Tuesday's Schedule at Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

Below is the schedule of events for the second day of the 2010 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, Tuesday, March 16. You may come to all the events or just individual sessions. Everyone is welcome. You do not need to register, just show up for the events. It is all free.

It starts at noon on Tuesday. The location is the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, (Google Map). The room is located on the entrance level of the building.

Noon to 1 PM: "Religious Views of the Death Penalty” presented by Steven Crimaldi, National Director of Dead Man Walking School Theater Project. Steven will also explain how students can get involved by doing a production of the play at their schools or in their communities.

1- 2 PM: “Mental Illness and the Death Penalty”, presented by Susannah Sheffer of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights. “Prevention, Not Execution”. Read background report: "DOUBLE TRAGEDIES: Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty for People with Severe Mental Illness".

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:30 Mary K. Poirier, mitigation specialist from The McCallister Law Firm. Mary will discuss her work on capital trials in Texas and elsewhere and how activists can work with legal teams. A good mitigation specialist can save someone from being sentenced to death.

3:30-3:45 Break

3:45- 5:00 PM Bill Pelke, president of Journeyof Hope … From Violence to Healing will speak and present a film of the work of Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing. The film documents family members of murder victims speaking out against the death penalty. Also, we will introduce and hear comments from another special guest arriving Tuesday, death row exoneree Curtis McCarty who spent 19 years on death row in Oklahoma.

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Petition Signature Gathering Competition: We will divide into teams and fan out throughout Austin to collect signatures on a petition against the death penalty. People can collect signatures at places such as where SXSW events are taking place such as the convention center, outside certain bookstores or other stores if they allow it, on the streets in downtown Austin and wherever else the teams want to try. The team that collects the most petition signatures (with names, addresses, email addresses and possibly phone numbers) will win a prize of $100.

Evening Free time on your own for enjoying Austin

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Join us March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas for the award-winning Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break.

Special guests will be six innocent death row exoneress: Shujaa Graham, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Derrick Jamison, Perry Cobb and Juan Melendez. They are attending alternative spring break to speak with participants about how innocent people can end up on death row. Altogether, the six exonerees attending the alternative spring break spent a total of about 65 years on death row for crimes they did not commit.

"An Inspiration and Ray of Hope": Death Row Exoneree Juan Melendez to Speak at Anti-Death Alternative Spring Break March 15-19 in Austin Texas

Juan Melendez, an innocent man who spent 17 years, eight months and one day on death row in Florida will be one of the speakers at the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break. Juan is attending as a member of Witness to Innocence. Juan will join exonerees Shujaa Graham, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Derrick Jamison and Perry Cobb at alternative spring break to speak with participants about how innocent people can end up on death row. 

To register, visit www.springbreakalternative.org/deathpenalty. The four-day program is free and open to everyone.

To give you a sense of the power of Mr. Melendez's story, you will find below: (1) information about the documentary "Juan Melendez 6446," including a link to the trailer of the documentary; (2) background information about Mr. Melendez's case; (3) feedback from audience members; (4) link to WLKY (Louisville, Kentucky) T.V. news story covering Mr. Melendez's talk at Central High School, Louisville, Kentucky; and (5) a link to an article published at Wakefield High School regarding Mr. Melendez's talk at the school.  

 1. Documentary "Juan Melendez 6446"

"Juan Melendez 6446," is a beautifully artistic and compelling documentary that depicts the story of JuanMelendez and highlights the tremendous damage that the death penalty inflicts on so many people involved in the system.  Mr. Melendez's mother, Dona Andrea Colon, plays a central role in the documentary.  As a woman of unwavering faith and devoted mother, she silently lived with the shame of having a son on death row and faithfully prayed three rosaries everyday, praying for a miracle that would prove her son's innocence.  Also included in the documentary is a brief but deeply moving discussion by Mr. Melendez's appellate counsel of the cases of Leo Jones and Frank Lee Smith, both of whom were African-American and good friends of Mr. Melendez on death row.  Leo was executed in spite of his innocence and Frank died of cancer before DNA testing proved that he did not commit the crime for which he was sentenced to death.Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico watched the documentary shortly before he abolished the death penalty in New Mexico in March 2009.  He has since told Mr. Melendez that he was deeply impacted by the documentary.   Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, attended the U.S. premiere of the documentary.  She described it as a "powerful" film that is "heartbreaking and maddening and . . . stirs the soul."    The documentary has been screened at six international film festivals in New York, Montreal (Canada), Glasgow (Scotland), Madrid (Spain), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and most recently in La Habana (Cuba). Here is a link to the short trailer (1.5 minutes) of the documentary:

 http://nylatino.bside.com/2009/films/juanmelendez6446_nylatino2009

2. Background
 
Juan Roberto Melendez spent seventeen years, eight months and one day on Florida’s death row for a crime he did not commit. Upon his release on January 3, 2002, he became the 99th death row prisoner in the United States to be released with evidence of innocence since 1973.  At the moment, the number stands at 139 and a significant majority are either Latino or African-American.  Although Mr. Melendez's story is unique, the circumstance of being innocent and on death row is shamefully anything but unique.

Mr. Melendez's story highlights the myriad of problems that plague the death penalty system, in particular its high risk and inevitability of being imposed on the innocent, its unfair and unequal application on the  basis of race and ethnicity and its almost exclusive imposition on our most defenseless and vulnerable members of society--the poor. Although his case was riddled with doubt, and there was not one single shred of physical evidence against him, he was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Delbert Baker (a white man) within a week by a "death-qualified" jury.  These “death-qualified” jurors presumed Mr. Melendez's guilt right from the start.  They rejected his airtight alibi witness and other witnesses (all of whom were African-American) and instead chose to believe the highly questionable testimony of the government's two critical witnesses.   Had it not been for the extremely fortunate discovery of a taped confession of the real killer sixteen years after Mr. Melendez had been sentenced to death, he almost certainly would have been executed. At the time the taped confession was discovered, the Supreme Court of Florida had already upheld his conviction and death sentence three times on appeal.  Beyond the death penalty, Mr. Melendez's story is a remarkable story of survival, faith and hope that resonates with people all across the political spectrum.
 
3. Feedback from Audience Members

"Prior to hearing Mr. Melendez's speech, I was pro-death penalty.  Now I will fight to abolish it!!"
-Norma Francisco, Ph.D.., member of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, San Francisco (August 13, 2006)

"He (Juan Melendez) is the best argument against the death penalty that anyone could ever hear."
- Journalism student, University of New Mexico

"I have not attended a better speech in all my ten plus years in the clinics! Or has one affected me so much as his speech! One student who has always been for the death penalty changed his views that day . . . He was awesome."
- Linda Herrera, Director of Legal Clinics at Southern Methodist University School of Law

"Your story is one that needs to be heard by everyone and your message of hope is truly an inspiration."
-Dr. Judy Hendry, communications and journalism professor, University of New Mexico

"Juan is a living testament to the injustice of capital punishment and his talk is infinitely more effective than anything I could teach my students."
-Law professor Marjorie Cohn, Thomas Jefferson School of Law

"He is a brilliant speaker and a brilliant story teller . .. . It is so important that he share his story with the public because [he] is a prime example of how one man's personal story can do more to inform people about the death penalty than all of the cases, newspapers and political rallies combined."
-Morgan Anderson, law student University of San Francisco School of Law

“Phenomenal!”
-Audience member, Catholic Religious Education Congress, Anaheim, California, March 2007

"Mr. Melendez is an inspiration and ray of hope for anyone who has ever felt hopeless in their situation"
-Teacher, Stronghurst Alternative High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"He (Juan Melendez) is a perfect example of hope and survival."
-Youth in detention, Las Vegas, Nevada

"One of the most powerful and moving events we have had here-not just the extraordinary story he had to tell, but the grace and skill with which he told it."
-Simon Keyes, Director of St. Ethelburga's Ctr. for Peace and Reconciliation, London, England

4. Link to WLKY (Louisville, Kentucky) T.V. news segment featuring Mr. Melendez's story

http://www.wlky.com/news/22239178/detail.html5. Amnesty speaker educates, inspires File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat -  View as HTMLFormer death  row inmate Juan Melendez speaks to a group of high school ..... wakefieldhs.net/howler/pdf/2006-2007/december.pdf - Similar

For more detailed information regarding Mr. Melendez's case, please see his published article in the Texas Tech Law Review at: 41 Texas Tech Law Review 1 (Fall, 2008), Presumed Guilty: a Death Row Exoneree Shares his Story of Supreme Injustice and Reflections on the Death Penalty (article can be accessed through westlaw). 

Below is a letter of reference for Mr. Melendez from a former career prosecutor.  

From: Gutmann, Joe PSent: Thu 1/28/2010 2:01 PMTo: Edwards, KerrySubject: RE: Juan Melendez

Professor Edwards, 

 I met Juan Melendez 2 weeks ago.  Prior to meeting Juan, I researched his case online.  Juan Melendez is a remarkable man!  His compassion, forgiveness and positive view of life speak volumes of his character.  The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held it's annual convention in Louisville.  I am a retired prosecutor (Commonwealth of Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney's Office) of 20 years and teach undergraduate law classes at The University of Louisville and head the Law & Government Magnet Program at Central High School.  I received notice that Juan was going to be in town for the convention and was willing to speak to groups during his stay.  Unsure of what Juan's demeanor and presentation would be like I asked him to speak at the law school before; I would consider having him talk to high school students.  On January 14th he spoke to about 100 law students at The University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and was amazing.  I have attended many impressive lectures in my day, Juan was incredible and made an impression that I will never forget.  I am proud to call him a friend.  He spoke at Central High School to 100, sophomore-senior law magnet students.  The response from my students was amazing.  Two weeks later, they are still talking about him, the death penalty andAmerican justice.

. . .

Thanks, 

Joe Gutmann

Texas Executed Today its 451st Person since 1982; 212th Under Governor Rick Perry

Texas today executed its 451st person since 1982 and the 212th person since Governor Rick Perry took office in 2000.

From the Houston Chronicle:

An Indiana man whose cross-country crime spree with his girlfriend a decade ago ended in a gun battle with police in San Francisco was executed Thursday for robbing and murdering a sheriff's officer in San Antonio.

No late court appeals were filed for Joshua Maxwell, 31, condemned for gunning down Bexar County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Rudy Lopes and stealing his truck in 2000. The 45-year-old veteran jailer was off duty at the time.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to review Maxwell's case. Maxwell also was convicted of killing a man in Indiana.

Maxwell, his voice breaking and choking back tears, apologized repeatedly in the seconds before lethal drugs began flowing into his arms.

"The person that did that 10 years ago isn't the same person you see today," he said. "I hurt a lot of people with decisions I made. I can't be more sorry than I am right now."

Nine minutes later, at 6:27 p.m. CST, he was pronounced dead, making him the fourth inmate executed this year in the nation's busiest capital punishment state.

Maxwell was the fourth Texas inmate executed this year. He was among at least 10 Texas death row inmates with execution dates in the coming months, including two more later this month.

Attend the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break in Austin March 15-19, 2010.

Join us March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas for the award-winning Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break.

Special guests will be six innocent death row exoneress: Shujaa Graham, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Derrick Jamison, Perry Cobb and Juan Melendez. They are attending alternative spring break to speak with participants about how innocent people can end up on death row. Altogether, the six exonerees attending the alternative spring break spent a total of about 65 years on death row for crimes they did not commit.

It's free, except for a $25 housing fee for those who need us to arrange housing for you. We will house you in a shared room with other spring breakers in either a hotel or dorm. You are responsible for your travel, food and other expenses, but the program and most of the housing costs are on us. The $25 housing fee is all you pay. Register here.

Austin Chronicle Recommended Event: Anti Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

 ANTI-DEATH PENALTY ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK Open to students and nonstudents alike, this weeklong program shows you what it takes to be an activist. You'll attend workshops, write press releases, speak in public, and more, as well as meet former prisoners who spent time on death row, family members of murder victims, and many others. Register online. Mon.-Fri., March 15-19. UT campus, 210/601-7231. Free.www.springbreakalternative.org (Events)

Death Row Exoneree Curtis McCarty to Speak at Anti Death Alternative Spring Break

Curtis McCarty, an innocent man who spent 19 years on death row in Oklahoma will be one of the speakers at the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break March 15-19 in Austin, Texas. Curtis is attending as a member of Witness to Innocence. He will join exonerees Shujaa Graham, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Derrick Jamison, Juan Melendez and Perry Cobb at the alternative spring break to speak with participants about how innocent people can end up on death row.

Join us March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas for the award-winning Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break. It starts at 4:30 PM on Monday, March 15. The location is the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, (Google Map). The room is located on the entrance level of the building.

It's free, except for a $25 housing fee for those who need us to arrange housing for you. We will house you in a shared room with other spring breakers in either a hotel or dorm. You are responsible for your travel, food and other expenses, but the program and most of the housing costs are on us. The $25 housing fee is all you pay. Register here.

It is designed for high school and college students to learn and train to be leaders of the next generation of anti-death penalty activists, but it is also for all those who consider themselves students of the world, community, peace and justice. Please look at the schedule and consider attending. All events are open to the public.

Juries frequently rely on the testimony of forensic evidence experts to reach just conclusions in criminal trials. What happens when an expert lies in order to win a conviction?

When 18-year-old Pamela Kaye Willis was raped, stabbed, and strangled in her Oklahoma City home on December 10, 1982, Curtis McCarty became a suspect because he was acquainted with her. Soon after the murder in 1983, forensic analyst Joyce Gilchrist examined hairs from the crime scene and found they didnot match McCarty’s. Police interviewed McCarty several times over the next three years, but he was not arrested until 1985. During the three years of police questioning, Gilchrist secretly altered her notes to declare that the crime scene hairs could have been McCarty’s. Attorneys for McCarty did not discover the change in Gilchrist’s notes until 2000, when she underwent investigation for fraud in other cases. When the defense requested retesting of the hairs, the evidence had either been lost or destroyed deliberately. Gilchrist, implicated in two other cases that sent innocent men to death row, was later fired from her job with the Oklahoma City police department.

Curtis McCarty was sentenced to die three times and spent 21 years in prison – 19 on Oklahoma’s death row – for a crime he did not commit before DNA evidence led to his exoneration and release in May 2007.

Curtis McCarty is attending Alternative Spring Break with the help of Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing and Witness to Innocence.

Sam Milsap: DNA testing works, but not if we fail to utilize it

Former Bexar County DA, Sam Milsap's has published the following Op-Ed in the Houston Chronicle. He is asking state of Texas to test the DNA evidence that "could remove the uncertainty about Skinner's guilt."

Last week, Gov. Rick Perry granted the state's first posthumous pardon to a man who was innocent of a crime for which he had spent 13 years in prison. DNA testing cleared Tim Cole of a rape he did not commit, but unfortunately it came too late — nine years after he had died in prison. The state must do everything it can to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.

On March 24, Texas plans to execute Henry Watkins Skinner even though untested DNA evidence could show we've got the wrong man. DNA testing could resolve doubts about Skinner's guilt in the 1993 Pampa slayings of his girlfriend and her two sons, but the state inexplicably has blocked that testing for more than a decade.

I'm not an advocate for Hank Skinner. I'm an advocate for the truth. If DNA tests could remove the uncertainty about Skinner's guilt — one way or the other — there's not a good reason in the world not to do it.

Some taxpayers may grumble at spending the public's money on DNA tests for individuals on death row. That argument doesn't hold water in Skinner's case. In 2000, the investigative journalists at the Medill Innocence Project offered to pay for the DNA tests. Ten years later, that offer still stands. There may be other objections to testing the evidence, but they don't outweigh the potential horror of executing an innocent man.

It is cases like Skinner's that ended my lifelong support for the death penalty. Any system driven by the decisions of human beings will produce mistakes. This is true even when everyone — judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys — is acting in good faith and working as hard as he or she can to get it right.

Tim Cole is only a recent example of the frailties in our criminal justice system. Several years ago, this newspaper argued persuasively that Ruben Cantu, a defendant I prosecuted who was put to death in 1993, may well have been innocent. Twenty years after Cantu's trial, my star witness recanted his trial testimony. Many people consider his recantation credible because he had nothing to gain by reversing his position except a whole lot of trouble.

That case brought home to me, in a way that nothing else could have, that the system we trust to determine who may live and who must die simply doesn't work in all cases. Other investigative stories have revealed that Texans Carlos DeLuna, who was executed in 1989, and Cameron Todd Willingham, executed in 2004, were almost certainly innocent.

Since 1973, 139 people in 26 states have been released from death row based on evidence of their innocence. Eleven of them were in Texas. Many of these people were freed because of DNA evidence. But DNA testing works only if we use it.

Skinner's execution date is just a few days away, but key pieces of evidence have never been tested, including two knives, one of which might be the murder weapon; a man's windbreaker, which had blood, sweat and hair on it and was found next to the victim's body; the victim's fingernails, which may have DNA evidence under them; and samples from a rape kit.

Skinner has steadfastly maintained his innocence, but his trial counsel did not seek DNA testing. His attorney also failed fully to investigate the potential involvement of another suspect. That man, a relative of Skinner's girlfriend, had a violent criminal history and an incestuous relationship with the victim. He had been seen stalking her at a party on the night of the murder and left the party shortly after she did. His whereabouts for the rest of the night remain a mystery.

This individual also wore a windbreaker like the one found at the murder scene. And the day after the crime, a neighbor says, he frantically scrubbed the interior of his pickup truck, removed the rubber floor mats and replaced the carpeting. DNA evidence may or may not implicate this alternate suspect, but we'll never be certain without testing.

Attorneys for Skinner have filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to stop Skinner's execution in order to decide whether prisoners can use the Civil Rights Act to compel post-conviction DNA testing. That's Skinner's last chance, and I hope the court intervenes. But frankly, I'd rather see Texas clean up its own house on this one. Before we send a man to his death, shouldn't we do everything in our power to be certain of his guilt?

Millsap, who served as Bexar County district attorney from 1982 to 1987, has practiced law in San Antonio for 35 years.

Sam Milsap was one of the guest speakers at the 2006 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break in Austin, Texas. He talked to SADP's Hooman Hedayati about his alternative spring break experience (video).

Room and Schedule for Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break March 15-19 in Austin

Join us March 15-19, 2010 in Austin, Texas for the award-winning Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break. Everyone is welcome. You can attend all events or just the ones that interest you.

It starts at 4:30 PM on Monday, March 15. The location is the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, (Google Map). The room is located on the entrance level of the building.

Special guests will be six innocent death row exoneress: Shujaa Graham, Curtis McCarty, Ron Keine, Derrick Jamison, Perry Cobb and Juan Melendez. They are attending alternative spring break to speak with participants about how innocent people can end up on death row. Altogether, the six exonerees attending the alternative spring break spent a total of about 65 years on death row for crimes they did not commit.

It's free, except for a $25 housing fee for those who need us to arrange housing for you. We will house you in a shared room with other spring breakers in either a hotel or dorm. You are responsible for your travel, food and other expenses, but the program and most of the housing costs are on us. The $25 housing fee is all you pay. Register here.

Monday, March 15 (Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, Google Map )

Afternoon: Housing check-in for people who have signed up for housing.

4:30-5 PM: Introduction to the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

5:00-6:00 PM "Overview of the Death Penalty Issue" with Brian Evans from Washington, D.C. office of Amnesty International USA’s Death Penalty Abolition Campaign

6- 6:30 “Live from Death Row” - Telephone Call from a person on death row, organized by Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin Chapter

6:30- 7 PM Snacks and socializing

7:00- 8:30 PM Panel discussion with death row exonerees Shujaa Graham (3 years on California death row), Perry Cobb (8 years on Illinois death row), Derrick Jamison (17 years on death row in Ohio), plus family members of people on death row, Delia Perez Meyer, Terri Been and Crystal Halprin. Delia’s brother Louis Perez is on Texas Death Row. Terri’s brother Jeff Wood is on Texas Death Row. Crystal’s husband Randy Halprin is on Texas Death Row. The Law of Parties will be one topic covered by Terri and Crystal.

Evening Time on your own for enjoying Austin, including the SXSW film festival.

Tuesday, March 16 Issues Day (Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, Google Map)

Noon to 1 PM: "Religious Views of the Death Penalty” presented by Steven Crimaldi, National Director of Dead Man Walking School Theater Project. Steven will also explain how students can get involved by doing a production of the play at their schools or in their communities.

1- 2 PM: “Mental Illness and the Death Penalty”, presented by Susannah Sheffer of Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights. “Prevention, Not Execution”. Read background report: "DOUBLE TRAGEDIES: Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty for People with Severe Mental Illness".

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:30 Mary K. Poirier, mitigation specialist from The McCallister Law Firm. Mary will discuss her work on capital trials in Texas and elsewhere and how activists can work with legal teams. A good mitigation specialist can save someone from being sentenced to death.

3:30-3:45 Break

3:45- 5:00 PM Bill Pelke, president of Journeyof Hope … From Violence to Healing will speak and present a film of the work of Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing. The film documents family members of murder victims speaking out against the death penalty. Also, we will introduce and hear comments from another special guest arriving Tuesday, death row exoneree Curtis McCarty who spent 19 years on death row in Oklahoma.

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Petition Signature Gathering Competition: We will divide into teams and fan out throughout Austin to collect signatures on a petition against the death penalty. People can collect signatures at places such as where SXSW events are taking place such as the convention center, outside certain bookstores or other stores if they allow it, on the streets in downtown Austin and wherever else the teams want to try. The team that collects the most petition signatures (with names, addresses, email addresses and possibly phone numbers) will win a prize of $100.

Evening Free time on your own for enjoying Austin

Wednesday, March 17 (Jesse H. Jones Communication Center - CMA room 3.112 on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. CMA is on the corner of Whitis Avenue and Dean Keeton, Google Map)

Noon - 1:00 Media Workshop with Vincent Villano of Campus Progress. Workshop will give tips on communicating effectively with reporters, writing press releases, organizing press conferences and other topics.

1:00 - 2:00 PM Lobbying Workshop in preparation for next day's lobbying at capitol, with Alison Brock, Chief of Staff to Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner.

2:00 - 2:15 Break

2:15 - 3:15 “Art and Activism” with John Holbrook, photographer of Texas death row, whose work has been exhibited in the Europe and the U.S., including at the Texas Capitol in May 2009. A selection of John's photographs and other death penalty-themed artworks will be on display. John will talk about his experiences photographing people on Texas death row and his 17 years working as a private investigator on Texas capital murder cases.

3:15 - 3:30 Break

3:30 - 4:30 PM Campus Organizing and Coalition Building Workshop with Vincent Villano of Campus Progress. There’s so much more to working in coalition than inviting people to join you in your efforts. It’s hard work and requires skill, understanding and strategy, but the rewards for you, your partners, and your cause are endless (and fun!). Learn the importance of working in coalition, how to identify allies, how to engage non-traditional partners, where coalition building fits in with your campaign plan, and why it might be just what you need to take your issue campaign to the next level.

4:30- 5 PM Discussion of next day's press conference, lobbying visits and rally.·

Dinner break (on your own)

7:00 Screen Printing Workshop with Garry Spitzer of CEDP, plus sign-making session for next day's rally. Screen printing is a method of applying images to signs and t-shirts.

Free Time to enjoy Austin

Thursday, March 18: Lobby Day and Justice Rally at the Texas Capitol

11 AM - Press conference in Texas House Speaker's Committee Room 2W.6 at Texas Capitol (Press conference will be organized, moderated and run by students from spring break).

12:30- 2:00 Death Penalty Panel with Six Exonerated Former Death Row Inmates and Bill Pelke - President of Journey of Hope ... From Violence to Healing. Location: Committee Room E2.016 in the Texas State Capitol.

Panelists:

• Shujaa Graham, who spent 3 years of his life on California's death-row for a crime he did not commit.
• Curtis McCarty, who spent 19 years of his life on Oklahoma's death-row for a crime he did not commit.
• Ron Keine, who spent almost two years on death row in New Mexico for a crime he did not commit.
• Perry Cobb, who spent 8 years on death row in Illinois for a crime he did not commit.
• Derrick Jamison, who spent 17 years on death row in Ohio for a crime he did not commit.
• Juan Melendez spent seventeen years, eight months and one day on Florida ’s death row for a crime he did not commit.
• Bill Pelke, president of Journey of Hope … From Violence to Healing and former Chairman of the Board of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Bill authored a book entitled "Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing", which details the May14, 1985 murder of his grandmother Ruth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. He shares his story of forgiveness and healing, and how he came to realize that he did not need to see someone else die in order to heal from his grandmother's death. He also helps organize Journey tours nationally and abroad. Bill has traveled to over forty states and ten countries with the Journey of Hope and has told his story over 5,000 times.

2:00 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 3:45 PM Screening of 17-minute film about Todd Willingham and how Rick Perry recently shook-up the Texas Forensic Science Commission, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Joshua Riehl and Liz Gilbert, the friend of Todd Willingham who first investigated his innocence and helped find a fire expert to examine the forensic evidence. Gilbert's role is explained in the article "Trial by Fire" in The New Yorker by David Grann. Location: Committee Room E2.016 in the Texas State Capitol

3:45 - 4:45 Lobbying Visits with legislators and/or their aides.

4:45 - 5:00 Set up for Justice Rally

5:00 - 7:30 Justice Rally Against the Death Penalty on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol (If you get off work at 5, you can still come, just get there as soon after work as possible)

Rally Speakers include death row exonerees Shujaa Graham, Ron Keine, Perry Cobb, Juan Melendez, Derrick Jamison and Curtis McCarty; Bill Pelke, president of Journey of Hope and past chair of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; students participating in Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break; a representative of Clinton Young; a representative of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty; Gloria Rubac of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement; Delia Meyer-Perez, whose brother Louis Castro Perez is on death row; Cory Session of the Innocence Project of Texas, Cory's brother, Tim Cole, was an innocent man who died while in prison and was posthumously exonerated and pardoned by Rick Perry; Regina Kelly - her story was the subject of the film "American Violet". She was unlawfully targeted and arrested on drug charges; Ron Carlson, whose sister Debra Ruth Carlson, along with two others, was murdered with a pick-ax by Karla Faye Tucker and Daniel Ryan Garrett; plus other speakers.

After Rally: Last Supper. Food and discussion of the rally as well as the entire spring break. We will go to a restaurant (everyone buys their own meal and drinks). Fill out feedback forms.

Friday, March 19: Fun Day on your own in Austin.

This is Spring Break, so today we will have some fun and take a break after all the hard work we have done all week. Everyone is free to choose their own activities. Some things people could do are: Go swimming at Barton Springs Pool, attend a SXSW film or music event, go shopping, take a Segway tour of Austin, go jogging around Town Lake, go bike riding, visit a museum or do something else. Some of these activities cost money, so plan accordingly.

Call Texas Governor to Protest Today's Execution, Then Go Vote if You Live in Texas

Today is election day in Texas and there is also an execution scheduled in Texas today. Rick Perry is seeking re-election as Governor. He is running today in the Republican primary against two main Republican challengers. There is also an election in the Democratic primary. Today's execution will be the 450th execution in Texas since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970s. It will be the 211th execution in Texas since Perry became governor in 2000. The name of the person scheduled for execution today is Michael Sigala. Please call Perry at (512) 463-1782 or email the governor and state your opposition to the death penalty and urge him to support a moratorium on executions.

If you live in Texas, there is an election today, so go vote for the candidates of your choice. Then go back to your voting location at 7:15 pm for the precinct convention and take an anti-death penalty resolution.
Help Us Pass Moratorium and Abolition Resolutions at Party Precinct Conventions

The Texas Democratic Party and the Texas Republican Party will hold precinct conventions on Tuesday March 2 at 7:15 PM. The Democratic precinct conventions are open to anyone who votes in today's Texas Democratic primary and the Republican precinct conventions are open to anyone who votes in today's Republican primary. People attending the conventions can take resolutions to the conventions to be voted on. If the resolutions pass at the precinct conventions, they go to the county or senatorial district conventions on March 20, and if they are approved on March 20, they will go to the state convention in June for consideration. We got the Texas Democratic Party to pass a moratorium resolution at the state convention in 2004 and to include support for a moratorium in the TDP platform in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

You can read drafts of our proposed resolutions below. Feel free to use them as is, change them or write your own versions. The important thing is to take some sort of anti-death penalty resolution to your precinct convention and get it approved. We have versions for both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, so use one or the other depending if you vote Democratic or Republican.

In 2008, the resolutions committee at the Texas Democratic Party State Convention approved a resolution to abolish the death penalty, but the resolution did not get taken up by the floor of the convention before the convention adjourned. But it was a major success to get the abolition resolution approved by the committee.

The TDP state convention this year is in Corpus Christi June 25th and 26th. The first step to being a state convention delegate is to attend your precinct convention on March 2. If you attend the precinct conventions tonight, you can run to get elected a delegate to the senatorial district convention and then to the state convention.

There will be a "Democrats Against the Death Penalty" caucus meeting at the TDP State Convention. The caucus was started in 2004 by TMN's Scott Cobb. In 2008, there was a record overflow turnout at the caucus of probably 300 people.

Print and take to your precinct conventions:

Texas Democratic Party Resolution Calling for a Moratorium on Executions

WHEREAS Texas leads the nation in executions with 449 since 1982 (as of February 1, 2010). The frequency of executions and inadequacies in our criminal justice system increase the risk that an innocent person will be executed and because the execution of an innocent person by the State of Texas would be a grave injustice and would undermine public confidence in our criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS there is a significant risk that innocence cases in Texas are not being discovered, and innocent persons both reside on death row and could be wrongly executed in a system of capital punishment that often escapes governmental scrutiny and meaningful judicial review; and

WHEREAS an innocent person may already have been executed by Texas. The Chicago Tribune reported on December 9, 2004 that a Corsicana, Texas man named Cameron Todd Willingham may have been innocent of the arson/murder for which he was executed on February 17, 2004. A state-funded report commissioned by the Texas Forensic Science Commission written by fire expert Dr Craig Beyler said that “a finding of arson could not be sustained” in the Willingham case. Beyler said that key testimony from a fire marshal at Willingham's trial was "hardly consistent with a scientific mind-set and is more characteristic of mystics or psychics”; and

WHEREAS Rick Perry received information prior to the execution of Todd Willingham that cast serious doubt on the scientific validity of forensic evidence used to convict Willingham, but Perry refused to issue a 30 day stay of execution to give more time for the evidence to be analyzed; and

WHEREAS Rick Perry interfered with an investigation into the Willingham case when he replaced the chair and all of his gubernatorial appointees to the Texas Forensic Science Commission only days before a scheduled hearing about a report submitted to the commission by Dr Craig Beyler; and

WHEREAS the Houston Chronicle reported on November 19, 2005 that a San Antonio man named Ruben Cantu may have been innocent of the crime for which he was executed on August 24, 1993 and the Chicago Tribune reported on June 24, 2006 that a Corpus Christi man named Carlos De Luna may have been innocent of the crime for which he was executed on December 7 1989; and

WHEREAS eleven people have been exonerated of murder and released from Texas Death Row and 139 people have been exonerated and released from death rows in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970's; and

WHEREAS local taxpayers can be faced with the financial burden of settling lawsuits when innocent people are wrongfully convicted or executed because of problems in the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS seeking a death sentence costs three times more than the cost of seeking life without parole.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Democratic Party supports a moratorium on executions and the creation of a “Texas Capital Punishment Commission” to study the administration of capital punishment in Texas to correct any injustices or unfair processes that are found in the administration of the death penalty and to study how to eliminate the risk of innocent people being convicted and executed.

Texas Democratic Party Resolution to Abolish the Death Penalty

Whereas the death penalty system is a human system that makes errors;

Whereas Texas has sent innocent people to death row;

Whereas it is impossible to correct the error of a wrongful conviction once someone has been executed;

Whereas Texas as of 2005 has life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty;

Whereas the death penalty is applied unevenly throughout the state of Texas;

Whereas the death penalty discriminates against the poor and racial minorities;

Whereas the death penalty does not deter others from committing violent crime;

Whereas the death penalty costs 2 to 3 times more to implement than life without parole;

Therefore be it resolved that the Texas Democratic Party supports abolishing the death penalty in Texas and using the money saved by abolition to help victims of crime and to implement crime prevention measures that are truly effective.

Texas Republican Party Resolution Calling for a Moratorium on Executions

WHEREAS Texas leads the nation in executions with 449 since 1982 (as of February 1, 2010). The frequency of executions and inadequacies in our criminal justice system increase the risk that an innocent person will be executed and because the execution of an innocent person by the State of Texas would be a grave injustice and would undermine public confidence in our criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS there is a significant risk that innocence cases in Texas are not being discovered, and innocent persons both reside on death row and could be wrongly executed in a system of capital punishment that often escapes governmental scrutiny and meaningful judicial review; and

WHEREAS an innocent person may already have been executed by Texas. The Chicago Tribune reported on December 9, 2004 that a Corsicana, Texas man named Cameron Todd Willingham may have been innocent of the arson/murder for which he was executed on February 17, 2004. A state-funded report commissioned by the Texas Forensic Science Commission written by fire expert Dr Craig Beyler said that “a finding of arson could not be sustained” in the Willingham case. Beyler said that key testimony from a fire marshal at Willingham's trial was "hardly consistent with a scientific mind-set and is more characteristic of mystics or psychics”; and

WHEREAS the Houston Chronicle reported on November 19, 2005 that a San Antonio man named Ruben Cantu may have been innocent of the crime for which he was executed on August 24, 1993 and the Chicago Tribune reported on June 24, 2006 that a Corpus Christi man named Carlos De Luna may have been innocent of the crime for which he was executed on December 7 1989; and

WHEREAS eleven people have been exonerated of murder and released from Texas Death Row and 139 people have been exonerated and released from death rows in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in the 1970's; and

WHEREAS local taxpayers can be faced with the financial burden of settling lawsuits when innocent people are wrongfully convicted or executed because of problems in the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS seeking a death sentence costs three times more than the cost of seeking life without parole.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Republican Party supports a moratorium on executions and the creation of a “Texas Capital Punishment Commission” to study the administration of capital punishment in Texas to correct any injustices or unfair processes that are found in the administration of the death penalty and to study how to eliminate the risk of innocent people being convicted and executed.

Texas Republican Party Resolution to Abolish the Death Penalty

Whereas the death penalty system is a human system that makes errors;

Whereas Texas has sent innocent people to death row;

Whereas it is impossible to correct the error of a wrongful conviction once someone has been executed;

Whereas Texas as of 2005 has life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty;

Whereas the death penalty is applied unevenly throughout the state of Texas;

Whereas the death penalty discriminates against the poor and racial minorities;

Whereas the death penalty does not deter others from committing violent crime;

Whereas the death penalty costs 2 to 3 times more to implement than life without parole;

Therefore be it resolved that the Texas Republican Party supports abolishing the death penalty in Texas and using the money saved by abolition to help victims of crime and to implement crime prevention measures that are truly effective.