Day 4: Can't We All Just Get Along?

First posted by Dallas Morning News



This blog post is written by Pamela Skjolsvik, a blogger and author currently finishing her first book, Death Becomes Us. A resident of Bedford, she earned a master's degree in 2010 from Goucher College in Maryland. Her writing has been included in Creative Nonfiction, the Durango Herald, and in the upcoming Ten Spurs literary journal from the University of North Texas.


After the Day of Innocence march and rally at the Capitol, day four of the Alternative Spring Break was low key. Along with the four exonerees who were brought to Austin by www.witnesstoinnocence.org to speak about their lives, we attended a showing of "Incendiary" a new documentary about Todd Cameron Willingham's case. This powerful film by Austin filmmakers Steve Mims and Joe Bailey is playing at SXSW and will be showing again tomorrow. In the film there is commentary from both sides, including Willingham's defense attorney who was and is still convinced that his client was guilty of murder.

There is also footage in the film of Barry Sheck, a New York attorney who started the Innocence Project (www.innocenceproject.org), speaking to the newly appointed forensics commission. I'd heard of Sheck. In fact I recently saw Peter Gallagher portray Sheck in a Hollywood film called "Conviction" with Hillary Swank. So I was like, wow, there he is and Peter Gallagher looks nothing like him.

Anyway, Albert Burrell, one of the exonorees was seated next to me in the theater. During Sheck's impassioned speech in the film, Mr. Burrell tapped me on the arm and said, "That was my lawyer." He said this like a kid pointing out his really cool older brother. I don't know if Sheck really was his attorney, but it got me thinking. Nobody believed in this man. He was locked away, forgotten and headed for an execution. How would I feel if I were treated that way?

I don't know a lot of statistics or studies, but I do know that the death penalty tends to polarize people. Either you are for it or you against it. The middle ground seems to be missing. I would imagine that the reason many haven't given much thought about the death penalty is because they feel it doesn't concern them. If you're a human being, it does.

If I've learned anything from attending this Alternative Spring Break, it is this -- if you believe in a cause, you have to act. And don't be discouraged because your views don't necessarily jibe with popular opinion. Take a look at our history books. Again and again there are incidences of people opposing popular opinion and changing the world for the better. Call me kooky, but I don't think that it's right for our government to kill people for killing people to show that killing people is wrong.

Peace out.

Day 3: Lobbying, and rallying and marching -- Oh My!

First posted by Dallas Morning News. This blog post is written by Pamela Skjolsvik, a blogger and author currently finishing her first book, Death Becomes Us. A resident of Bedford, she earned a master's degree in 2010 from Goucher College in Maryland. Her writing has been included in Creative Nonfiction, the Durango Herald, and in the upcoming Ten Spurs literary journal from the University of North Texas. 


Yesterday was the Day of Innocence lobby day and rally to stop executions in Texas. After a meet and greet with the death row exonerees--Clarence Brandley, Shujaa Graham, Ron Keine and Albert Burrell--I followed the Kids Against the Death Penalty group to the House gallery.

First of all, I am ashamed to admit that I know very little about how our government actually works. (Sorry Mr. Riggle) Call me naïve, or simply optimistic, but I fully expected decorum, but speakers at the podium had to compete with the din of loud voices, casual conversations and a sort of bored indifference to the proceedings. I felt ashamed that no one was paying attention and that less than half of our elected representatives were in attendance. As people scurried around the room pressing buttons at empty desks, Teri Been, whose brother, Jeff Woods, is on death row due to the Law of Parties, had to explain the practice of ghost voting to me.

I was shocked.

As Representative Harold Dutton approached the podium, a voice of reason rang out into the room. Representative Jim Keffer asked that people be respectful and take their conversations outside. I would have loved to quote his actual words, but I could barely hear him. The room hushed as Representative Dutton honored the exonerees who were in attendance with a resolution. In regards to these men's incarceration on death row for crimes they didn't commit he said, "You have gone through hell while living here on earth."
Amen.

After that, I followed the KADP members to several Representatives offices around the Capitol. The kids were concentrating their efforts on the HB 855 and HB 2511, which concern the Law of Parties. The kids spoke mainly with aides, but they were able to speak one on one with Representative Cindy Burkett. Representative Burkett listened attentively to Teri Been's story of her brother's life on death row. As Ms. Been relayed the events of her brother's execution date (he received a stay hours before his execution) she broke down. Representative Burkett hugged Teri and said, "I'm a hugger." And I'm glad she was.


Although the members of KADP are focusing their attention on a very serious issue, they are just teens. As all seven of them entered and left each office, they were sure to take a piece of candy from the various bowls placed by each sign in book. Hey, I did too. In Representative Pete Gallego's office, the kids giddily ventured out onto the balcony to take in the scenery.

As the day wore on, I asked Nick who is fourteen about his work with KADP.

In a very serious manner he told me about their meetings and the protests they've organized. I thought back to my concerns when I was fourteen. If memory serves, the only thing I was passionate about was finding the perfect hair styling product. If only I'd paid more attention in Mr. Riggle's American Government class, I too could have addressed the World Congress in Geneva, like three of the members of KADP did.

"We're like really famous in Switzerland," Nick informs me.

Yeah, I bet they are.

If you'd like to read more about their efforts, go here.

Day 2: Don't judge a book by its cover

This blog post is written by Pamela Skjolsvik, a blogger and author currently finishing her first book, Death Becomes Us. A resident of Bedford, she earned a master's degree in 2010 from Goucher College in Maryland. Her writing has been included in Creative Nonfiction, the Durango Herald, and in the upcoming Ten Spurs literary journal from the University of North Texas.

What I personally learned from Day Two's training is that it's one thing to have an opinion about a social injustice, it is quite another to actually do something about it in an effective way. After lectures on media relations, lobbying and grassroots organizing, the alternative spring breakers and I were ready to test our newfound skills in the real world.

We divided into small groups, armed with clipboards and a sense of purpose. We fanned out into the streets of Austin to gather signatures for a moratorium on executions. I spent my time shadowing two students, Chelsea Leggett from UT Arlington and Michael Luke from Texas A&M. While Chelsea is a veteran alternative spring breaker, having attended last year's event, Michael is a newbie who wanted to learn more about the death penalty in Texas. He's originally from New York where the death penalty has been abolished.
When we parked the car, two alternative looking men with tattoos were smoking outside their apartment. I thought for sure they'd agree with us, sign their names and off we'd go. I was wrong. And it kind of stung.
The next young man we approached wouldn't even look at the three of us as he said no. Geez, this was going to be a lot more difficult than I imagined.

But then, as luck would have it, three was our lucky number. We came upon a man seated on a stoop wearing a Texas Longhorn T-Shirt with a matching lunchbox at his side. He was more than happy to sign our petition. "I was in for 15 years. I've been out for four and it's good to be out and earn a paycheck."
Darn tootin'!!!

On our way towards 6th and Congress, we stopped at Wooldridge Square and encountered a large group of, for lack of a better description, bohemian vagrants. Some of them were for the death penalty and some were against.

One young man commented that execution is "kind of what makes Texas, Texas." (And here I was thinking that it was football and barbecue.) Another man, who was missing both of his arms wanted to sign our petition and he did so with his feet. Ironically, he had the best penmanship of all the people who signed our petition.
With a little practice, we eventually hit the jackpot with all of the SXSW attendees. At stop lights and in front of bars, we engaged people in conversations, we made human connections, and we invited those that were interested to stop by tomorrow's rally at the Capitol.
It's at 5:30 on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol.

Day 1: These young voices will soon be heard

From Dallas Morning News:

This blog post is written by Pamela Skjolsvik, a blogger and author currently finishing her first book, Death Becomes Us. A resident of Bedford, she earned a master's degree in 2010 from Goucher College in Maryland. Her writing has been included in Creative Nonfiction, the Durango Herald, and in the upcoming Ten Spurs literary journal from the University of North Texas. 

As the clock ticks towards the initial kick-off of the Alternative Spring Break, Scott Cobb of the Texas Moratorium Network and Hooman Hedayati of Witness to Innocence affix posters and banners to the walls of the generic classroom at UT to liven things up and relay the message of the week--No More Executions.
A sprinkling of solo "breakers" and a small group of college gals from USC enter the room and take their seats near the front. They are followed by a boisterous group of teenagers who stake their claim on the cool kid seats in the back row. I overhear one of the teens say, "Do we get to pick and choose what we do, cuz I wannna have a spring break."

This should be interesting.

Before my cynicism gets the best of me, we introduce ourselves to the group. Several people are repeat attendees, including some of the teens. Most are in school. The oldest members of our group are three women from Houston, one of which is "eighty-five years young." The majority of us are from Texas, which we find out from Danielle Dirks, a PhD candidate who teaches "Capital Punishment in America" at UT, is the state that leads the nation in executions.
The stand out fact that I learn during Ms. Dirks' talk is that "In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years." (Dallas Morning News, March 8, 1992)

My immediate reaction upon learning this fact is--wouldn't this money be better spent on say, I don't know, education or after school programs? Let's put the moral argument against the death penalty aside for just a moment--don't you think that Texas is being fiscally irresponsible by seeking the death penalty? It's not like sentencing a person to life without the possibility of parole is being soft on crime. Prison is not exactly summer camp.
Later in the evening, we receive a phone call from Stanley Howard, a man in prison in Illinois who was wrongfully sentenced to death for murder. Afterwards, Sam Millsap, a former County District Attorney from San Antonio and Judge Charlie Baird from Travis County spoke about their thoughts on the death penalty. This was the most surprising event of the evening and if I took anything away from their talk, it was this--mistakes are made, especially in regards to eyewitness testimony, which is a powerful prosecutorial tool in the court.
I suggest checking out the book, "The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers" by Daniel L. Schacter
Day one was a great introduction to the anti-death penalty movement. I'm excited about tomorrow and I look forward to chatting with the other members of our group, especially the teens. As witnessed by their questions throughout the evening, they knew more about this issue than me. (But that isn't saying much.) These young men and women are all members of a group called KADP or Kids Against the Death Penalty.
Their opinions and voices may not be heard in the election process, but they soon will be, and that makes me feel pretty hopeful about our future.