Dallas Peace Times

DALLAS PEACE TIMES a publication of the Dallas Peace Center

July 2009

www.dallaspeacecenter.org

Volume XXIV, Number 6

Father John Dear:

‘Put down your sword’

Dallas Peace Center • The Dallas Peace Center is the oldest and largest peace & justice organization in North Texas.

• The Center is located on the Cathedral of Hope campus at 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. @ Inwood.

• Contact us by calling 214-823-7793 or by email at admin@ dallaspeacecenter.org.

By Trish Major Many Christians read the Beatitudes and say, “That’s so nice.” John Dear read them anew on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and said, “My God, I think He’s serious!” At that moment, as Dear was deciding what to do with his life, three huge Israeli jets flew low over him on their way to drop bombs on Lebanon. His course was clear: John Dear would become a Jesuit priest and devote his life to peacemaking – and not just once-in-awhile peacemaking, but radical peacemaking, following the example of Jesus.

To that end, Dear has adopted the attitude that, “Positive social change happens when good people break bad laws and accept the consequences.” In the style of his mentors and friends, Jesuit priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Dear began actively questioning and confronting the war culture of the U.S. He has been arrested more than 75 times. (“I

• The Dallas Peace Times is a monthly publication. For more news, go to www.dallaspeacecenter. org.

Mission The mission of the Dallas Peace Center is based on a vision of reconciliation: to promote education, dialogue and action for peace and justice.

Father John Dear

Photo by Soraya Clasing

have a problem with recidivism.”)

Dear, the first speaker in the Dallas Peace Center’s 2009 Summer Dinner Lecture Series, was in Dallas on June 11. He spoke to about 110 DPC supporters at Margaux’s restaurant that evening.

Dear ’s best-known act of civil disobedience occurred in 1993 when he joined Philip Berrigan and two others in trespassing onto Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. There they followed the directions of the prophet Isaiah, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares.

Neither shall they train for war anymore,” and proceeded to hammer on the F-15E fighter bombers. For this action, Dear and his friends spent nine months in prison, and he is still monitored by the government. “The church doesn’t take me seriously; the Jesuits don’t take me seriously; the media doesn’t take me seriously – but the government takes me seriously,” he said.

During the Christian Holy Week tis year, Dear added to his arrest record when he trespassed onto Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where soldiers sit in a videogame setting, and monitor unmanned bombers that continually fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan. He and others were arrested on Maundy Thursday, and upon release returned to the base.

Dear invited everyone to take a pledge of “creative nonviolence,” affirming that “all creatures on the earth are your brothers, and you can never hurt anyone again, much less be silent.” Dear said that Jesus’s last commandment to the church was “Put down your sword,” which he gave to his disciples when he was being arrested. “There is no cause, no matter how noble, for which we Continued on page 2

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

Dear insists on peace in our time Continued from Page One will support the taking of a human life,” said Dear.

Two hundred years ago abolitionists announced the end of slavery, and then they pursued that vision. “My friends, we are their ancestors,” Dear said. “We are announcing the abolition of war and violence and nuclear weapons. We need to pursue this new vision.” One of the main features of Dear’s vision is a world free from nuclear weapons. Although he is pleased that President Barack Obama has brought up the notion of a nuclearfree world, he is sorely disappointed that Obama added that “this won’t happen, probably, in our lifetime.” Dear said, adamantly, “We have to say, ‘No!’ This must happen in our lifetime.”

Dear repeatedly expressed the importance of local and resilient activism. “One of the tragedies of the culture of war is a loss of imagination,” he said. “We have to reclaim the vision of peace. Every movement was hopeless – but in every one, local people refused to give up.”

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Dallas, TX 75235 Tel 214-823-7793 admin@dallaspeacecenter.org www.dallaspeacecenter.org The Dallas Peace Times is a monthly publication of the Dallas Peace Center, a nonprofit organization.

A one-year Dallas Peace Center membership costs $35 and includes a subscription.

Copy deadline for August issue: July 15, 2009 Peace Times Advisory Team Paulette Cooper Roger Kallenberg Robert Dennis Gene Lantz Betty Jane Ferguson Kelli Obazee Walt Harrison Kathy Schoemer Editor

Trish Major

July 2009

Letters to the Editor Domestic violence crosses all socio-economic lines To the Editor: As a former service provider to survivors of domestic violence, I was interested and heartened by your coverage of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation’s “Saayah” project to create a refuge for women fleeing abusive relationships.

However, I am afraid that one paragraph of the Peace Times article might inadvertently reinforce a common misconception about domestic violence: “When [Samar Hathout] spoke in Dallas she expounded on what seems to be an incongruity: ...

Muslims are the most racially diverse religious group in America. They are also among the most educated, and have the most active female workforce in America.”

Many people believe, wrongly, that domestic violence occurs primarily among poor or uneducated people, or in certain racial or ethnic groups. This is not the case. Domestic

violence and other forms of abuse are, unfortunately, prevalent among all economic levels, occupational categories, ethnic groups, nationalities of origin, and religious groups (as well as among secular, non-religious people). Belonging to a certain professional class or culture, or a certain religious community, is not known to make a person either more or less likely than other people to be either a perpetrator or a victim of domestic abuse.

It may well be true that such abuse is more common in some social groups than in others, but this is probably impossible to determine with any accuracy, due to the extreme reluctance of most people to report incidents of this kind. In any case, domestic abuse is horribly common in all communities and in all social strata.

Gary Cooper McAllen, Texas

2009 Peacemaker of the Year Award Now accepting nominations

Awards are presented annually to people or organizations whose work best exemplifies the mission of the Dallas Peace Center: to promote research, education, dialogue and action for peace and justice.

Submit nominations to peacemaker@dallaspeacecenter.org or by mail to Dallas Peace Center, 5916 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas, TX 75235.

Nominations should include: • Name of nominee; • Description of nominee’s work for peace and justice; • Your name and phone number.

The Peacemaker Awards Dinner will be held on December 4, 2009.

July 2009

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

Cole fosters understanding between Middle East, west On August 6, Dallas Peace Center supporters will be treated to the wisdom of Dr. Juan Cole, the final speaker of the 2009 Summer Dinner Lecture Series.

Cole, a Professor of History at the University of Michigan, imparts a broad, historical view of current events in the Middle East that i s often lost in political rhetoric today. His analysis of the

policies and attitudes of the U.S. and the Muslim world are offered from the viewpoint of an unbiased historian, rather than from a pro-Western or proMiddle Eastern cheerleader.

For three decades, Cole has worked to put the relationship between the Middle East and the West in a historical context. His latest book, Engaging the Muslim World, will be available for sale at the dinner. He has also recently authored Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East.

In a recent essay about President Barack Obama’s comments on Iran, Cole cites the outcomes of similar situations in the region throughout history, and concludes, “American politicians should keep their hands off Iran and let the Iranians work this out. If the reformers have enough

widespread public support, they will develop tactics that will change the situation. If they do not, then they will have to regroup and work toward future change. US covert operations and military interventions have caused enough bloodshed and chaos. If the US had left Mosaddegh alone in 1953, Iran might now be a flourishing democracy and no Green Movement would have been necessary.”

Cole has appeared as a guest on PBS’s Lehrer News Hour, ABC Nightly News, Nightline, the Today Show, Charlie Rose, Anderson Cooper 360, Countdown with Keith Olberman, Democracy Now! and other programs dealing with current events. He has a regular column at Salon.com.

To purchase tickets for the dinner lecture on August 6, go to www. dallaspeacecenter.org/tickets or call the Peace Center at 214-823-7793.

Progressive bills run out of time in legislature

By Daniel Williams The Texas Legislature meets on odd numbered years for 140 days.

Each new proposed law is introduced as a bill in one of the two chambers of the Legislature (House or Senate).

The Texas Constitution requires each bill to be read three times in each house on three different days. After the first reading the bill is referred to a committee which typically holds public hearings and discusses the bill. If the committee approves of the bill it is sent back to the chamber from which it originated for second reading, debate and amendment. After second reading the bill is read, debated and amended again during third reading, and, if passed, sent to the other chamber of the Legislature where the whole process is repeated. Once passed by both chambers the bill is sent to the Governor who can either sign it (making it law), not sign it (making it law, but with the tacit disapproval of the Governor), or

veto it. Each step in the process comes with a date-specific deadline.

In the 2009 session there were 7,609 bills introduced and 1,459 bills were sent to the Governor. What follows are a handful of Peace and Justice related bills: HB 1323 (Strama D-Austin) Relating to bullying and harassment in public schools.

Bullying is an age old problem in public schools. The advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have given bullies a new outlet for harassment. Across the nation there have been reports of school children committing suicide in response to vicious online attacks. Unfortunately public schools have been largely unable or unwilling to respond since online bullying usually takes place off of the school campus. HB 1323 would have allowed public schools to respond. The bill was still waiting to be heard when

the deadline passed for second readings in the House and was never heard on the floor.

HB 2267 (Hodge D-Dallas) - relating to the joint or separate prosecution of a capital felony charged against two or more defendants and the extent of a defendant’s criminal responsibility for the conduct of a coconspirator in capital felony cases.

The “Law of Parties” is a well established legal concept by which all parties to the commission of a crime are responsible for everything that happens during the crime. In Texas this concept is often applied to capital cases, which can mean that people who drove a get-away car or hid murder suspects can be executed by the state. HB 2267 sought to end that practice and to ensure that defendants in capital cases each received a separate trial, rather than be tried jointly, a situation that statistically Continued on page 6

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

July 2009

Sheehan leads march for war crimes prosecution “He’s not president anymore. It’s in the past. Move on,” said many of the commenters on the mainstream media websites when they learned that Cindy Sheehan was coming to Dallas on June 8 to demonstrate near George W. Bush’s home. But Sheehan‘s answer was simple and to the point: “All crimes are in the past.” Usually there just isn’t a big debate about whether to prosecute them Sheehan came to Dallas to promote her online book, Myth America, and to lead a march through Bush’s neighborhood near Walnut Hill Ln. and the Dallas North Tollway. The march, sponsored by several local peace and justice organizations, was a means of bringing attention to three messages: • The use of torture and other crimes against humanity is immoral and illegal; • Those who have authorized the use of torture must be held accountable to ensure that no precedent is set to endanger future generations; Hadi Jawad holds the megaphone, above, as Cindy • No one is above the law.

Sheehan speaks to supporters after the march.

Demonstrators gathered at the corner of Preston & Royal Below, marchers take a shade break on a hot day. where a circus of media and a smattering of counterprotesters converged. They proceeded with a sidewalk march through neighborhood streets, carrying signs with messages such as “Torture works to yield a false confession,” “Got Accountability?” and “Mr. Bush, Turn Yourself In.” They chanted, “Lies, torture, treason! Need another reason?”

The march ended at the school across the street from Bush’s gated neighborhood, where Sheehan said, “George Bush and Dick Cheney not only committed crimes against humanity; they committed crimes against our constitution.”

She also said that she wants President Obama to know that “we don’t approve of the war and the torture and the bases any more now than when George Bush was president.”

From the Board Ian Hunter is the newest member of the Board of the DPC. He joined it in January 2009 and immediately volunteered to serve on the Infrastructure committee – where he could use his experience in business management to best effect.

He is currently chairman of the Social Action Council of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas – and so continues a “tradition” of connectedness between the DPC and

Hunter worked for peace in S. Africa First Unitarian.

Until recently, he led the “Peace and Justice” team of their Social Action Council.

Ian’s passion for peace through reconciliation is based on his many experiences with “the struggle” in South Africa. (He came to the US in 1999 and, last September, became a US citizen.) He and his immediate family were active in movements like the Institute for

a Democratic Alternative for South Africa (IDASA) and often found themselves “isolated” politically from work colleagues, friends and even family members – until everything changed, miraculously, in 1992-4.

He is a strong admirer of Bishop Desmond Tutu and supported many of his meetings, sermons and other protest events.

He likes to quote the words of the Dalai Lama: “World peace begins with inner peace. Peace is not the absence of violence. The manifestation of peace is human compassion.”

July­ 2009

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

HLF five maintain innocence during sentencing human rights,” said Mustafaa Carroll, president of Hungry for Justice and executive director of CAIR. And just like the Holy Land Foundation, there were many examples of unjust sentencing and arrests.

On May 27, five charity workers were given exorbitant prison sentences because, in order to provide food and shelter to needy Palestinians, they went through t h a t n a t i o n ’s democratically elected government, led by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization.

The Muslim and peace & justice communities Photo by Walid Ajaj Noor Elashi talks to the press after the court sentenced provided moral and her father, Ghassan, to 65 years in prison. financial support to

By Kathy Schoemer & Trish Major Recent sentencing of the Holy Land Foundation’s leaders and volunteers reminded activists of a different era in this country. A time when lynching was accepted and a time when black people could not vote. “We all have those memories of what happened during the day when those of us struggled for

the defendants throughout two trials, but their efforts were matched by a fearful political climate. At a town hall meeting prior to the sentencing, Bob Ray Sanders, columnist and senior editor of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, said that he had recently been criticized for sympathizing with Palestinians. “What they don’t know is that I’m too old to start closing an eye to an injustice,” he said. “The truth is the Holy Land Five were railroaded by a train called the U.S. Department of Justice.”

At the sentencing, the five defendants, Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh, entered the courtroom one at a time to deliver a final statement before U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis handed down their sentences. In each case the defendant maintained his innocence and Continued on page 6

Dallasites protest Chamber’s anti-worker campaign

By Gene Lantz On the afternoon of May 29, North Texas Jobs with Justice set a picket line outside the offices of the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce.

They are located inside the Bank of America building. National Jobs with Justice has charged the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with coordinating the antiworker campaign against the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to organize.

Activists from the religious community, Dallas Peace Center, and students from Denton joined a diverse number of union members including teachers, communications workers, Teamsters, screen actors, service employees, auto workers and food & commercial workers.

The main chant was “Chamber of Commerce, no more lies! Workers have to organize!”

Dallas City Councilwoman Pauline Medrano attended the rally at the end of

At left, Chip Serrano and Mark Niezgoda of UFCW p i c k e t . B e l o w, Councilwoman Pauline Medrano speaks to the group.

the picket. Medrano, like many forwardthinking public servants, signed a card favoring the Employee Free Choice Act. She recalled that her father, Pancho Medrano, missed very few public labor actions during his lifetime. With her was Karina Solis, her niece, and Pancho’s great grandaughter. Karina was proud to be part of her first protest!

CWA organizer Sandy Rusher presented Councilwoman Medrano

with 80,000 signatures demanding t h a t AT&T act responsibly in their negotiations with the union.

She has in mind some further activities concerning Employee Free Choice, as do the SEIU people who are organizing at Wal-Mart.

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

July 2009

Defendants show optimism despite exorbitant sentences Continued from page 5 expounded on the good work of the Holy Land Foundation. The only regrets they had were for the heartache to be endured by their families. Each one entered and left the courtroom acknowledging the full house of supporters, giving signs of optimism and hope.

Elashi said in his statement that in spite of the trial, he considered his tenure at the Holy Land Foundation the most fulfilling time of his life. “Nothing was more rewarding than turning zakat into real life assistance to needy orphans,” he said.

The sentences were as follows: Baker, 65 years for 34 counts; El Mezain, 15 years for 1 count; Elashi, 65 years for 35 counts; Abdulqader, 20 years for 3 counts; and Odeh, 15 years for 3 counts. All defendants will be appealing their verdicts. “I and the other lawyers are committed to keep fighting

Defendants’ and families gathered with more than 100 supporters on the evening after the sentencing. until justice is done,” said Terri Duncan, Baker’s attorney.

At another town hall meeting in the evening after the sentencing, Elashi’s daughter, Noor, was undaunted. She

announced, “Today doesn’t mark the end. Rather, it marks the beginning of the Human and Civil Rights Era for Muslims in America.”

Human rights, environmental legislation dies before vote Continued from page 3 leads to higher rates of conviction and tougher sentences. After intense debate in the House the bill passed and was sent to the Senate. The Governor’s office indicated his intention to veto the bill if the “Law of Parties” provisions remained, causing the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to remove that section of the bill. Unfortunately the bill was still waiting to be heard on the Senate floor when the deadline for hearing House bills passed.

HB 2724 (Truitt D-Dallas) Relating to governmental agency contracts that involve the production of cement.

Cement kilns are a major contributor to air quality issues in the DFW area.

Several cities in the region have passed purchasing guidelines which require city projects to purchase cement made by the less polluting “dry” process.

The producers of cement made by the more polluting “wet” process have sued, effectively preventing the cities from exercising local control over

their purchasing. HB 2724 would have specifically allowed cities to pass such ordinances. The bill received heated debate in the House Environmental Regulating Committee. Rep. Pitts (RMidlothian) breached long standing House protocol by personally testifying against the bill. HB 2724 never received a vote in committee.

SB 1398 (West D-Dallas) - Relating to the requirement by a municipality of a license or permit to occupy or lease a dwelling unit.

Anti-immigrant city ordinances like those passed in Farmers Branch are being considered by more Texas cities. SB 1398 would have prevented municipalities from creating the kind of rental licenses that Farmers Branch is attempting to use. The Bill passed unanimously out of the Senate but struggled to make it out of the House Border and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. The delay in committee caused it to still be pending when the deadline passed for hearing Senate bills

in the House.

HCR 62 (Anderson R-Waco) - Extending appreciation to former president George W. Bush for his service to our state and nation.

Each session the members of the Legislature pass hundreds of resolutions congratulating constituents on their retirements. HCR 62 caught national attention (it was covered in Newsweek) for its congratulation of the former president for the way he “oversaw the development of new antiterrorism tools that have been instrumental in breaking up terrorist plots” and how he “worked with European partners to fight terrorism.” After Fort Worth Representative (and Dallas Peace Center Director) Lon Burnam threatened to speak at length about former president Bush’s violations of human rights and disregard for the international community the resolution was withdrawn and replaced with HCR 168, a less effusively congratulatory version of HCR 62.

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

July­ 2009

REGULAR MEETINGS Amnesty International Dallas Chapter Group 205 meets on 2nd Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., at Dallas Hall #138, SMU, Contact: Rick Halperin, 214-768-3284.

First Unitarian Church Social Action Council meets 1st Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the Parish House at Preston and St. Andrews. Contact Ian Hunter, 469-261-6442.

Amnesty International Fort Worth Group 262 meets 2nd Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., at Wesley Foundation at TCU, 2750 W. Lowden, Fort Worth.

Contact Lois Way, 817-293-3445.

Interfaith Environmental Alliance meets 3rd Thursdays at 7 pm at First Community Church, 9120 Ferguson Rd. Contact: Gary Stuard, garstu@ mymailstation.com.

Amnesty International Tarrant County Group 413 meets 4th Wednesdays at 7 pm in the cafe at Borders Books in the Arlington Highlands Shopping Center (the north side of I-20 at the Matlock exit).

Contacts: Curt Crum at 817-423-1372 or 817-645-9151 or Ellen Kaner at 817-691-7198.

Jobs with Justice, 7:00 p.m. every 2nd Wednesday, Oak Cliff UMC, 547 E. Jefferson @ Marsalis, Dallas. Use the back door. Contact: Gene Lantz, www. labordallas.org.

Amnesty International Group 663 meets 3rd Thursdays, 7:00 p.m., William T. Cozby Public Library, 177 Heartz Road, Coppell, 972-304-3655.

Contact Chip Pitts 214-906-9424.

Animal Connection of Texas meets 2nd Saturdays, 11:00 a.m., Ctr. for Community Cooperation, 2900 Live Oak St. Contact Carol Ware, 972-5512364.

Cuba Friendship Committee meets 1st Mondays, 7:00 p.m. at the Dallas Peace Center, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Contact 214-823-7793.

Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance meets every 2nd Saturday, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Northaven UMC, 11211 Preston Rd. Contact Kim Batchelor at matthew-25@earthlink.net.

Dallas Sierra Club meets 2nd Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m., at Center for Spiritual Living, 4801 Spring Valley Rd., Suite 115.

Contact Ann Drumm, 214-350-6108, ann@dallassierraclub.org.

Defend Darfur Dallas meets every 3rd Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., at Half Price Books, 5803 E. Northwest Hwy. Contact Laura McCarthy, laura-mccarthy@ sbcglobal.net.

Maryknoll Affiliates meet 2nd Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m., “connecting spirituality, global vision, community and action.” Call Ken Eppes, 214-3376867.

Middle East Peace Committee meets 1st Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m., at the Dallas Peace Center, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Contact 214-823-7793.

NAACP meets 1st Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m., Thurgood Marshall Rec. Ctr., 5150 Mark Trail Way. North Texas for Justice & Peace meets every 3rd Sunday, 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Paperbacks Plus, 6115 La Vista.

Contact: hftomlinson@riseup.net.

North Texas Peace Alliance meets every 4th Saturday, 10:00 a.m., at Unity Church of Christianity, 3508 Greenville Ave. @ McCommas. Contact: J Johnson, 214-532-3761.

Yoga Center, 1011 Abram St., Arlington.

Contact Len Ellis, 817-552-3317.

PFLAG Dallas meets 2nd Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. at Northaven UMC, 11211 Preston Rd. Call 972-77-PFLAG. Race Abuse Support Group meets 4th Mondays, 7:00 p.m. Sponsored by Black Citizens for Justice, Law and Order. Helps with complaints about EEOC. Martin Luther King Community Center, Core Building, 2922 MLK Blvd., Dallas.

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Dallas Chapter meets 3rd Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Basement Rotunda Area, SMU Dallas Hall, 3225 University Ave. Contact Rick Halperin, 214-768-3284; www.tcadp.org/.

The Texas Inmates Families Assoc., SW Dallas Chapter, meets 2nd Thursdays, 7.00 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 310 Roaring Springs Rd., DeSoto. Call Micki Roark, 214543-8043, www.tifa.org.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff Social Action Ministry meets 2nd Sundays at Noon. All are welcome. Call Stephen Betzen at 214929-3701.

World Peace mtg., first Sundays, 10:00 a.m., Soka Gakkai Cultural Center, 2733 Oak Lawn. Contact Ewe Goh, 214-559-4115.

Catch our columnists!

Pax Christi D allas meets 4th Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. See www. paxchristidallas.org. Contact Joyce Hall, 214-357-2173, for location.

PEACE begins with ME!

Peace & Justice in Sudan Committee meets 3rd Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. Dallas Peace Center, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd. Contact 214-823-7793.

Labor for Peace

Peace & Justice Center-Arlington meets 4th Sundays, 5:00 p.m., Arlington

and

now appear on the Dallas Peace Center website

www.dallaspeacecenter.org

DALLAS PEACE TIMES

July 2009

Texas kills 200th citizen under Perry On a rainy morning on June 2, about 20 people gathered in front of the Frank Crowley Courts Building to observe a milestone, but there was no celebration – only grief. That evening, the state of Texas killed one of its citizens for the 200th time under the leadership of Governor Rick Perry.

According to Amnesty International, “Terry Hankins was the 16th person to be executed in Texas this year, out of a national total of 30. This was the 1,166th execution to be carried out in the USA since judicial killing resumed there in 1977, with Texas accounting for 439 of them.” Perry and his predecessor, George W. Bush, presided over 352 of those killings.

“What are we doing? What is happening in our society that makes it

possible to exterminate people in the name of the law?” asked Rick Halperin, of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. “This is state sponsored terrorism and torture.”

Stanley Allridge was on hand to testify that the pain inflicted by the death penalty affects more than the person who is killed. Allridge has seen two brothers, Ronald and James, both put to death.

Demonstration participants silently held signs that carried the names of all 200 people who had been executed, and the victims of their crimes. People going in and out of the courts building asked about the protest, and almost all registered shock and surprise at the number Stanley Allridge (left) talks wth Rick Halperin after of executions that have the demonstration. taken place.

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