marafs's blog

This week Witness to Innocence will add its voice to ICADP's campaign to end the death penalty in Illinois! Witness to Innocence is a national organization of death row exonerees who are active in the movement to end this country's system of capital punishment. Their stories of wrongful convictions and sentencing are some of the most clear cut reminders of why the death penalty is a flawed system, and why it must be repealed. In the past Witness to Innocence has teamed up with ICADP to promote abolition around the state of Illinois.

This weekend (Nov. 12th) Witness to Innocence will be holding their annual national conference in Chicago and collaborating with ICADP during this time. Exonerees from all over the country will meet with Illinois legislators in their district offices to discuss the issue of wrongful convictions and to urge them to vote 'Yes' for repeal during November's veto sessions.

To learn more about Witness to Innocence, visit their website: http://www.witnesstoinnocence.org/index.php

Legislators will VOTE on repeal legislation this month and we need to be in the Capitol in force!

Sign up to GET ON THE BUS to rally and lobby at the Capitol on Nov. 16th, and a People of Faith rally on Nov. 29th. Your voices will encourage legislators to vote YES on our bill to repeal Illinois' death penalty, so reserve your spots on the bus today and make your voices heard!

Click here to register: http://icadp.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1028

Only 2 days left until our annual Cunningham-Carey Award Dinner, and it's still not too late to purchase your tickets for this monumental event! This year we will be honoring Sister Helen Prejean, author of the book 'Dead Man Walking', with the 2010 Cunningham-Carey Award, as well as kicking off our TIME IS NOW campaign to the repeal Illinois' death penalty in November. You can register on our website or by calling us at 312-673-3816. But hurry because this exciting opportunity will not last much longer!

Join fellow faith abolitionists on Nov. 29th for a rally at the State Capitol in Springfield to encourage legislators to vote YES to repeal the death penalty in Illinois. Buses will depart at 6am from the Chicago Loop and Glen Ellyn and will return in the evening. For more details and registration click the link below:

http://icadp.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1029

Gail Rice's op-ed appeared in the Oct. 17th Southtown Star discussing her experience with the death penalty after her brother was murdered 13 years ago. Gail is a long time supporter of abolition and is one of the guest speakers on ICADP's October downstate tour.

'DEATH PENALTY OFTEN UNFAIR TO MURDER VICTIMS' FAMILIES'

I have spent recent weeks traveling to different communities in Illinois to share my story in a speaking tour titled "Beyond Repair: True Stories of Illinois' Flawed Death Penalty." I am joining other speakers to share our experiences with the death penalty.

I've spoken alongside men who share their real-life horror stories of being innocent men sentenced to death. I tell what it is like losing a loved one to murder.

Nov. 12 will mark 13 years since the murder of my brother, Bruce VanderJagt, a Denver policeman, who was the first police officer in the United States to be killed in the line of duty by a skinhead. The killer's name was Matthaeus Jaehnig.

Read more: http://www.southtownstar.com/news/opinion/guests/2805196,101710ricecol.a...