Two Executions This Week — Say NO!

Executions are scheduled this Thursday (5/16) in Tennessee and Alabama. YOU can help stop them. Action information, including the names of the men to be killed, their victim(s), and a link to contact the governors in those states, is here: http://deathpenaltyaction.org/1500th

But there is something else. If these executions go forward, they will be the 1,496th and 1,497th executions since 1977. Yes, these men are more than numbers. At the same time, the numbers are real, bringing us closer to a troubling and shameful milestone on the road to Abolition. At this writing, the 1500th execution in the post-furman era of the death penalty may be in July, and possibly sooner.

1500 sounds big. That’s why we expect it to get attention. However, this big round number belies the fact that the death penalty is in deep decline, and that is why Death Penalty Action is working to exploit this horrific milestone to highlight the following key points:

• The death penalty is in decline no matter how you count it: capital indictments, new death sentences, and executions are all at consistently low numbers when looking at the past several decades.
• The death penalty is not less arbitrary today. If anything, it is more so.
• Executions today are the legal mistakes of 20 years ago.

With assistance from DPIC, Death Penalty Action will soon be sharing new graphic illustrations which we can all use to highlight these issues. Watch for that rollout in the next few days.

How will YOU help?

• Please sign and share the petition on Change.org to gather opposition. At this writing more than 350 people have signed so far! Here is sample language you can cut and paste into your social media platform(s):
  Stop the 1500th Execution — End the #DeathPenalty Now: Sign the Petition! http://chng.it/45zDshBz via @Change @DeathPenaltyAct
• Help Death Penalty Action create the biggest impact possible with your contribution right now using this link: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/carry-it-further-by-investing-today-2/ or use Paypal at https://www.paypal.me/DeathPenaltyAction
• If you want to be with us on the ground to protest the #1500th execution where and when it happens, drop us a note to info@deathpenaltyaction.org.

More soon. Many thanks!

Abe & Scott

Death Penalty Action (is 501c3)

PS: Your donation will help us pay for tracking and preparation. We’ll need to support abolitionists on the ground once it is clear where #1500 may be. This may include last-minute travel, new signage, and other outreach. The more we have to work with, the greater our impact will be. If possible, when you invest, simply check the box at the bottom of the form to make your investment weekly, monthly or even quarterly!