Press/Media Inquiries


Press Release (7/10/20): Protests Announced

Tribune Star (7/16/20): Trump Email Proves Federal Executions are a Political Stunt


Death Penalty Action is the national organization promoting grassroots opposition to federal executions. DPA co-director Abe Bonowitz is available for commentary and as a resource at abe@DeathPenaltyAction.org or by text/voice at 561-371-5204. 

DPA and our allies will be on the ground in Terre Haute providing public visibility on the issue.

Due to the pandemic, the group is not encouraging people to get on the government-provided bus to the penitentiary for the executions, and instead are promoting gathering at a nearby public location.

A peaceful and COVID-safe vigil will take place at 3:00 pm the day of each scheduled execution at the intersection of W. Springhill Dr. & US 41. We will maintain a presence until we hear that the execution has been completed or called off.

Additionally, we are encouraging smaller, symbolic protests nationwide and at US embassies worldwide rather than mass gatherings in any single location.

Resources and actions for concerned citizens are here.

Background on the organizers’ work:

DPA organizers led anti-death penalty protests when Timothy McVeigh was executed and helped create the Terre Haute Death Penalty Resistance network currently leading opposition on the ground in the community where federal death row resides and where federal executions take place. 

Bonowitz has an op-ed in the Terre Haute Star-Tribune on 7/8/2020: Trump is Playing Politics with the Death Penalty. Conclusion: “COVID-19 notwithstanding, three executions in July and another in August are intentionally timed for just before the Republican and Democratic national conventions. No matter where one stands on the issue of capital punishment, the president should not be allowed to carry out executions while putting Terre Haute at greater risk as part of his re-election campaign strategy.”

Bonowitz led a press conference at the federal prison location on Monday (7/6/2020): Activists Speak Out Against Upcoming Executions: “Trump wants execution ‘under his belt’ heading into elections.” 

Highly visible images of protests created by the Death Penalty Action team are regularly used to illustrate unrelated news items. Current and recent examples are here, here, here, here and here.