Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Ex-Warden Who Executed in Florida & Texas Among Many Calling for End to Death Penalty on Historic 35th Anniversary


As part of STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2007; THE 14TH ANNUAL FAST AND VIGIL TO
ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY AT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

WASHINGTON, June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

WHO: Former Florida State Prison Warden Ron McAndrew (Participated in executions), Former Louisiana Death Row Prisoner Moreese Bickham removed from Louisiana's death row by the Furman decision),Attorney Marshall Hartman (worked on historic Furman case), Death Row Survivors, Murder Victim Family Members, and other leaders of various anti-death penalty organizations.

WHAT: Press Conference

WHEN: NOON, Friday, June 29, 2007, the 35th Anniversary of the Historic
Furman Decision

WHERE: On the sidewalk in front of the United States Supreme Court in
Washington, DC

WHY: July 29, 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the Furman V. Georgia decision in which the United States Supreme Court struck down all laws allowing executions in the U.S. Persons of interest noted above will join leaders of the anti-death penalty movement in speaking out about recent developments regarding the issue, noting how the death penalty continues to fail as a public policy in the United States.

July 2, 2007 marks the 31st anniversary of the Gregg V. Georgia decision in which the United States Supreme Court upheld laws written in various states to reinstate the death penalty in the wake of the Furman decision in 1972.

This press conference is part of the Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court, wherein anti-death penalty activists will converge on Washington, D.C. from Friday, June 29 through Monday, July 2 for four days of activities commemorating the historic 1972 and 1976 Supreme Court rulings that suspended the death penalty in the United States and later allowed executions to resume. This is the fourteenth year in a row that the Abolitionist Action Committee will hold its annual Fast and Vigil between the dates of these two landmark decisions. Activists, many of whom are fasting the entire four days, are travelling to Washington D.C.from across the United States and beyond.

Highlights of this highly visual and interactive annual event include live music and evening teach-ins by death row survivors, murder victim family members, and noted activists and scholars. Please see details at ://www.abolition.org/starvin14/schedule.html

ATTENTION REPORTERS, EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: Consider interviews with activists from your specific state or region. A press conference will be held at Noon on Friday, June 29 on the sidewalk in front of the U.S.

Supreme Court, but we are available all day and evening on June 29 and 30, and July 1 and 2. SEE THE LIST OF SCHEDULED EVENING SPEAKERS.

RAIN ALERT: In the event of rain or significant threat thereof, the press conference and other events requiring amplification will take part inside the United Methodist Church Building, immediately adjacent (across Maryland Ave. on 1st St.)

The Abolitionist Action Committee is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through nonviolent direct action.

Contact the AAC at:
800-973-6548
aac@abolition.org
http://www.abolition.org



SOURCE Abolitionist Action Committee

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