Together We Can Stop The Violence

I’ve been on a family retreat for Passover in the Ojai mountains in California. Today the peacefulness of the past week was shattered by news of another synagogue shooting. Being Jewish, it hits a little closer to home when the mass shootings happen in places of worship. Whether the targets are in a church, a mosque or a temple of any faith, killing random people purely because of their faith is a sick symptom of an epidemic of violence and an absence of love.

And just as happens each time there is an execution, my resolve to stop the violence only gets stronger when these killings happen. I believe that by working to stop executions and end the death penalty, we are, together as Death Penalty Action, doing important work to heal the world by setting the example that killing is wrong.

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr. hammering a gun barrel into a garden tool at the Toledo Beating Guns event. Click here to see video of Jack’s remarks at that event.

​ We must continue to use our voices to demand an end to violence, and Death Penalty Action is doing just that. On April 15th in Toledo and April 16th in Cleveland, I was with Death Penalty Action Advisory Board Members Shane Claiborne, Bill Pelke, Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr, LaShawn Ajamu and Kwame Ajamu at several stops on Shane’s national Beating Guns Tour​. Together we connected capital punishment’s failures to the issue of gun violence by highlighting how the needs of murder victim family members are often ignored while policy makers give us more “thoughts and prayers” instead of action.

Click to watch these powerful videos of Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr.​ and LaShawn Ajamu​ talking about losing their loved ones to gun violence, and asking for healing action rather than the retribution of an execution. These videos were made at the Cleveland event.

It is powerful stuff. Death Penalty Action is committed to connecting our anti-death penalty activism to related issues to help grow the impact of our movement. We must do more, and better, with the resources we have, because there is pressing work ahead. What’s next on our agenda?

• Upcoming execution(s) in Tennessee
• Organizing a possible Ohio Journey of Hope (possible for Oct!)
• Keeping executions from resuming in Ohio
• The 26th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty
• The 1500th execution since 1977
• and more…

Please help Death Penalty Action create the biggest impact possible with your investment right now using this link: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/invest-in-death-penalty-action or use Paypal at https://www.paypal.me/DeathPenaltyAction

More soon. Many thanks!

— abe

Death Penalty Action (is 501c3)

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ALSO: If you responded to our offer for a free copy of David Dow’s new book, watch your mailbox — the books are on the way! And if you missed that opportunity, please get the book from your favorite local book seller.