Federal Execution Press Release
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Death Penalty Action & Terre Haute Death Penalty Resistance
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Abraham Bonowitz: 561-371-5204 – Abe@DeathPenaltyAction.org – @DeathPenaltyAct
Sister Barbara Battista: 812-264-2318 – bbattista@spsmw.org
Terre Haute Execution Protest Plans Announced as Petitions Delivered to Congress and the White House
Terre Haute Protesters Skipping Official BOP Protest Accommodations
Terre Haute, IN – July 10, 2020: Thousands of petition signatures were delivered to President Trump today, urging on him to use his authority to call off the federal executions scheduled for next week. A second set of petitions was delivered to congressional leaders, urging the abolition of the federal death penalty.
“We can do better for murder victim family members, be safe from dangerous individuals and hold them accountable without wasting taxpayer dollars on a system fraught with disparity and error,” said Abraham Bonowitz, co-director of Death Penalty Action, a national organization mobilizing grassroots opposition to federal executions. Petitions and other resources may be found here: http://deathpenaltyaction.org/federal-death-penalty (See additional statement below)
Protest Information in Terre Haute
Death Penalty Action also announced plans for local protests outside the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the location of the federal death row and execution chamber. Details are on the Facebook page of the Terre Haute Death Penalty Resistance Network.
Organizers are encouraging protesters to stay away from the official protest area provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons because of concerns about COVID-19 and the unreasonable restrictions and time commitment placed on any individual choosing to subject themselves to that process. Protesters will instead stage a visibility action and prayerful vigil at the busy intersection closest to the prison at US 41 and W. Springhill Drive in Terre Haute starting at 3pm EDT, one hour before the scheduled 4pm execution.
Protests & Vigils to be Live-Streamed
Individuals and groups across the country and worldwide are planning prayer and protest vigils. Many will be on-line via live-streaming services to accommodate those unable to travel or gather in groups due to the pandemic. Those who provide information to info@deathpenaltyaction.org will be listed on the Death Penalty Action web page.
* An in-person demonstration will take place outside the US Department of Justice building in Washington, DC at the time of the execution on Monday, July 13, 2020.
* The in-person 3pm protest on July 13, 2020 and subsequent execution days will also be live-streamed on the Facebook page of the Terre Haute Death Penalty Resistance Network.
* Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary of the Woods, which is headquartered in Terre Haute and whose sisters minister to federal prisoners, will live-stream a worship service at 5:30pm on Sunday, July 12, 2020 on this site.
* The Catholic Mobilizing Network will live-stream a prayer vigil at 2pm on July 13, 2020 via the internet at https://catholicsmobilizing.org.
The Politics of These Executions
A statement from Death Penalty Action Co-Director Abraham J. Bonowitz
“Whether it is one execution or three, on top of our deep concerns about the death penalty as a public policy failure, we believe it is unconscionable for the Administration to bring prison personnel, witnesses, and the accompanying numbers of media and protesters from across the United States in this time of a pandemic, when cases are spiking,” said Abraham Bonowitz, co-director of Death Penalty Action, a national organization mobilizing opposition to federal executions. “Together with revelations published today about the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure execution drugs, the timing of these execution dates and the insistence on going forward in the midst of the pandemic betrays a simple underlying fact. These executions are nothing more than a political stunt intended to stoke the political base of Donald Trump as he runs for re-election.”
Bonowitz elaborates on his conclusion in this Op-Ed published in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star on July 8, 2020: Trump is Playing Politics with the Death Penalty and is available for comment at 561-371-5204.
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