Maryland Death Row Exoneree Kirk Bloodsworth to Speak on 20th Anniversary of his Release: Saturday, June 29 at Noon and 6-8 pm!
WHEN: June 29 and June 30 from 8:30 am until 8:00 pm; July 1 and 2 – around the clock, 24-hour presence (ending at midnight on July 2). Evening teach-ins with noted speakers each day from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (SEE BELOW)
*** A public rally will be held Saturday, June 29 at 12:00 pm ***
WHAT: A four day liquid-only fast and vigil to mark the anniversaries of the historical 1972 Furman and 1976 Greg Supreme Court decisions to involve the death penalty.
WHO: Exonerated death row prisoners, murder victim family members, over 50 anti-death penalty activists from a dozen or more states and several countries, and leaders of state and national anti-death penalty organizations.
WHERE: On the sidewalk in front of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
The “Fast and Vigil” protest is a four day liquid-only fast and vigil to mark the anniversaries of the historical 1972 Furman and 1976 Greg Supreme Court decisions to involve the death penalty. Participants include exonerated death row prisoners, murder victim family members, over 50 anti-death penalty activists from 16 states, as well as leaders of state and national anti-death penalty organizations.
This year, June 29, 2013 marks the 41st anniversary of the Furman v. Georgia decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court found the death penalty to be applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner. A special rally will be held this day as part of the Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court.
This is the 20th consecutive year that the Abolitionist Action Committee will hold its annual Fast and Vigil between the dates of these two landmark decisions. Activists, many of whom are fasting the entire four days, are travelling to Washington D.C. from across the United States and beyond.
We can arrange interviews with activists from your specific state or region. Contact us with your request.
Highlights of this highly visual and interactive annual event include live music and evening teach-ins by death row survivors, murder victim family members, and noted activists and scholars. Please see details at
http://www.abolition.org/fastandvigil/schedule.html
RAIN ALERT: In the event of rain or significant threat thereof, evening events requiring amplification will take part inside the United Methodist Church Building, immediately adjacent (across Maryland Ave. on 1st St.)
The Abolitionist Action Committee is an ad-hoc group of individuals committed to highly visible and effective public education for alternatives to the death penalty through nonviolent direct action.
Information online at www.abolition.org, or call 800-973-6548.