Blogs

Our fall E-Newsletter is now available online! Click on the link below to read about all of the activities and events that are going on within the coalition as we prepare to pass our repeal bill during November's Veto Session:

ICADP Fall E-Newsletter: http://fb.me/ETeMFSS6

Linda Robertson, who attended a September tour event, wrote a wonderful Letter to the Editor in the 'Kane County Chronicle', talking about her reaction to the true stories that she heard at the St. Charles Public Library on September 14th. In the article she emphasizes the speech given by Vicki Scheiber, who lost her daughter to murder, and highlights the suffering of murder victims' family members as a direct result of the death penalty.

To read the full article click on the link at the bottom of this page.

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
'Letters: Against the Death Penalty'
9/29/2010

To the Editor:

The presentations on Sept 14, True Stories of Illinois’ flawed Death Penalty, by the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty at the St. Charles Public Library were real eye-openers for me. I thought I was well informed. As a scientist I have been concerned about the poor data and technical issues coming from cases that have caused exonerations. But I never expected that judges and juries would convict someone like Randy Steidl in a case with corroborating witnesses testifying that he was elsewhere at the time of the murders and no evidence to support the conviction. It totally offends my sense of justice.

(Continued)

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2010/09/29/49933984/index.xml

DAILY HERALD: 'Time to abolish death penalty'
Letter to the Editor
9/28/10

By Mary Ann Naas

I recently heard from a man who is living proof of why we need to repeal the death penalty in Illinois. Randy Steidl spoke to a crowd of us at the St. Charles Public Library about his experience spending 12 years on death row as an innocent man. Joining Randy were two women - one lost a brother to murder, the other a daughter.

They affirmed my belief that the death penalty process is flawed beyond repair and harms victims' families. The majority of victims' families and police chiefs much prefer that the millions of dollars invested in the death penalty instead go to law enforcement, crime prevention and education, alcohol/drug abuse programs, programs for the mentally ill and to resources to help victims' families.

Read More: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=410273&src

The first week of the 'Beyond Repair' suburban speaking tour was successful, with great turnouts to our events in St. Charles, Naperville, Arlington Heights, and Joliet. At each event, people have been asking how they can get involved in the campaign and have written letters directly to their legislators calling for an end to this state's system of capital punishment. We are thrilled to witness this mounting public enthusiasm, and want to thank everyone for their steadfast support as we are working to repeal the death penalty in Illinois.

The final dates of our September speaking tour will take place this week, with an event tonight in Quad Cities, and on Thursday evening in Schaumburg. We hope to see you there!

It goes without saying that some of the most powerful stories in support of repealing Illinois' death penalty come from people who have experienced death row first hand and who have lived to tell about it. This week ICADP launched its 'Beyond Repair: True Stories of Illinois' Death Penalty' speaking tour in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. Along with the stories of murder victims' family members, the tour features the testimonies of death row exonerees who have now dedicated their lives to speaking out against capital punishment; Stories like Randy Steidl's, who was convicted of a double homicide in 1986 that he did not commit and spent over 17 years in prison and on death row trying to prove his innocence. Or Ronald Kitchen's, whose coerced 'confession' to the murder of two women and three children in 1989 landed him in prison and on death row for 21 years before finally being exonerated. These examples make it difficult to argue against the fact that Illinois' death penalty is seriously flawed and therefore needs to be repealed.