more than 730 prisoners on the
hands of every citizen in this country, do we really need the death
penalty when alternatives exist?"
HIGHLIGHTS IN THE SCHEDULE:
(All events take place on the sidewalk in front of the
US Supreme Court.)
June 29, 12:01am - Opening ceremony
June 29, 11:15 - Press Conference with Leaders of the
Abolition Movement
June 29, 12pm - Rally to Stop Executions
June 30, 12pm - LIVE EXECUTIONS
July 1, 7pm - STEVE EARLE (and friends) RALLY (MUSIC)
July 2, 12pm - RALLY: "The Blood Is On All Our
Hands: Protesting 25 Years
of Executions"
July 2, 11:15pm - Closing ceremony
July 3, 12:01am - Breaking the fast (The most unique
meal in DC!)
Interviews, both in advance and live from the steps
of the US Supreme Court, may be arranged by calling 561-371-5204.
For more information about this historic event, please
visit
<http://www.abolition.org>.
Sent Via E-Mail by:
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The Abolitionist Action Committee is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective
public education for alternatives to the death penalty through
non-violent direct action.
AAC c/o CUADP
PMB 335
177 U.S. Hwy #1
Gainesville, FL 32609
800-973-6548
<aac@abolition.org>
http://www.abolition.org
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For financial & legal purposes only, the AAC is a
project of CUADP
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