This month’s newsletter contains
- information about the activist efforts of Jeannette Popp
- an outline of the challenges ahead for 2002
- an increase in executions,
- the effects of redistricting,
- and the statewide elections.
January 30, 2002
Dear Moratorium Supporter,
The new year is off to a good start for moratorium campaigning in Texas! Sister Helen has just finished a tour of the Lone Star State (including stops in Houston, and Austin, McAllen) and more people are signing the moratorium petition everyday.
There has also been recent, inspiring victory for our cause in Austin. Last month our dear friend Jeanette Popp, mother of Nancy De Priest, for whose murder Chris Ochoa and Richard Danziger were wrongly convicted, intervened with the Travis County DA’s office to save the actual killer, Achim Marino, from a likely execution. In an act of incredible courage, Jeanette visited Marino in jail to persuade him to accept a plea bargain that would have prevented prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. While Marino still contemplated asking to be executed, the DA gave in to Jeanette’s pressure and took the death penalty off the table. We cannot say enough how we
admire Jeanette’s compassion, mercy, and courage.
Moratorium activists will be needing some of Jeanette’s inspiration this year, because there is a lot of hard work ahead. We see three challenges awaiting us in 2002: (1) a likely increase in the number of executions in Texas; (2) the effects of redistricting; (3) state elections.
(1) Increase in executions
In 2000, Texas executed 40 people in 2000 (more than any state in all of U.S. history). In 2001, the number of executions was down to 17. It is likely to increase this year, because (as one report describes it) a glut of cases is working its way through the last stages of appeal. Two men have already been killed since the beginning of the year. This is a terrible development, and another reason to increase our efforts.
(2) Effects of redistricting
As dust settles from redistricting, it is becoming clear that we are going to lose at least six State Representatives who supported moratorium bills in the last session. In general, last session more Democrats than Republicans supported moratorium legislation. In 2003, both the House and Senate will be more Republican. We will need to re-emphasize to our lawmakers that a moratorium is not a partisan issue. Do take the opportunity to send a free fax to your legislator from Sister Helen’s website (http://www.MoratoriumCampaign.org). The service will be available starting January 31st.
(3) State elections:
2002 is an election year, and the primaries are coming up soon (March 12). This gives us an opportunity to raise the moratorium issue all across the state of Texas. Simply vote in one of the primaries, then go to the Precinct meeting of the Party for which you voted (the meeting should be in the same place where you voted, but ask …) At this meeting you can introduce a Moratorium Resolution, which will call on the Party to endorse a moratorium on all executions in Texas. And at this meeting you can volunteer to be a delegate for the County or District Convention. After your resolution passes, it moves to the County, or District Party conventions (April 6), where, if you are a delegate, you can vote on it again. Here you can get yourself elected as a delegate to the State Convention, held in June (June 7-8 Republicans, Dallas; June 13-15 Democrats, El Paso), where you can vote on your resolution yet again. Once your resolution passes this stage, it is part of the official Party Platform! Sample resolutions are available at:
http://piglet.cc.utexas.edu/~bcevans/SampleMoratorium.txt
Please contact Brian Evans with any questions, comment, or suggestions about this effort; and let us know how it goes!
A final note on 2002 election:
While none of the gubernatorial candidates supports a moratorium, we were especially disappointed to hear Democratic hopeful Dan Morales voice his approval of Governor Perry’s decision to veto a bill that would have banned execution of persons with mental retardation. He said the bill was an effort to water down the death penalty. Morales’ Democratic opponent, Tony Sanchez, has said he would have signed the ban (although he has not said whether he would support a moratorium).
The candidates are lagging behind the times: they still think indiscriminate killing is an easy way to win votes. If they meet you on the campaign trail, tell them they are out of touch; Texas is changing on this issue.
In closing, best wishes for 2002. Don’t forget to vote!
