The D.R.I.V.E. Movement: Resources for Education and Action

The D.R.I.V.E. Movement: Resources for Education and Action

Prepared by the Austin Campaign to End the Death Penalty

Introduction

What follows is a discussion of facts and strategy associated with the horrific conditions on Texas’ death row at the Polunksy Unit in Livingston. The men warehoused at this unit, aside from being sentenced to death by an unjust system, are living in conditions that, by any decent standards of human rights, constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Several of these inmates have heroically launched a non-violent protest against these conditions and have been met with a disproportionately violent response from the Polunsky administration and staff. It befalls all abolitionists and others committed to justice to stand in solidarity with these brave men. What follows, we hope, will serve as tools toward that end.

Background

From 1965 to 1999, Texas’ death row was housed in the Ellis Unit. Inmates were allowed group exercise time and had access to the same resources as other prisoners. However, in 1999, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) voted to move all condemned male inmates to Livingston. The official rationale for this decision was overcrowding at the Ellis Unit, as several death row inmates were sharing single occupancy cells. However, there was also considerable political motivation. In 1998, seven men attempted to escape the Ellis Unit and one, Martin Gurule, succeeded (though he was found drowned shortly thereafter). This was the first successful escape on death row in 64 years. While a prison board investigation blamed negligent correctional officers, they also commented that group recreation and work time provided opportunities to plan such escapes. The TBCJ subsequently voted to make the move to Livingston.

Life on the Polunsky Unit

After being moved to Polunsky, the men on Texas’ death row lost virtually all the privileges they enjoyed at the Ellis Unit. The new facility keeps the inmates in 23-hour administrative segregation inside 60 square foot cells with sealed steel doors. They have lost all group recreation, work programs, television access (some inmates are allowed radios), and religious services. There are no contact visits allowed at Polunsky, meaning that the men on death row will never make physical contact with anyone other than prison staff as they move toward their execution date. Inmates are only allowed one five minute phone call every six months, their mail is often censored, the quality of food is particularly low, and they are given inadequate health and dental services.

The fact that such conditions can have profoundly negative psychological impacts on inmates is well-documented. Many of these men are losing their minds, attempting suicide, and abandoning appeals. Such conditions also set a bad precedent for conditions across the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

The D.R.I.V.E. Movement

The Death Row Inner-Communalist Vanguard Engagement (D.R.I.V.E.) consists of several (approximately seven) men housed on death row at the Polunsky Unit. Through a variety of non-violent strategies, they have begun launching protests against the conditions at Polunsky, in particular, and capital punishment, in general. The following is taken from the D.R.I.V.E. website (http://www.drivemovement.org) and summarizes the strategy the inmates have been using:

* Actively seek to consistently voice complaints to the administration

* Actively seek to organize grievance filing to address problems

* Occupy feeding slots when feeding procedures are improperly done (Lack of sanitation by officers) and when food is improperly prepared (meager, malnourished portions: under cooked, spoiled) until changed

* Occupy day rooms when there is an act of abuse of authority by guards (verbal abuse; physical abuse; meals/recreations or showers being wrongly denied; unsanitary day rooms and showers being allowed to persist; medical being denied; paper work being denied; refusing to contact higher rank to address the problems and complaints) and when retaliation (thefts, denials, destruction of property; food restrictions; wrongful denials of visits; abuse of inmates) is carried out in response to our grievances, outside support and collective protest:

*Initiate sit-ins in visiting rooms, hallways, pod runs and recreation yards (when the above takes place)

*Deploy the use of Polunsky Unit video cameras so that protest may be documented (which can be accessed by the public)

*Non-violently refuse to evacuate cells when the above mentioned problems occur. Occupation will persist until change is implemented

*Seek to organize supporters on the outside to write petitions, letters, make phone calls, e-mail and send faxes to address problems and abuses at hand (and protests in front of the prison when possible)

*Educate prisoners to intelligently handle cases of abuse, attacks and oppression

Barriers to Victory

The D.R.I.V.E. movement constitutes a bold challenge to the powers-that-be in the TDCJ and the Texas state government as a whole. However, these men face significant repression and other barriers, making it absolutely crucial that activists on the outside mobilize around this important cause.

Officials at the Polunsky Unit have reacted harshly to these protests. When the D.R.I.V.E. activists occupy a space in protest of a fixable problem, they are often met by a SWAT team and tear gas. Often, when gassed, the men are not allowed to shower until a number of days after the incident, allowing the gas to corrode their skin. Other forms of repression include seizing of clothes, bedding, and other possessions from cells. A particularly disgusting punitive measure practiced in administrative segregation units throughout Texas is the food loaf. Rather than a standard meal, the inmate is given a baked lump of the day’s cafeteria leftovers. By all accounts, it is inedible.

Beyond these direct acts of repression, the TDCJ continues to turn a deaf ear to these protests. Officials are quick to claim that the D.R.I.V.E. protest has little to do with the conditions on the Polunsky Unit and essentially amount to nothing more than an anti-death penalty protest. TDCJ employees are also stubbornly committed to their job descriptions, drawing a very clear line between the issues they are qualified to address and those they are not. Throughout the Texas state government, one finds a number of convenient escape routes for officials, elected and otherwise, who would rather not address such uncomfortable issues. Diffusion of responsibility is common practice throughout the power structure in the state of Texas.

Furthermore, the TDCJ is accountable only to itself. Prisons in the United States are under no legal mandate to submit to independent oversight, though most seek some form of accreditation. Texas, however, monitors itself, meaning that they create their own standards and determine whether or not they are following them. Ultimately, it is clear that the TDCJ and the state of Texas as a whole have constructed a system in which they need only answer to themselves.

Toward Solidarity

So, what is to be done? The anti-death penalty movement has a significant interest in challenging the horrendous conditions at Polunsky and the violent repression taking place there. The period leading to execution is a part of the death sentence and, thus, demands our attention. Furthermore, any demand for the rights of the condemned affirms what the state of Texas wishes to deny, the humanity of the people they have chosen to kill. Solidarity with D.R.I.V.E., thus, becomes an important intervention in the prevailing discourse surrounding the death penalty. Moreover, the conditions on death row are symptomatic of a broader prison industrial complex that is rotten to its very core, both in Texas and nationally.

The first step we can all take is to build a coalition around living conditions on death row. The Austin chapter of Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) invites all Texas anti-death penalty groups, as well as other organizations interested in human rights, criminal justice reform, racial equality, and other struggles for justice to join us in voicing our outrage at what the condemned are forced to withstand on a daily basis. It is crucial that we begin organizing and communicating in the interest of challenging this grotesque expression of state power. If you are interested, please contact the CEDP at cedpaustin@gmail.com.

Both as a coalition and as individual groups, we must put the TDCJ and Texas state government on notice. Nothing will change at Polunsky as long as those in power are convinced they can continue in this fashion with impunity. Individuals worth contacting include TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston, Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chair Christina Melton Crain, Correctional Institutions Division Director Doug Dretke, the Correctional Institutions Division Ombudsman, Polunsky Senior Warden, Lloyd Massey, and elected officials. While most of these people will deny it, they are all in positions to influence Texas’ policies and are, therefore, all viable targets for protest. We have provided specific contact information in an attached appendix.

Exploiting media resources is also important. Write letters to the editor to your local newspaper and encourage the editors to cover the horrors at Polunsky. As our coalition will ideally organize a number of events in solidarity with the D.R.I.V.E. movement, we should begin building good relationships with the media now.

Finally, we must work with the men inside Polunsky. Establishing pen-pal relationships with and visiting the men of D.R.I.V.E. is not only a welcome reminder to these brave activists that they are not alone in their struggle, but also allows us to join minds and strategies toward forming a broad movement that challenges injustice within the TDCJ. If you are interested in getting a pen-pal and/or visiting a D.R.I.V.E. inmate, please contact CEDP member Randi Jones at RandiJ42@satx.rr.com.

Conclusion

The conditions on the Polunsky Unit are unacceptable and should concern all activists committed to human rights. The anti-death penalty movement, in particular, is well-positioned to challenge an apathetic TDCJ and state government, joining in solidarity with the man of D.R.I.V.E. and letting the powers-that-be know that we will not sit idly by as they mock the very notion of justice.

Appendix: Contact Information

Brad Livingston, Executive Director

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

P.O. Box 99
Huntsville, Texas 77342-0099

936-437-2101

936-437-2123 (Fax)

Christina Melton Crain, Chair

Texas Board of Criminal Justice

P. O. Box 13084
Austin, Texas 78711
512-475-3250
512-305-9398 (Fax)

Doug Dretke, Director

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Correctional Institutions Division
P.O. Box 99
Huntsville, Texas 77342
936-437-2169
936-437-6325 (Fax)

Correctional Institutions Division Ombudsman Office

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

P.O. Box 99

Huntsville, TX 77342-0099

936-437-6791

936-437-6668 (Fax)

Lloyd Massey, Senior Warden

Polunsky Unit

3872 FM 350 South

Livingston, Texas 77351

936-967-8082 Ext. 054

Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin

C/O Bryan McCann

924 E. 40^th St. #204

Austin, TX 78751

309-310-5223

cedpaustin@gmail.com

http://cedpaustin.blogspot.net

Funny quote from Justice For All!

"If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call."

www.jfa.net

STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2006

WELCOME TO STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2006

The 1st Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty
at the Texas Capitol
June 29th - July 2nd, 2006

For more information about the Fast and Vigil and registration go to:

http://texasabolition.org/fastandvigil/

New alternative spring break website

Check out our new alternative spring break website at:

www.springbreakalternative.org

This website is still under construction!

Stay of execution - Texas Young Democrats Platform

Apr. 24, 2006
MICHAEL GRACZYK
Associated Press
HOUSTON - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday halted the lethal injection of condemned inmate Derrick Frazier set for later this week to allow time to consider a new appeal.

Frazier was scheduled to die Thursday evening for the June 1997 fatal shootings of Betsy Nutt, 41, and her 15-year-old son, Cody, at their home on a ranch in Refugio County in South Texas. Frazier, set to
turn 29 on Friday, would have been the eighth Texas prisoner executed this year.

The Texas Young Democrats adopted a platform last weekend that contained this line:
7.10. We oppose state-sponsored capital punishment.

Read the whole platform.

Texas Young Democrats has been in existence since 1932. Texas Young Democrats brings together young democrats, inclusive of high school and college students, youth leaders, and young professionals to build a brighter future for all Texans. TYD is the state's premier organization that promotes political activism by young progressives to influence the political process and elect Democratic leaders throughout the state. We gather in local clubs, statewide executive committee meetings, and an annual convention in Austin to share insights, debate issues, develop leadership skills, and build lasting friendships with like-minded young people all across Texas.

TYD has a long tradition of electing its former members to office, and TYD alumni can be found at all levels of public service and in influential roles in many Texas communities. We boast lifetime members, such as Gov. Ann Richards, John Sharp, Garry Mauro, and Lena Guerrero. As a statewide organization, and chartered member of the Young Democrats of America and College Democrats of America, TYD provides opportunities for young people to meet fellow activists, work on campaigns and with local party officials, learn the ins and outs of politics, improve personal skills, and, yes, have fun.

The execution date of Hasan Shakur aka Derrick Frazier

MEDIA ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Knut Erik Paulli

Phone: 011 474 819 792

Email: hrctexas@hotmail.com

Or

Debbie Harris

Email: dfrazier4045@hotmail.com

Phone: 778 229 6782

What: The execution date of Hasan Shakur aka Derrick Frazier

When: Thursday April 27, 2006

Where: Huntsville, Texas

How: Lethal Injection

The state of Texas wants to execute Mr. Frazier (Hasan Shakur) even though in Mr. Frazier case there are a lot of misconducts. Mr. Frazier was convicted murder and received a general verdict in October 1998. Defending Mr. Frazier was Stephen A Cihal, who was the lead defense attorney in the case, and assisting him was Elliot Costas. Mr. Cihal has had public reprimands, several probations, and has been suspended from practicing law several times. While defending Mr. Frazier; Cihal was being investigated by the Texas Bar Association. Shortly after Mr. Frazier’s conviction, Cihal was found guilty of misconduct.

Physical Findings in the Case:

A shoe print was found outside the neighbor ranch – the Lucich Ranch – from where the murders that Mr. Frazier was accused of having committed, took place. That shoe print was purported to belong to Mr. Frazier. Though it was similar to the shoes that Mr. Frazier was wearing; it was found to belong to a pair of shoes stolen from the Luchich ranch, and the shoes belonged to the owner, Ronald Lucich, as it was indeed his shoes. An owner’s manual for a Ford F-150 pickup, a car that belonged to one of the victims Mrs. Betsy Nutt, was found 50 miles away in Victoria; and on this manual was a left index and left middle fingerprint of Mr. Frazier. Mr. Frazier states the manual was in the back seat of the vehicle where he was sitting, with Mrs. Nutt in the driver’s seat conversing with him. Some of the possessions belonging to Ronald Lucich were found with Mr. Frazier at the time of his arrest. There was no direct physical evidence at the murder crime scene of Mr. Frazier. There was no physical evidence to directly link Mr. Frazier to any murder. There were however physical evidence to link Mr. Frazier to possession of stolen property from the neighbor residence – the Lucich ranch - but not to the murder of either Betsy or Cody Nutt.

The Case:

Mr. Frazier had an all white jury made up of eight women and four men. The verdict may have been different had there been actually a jury of Mr. Frazier’s peers as Mr. Frazier is Black. Mr. Frazier was offered a 30-year-sentence in exchange for confessing to killing one of the victims, Betsy Nutt. However; once Texas Ranger Oscar Rivera, had the information from Mr. Frazier, the deal was rescinded and changed to the death penalty at a hearing. Mr. Frazier by then had already given the said confession of murder of Betsy Nutt, without the presence of an attorney.

The Statement:

Mr. Frazier made a statement to Rivera regarding having an attorney present. When asked if he wanted an attorney present, Mr. Frazier stated that “IF I COULD AFFORD ONE I WOULD….” Rivera abruptly cut him off and continued to get the confession from Mr. Frazier - at the point with the 30 year deal still on the table. The jury got to view a videotaped confession during the trial, however they did not get to view the video in which Mr. Frazier asked for an attorney. Rivera knew exactly what Mr. Frazier meant when he stated “IF I COULD AFFORD ONE I WOULD…..” But, Rivera did not stop at that point and offer to get Mr. Frazier legal assistance. With capital murder cases, is not that breaking the law? Is that even called “JUSTICE” in America? Mr. Frazier was twenty (20) at the time of his arrest; so young and so scared. The ONLY evidence that puts Mr. Frazier at the crime scene is the videotaped confession which he was coerced into making. The jurors asked to watch the video tape a second time, and then after two hours of deliberating, they came back with a GENERAL VERDICT.

The Verdict:

The indictment against Mr. Frazier the jury was given had five different theories. The jury was instructed they DID NOT have to specify a theory, but could come back with a GENERAL VERDICT, and the jury did just that. When discussing this issue with a District Attorney; he informed the Derrick Frazier Support Committee that the state of Texas did away with general verdicts in the 70’s. He was very shocked to find Mr. Frazier having been convicted of a general verdict in the late 90’s.

If you are at all interested in publishing a story on Mr. Derrick Frazier, you can reach him several ways.

EMAILS:

Knut Erik Paulli – chairman of the Derrick Frazier Support Committee

hrctexas@hotmail.com

Debbie Harris – Board of the derrick Frazier Support Committee

Olife4045@hotmail.com

OR HIS ADDRESS:

Derrick Frazier 999284

Polunsky Unit – Death Row

3872 F.M 350 South

Livingston, Texas 77351

Thank you for your time and concern

Derrick Frazier support Committee

Cindy Sheehan signs TSADP's Abolition Petition

Cindy Sheehan and other antiwar activists including former Iraq war veterans, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia and State Representative Burnman (Fort Worth) signed TSADP's Abolition petition during the forum on Iraq War at the University of Texas in Austin.

Inmate Scheduled for Execution May 12 Requests DNA Test to Demonstrate Innocence

Jerry Conner maintains his innocence of the murder of Minh Rogers and the rape and murder of Linda Rogers. A DNA test will likely show that Jerry Conner did not commit these crimes.

Jerry Conner is scheduled to be executed on May 12. He professes his innocence of the murders, armed robbery and the rape for which he was convicted and sentenced to die. The State’s theory was that only one person committed all these crimes. DNA results, if favorable, will conclusively answer the question of whether Mr. Conner is innocent of the rape of Linda Rogers, and consequently innocent of the murders and armed robbery.
For more information go to:
http://jerryconner.blogspot.com

Democracy in Action!

Thanks to all of TSADP members that emailed Kraft foods about the A1 Sauce commercial. In the commercial Kraft used someone who switched his prisoner number with someone on death row in order to get to eat a steak with A1 sauce. Here is the email I received from them today:

Hi Hooman,

Thank you for visiting http://www.kraftfoods.com/.
Thank you for taking the time to share your comments regarding our most
recent A1 commercial. This was an inadvertent oversight and we deeply
regret it. We are taking immediate steps to correct the situation and
ensure it doesn’t happen again. In fact, we are discontinuing the airing
of this particular commercial temporarily in order to revise it
appropriately.
The ad was not meant to reflect real events or people on death row; it was an
unfortunate oversight that we sincerely regret.
We’re sorry if we offended you in any way. Thanks again for bringing
this to our attention. If you haven’t done so already, please add our site to your favorites
and visit us again soon!
Jackie Malagon
Executive Representative

mtvU Spring break 2006

Here is the short version of the mtvU's Spring Break Video. They are also working on a 15 minute video that should up soon.

Click the photo to watch MTV's Video of Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

You can also watch video of the bus trip to Huntsville at the google Videos.

Texas Public Radio interview with spring break student Audrey Lamm

Texas Public Radio interviewed Audrey Lamm when she was here for spring break. They did the interview by cell phone while she was standing outside the prison in Huntsville protesting an execution on March 15. The interview was aired on the same radio stations that carry NPR in Texas.

Here is the link:
www.tpr.org/programs/texasmatters.html

Click on show #290, March 17, 2006. It starts around minute 16 and 34 seconds and goes for about seven minutes.

CEDP-Austin: update about Rodney Reed

Coverage in the local media for the first day of Rodney's hearing was
pretty decent.  Check the links below to find out more.

RODNEY STILL NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT.  We need to make all the noise we can
to mkae sure Rodney gets justice.  COME TO THE MARCH TOMORROW!

More information at http://www.cedpaustin.blogspot.com.

KEYE 42 -- With video
Death Row Inmate From Bastrop Could Get New Trial
http://keyetv.com/local/local_story_082180106.html

Austin American-Statesman
Secret of Rodney Reed death row appeal revealed
Witness says victim's fiancé once explained how to strangle without
leaving fingerprints.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/24reed.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52

News8 Austin
Judge hears 'new' evidence in Reed case
http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=158007

Spring Break video and the TDCAA blog

Although most of the spring break reviews by the Texas County and District Attorney's Association's (TDCAA) blog is negative, I found this comment by a prosecutor from Fort Worth named "Ray" interesting.
He said: "On a more serious note, I am not at all concerned with young people engaged in any sort of political discussion. Having seen in the past the level of discourse on previous "MTV Does Spring Break in Cancun" et cetera, discussing or even attempted brain washing regarding the death penalty is a definite upgrade. I remain confident that if the young generation spends time discussing life or death issues they will turn out far better than if they discuss the type of suntan oil to use at Cancun or how many shots it takes to reach alcohol saturation.
As prosecutors we should welcome the discourse, our best argument will always be the criminal defendant and his actions."

Also the bus trip section of the 2006 Anti-Death Penalty Spring Break is available at Google Videos. This video includes the bus trip to Huntsville Texas to protest execution of Tommie Hughes and also the speech by Rev. Caroll Pickett who witnessed 95 executions during his time as the Chaplain of the Texas Death Row.

Support TSADP by purchasing a DVD

Buy a copy of The Exonerated through the link above, and support Texas Students Against the Death Penalty and Exonerated Inmates. TSADP will receive 50% of the purchase price!

email from TDPAM

A big hat's off to Scott Cobb with the Texas Moratorium Network and Hooman
and all the youth with the Texas Students Against the Death Penalty for
their hard work this week. These young folks made an enthusiastic
abolitionist statement yesterday in Huntsville outside the Walls Unit where
the state of Texas murdered Tommie Hughes.

The young folks energized everyone with their continuous chants and
optimistic enthusiasm for the abolition of the death penalty. They were
also very respectful of the family and ended the protest right before 6:00
PM and requested that the crowd remain silent during the execution.

Tommie's family had around 60 people in Huntsville and they knew that we
were all there for them. Tommie's mother and grandmother both witnessed the
execution and Tommie was blessed to have two such strong women in his life.
Tommie's two uncles who joined the large protest thanked everyone for being
there and for supporting the family.

The students weren't only from Texas, but from several other states,
including as far away as Oregon. While other students were heading to South
Padre and other beaches, these young people were showing all of us the best
of their generation. They are participating in all week in activities,
workshops, lobbying, seminars, petition-signing and yesterday's bus trip to
Huntsville. They were organized, prepared, disciplined and energetic. And
most of all, their seriousness about fighting the racist death penalty was
contageous.

As always, it was great to see Rennie Cushing with Murder Victims Families
for Human Rights who is forever ready to lend a hand here in Texas. Rennie
will be speaking with the youth today in Austin. Check out the students'
web site at: www.texasabolition.org.

From the Abolition Movement, we say to you young people, "You are the best!
Stay serious and committed and abolition will surely be a reality, even in
Texas!"

Students take stand against death penalty

Matt Pederson
Staff Reporter

Many college and high school students prefer to head somewhere tropical to spend their spring break, but a few came right here to Huntsville on Wednesday, and they came with a purpose.

Students from all over the state, and a few from across the country, flocked to Huntsville to take part in a protest of the execution of Tommie Hughes. The event is part of the 2006 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, sponsored by Texas Students Against the Death Penalty.

Tommie Hughes, 31, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Foluke Erinkitola. He robbed and then shot Erinkitola and her friend, Roxanne Mendoza, in their car after the women had watched a movie.

Hughes denied he killed the two women or planned the robbery and said his girlfriend at the time, Alina Henry, shot them in a jealous rage when she found him talking to the women.

Josh Tucker, a student at the University of Texas, came with the group Wednesday, because he believes it is time for him to make a difference in the way things are.

“I’ve seen some horrible things happen and seen people hurt, and I’ve been very angry,” Tucker said. “You see these things happen, and I had sort of a moment of pause and said, ‘Well, I can either act from this anger or I can stop and think about what solves the problem. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem.

“I think that because the death penalty is racist and because it unequally targets poor people, you’re looking at something that doesn’t solve the problem. You’re killing somebody to tell people we don’t kill people.”

During the day Wednesday, students visited the Texas Present Museum and heard a lecture from the Rev. Carroll Pickett, a former death house chaplain at the Huntsville “Walls” Unit. Pickett ministered to 95 men on the final day of their lives and was present in the chamber during their executions. He drew heavily on his own experience in talking to the students about spending time with prisoners during their last days.

Joel Pasley and Angela Martellaro are high school students who came all the way from Shawnee, Kan., to spend their spring break fighting the death penalty.

In attending the lectures and learning about the system, Pasley said he was most shocked to learn about the condition the prisoners live in.

“Some people have letters from pen pals about the conditions,” Pasley said. “For just minor things, their clothes were taken away and their meals were taken away and it really surprised me that in the United States that would go on. It seems like something that would go on in another era in another country.”

Martellaro said her vacation has so far been a learning experience for her in which her beliefs were even more firmly ground.

“We all had a simple understanding of the problems with the death penalty and after coming here, we’ve learned so much in detail about what goes on with capital punishment,” Martellaro said. “It’s just been so educational, because we all are in agreement that it is wrong and there are problems with the system, and this has been so specific, with so much information, that it really strengthened my beliefs.”

By listening, learning and participating, Pasley is hoping to go back home with a better understanding of how to fight what he believes to be an unjust policy.

“I want to learn how to petition to get a moratorium on the death penalty in Kansas,” Pasley said. “Even though it’s suspended right now, why wait until somebody is executed to try and save more lives.”

some press coverage:

http://www.diariosrumbo.com/rumbo/articulo.asp?idart=359508&idcat=3769

and

http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=157430

It's time for Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break

Taken from TMN Blog

Texas Students Against the Death Penalty has done an execellent job preparing for this year's Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, March 13-17 in Austin.

This will be an invaluable hands-on, learning experience for students, who will plan and carry out various activities, including a protest in Huntsville. Students will gain valuable training and experience in grassroots organizing, lobbying, preparing a direct action, media relations and other skills. They can apply what they learn against the death penalty or in their activities involving other issues.

Housing is available for a fee of $25 We will house participants in rooms at a dormitory near the University of Texas at Austin. Most students will be at The Goodall Wooten, a few people will stay somewhere else. Students will share the room with one or two other people. To register, contact Hooman Hedayati at: hooman@texasabolition.org

There is no participation fee for the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break except for those people who need housing. The fee for housing is $25, which covers the entire week. If you do not need housing, because you live in Austin or you are making your own housing arrangements, then your participation is free, but please register so we know how many people to expect. Participants are expected to travel to Austin at their own expense and pay for their meals and incidental expenses while in Austin.

Housing spaces are limited, so please register soon. Participants who register for housing need to bring towels, sheets and pillows.

Alternative Spring Break Schedule

If you have questions or need directions anytime during alternative spring break, call Hooman Hedayati at 210-601-7231 or Scott Cobb at 512-689-1544.


Monday, March 13
Monday's events will be held on the University of Texas campus in room 201 of Waggener Hall - WAG (WAG 201), which is located in the East Mall Area on the UT campus.


9AM - 3:00 PM Housing check-in for people who have signed up for housing. Meet at The Goodall Wooten Co-ed Dormitory, 2112 Guadalupe (Corner of 21st and Guadalupe). Parking is available behind the building. Students will be staying here if they sign up for housing. If you can not check in by 3 PM, then just go directly to the Wagner Building, Wag 201 where Monday's workshops are taking place and you can check in to your room after the workshops.

3-3:30 PM -- Meet at Wag 201 for snacks and socializing before the first workshop.

3:30-4 PM Introduction to Alternative Spring Break by Hooman Hedayati.

4:00 - 5:00 PM Death Row Penpal, life and living conditions on death. Delia Perez Meyer, sister of a death row inmate, will give a workshop on how to get in contact with people on death-row and become a penpal. She will also talk about living conditions on death row. Inmates are locked in a cell most of the day. They are very isolated. Friends and family often lose touch with the inmate. Thousands of forgotten men and women in federal/state penitentiaries, county jails, correctional facilities, and overseas prisons are desperately hoping for correspondence that may lead to friendship, romance, redemption or legal help.

5 Free Pizza and soda served at first night's events

5:30 PM JEB V. GEORGE. This is a Docudrama from the Awful Truth TV show by Michael Moore about the state of the Death Penalty in Texas and Florida. It was produced in 2000. The states of Texas (Governor George W. Bush) and Forida (Governor Jeb Bush) have turned capital punishment into a state pastime. They are two of the most enthusiastic proponents of the death penalty. Correspondent Jay Martel looks at the brotherly rivalry of the Bush brothers through the prism of a football rivalry, complete with a satirical pep rally outside an actual execution in Texas.

6-7 Anti-Death Penalty Organizing Workshop presented by Campaign to End the Death Penalty and including a showing of the 12 minute film "A Voice from Death Row" produced this year by Austin filmmaker Nathan Christ. The film features Shugaa Graham speaking at a forum CEDP held at UT, as well as scenes from the "6th Annual March to Stop Executions" held on Oct 29, 2005.

7-8 PM "The Death Penalty in Texas", a question and answer open discussion with Walter Long, who was one of the leaders of the effort to ban executions of juvenile offfenders. The U.S. Supreme Court banned executions of juvenile offenders on March 1, 2005. Walter Long is an attorney who represented Napoleon Beazley and Karla Faye Tucker, among others.

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

9 PM (Optional movie night at Goodall Wooten) -- Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story Redemption tells the story of Stan "Tookie" Williams, founder of the Crips L.A. street gang. Story follows his fall into gang-banging, his prison term, and his work writing children's novels encouraging peace and anti-violence resolutions which earned him multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations. After exhausting all forms of appeal, Tookie was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, California; he was declared dead on December 13, 2005 at 12:35 a.m. PST (08:35 UTC). Williams was the 12th person to be executed by California since it reinstated the death penalty in 1977.

Tuesday, March 14
Tuesday's events will be held in room 1-104 of the William B. Travis (WBT) building at 1701 Congress. Here is a map.


11am- 1:00pm: Skills Building Workshop: Winning Step-By-Step: How to Organize and Win Moratorium and Abolition Resolutions presented by Shari Silberstein, Co-Director of Equal Justice USA/Quixote Center (www.ejusa.org). EJUSA is a national leader in the movement to halt executions, providing hands-on technical assistance, grassroots organizing support, and capacity building to state and local campaigns across the country.

1 - 2:30 PM -- Lunch

2:30 - 4 PM -- Workshop: Influencing the Texas Legislature with Les Breeding, former legislative director for a member of the Texas Legislature. During the workshop, participants will learn how to interact effectively with legislators or legislative aides.

4 - 5 PM -- Planning and Sign-making session for the next day's protest in Huntsville.

Wednesday, March 15
Bus trip to Huntsville
(Everyone meet at the Goodall Wooten Dormitory at 2112 Guadalupe to get on the bus)

8 AM Bus Departs Austin for Huntsville

1 PM Arrive in Huntsville, have lunch (at your own expense)

2:30 PM Tour of Texas Prison Museum

3:30 Texas Death Row, talk by Reverend Carroll Pickett, former death house chaplain at the Walls Unit in Huntsville from 1982-1995. Pickett ministered to ninety-five men on the final day of their lives and was present in the chamber during their executions. He is now an outspoken activist against the death penalty. He is the author of "Within These Walls: Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain".

4:30 PM Arrive at The Walls Unit to prepare for protest of execution of Tommie Hughes.

5-6:30 PM Protest Execution of Tommie Hughes,

7 PM Depart for return trip to Austin.


Thursday, March 16
Advocacy Day at the Texas Capitol

9 AM Start getting to the Capitol. If you drive, parking is available either at meters along the streets or a short walk away at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 1201 San Jacinto located between Trinity and San Jacinto Streets. Parking is free for the first two hours and $.75 for each half hour thereafter (maximum daily charge: $6.00) Map of the Capitol Complex.

10-12 PM MVFM (Murder Victim Family Member) panel. The Panel will take place in room E2.016 in the lower level of the Capitol. Panelists include:
Renny Cushing: Renny Cushing is the founder and Executive Director of Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights. His father’s murder in 1988 has shaped his work as an advocate for crime victims and as an opponent of capital punishment. As a victim-abolitionist Renny has been a pioneer in the effort to bridge death penalty abolition groups and the victims’ rights movement.

Audrey Lamm Audrey is a senior at the University of Oregon. When Audrey was two years old her mother and her mother's friend were murdered in Nebraska. Audrey was in the building when the killings took place. The killer was apprehended, tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Several years ago, as the date of execution for her mom's killer approached, Audrey and her father, Gus, became involved in an effort to prevent the killer's execution. The Killer, Randy Reeves, had his life spared and is now serving life in prison instead of facing execution.

Christina Lawson: Christina suffered the loss of both her father and her husband. Her father was murdered when she was a child and her husband, David Martinez, was executed this past summer, July 28, 2005. She has witnessed the pain from both sides: the loss of her father, the anger and hate felt towards his killer, the loss of her husband, the sorrow for his victim's family and loved ones, the loss of a Daddy for their child. She has realized through her pain, that the death penalty does not bring anyone back, it does not heal anyone... it brings back the pain of losing a loved one and destroys another innocent family.

12-1 Lunch

Afternoon: Visits with legislators and/or their aides.

4 PM Tour of the Capital

4:30 PM Meet in the Capital Cafeteria to socialize and exchange information about what people learned during their visits with legislative offices.
More time on your own for enjoying Austin

5 - 8 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, 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 We will decide as a group on the workshop what size the teams can be. Options are 1, 2, 3, 4, or more person teams.

8-9 PM -- Gather at Goodall Wooten to announce the winner.

9 PM -- More time on your own for enjoying Austin


Friday, March 17

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.

11 PM -- UT Campus visits (optional) - Each day, UT offers two student-guided walking tours of campus for prospective students and families that begin at the Main Building ("UT Tower") and cover the center of campus from the unique perspective of a current student. This is one of the best ways to get a feel for campus and we recommend that all prospective students who are mobile take the tour. Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes, and feel free to bring your camera.

7 PM We all go have a final meal together! (Everyone buys their own dinner. We will decide as a group where to go eat).

9:30 PM (Optional Friday night event):- At the Alamo Downtown, there will be a showing of State vs. Reed directed by Ryan Polomski & Frank Bustoz. Synopsis: Did Rodney Reed kill Stacey Stites? This documentary explores the case that landed a 28 year old Bastrop man on Texas' Death Row.

Saturday, March 18: Departure Day
Students leave Austin when they get up if they didn't leave Friday night.

Alternative Spring Break was started by Texas Moratorium Network in 2004. It is now a program of Texas Students Against the Death Penalty and is entirely run by students for students. Co-sponsoring organizations include Texas Moratorium Network, Campaign to End the Death Penalty - Austin Chapter, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Murder Victims Families for Human Rights, Victims of Texas, The Peace and Justice Committee of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX and Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress.