Saturday, November 10, 2007

Live blogging from CEDP Convention in Chicago

I'm live blogging from the Campaign to End the Death Penalty's annual convention at the University of Chicago. Currently about 100 people are listening to Barbara Becnel, Stan Tookie William's advocate/editor talking about her struggle to save life of Tookie Williams. Before her Kenneth Foster jr, read an inspirational letter from his son Kenneth Foster. CEDP played a major role in Gov. Rick Perry's commutation of Kenneth Foster's death sentence. Other speakers include Shujaa Graham, Harold C Wilson and several other exonerated death-row inmates from Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Sister Helen Prejean is going to be the Keynote Speaker of the convention tonight. About 500 people are expected to attend it. For more information, registration and directions go to CEDP's website.

If I get some time later today, I will post another update.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The last name of Stanley Tookie Williams' literary collaborator is spelled Becnel.

Hooman Hedayati said...

thanks for mentioning this. Thats what I was wondering and after a google search I found out that both CNN and CBS News have used Becknell so I guessed that I have the right spelling. I made the correction though.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/13/national/main1120046.shtml
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/12/ng.01.html