10.15.08

Friends,

In a shocking move yesterday, the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of Troy Anthony Davis, a Georgia man who faces execution despite serious doubts about his guilt.  In refusing to take a case that would determine whether it was constitutional to execute someone with strong claims of innocence, the Supreme Court basically confirmed that there is no safeguard to protect against executing the wrong person.  We know that the majority of Americans are concerned about the possible execution of an innocent person.  With no way to ever be sure that justice is being carried out properly, the death penalty simply has to go.

The rejection of Davis' appeal by the Supreme Court is somber news, and at Equal Justice USA it's just one more reason to push forward with vigor in our work to halt executions.  This issue of the Equal Justice Edition highlights several ways EJUSA is expanding our campaigns and the support we offer, from building our national office to adding new offices, to hiring our new office manager.

Finally, check out our Recommended Link, a great article written by a former San Quentin warden who reminds us that even when we are certain about the guilt of the person we're executing, the death penalty doesn't make our communities safer.

Toward Justice,
Jeanne
on behalf of all of EJUSA

Expanding to Meet the Challenge

We've been a little busy at EJUSA in the past few weeks... We packed up our national office in Maryland, loaded a u-haul, and headed to our new office in Brooklyn, New York.  We're still unpacking, hooking up the phones and faxes, and settling into the new space.  Despite the upheaval, we haven't for one day stopped doing the work we're here to do - because that's what our move is all about.

Every day we're on the phone and on our computers connecting with individuals and organizations working to halt the death penalty, and we're working on making this new office the hub of an organization thoughtfully designed to best meet the needs of the campaigns we support.  We're aiding states from Maryland in the East to Montana in the West, from the beginning of building a campaign to post-abolition work, and everything inbetween!  Our online organizing tool is being employed by several states already to do strategic outreach and coordination, and more states are in the early stages of implementation.  In the coming months we'll be adding more members to our staff as we aim to improve and expand the support we offer.

Just like everyone at EJUSA, I'm excited about increasing our capacity to help states, and I appreciate all that our supporters have done to make this possible, especially during the tumult of our transition.  As the dust settles, I'll be keeping you posted about all the work we're doing.

EJUSA is about to go nationwide!  Our offices currently include our new National Office in New York, and a Midwest Field Office in Cincinnati.  Soon we'll be expanding to add a Western Field Office in Seattle to cover organizing in Western states like Montana.  More details to come!

PROFILE: Jean Tait

Hit the ground running?  You bet she can!  In September, we welcomed Jean Tait as Equal Justice USA's first office manager.  In her first weeks on board, Jean has not just had to take over our administrative duties, but take on an entirely new role in our organization.  As a project of the Quixote Center, many of our administrative tasks were handled by the center's staff.  Jean is now doing our bookkeeping, managing our database, keeping our office running smoothly, and more.

What look like daunting tasks to me are all taken in stride and with a smile by Jean, who is clearly used to running things.  For five years, she was the one-woman operation behind the Jacksonville Film Festival in Florida. She began her arts career as an actor, director, and choreographer, working in every medium from theater to film and beyond, but she became tired of life as a starving artist. That's how she ended up at the Sundance Channel and eventually running a film festival. More recently, Jean has been searching for a more meaningful career direction by putting her administrative skills to use in social justice work, and EJUSA seems like the perfect fit.

Jean has already been busy applying her artistic flair to our New York location (see above), turning a big empty room in Brooklyn into a working office with comfort and character.

I'm happy to welcome Jean to our team, not just from one Jeanne to another, but also as a fellow cat-lover.  I can't wait for a trip to New York when I'll get to visit Jean's Manhattan apartment and meet her three feline roommates!  Crazy New York cat lady?  Maybe.  Purrfect fit for the EJUSA team?  Definitely!  Welcome, Jean!

RECOMMENDED LINK: Former San Quentin Warden Speaks Out Against the Death Penalty

Corrections workers like former San Quentin warden Jeanne Woodford place promoting public safety at the forefront of their lives.  With 30 years experience working in corrections, public safety is exactly why Woodford has come to oppose the death penalty.

"...resources now spent on the death penalty could be used to investigate unsolved homicides, modernize crime labs and expand effective violence prevention programs, especially in at-risk communities. The money also could be used to intervene in the lives of children at risk and to invest in their education -- to stop future victimization."

Don't miss this thoughtful opinion piece by Woodford on why we should replace the death penalty with life without parole. 

Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) is a national leader in the movement to halt executions. We work state by state to train and empower grassroots leaders to advocate for a more fair and humane criminal justice system. Will you help us build this movement?

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