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USA ROF Capital Punishment |
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 RoF USA: Capital Punishment Gerrie Baskerville, IBVM Associate,
and Judy Illig, IBVM, were involved with activities preceding the execution of
Stanley “Tookie” Williams at San Quentin Prison. This included a press
conference held at Sacramento’s City Hall featuring speakers for various
churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the city.
The vigil for Tookie was on December 12, 2005 from 11:00 PM until 1:00 PM on December 13, 2005.
Approximately 200 people attended. We prayed, sang and listened as high school students read from
Tooki’s books which encourage young people to stay away from drugs and gang activity. The vigil took
place in front of the Sacramento State Capitol building and was well covered in the media. This vigil was
a continued statement that the death penalty is wrong, that killing those who kill simply perpetuates the
violence.
We also took part in a vigil on January 17, 2006 praying for Charles Ray Allen and his victims. Ray Allen
had been on death row for 25 years and was 75 years old, legally blind and deaf and in a wheel chair
at the time of execution. Again, what does our killing those who kill prove?! We have attended the vigil for all 14 executions since 1992. We are currently involved in a campaign for
a moratorium on the death penalty in California. Since the use of DNA testing, it has been proven that 121
death row inmates were innocent and have been exonerated. It was our hope and prayer that the
legislative bill calling for the moratorium would have been passed in January. The bill was defeated but
we will continue our campaign and ask that you join your prayers with ours.
Another execution is planned for February 21, 2006 in California. |
