Abolitionist E-Newsletter 10-30-03
back to News page ** back to Main page Dear Supporters and Allies: The staff here at Pa. Abolitionists' Philadelphia office are still following-up on the many details coming out of the tremendously successful "Rally for a Moratorium on Executions" on Saturday, October 11th. Needless to say, the events of October 11th -- both the rally and the mid-Atlantic student conference -- were invigorating and inspiring to us. We are still finding copies of news articles about the rally from surprising sources such as CNN.com and the Washington Post, all of which are overwhelmingly positive in their coverage. And, we continue to be challenged by the inspiring words of rally speakers, like Gov. George Ryan, the Schiebers, and the exonerated death row prisoners. Thank you to the many organizers and activists across the state who helped to make the events of the 11th a success and to each person who attended this historic rally.
There are a few items that we'd like to bring to your attention as we move into the month of November. The contents of this E-newsletter include:
1) Information regarding State Supreme Court candidate's views on the death penalty
2) "Where was Gov. Rendell when the people of Pa came to call on October 11th?"
3) Report on recent legal decisions in Pa. death penalty cases
4) "The Exonerated" premieres in Philadelphia
Peace, Jeff Garis Executive Director
1) Information regarding State Supreme Court candidate's views on the death penalty
This coming Tuesday, November 4th, Pennsylvanians will be going to the polls to vote for a number of state and municipal seats. One of those seats is on our State Supreme Court.
Activists from our Pittsburgh Chapter forwarded a news article that appeared in the Allegheny Times on October 20th. The article focused on a somewhat unusual approach being taken by Allegheny County Judge Max Baer. Throughout the campaign, Judge Baer has been very open about his views on a host of controversial issues. What follows is a brief excerpt from that article, written by Bob Bauder of the Times' staff (relevant text appears in all capitals):
"[Allegheny County Judge Max] Baer, 55, a Democrat, will face Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin, a Republican and a former Allegheny County judge, for an open seat on the state Supreme Court. He has been rated by the Pennsylvania Bar Association as 'highly recommended' for the post.
"Baer, of Mount Lebanon, is unusual among judicial candidates in that he doesn't mind talking about his position on social issues of the day.
"He is pro-choice, ANTI-DEATH PENALTY and opposes caps on medical malpractice suits, but said his beliefs would not affect the way he would decide Supreme Court cases.
"'I make decisions on a daily basis that are inconsistent with what I believe,' he said.
"The Supreme Court oversees all courts in Pennsylvania, and Baer said he would use his position to change state judicial policy."
2) "Where was Gov. Rendell when the people of Pennsylvania came to call on October 11th?"
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11th, several hundred participants in the Rally for a Moratorium on Executions arrived at the Governor's Mansion after a mile-long march from the Capitol. The participants, carrying "Stop Executions in Pennsylvania" signs and chanting, "What do we want? Moratorium! When do we want it? Now!", were delivering a personal message to Gov. Ed Rendell.
Some activists and politicos had jokingly predicted that the governor would "flee the capital" on the 11th to avoid facing Pennsylvanians intent on holding him to his campaign promise. As anticipated, Gov. Rendell was not at home on Saturday evening when hundreds of Pennsylvanians paid a visit, calling on him to suspend executions in the state.
HOWEVER, Gov. Rendell was not able to avoid a face-to-face meeting with Pa. Abolitionists that Saturday evening, nor was he able to escape being confronted about the need for a moratorium on executions.
As luck would have it, the governor was putting in an appearance at the Philadelphia NAACP annual awards dinner. Peggy Sims, Community Organizer with Pa. Abolitionists, was one of the community leaders being honored by the NAACP, specifically for her criminal justice advocacy efforts. All the honorees were individually introduced to Gov. Rendell. As Peggy related the story, Gov. Rendell was smiling and nodding affably UNTIL the words, "And this is Peggy Sims. She's the Community Organizer for Pennsylvania Abolition--"
At this point, mid-word, Peggy said that the governor visibly winced. Before Peggy could speak, Gov. Rendell jumped in to say, "Listen, Ms. Sims, we're not executing anybody in this state, I'm committed to improving capital defense, and I'm personally reviewing each and every case before signing a warrant."
And Peggy looked him in the eye and said, "I'm sorry, Governor Rendell, but that's not good enough."
The governor, looking more and more uncomfortable, said, "Well, Ms. Sims, it's been a pleasure meeting you, and I'm sure we'll be continuing this conversation in the future." And he moved quickly on to the next person.
So, while hundreds of us held vigil outside the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg, chanting "Moratorium NOW!", Gov. Rendell heard the message loud and clear back in Philadelphia.
3) Report on recent legal decisions in Pa. death penalty cases
By Rob Dunham, Federal Defenders Association, Capital Habeas Unit:Click here for the report.
4) "The Exonerated" premieres in Philadelphia
On Tuesday, October 28th, "The Exonerated" made its Philadelphia debut at the Merriam Theater. The near-capacity crowd was stunned by the sheer power of the human drama which presents the true stories of six individuals who were sentenced to for crimes they did not commit. If you ever get the opportunity to see this drama, definitely do so. It is a particularly helpful tool for educating friends and family about the realities of the death penalty in a non-threatening manner.
The Philadelphia production was reviewed by Philadelphia Inquirer theater critic Desmond Ryan on Thursday, October 30th. The generally positive review can be found here.
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