• I'm back on deck after Christmas with family & friends. Looking forward to NCADP annual conference on 14 Jan. http://bit.ly/4SOCFT #

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Juan Melendez spent 18 years on Florida’s death row for a crime he didn’t commit. His story was documented in the film Juan Melendez 6446. If  you think that a “truly innocent” person has no chance of ending up on death row, this film and Juan’s story will rock your world.

Even better, you have the chance to hear Juan speak about his own experience. If you’re in the Louisiville area or in Indianapolis in January, get along to one of Juan’s talks. Here’s where you can hear him speak:

• Monday, January 11, 6:30 p.m. University of Louisville School of Law, Louisville, KY.
• Tuesday, January 12, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. University of Indiana School of Law, Indianapolis, followed by screening of documentary “Juan Melendez 6446″ at 4:30 p.m. (also at U of I law school).
• Wednesday, January 13,  7:00 p.m. at Marian University, Indianapolis.
• Thursday, January 14, Central High School, Louisville at 12:45 p.m.

For more information about the Indiana events, contact Will McAuliffe, director of INcase.

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Filed under: Death Penalty, Innocence, social justice | No Comments »

• Texas Moratorium is holding a sweepstakes, 1st prize a 15-min phone call w/ me. No jokes about 2nd prize a 30-min call! http://bit.ly/8AH216 #

Filed under: journal | 4 Comments »

• We've launched an interactive community site for the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project. http://dmwplay.ning.com. You're invited. #

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• Back on the road in full swing after summer of writing. Feels good to be in the current of people again. #
• My latest blog post is on the death penalty in Washington State and plans to repeal it. http://bit.ly/16egGd #
• I'm excited about the revamped Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project site. http://www.dmwplay.org. Feel free to give us some feedback. #

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Steven Crimaldi, the new coordinator for the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project (around the office we call it the Play Project), has been working on beefing up the Project’s online presence. As part of that, he’s enlisted the help of a fine web designer who has given the Play Project’s website a whole new look. There’s still a bit of work to do to iron out the bugs, but so far I think it’s looking great.

The Play Project is entering its sixth year. Participating in the Project is a wonderful way for young people to reflect on a deeply moral issue and at the same time to experience the power of the arts to illuminate the big questions of our day. Participating schools are required to involve more than simply the drama department, and are encouraged to get their broader community involved as well. If you’d like to see your local college or school involved in this transforming project, you’ll find plenty of information about it on the website. So take a look at www.dmwplay.org and see what you think.

Filed under: Play Project | 2 Comments »

I was in Washington state earlier this month, where I met with two senators in Olympia, the state capitol, to plan a strategy to repeal the death penalty in Washington. It’s been years since there was an execution here and only a handful of people are on death row. As I talk in various universities I’m learning that a number of Washingtonians don’t even know there is a death penalty in the state.

Like many other states WA faces a severe budget crunch this year, so the bill will focus on taking the extravagant amount of money used to maintain a death machine and devote it instead to real help for murder victims’ families, solving cold cases, and doing catch up on the huge backlog of prisoners awaiting DNA tests.

A key part of the organizing strategy will be to involve college students in the three-year  campaign of repeal.

Whenever we talk budget I always emphasize that financial resources are not simply a “practical” issue, but rather a deeply moral issue. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to say a budget is a moral document.

Filed under: Current Affairs, Death Penalty, politics, social justice, victims' families | 2 Comments »

• Talked to Romell Broom's attorney yesterday. Harrowing experience – 18 attempts to insert needles. Ohio will try to kill him again. #
• Justice Scalia: "How enviable … a quiet death by lethal injection." #

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• NY Times: "An execution reprieve." Surely the ONLY word for this is "torture". http://bit.ly/13wZWK #
• RT @abfdc (Thanks for link to full story) The graphic story told by the AP was nauseating. http://bit.ly/eOEo0 #

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• "Outrageous that TX is conducting its careful investigation after Mr. Willingham has been executed, rather than before." http://bit.ly/A0U5J #

Filed under: journal | 1 Comment »