Campaign to End the Death Penalty Circular

  Troy Davis Update -- Save the Date: CEDP Convention on November 13-14 -- Convention Committee Call -- New Abolitionist Deadline -- Progress on Monthly Sustainers -- Announcing the CEDP 2010-11 National Speaking Tour -- Standing with for Mumia Abu-Jamal -- Solidarity Actions for Mumia on World Abolition Day on 10/10/10 This circular was compiled by Marlene Martin and Lee Wengraf TROY DAVIS UPDATE As people are aware, Troy has been denied a new trial by the federal judge in Savannah, Ga. At this time, Troy's lawyers are busy working out his legal defense.   Chapters are encouraged to reach out Amnesty International and other organizations to do public meetings on Troy or tabling events to build support for his case. A suggested title for meetings is: "Innocent on Death Row--Denied a New Trial" or "Stop the Execution of Troy Davis." If chapters come up with other titles, please share!   We have an updated fact sheet on Troy Davis--it is attached.   SAVE THE DATE: CEDP CONVENTION ON NOVEMBER 13-14 The Campaign to End the Death Penalty's annual convention will be held in Chicago on the weekend of November 13-14. We are considering doing a panel event on Friday night this year, but this is still in the planning stages--we will keep you all posted as this develops.   This year, we are extremely pleased that Alan Bean will be our keynote speaker. Alan is a pastor and the director of Friends of Justice. He has worked to advocate for justice in the Tulia, Texas, drug scandal, in which 46 people were wrongfully convicted, and to bring national attention to the case of the Jena Six. Presently, he is working on the Curtis Flowers case. Curtis has been on death row in Mississippi for over 13 years and has faced six different trials--more times than anyone in the U.S. has ever been tried.   Alan is an excellent speaker and public advocate--he was a great asset to the Campaign's national speaking tour last year. Joining him will also be a slew of our very own "keynote speakers," including Martina Correa (health permitting), Jack Bryson, Sandra Reed, Mark Clements, Marvin Reeves, Lawrence Hayes, Shujaa Graham, Phyliss Prentice and many more.   Please be sure to mark your calendar NOW and plan on attending!   If someone from your chapter would like to join our convention committee, you are more than welcome! Our first call will be on September 1. Contact Marlene at marlene@nodeathpenalty.org for call-in instructions.   CONVENTION COMMITTEE CALL The first meeting of this year's convention committee will be Thursday, September 2, at 7 p.m. CST. The convention committee is set with the task of coming up with the proposed agenda for our convention, including workshops, plenaires and speakers. If any chapter members would like to join the committee, you are more than welcome. We want your ideas! E-mail Marlene at marlene@nodeathpenalty.org, and I will send you the call-in information.   NEW ABOLITIONIST DEADLINE Any articles or letters for the upcoming issue of the New Abolitionist need to be e-mailed by September 7. Send them to Marlene at marlene@nodeathpenalty.org.   PROGRESS ON MONTHLY SUSTAINERS We are making progress on our monthly sustainers initiative! Currently, we have 125 sustainers. That's the most we've ever had, but it's still a ways off from our goal of 150 by convention. Please consider joining our sustainers program if you are not yet a member. If for some reason you've fallen off the program, please take a moment to send Lily your current information to get back on.   Maybe you can give only give $5 a month or maybe you can give $20, but whatever you give helps to keep the organization afloat. We thank all of you 125!!   If you want to know how to join monthly sustainers, contact Lily at lily@nodeathpenalty.org   ANNOUNCING THE CEDP 2010-2011 NATIONAL SPEAKING TOUR This year's CEDP speaking tour will be called Lethal Injustice: Standing Against the Death Penalty and Harsh Punishment. The tour will look at what is behind our massive prison build-up, why so many people of color are locked up and what we can do about it.   As in past years, this year's tour aims to bring together former prisoners, family members, lawyers, writers and activists in public forums, taking up a central aspect of the U.S. criminal "injustice" system.   Recent studies prove what activists have always known: the criminal justice system relies on harsh punishment and victimizing people of color. This year's theme will focus on the massive prison build-up and the explosion in harsh sentencing--the death penalty, life sentences, mandatory minimum drug laws, three-strikes laws and more--that has fueled it.   We encourage campuses, chapters and community groups to host a tour stop: these events are a fantastic way to bring together people who want to challenge criminal injustice and strengthen the abolition movement. Please get in touch with the national tour coordinator, Lee Wengraf, at nyc@nodeathpenalty.org for more information on available speakers and dates. Promotional materials and a new tour blog are coming soon!   STANDING WITH MUMIA ABU-JAMAL Earlier this summer, progressive journalist Dave Lindorff revealed that a small group of U.S. abolitionists attempted to exclude Pennsylvania death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal from the World Congress Against the Death Penalty, held in Geneva, Switzerland, this past winter. Mumia addressed the Congress live over speakerphone over the opposition of these individuals, who argued that the campaign for Mumia--convicted in 1982 of killing a police officer in the face of overwhelming evidence--is divisive and a distraction from the abolitionist cause.   The Campaign to End the Death Penalty along with other activists launched a petition defending Mumia. Below is the link to an online petition. It's not too late to sign on and forward widely. Go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stand-with-mumia-abu-jamal <http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stand-with-mumia-abu-jamal>  to sign the petition and view the full list of endorsers.   SOLIDARITY ACTIONS FOR MUMIA ON WORLD ABOLITION DAY ON 10/10/10 Activists from the northeast will be gathering in Philadelphia for a day of solidarity with Pennsylvania death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on the weekend of World Abolition Day, October 10, 2010. The Campaign to End the Death Penalty is joining with International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and other organizations for a protest and march on October 9 beginning outside the Philadelphia headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (having trouble attaching the flyer, so I’ll send it out seperately)   Since Mumia's arrest in 1981 for the shooting death of police officer Daniel Faulkner, the FOP has mounted a campaign for Mumia's execution. More recently, Mumia has come under threat with the declaration by the new Philadelphia district attorney R. Seth Williams to also push for execution. Meanwhile, a right-wing, anti-Mumia film, The Barrel of a Gun, is set to be released in the coming months.   Now is the time to build support for Mumia, before a new death sentence is set. Chapters are encouraged to hold meetings, tablings or other action on 10/10/10 to boost the profile of the case. If you can't make it to Philly, consider screening the excellent In Prison My Whole Life (DVD ordering info at http://inprisonmywholelife.com/ <http://inprisonmywholelife.com/> ) or playing excepts of the CD accompanying Mumia's book All Things Censored. Finally, download and circulate the petition (http://freemumia.com/petitions.html <http://freemumia.com/petitions.html> ) calling for a federal civil rights investigation into his case. The campaign is gathering momentum and is an important next step for those of us who want to see justice done--finally--for Mumia.</span></span>