Annual Opportunities for Action
Click Here to contribute to this list.
JANUARY 17th is ANNIVERSARY OF THE RESUMPTION OF EXECUTIONS IN
THE U.S. with the 1977 assisted suicide in Utah of Gary Gilmore
in retribution for his murdering Ben Bushnell and Max Jenson.
Visit www.abolition.org for information and activities relating to this event.
Click here for a personal reflection on this historic event.
VALENTINES DAY!
FEBRUARY 14th, 270 C.E., Valentine was clubbed to death,
then beheaded. That's right, he was EXECUTED! That makes
it a perfect day to remind people that KILLING IS WRONG!
MARCH 1st is INTERNATIONAL
DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION DAY; the anniversary of Michigan
becoming the first English Speaking territory in the world to
abolish the death penalty, in 1847. An excellent day for public
action, contact CUADP for suggestions and a DP Abolition Day
Action-Pak.
ANNUAL FAST & VIGIL TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY: JUNE 29th
to JULY 2nd; at the U.S. Supreme Court.
| JUNE 29th is the anniversary of the Furman v. Georgia
decision in 1972, in which the U.S. Supreme Court found the death
penalty to be arbitrary and capricious. More than 600 condemned
inmates had their death sentences reduced to life. All states were
required to re-write their death penalty laws. |
| JULY 2nd is the anniversary of the Gregg v. Georgia
decision in 1976 which allowed the resumption of executions in the
United States. |
JULY 14th, (Bastille Day) NATIONWIDE: PRISON REFORM UNITY DAY
Rallies will be held at prisons nationwide to protest the
warehousing of 2 million human beings. Rallies will be held at
4:00 pm local time or at the close of visiting hours. State
coordinators will make announcements of differing times in their
area and the information will be posted on the PRUP web site.
CONTACT: Linda Tant Miller www.prup.net
AUGUST 23rd, 1927 saw the execution of Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti. The Hampden County chapter of Mass. Citizens
Against the Death Penalty hold an annual dinner in Springfield to
memorialize this travesty of justice. What will you do? Click
here for the background.
OCTOBER 10, This date marks the abolish of the death penalty in France in 1981.
It is an excellent opportunity for our European friends to celebrate their own position
and to continue urging the United States of America to move beyond revenge and retribution.
2nd Weekend in OCTOBER: NATIONAL WEEKEND OF FAITH IN ACTION ON
THE DEATH PENALTY.
For information on AIUSA PADP events, including sign up form, visit their website at:
http://amnestyusa.org/abolish/faithinaction.html.
DECEMBER 7th is the anniversary of FIRST USE OF LETHAL INJECTION in
the U.S., in Texas, (where else?) in 1982:
Visit the Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) web site for an invitation to action.
DECEMBER 10th is INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, commemorating
the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Contact your local Amnesty International chapter to get involved, or
call 800-AMNESTY, or visit amnesty-usa.org
"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness"
DECEMBER 15th is BILL OF RIGHTS DAY. Lest we forget, those
rights include fair trial (6th Amendment), Due Process (5th and 14th
Amendments), and the right to be free from Cruel and Unusual
Punishment (8th Amendment). Contact your local ACLU to get involved!
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