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Phone:
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Toll Free: (877) 924‑4483 Journey of Hope ... from
Violence to Healing Organizers'
Handbook
CONTENTS I.
Introduction and History of the Journey of Hope
A.
The Journey of Hope: the numbers B.
A typical day on the Journey C.
The internal organization that makes it all work; the spirit that makes
it all possible A.
Purposes for a Journey B.
Witness against state killing‑‑public education on the death
penalty C.
Strengthening local work for abolition D.
Identifying and building relationships with victims and victims' groups E.
Impacting public policy and other purposes
IV. Preparations Before a Journey of Hope Event A.
Working with Journey of Hope, Inc. in designing and planning a Journey B.
Putting together a planning committee 1.
Diversity
2. Meetings
C. Local event organizing 1.
Determining the route/scope of the Journey 2.
Determining when and where to hold major events 3.
Contacting victims' groups in the area 4.
Building and working with local committees 5. Setting up large numbers of speaking
events D. Inviting speakers 1.
Big name speakers 2.
Murder Victim Family Member speakers 3.
Locally‑known speakers and local leaders E. Fundraising 1.
Grants 2.
Individual contributions 3.
Major gifts 4.
Hororaria and church special collections 5.
Sales of merchandise (shirts, buttons, books and other items) 6.
Registration fees 7.
Keeping costs down: in‑kind donations F. Recruiting other Journey
participants
1. How many people make a good Journey?
2. General recruitment, publicity and inviting local participants
3. Recruiting specific people for particular roles G.
Preparing for media coverage
1. Press packets 2.
What audience are you trying to reach?
3. Central media coordination
4. Local media work H.
Planning the logistics
1. Lodging
2. Meals
3. Transporting the group
4. Transportation to and from the Journey I.
Keeping the momentum: Next steps after the Journey J.
Self‑care for Journey organizers V.
During a Journey event
A. Care of the group
B. Care of speakers
1. Avoiding over‑scheduling
2. The Team approach
C. Organization and delegation of responsibilities
1. Overall coordination
2. Coordinating speakers and events
3. Daily route and driver coordination
4. On‑site media coordination, spokesperson; spokesperson
coordinator
5. Daily information briefings and meeting facilitation
6. Greeting and orienting new arrivals
7. Getting people into vehicles and on the road
8. Vehicle care and security
9. Care and safe‑keeping of communication equipment 10.
Care and safe‑keeping of banners, signs, etc. 11.
March and rally coordination and security 12.
Tree‑planting events and tree care 13.
Leafletting and doorknocking 14.
Merchandise, literature tables, petitions (group sales & event boxes) 15.
Handling money and keeping finances straight 16.
Health care and wellness for the group 17.
Coordinating meals and food purchase 18.
Overnight lodging/host liaison 19.
Group morale and/or music 20.
Complaint department 21.
Laundry coordinator(s) for laundry days 22.
Airport, bus and train station pickups 23.
Coordination of assignments and assignment board A.
People to thank B. Follow‑up with participants
and local organizers C. Contributing to this handbook
The
Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
is an educational speaking tour led by murder victim family members.
These speakers
share their stories about the process of healing through reconciliation.
They call for alternatives to the death penalty and an end to the cycle
of violence that capital punishment perpetuates in our society.
Joining with these speakers are activists, death row family members,
death row survivors, and friends from around the world.
Every year the Journey travels to different areas to spread the message
of nonviolence and forgiveness. They
speak to high school classes, church groups, the media, college classes,
legislative settings, rallies, and civic and professional organizations. The Journey has been doing tours since 1993, and has reached tens
of thousands of people in numerous states.
Its anti-death penalty message is particularly effective because it grows
out of personal experience with the loss of loved ones to murder.
These victims’ family members have moved beyond the urge for revenge;
they have taken the harder road of forgiveness and healing.
It is a message from which we can all benefit; a message that works to
end the violence that capital punishment perpetuates in our nation.
Although
the Journey was conceived in the tradition of two anti-death penalty marches held
earlier ‑‑ the 1990 National Pilgrimage to Abolish the Death
Penalty, held in Florida and Georgia, and the 1991 march in Texas organized by
Texans Against State Killing ‑‑ we wanted to do something
significantly different. Rather than a march, we envisioned a public education
tour in which members of MVFR members would be the main speakers. The
Indiana Journey was a major success, thanks to the organizing efforts of a great
many people, and the wholehearted participation of many tireless Murder
Victims’ Family Members and other abolitionists. After taking part in the
Indiana Journey, participants from other states have already begun planning
Journeys in their own areas, and have asked for information, ideas, and
guidelines to assist them in their planning. This handbook is intended to meet
that request. Contribution
from Otto Michael Penzato Shortly
after the 1993 Journey, Bill Pelke received a call from two of the Indiana
participants, Ed and Mary Ruth Weir. Ed and Mary Ruth, who run New Hope House, a
hospitality house for families of death row inmates in Griffin, Georgia, had
seen firsthand the powerful impact of the Journey and of the stories of Journey
members. They wanted to bring the Journey of Hope to Georgia. Although the
Indiana Journey was conceived as a one‑time event, MVFR accepted the
Weir's offer and planning was begun for a second Journey in Georgia. The Weirs,
with the help of Troy Reimer and a network of hardworking abolitionists from
around the state, brought the second Journey of Hope to the state of Georgia in
October, 1994. The
Georgia Journey was another success. Working from this Organizing Handbook,
Georgia organizers found that the Journey model could be adapted to the
political and social geography and issues particular to their state. With this
knowledge, and with the lessons learned from adapting this model to differing
situations, plans went forward to continue the Journey in subsequent years. California
and Virginia were selected as the next sites for Journeys of Hope. Both started
their organizing in ‘94, with California hosting a Journey in 1995 and
Virginia bringing the Journey in 1996. Building on the models of the two
previous Journeys, organizers again worked to adapt the model to the particulars
of their respective states. California,
due to its large size and divided population, was split into Northern and
Southern California organizing halves, with each half functioning as a fairly
autonomous coordination team. Claudia King and the Bay Area Action Team
organized in the north and Mike Penzato, with assistance from Death Penalty
Focus of California and Amnesty International, worked in the south. In
California, the Journey learned the importance of having an in-state
co-sponsor to assist with organizing, and of ensuring there was sufficient
advance planning time for the extensive organizing and grassroots coalition
building necessary to carry out this massive public education tour. In
1996, the Journey was held in Virginia. As MVFR's national office was (at the
time) located in Virginia, organizing was headed by Marie Deans and Pat Bane,
then Chair and Executive Director of MVFR, along with Henry Heller and
co-sponsor Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. In
addition to working from the standard Journey model, Virginia organizers decided
to highlight the state's "21-Day Rule," a judicial rule barring
introduction of new evidence in capital cases more than 21 days after the trial,
even evidence of innocence. Journey participants did a terrific job of
incorporating this information into their presentations and even those
Virginians who supported the death penalty were struck by the profound
unfairness of the rule. As a result, repeal legislation was introduced in the
legislature and the public and media's awareness of the 21‑Day Rue was
raised. MVFR
decided not to organize a Journey for 1997. It was decided that MVFR should step
back and address some of the internal organizational issues it faced and clarify
its long term objectives before committing to the significant workload that
organizing another Journey would entail. During ‘97, Bill Pelke, creator of
the Journey of Hope concept, decided to incorporate "The Journey of Hope
... from Violence to Healing, Inc." as a separate organization to continue
organizing the Journey in future years. MVFR endorsed this action and will
remain the featured organization in future Journeys, working with Bill and this
new organization to continue in the tradition of the Journey of Hope, sharing a
message "from violence to healing." Contribution
from Sara Sharpe (Tennessee ’99):
I flew to Texas in June of ’98 for the last week of the Journey (it
went from May 29-June 14) and was absolutely stunned at what I witnessed there.
I came away with a newfound hope that we could, as individuals and as a
society, finally begin to replace condemnation with compassion, revenge with
forgiveness, and hatred with love. The
really stunning thing was that it was murder victims’ family members who were
showing us the way- the very people who had walked through the fire.
I came home determined to bring the Journey to Tennessee.
In the end, the steering committee of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish
State Killing agreed that it was worth the massive amounts of organizing, and we
settled on dates and got to work. I
went to each chapter of TCASK to explain what it was that we were doing and what
each chapter would be responsible for (food, lodging, speaking engagements,
etc). The idea was met with great
enthusiasm wherever I went, and each chapter got to work immediately!
The host group, the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing (TCASK),
has been around in its current form since 1992.
There were four chapters at the time (five now), the largest of which
sits in Nashville. Each chapter was
responsible for the Journey in their immediate area. The overall coordinators as well as the steering committee
were based in Nashville.
Sara’s first-hand experience in Texas really helped in the planning for
our Journey. We had enough time and
money, thanks to a recent grant, to open an office and pay our head organizers
so they could afford to put in the long hours of required time.
This helped immensely in having a phone that was answered constantly and
a home base for all of the registration and other correspondence we received.
Tennessee also had a good supply of volunteers and a strong steering
committee made up of long time activists. These
are all essential to a well-run Journey.
Our state is a rather unique one in the South.
At the time of the Journey (April 1999) we hadn’t had an execution for
nearly 40 years. Unfortunately a
few men were coming dangerously close to the end of their appeals, and thus
nearer to actual execution dates. We
chose to make it clear that we didn’t want the death penalty to start being
effected any time soon in our state. Our
activists and speakers were all given these facts to present to the public.
By bringing the Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
to Tennessee, we hoped to make capital punishment more “real” to folks and
not just a theoretical issue. We
were in unfriendly territory, but managed to speak to an estimated 12,000
Tennesseeans. Hopefully we helped change the tide of public opinion enough
to encourage folks to join us in our future efforts.
Highlights of the Tennessee Journey included a sold-out benefit concert
given by Steve Earle and friends, a march/rally at the Capitol building in
Nashville, a speech at Vanderbilt University by Sister Helen Prejean, and
beautiful weather. (For more
information on TCASK, please see the brochure in the Appendix.)
The Journey heads out to Missouri, Florida, and New Jersey in the coming
months for limited Journeys in 2001. There
will be a major event held in North Carolina in October 2001. Helpful Insights: Contribution
from Troy G. Reimer (Georgia ‘94): Let
me start out by saying that organizing the Journey of Hope was the most
exhilarating thing I have ever done. I am adding these notes mainly from my own
experience in organizing, but also drawing some from evaluations that were sent
in. One of the largest mistakes we
had was in setting up events. We had over 30 events come in the two weeks before
the Journey. You need to get the events in and probably make a cut‑off
date. It would be the responsibility of the overall coordinator to stay on top
of the local organizers. Things would probably run smoother if you did not add
events during the Journey. Make a deadline for events, and stick to it. If the
local organizers do not have events in by the deadline, then get on the phone
and work with them to get events lined up.
However, it is inevitable that events will come in (perhaps only a day in
advance) which are opportunities that should not be turned down. As the Journey
gains attention along the way new requests and opportunities for events are
bound to come in, and this will put additional demands on your pool of speakers
and logistical resources (e.g. transportation). It is important to be prepared
for this ‑‑ organize, plan, prepare ‑‑ and then be
flexible. The
overall coordinator should be clear about the local organizers’
responsibilities from the very beginning. There may have been a few times in
Georgia that I could have been clearer. You probably will not hurt anyone's
feelings if you spell things out for them.
It will cause many less headaches in the long run. Some of Georgia's
local organizers suggested more “on sight” visits. We did not make very many
on sight visits. Usually we just went on sight when local organizers asked for
help. I would suggest a few on sight visits, even for local organizers not
needing help. (Keep in mind the travel
distance and time.) Continuing
with local organizers, do not assume that they know anything. Just because you
understand the sheet does not mean that the local organizers do. Explain
everything to them, even if it does not need explaining. I will use an example
of what happened in Georgia. We had on the event sheets an “event contact”;
we wanted the name of the person at the event, not the name of the local
organizer. It would have caused less confusion if I would have stated at a local
organizer meeting what we wanted instead of assuming they all understood. Also
concerning this, it was of great help to have the name of the event contact and
phone number when laying out maps. You could call the event directly instead of
having to go through the local organizer. (See
Appendix: Speaking Engagements). Next
are some suggestions that may help. First, do not have the last event on the
last day. Have it the day before so that people can have a day to travel home. Along those lines: it has become a
Journey tradition to reserve the last Saturday evening for, as it is informally
known, "Fun Night." This time has been used to give Journey
participants, frequently separated from one another and too busy to catch up, a
chance to share the more meaningful, moving, and humorous events of the previous
two weeks. It is only a tradition, and you may feel free to break it; but you do
so at your own risk... Second,
don't make the events too long. We had some events that were close to 3 hours.
That is a long time to sit, especially without an intermission. If you have more
than one speaker lined up, then you may want to limit them on how long to speak.
Be sure to leave time for questions!!! Next
is concerning food. We decided to guarantee 3 meals a day as opposed to only
guaranteeing two. The key word here is guarantee. Ed Weir will definitely vouch
that the meal logistics scared me too death. I lost a few hours sleep over them.
All and all it worked out, but remember... if you guarantee three meals a day,
you have to provide three meals a day (i.e. a lot of extra logistics). once
again we asked the local organizers to provide these or at least arrange them at
the events. One
question that I still have is how to get people outside of those on the Journey
to attend marches and rallies. We did not have as many marches and rallies in
Georgia, and some people really felt left out. It is a good time to get everyone
feeling as part of the group. Again, work hard to get others to come so that it
is not just those from the Journey. In
Georgia we were all going out in the morning at different times and coming back
at different times. This did not leave a lot of time for the group to be
together. There should probably be time everyday for the group to meet in the
morning and the evening. (Even if it is not the group as a whole.) Someone also
suggested that the MVFR members have some time together away from the rest of
the group. Morning meetings are a
great idea. They provide a chance to run through the day's schedule and people
can ask questions, make suggestions/requests,vent, etc. One thing I would suggest would be to
go easy on the buttons. 500 is way too many. The t-shirts went well ...
they tended to sell better than the buttons. When you pick people up at the
airport, you need a way to recognize them. You may want to include a button with
the registration fee. Early registration at a reduced price is a great idea. We
worked pretty hard to firm up who was coming only a few weeks before the Journey
started. It really helps to know how many people you will have when you sit down
for driving logistics.. Last I will touch slightly on the
overall coordinators responsibilities. You will be responsible for everything.
Yes, you will delegate many responsibilities, but you need to know what each of
those responsibilities consist of. Bob has made a good list. Before Georgia's
Journey started I typed up responsibilities so that each person would know what
they would be doing. I could include them, but I think each coordinator can
decide what they want each responsibility to be. I would be happy to share what
Georgia's were upon request. The overall coordinator must be on top of
everything every step of the way. This is extremely important once the Journey
starts. You must be aware of what is happening currently and be able to look at
least two days ahead and beyond. The
overall coordinator will need to be on the Journey the entire time
and be available for questions upon referral. (Trust me, there will be
questions) [emphasis added] An example of needing to know all responsibilities:
Bob Gross was Georgia's speaking coordinator. Well, one evening Bob went on an
airport run and sure enough, speakers needed to be rearranged. Needless to say
this was at 11p.m. and we needed someone to go to Jacksonville at 7a.m. It could
not wait, so I had to realign the speakers to make it work. Things can change
very quickly on a Journey, therefore you need to be prepared for the unexpected.
One thing that we started to do in Georgia, but then slacked off about,
was to do a walk-through day by day. This is of great help because there is just
way too much going on during a Journey for one person to be able to see it all.
I would suggest doing this every other day. There are just tremendous details
that the overall organizer must make sure get taken care of. For example, I
noticed that we needed to supply our own toilet paper when I visited the camps.
Try to get help to make sure all of these logistics get taken care of. Bob has
touched on the amount of work that it takes to organize a Journey of Hope. I
would like to second that. I worked between 70 and 80 hours a week the month and
a half before the Journey; working 85 hours the week before it started. Just
like Bob I ate, slept, and worked on the Journey of Hope. I would like you to be
aware that this is no small task that you have entered into, but it is rewarding
beyond belief. Contribution
from Henry Heller (Virginia ‘96): As
of this writing, the Texas Journey is 10 months away. Plenty of time compared to
the California Journey. On the other hand, I was starting to get things together
for Virginia (in ‘96) after the Georgia Journey (in ’94). I
guess the first thing is to get together a preliminary brochure.
Whether it is in the form of a brochure or a sheet of paper, something is needed to send on to people. Besides
getting the word out, raising money is probably the most important thing at the
early stages. We hadn't raised a whole lot until a couple of months before the
Virginia Journey. Co-sponsor VADP laid out for postage, copying, phone,
etc. Since the Journey has been such an important part of MVFR's development,
and has resulted in a lot of opportunities for the organization, it seems only
right that MVFR throw the Texas Journey some seed money. Also,
the Texas folks need to start writing grant proposals. Pat Bane (former
Executive Director of MVFR), was able to get a donor to match a couple of
thousand raised by a certain date. Hit churches up. We found Quakers to be the
most responsive. A 13 year old in Charlottesville put together a yard sale and
raised a bunch of money. Get youth in the churches involved. Get
Micki Dickoff's video, "Not in Our Names" [made about the ’93
Journey in Indiana]. It makes a correlation between what happened in Indiana and
what's going to happen in Texas. Identify
area coordinators. This was one of the most important things I did. Once I got
area coordinators, all I needed to do was make sure they had the information
they needed and then follow up that the necessary tasks were being handled. Line
up your camps (or wherever the groups will be housed) ASAP. This is very
important. (see IV.H.1 Housing.) Get
mailing lists from everywhere. Include a letter and a good article written about
the Journey or about one or more of the speakers. Include this letter when
contacting anyone. Advertise
in magazines and newsletters. We missed a lot of good publications like
Fellowship for Reconciliation because we were too late. Get articles and
information to them or get them to do an article for the publication. Identify
goals. The 21 Day Rule in Virginia became a major goal and all the Journeyers
were up on it and it was something the public could be outraged about. I believe
that Texas has a 30 day rule. Even though it didn't get very far in the
legislature this year, it's a start. In Virginia, since VADP is for alternatives
to the death penalty, rather than "against" it, we stressed
alternatives. We found that more
people listened.
II. WHAT IS A JOURNEY AND HOW
DOES IT WORK? The
1993 Indiana Journey of Hope visited 15 cities and towns in 4 states in a
17‑day period. Speakers were sent out to 10 other towns as well. In total,
approximately 175 speaking events were held, including meetings with all kinds
of groups and classes, public rallies, concerts, scheduled interviews and talk
shows, and editorial board meetings. Leafleting and door-knocking provided other
forms of public contact. Some
120 people traveled with the Journey for longer or shorter times, including
about 30 members of Murder Victims’ Family Members and seven international
visitors. More than 200 other supporters joined the Journey while it was in
their town. Media
coverage of the Journey included more than 60 newspaper articles, 30 radio and
TV talk shows, and additional TV coverage from at least 25 stations. Four city
mayors made formal declarations in support of MVFR, and 25 groups hosted Journey
participants for meals. Subsequent
Journeys followed more or less this same pattern: 17 days covering 15‑20
primary cities throughout the state and sometimes into adjacent states. In
Georgia there were roughly 150 events, in California 125, in Virginia over 200
individual speaking events, and in Tennessee an estimated 150 events reached
about 12,000 Tennesseans. Again,
these events included public and private jr. high and high school classes and
assemblies (even some elementary classes); college classes; church services and
Sunday school classes; radio, television and newspaper interviews; meetings with
legislators, attorneys and editorial boards; marches, rallies and
demonstrations; tree plantings and silent vigils; concerts; and community forums
and debates. In its first four years alone, the Journey of Hope addressed over
60,000 people face‑to‑face, to audiences as small as two or as large
as 1400. It has reached uncounted millions through hundreds of items of print
and electronic media coverage. And it was the subject of an award‑winning
Japanese documentary film. Most
importantly, the Journey has a definite impact. Countless times, Murder Victim
Family members speakers have reported that one or two or five people approach
them after an event to say, "You changed my mind", "I used to
support the death penalty, but I don't know if I can anymore", or even,
"You've given me a lot to think about." The presence of the Journey
has also impacted policy and influenced the public debate: a public defender in
Indiana credited the Journey with helping to win life sentences in three capital
trials taking place during the 1993 Journey; the Virginia Journey invigorated
legislative action to repeal the 21 Day Rule. B.
A typical day on the Journey THURSDAY
-- Fort Wayne, Indiana will be main location for the day 6:00
am- One car leaves to take speakers
to Lafayette (where the Breakfast
crew begins to prepare the morning meal. 6:30
am- Drivers meet with driver
coordinator to receive maps and 7:00
am- Breakfast is served (and is
available until 7:45). People
who have just joined the Journey the previous evening are packets
and a brief orientation to "life on the Journey". 7:20
am- One car leaves with speakers to
reach Fort Wayne in meet
with Fort Wayne's local organizers to confirm all is ready for the 7:45
am- Morning briefing meeting for
all participants: ‑‑introduction
of new arrivals ‑‑general
announcements and reminders ‑‑request
for volunteers to take responsibility for one or more specific tasks
‑‑brief overview of the day's planned activities
‑‑a song or two to close 8:30
am- Everyone gathers to board the
vans, ready to depart. 8:45
am- Depart for Fort Wayne. 10:30
am- Arrive in Fort Wayne at city
park which is staging area for instructions. 11:00
am- March ‑‑ with
signs, banners, and leafleters ‑‑ to downtown 12
Noon- Noon‑hour rally
in plaza: Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers "Journey
of Hope Day" in recognition of Murder Victim Family Members. shirt
tables do a brisk trade with passers-by. 1:15
pm- Vans re-appear to take
everyone to the day's home base (a 3:00
pm- Three Murder Victims’ Family
Members representatives and a newspaper. Food
buyers shop for a few items needed to supplement the next day's 3:30
pm- A "Tree of Life" is
planted at the community center by have
lost and is dedicated to finding better ways of dealing with violent crime. 4:30
pm- Some journey-folk go to a busy
shopping area to distribute while
others go out in pairs to leaflet door‑to‑door in the opportunity
to talk with abolitionists from other states and countries. 6:00
pm- Everyone regathers at a local
Baptist church for a 7:00
pm- Evening program at the same
church, featuring Murder Victims’ Literature
and t‑shirt tables are again active. 8:45
pm- Vans leave to transport
everyone back to the state park 10:30
pm- Arrive at campground. Some
people go straight to bed, fine‑tune
the next day's plans.
The Tennessee Journey opened with a sold out benefit concert in Ryman
Auditorium featuring Steve Earle, the Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, and Emmy Lou
Harris. In the middle of the
concert, Sister Helen Prejean talked about the Journey. She asked each member of
the Journey who was a Murder Victims’ Family Member, or who had a loved one on
Death Row, to come to the microphone and state their name and the name of their
loved one. One after another they came onstage. “My name is Lois Robison, and
I have a mentally ill son, Larry, on death row in Texas.” “My name is Renny
Cushing and my father, Robert Cushing, was shot to death in his home.”
“My name is Sally Peck.” “My name is Carol Duncanson. We are
sisters, and our 82 year old mother, Bernice O'Connor, was raped and
murdered.” “My name is SueZann
Bosler. My father, Reverend Billy Bosler, was stabbed to death in front of me. I
was stabbed six times, but I survived.” “My
name is Marietta Jaeger, and my 7 year old daughter, Susie, was kidnapped and
killed.” “My name is Bill Pelke, my grandmother, Ruth Pelke, was murdered in
Indiana.” “My name is Sam Reese Sheppard. My mother Marilyn, was murdered
when I was seven years old and my father, Dr. Sam Sheppard was wrongfully
convicted of her murder.” “My name is George White. My beloved wife Char was
shot to death in front of me. Sixteen months later, I was charged with her
murder.” “My name is Bud Welch.
My daughter, Julie, was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing.” The audience was
visibly moved by this group willing to stand up, share their painful experiences
and say, “Don't kill for me.” Sister
Helen led the applause. “These are some of the people who will be traveling in
Tennessee for the next two weeks, sharing the testimony of their personal
journeys from violence to healing, talking about how the death penalty does not
help victims’ families heal.” As
they walked offstage, Steve came out applauding and announced, “Those guys are
my heroes.”
The morning following the concert, the group drove to Memphis, enjoying
the sight of wild dogwoods and redbud trees in full bloom along the highway. A
large crowd, along with the media, turned out for a tree planting at His Way
Spiritual Growth Center. The victims’ family members dedicated the dogwood
tree to their lost loved ones with each shovelful of dirt in a solemn ceremony.
After a short lecture on the facts about the death penalty and dinner, members
of the Journey spoke. Renny Cushing, the Executive Director of Murder Victims’
Families for Reconciliation, moved many in the audience to tears with his story
of how his father, Robert, was killed by a shotgun blast to the chest, in the
front door of his home. He spoke of operating in the “dead zone”, going
through the motions of making funeral arrangements, listening to the painful
details during the criminal trial, of the pain he felt when people tried to
comfort him with “I hope they fry those people”.
Even the people who knew he opposed the death penalty assumed his
father's murder would change his mind. But Renny felt letting the man who
murdered his father change the principals his father had instilled in him would
be giving the killer too much power. He spoke of running into the son of the man
who killed his father, also a Robert, Jr., in the parking lot at the courthouse.
He found the compassion to tell him, “We both lost our fathers that day.”
As Bud Welch speaks, one gets to know
his daughter, Julie, personally. He paints a beautiful picture of her as he
shares how she discovered her love of language, lived as an exchange student in
South America to improve her Spanish, worked as an interpreter for the social
security office in Oklahoma City, and was on the verge of realizing her dream of
becoming a school teacher, when the bomb went off. Although Bud wanted to kill
Timothy McVeigh himself, he did not let this act of violence change his long
held belief that the death penalty was wrong. While there was a public
outpouring of sympathy for the families of the victims of the Oklahoma bombing,
there was no one to offer sympathy for Timothy McVeigh's father, who also lost a
son that day. Bud Welch, was able to reach beyond his own grief and loss to go
visit Timothy's father and to tell him he didn't blame him for his son's
actions. The next day a small group spoke at Christian
Brothers High School in Memphis. Felicia Draughon was the youngest of the group
and spoke the language of the students. “Do you know what it's like to have a
brother on Death Row? It sucks!”
Felecia told how her older brother had been raised in an abusive home,
gotten involved in drugs, started robbing stores for drug money, shot a clerk in
the course of the robbery, and was now on Death Row in Texas. One of the
students asks how she explains her brother going so bad and her turning out
okay, when they were both raised in the same abusive environment. “I was
lucky, someone reached me. Kids need mentors, someone to reach out to them, like
in Big Brothers/Big Sisters. But some kids just get skipped over, like my
brother. If you really want to make a difference in this world, reach out to a
kid who needs attention, whether through an organization like Big Brothers/Big
Sisters or on your own.”
Later that evening Steve
Earle told a large group of college students about witnessing the execution of
his pen pal of eleven years, Jonathan Nobles, in Texas. “In Jonathan's final
phone call to his mother she had asked him to sing for her, so as the poison
flowed into his veins, he sang “Silent Night”. When he got to the words
‘mother and child’, the breath rushed out of him like a cinderblock had been
dropped on his chest, and he was gone. The death certificate said
‘homicide’. What else could they call it?” Steve explains why he is
spending two weeks with people from all over the country and all walks of life,
sleeping in church basements and traveling by bus with the rest of the group.
“Tennessee is my home state, and it's too pretty of a state to start something
as ugly as executing people.” The group traveled to Chattanooga and Knoxville
and back to Nashville to deliver their message that the death penalty does not
help victims’ families heal in the aftermath of murder, instead it creates
more victim family members. In sharing their stories, they testify to the
healing power of forgiveness. They offer themselves as living examples of
rebuilding shattered lives in the aftermath of murder.
SueZann Bosler, who barely survived an attacker who broke into their home
and killed her father, explains, “Sharing my story helps me in my healing
process.” In Chattanooga, a woman approached one of the members of the
Journey. “My brother was murdered a few years ago. A lot of energy went into
finding and prosecuting the person who did it, but there was no one there to
tell me how to heal, how to get on with my own life. I didn't know there were
people like you, and I'm so glad you're here.” In a church in Chattanooga,
Lois Robison told how she tried so hard to get her paranoid‑schizophrenic
son Larry the mental heath care he needed, only to be told he could not be
institutionalized until he became violent. In his first and only act of
violence, five people died horribly and Larry was sentenced to death. She has
spent the last sixteen years trying to save her son's life. After she spoke, a
woman approached Lois and told her, “I am an attorney in the federal
prosecutor's office. As attorneys we are discouraged from taking circumstances
like yours into consideration, instead we are rated on how many cases we win.
After listening to you today, I'm going to have to tell my boss I cannot
prosecute capital cases any more.” With the grueling schedules
and often spartan accommodations, one wonders why these people volunteer year
after year for the Journey. But occasionally someone says, “I've always
believed in the death penalty, but you've given me something to think about.”
For members of the Journey of Hope ... from Violence to Healing™, those are
the responses that make the hardships of the journey worthwhile. As one local
volunteer put it when the Journey left Memphis, “my body was exhausted, but my
spirit was soaring!” Carrying
out a Journey of Hope requires attention to an astounding number of
responsibilities, tasks, and details. The only way this can be accomplished is
through a team effort. Large and small tasks must be delegated, including
coordination of responsibilities for major areas such as media, transportation,
speakers and events, food, and many others. At
the same time, a spirit of cooperation and mutual responsibility must be shared
by the whole group in order for everything to work out smoothly ... or work out
at all. As persons in leadership
set the tone, as participants respond to the spirit which is central to the
Journey itself, and as people are valued and affirmed, this cooperative attitude
can be counted upon to emerge. "The
Journey of Hope...from Violence to Healing
was incorporated in 1997 to continue organizing the Journey of Hope, along with
MVFR's participation and support. The purpose of "The Journey of Hope ...
from Violence to Healing is to continue in the tradition of previous
Journeys, organizing public education tours targeting various states and
designed to promote abolition of the death penalty, strengthen grassroots
activism, and build the base of supporters to expand abolition activity.
"The Journey of Hope" seeks to work in partnership with MVFR and will
share benefits of Journey activities with MVFR. "The Journey of Hope" bus, named "Abolition Movin',"
will
embark on a nationwide tour that will continue until the abolition of the death
penalty in the U.S. B.
A witness against state killing ‑‑ public education on the death
penalty A Journey is a powerful witness against
the death penalty, primarily because of the compelling message of Murder
Victims’ Family Members and the stories of individual members. There is power
also in any pro‑active event, especially one which moves from town to
town, so that it becomes local news. It allows local activists and local
community leaders to stand up with journeyfolk in making a witness they might
not otherwise make. The
public education potential of a Journey is enormous. It is limited only by the
scope, creativity, and quality of the preparations made in advance. People will
hear the issues very differently when presented in the context of MVFR’s
identity and message. Doors open to Murder Victims’ Family Members speakers
which would be closed to almost any other abolitionists. A well‑planned
Journey with astute follow‑up could change both the nature of the debate
and the actual practice of the death penalty in an area. C.
Strengthening local work for abolition If
a Journey of Hope is planned and carried out in an area, and afterward there is
little difference in the level and scope of abolition work in that area, a great
opportunity has been lost. A Journey is a potent organizing tool, and can
activate people and groups previously uninvolved in death penalty work. It
naturally appeals to people, and many local people will respond. The
Journey can thus help to build, strengthen or expand state and local grassroots
networks. To promote this, planners should incorporate post‑Journey plans
from the very start of organizing. Focusing on state‑specific activities,
or planning for an on‑going campaign provides a continuing focus and
activities to local planning groups which will help new people stay active after
Journey participants have returned home. Virginia's work on the 21 Day Rule is
an example of such a long‑term campaign that has retained momentum
following the Journey. In
addition, a Journey can build relationships with elected officials, media, crime
victims and their advocates, and other key contacts for ongoing abolition
activities. These new relationships, if nurtured, will be very important for the
future of abolition. When planning
post‑journey activities or an on‑going campaign, organizers should
be aware of the tremendous task that organizing a Journey will be (see IV.J:
Self Care for Journey Organizers). Be prepared for the state organizers and the
local planning group coordinators to be pretty burnt out by the time the Journey
ends. Because of this, follow‑up has probably been the biggest stumbling
block in each of the Journeys. Each organizing committee should consciously
address this issue and work to create solutions. Perhaps follow‑up
activities should be overseen by an organizer who is delegated little or no
responsibility for the Journey itself, who is then relatively fresh when the
time for follow‑up is at hand. Many other solutions are possible. There is
no proven model to work from, so give this area due attention. Please document
your successes and failures so they may be of use to future organizers (see VI.C:
Contributing to this Handbook). EXAMPLE:
Ellen Bryson (Tennessee ’99):
After the Tennesse Journey, the key organizers were pretty tired.
We relied on the major cities’ individual chapters of TCASK to carry us
through the short recovery time. Some
of the chapters held, and still hold, regular (some weekly) vigils and
sign-carrying demonstrations. (See
Appendix: “Stop State Executions” vigil).
All of them meet regularly. An
easy thing to start and maintain during this time is a petition to your state
governor. Or join in on the
international moratorium campaign,
Moratorium 2000 campaign with Sister Helen Prejean.
(See Appendix: Petitions, Moratorium 2000). In Tennessee TCASK and ACLU-TN started TME (or Tennesseans
for a Moratorium on Executions), a group that includes supporters such as
Amnesty International, the Catholic Dioceses of Knoxville, Memphis, and
Nashville, and other civil rights groups. TME
works to win public and political support for a moratorium in Tennessee.
We were lucky in that there was an important issue at hand that still
needed attention in our state after the Journey was over: Tennessee was getting
even closer to the first scheduled execution date in nearly 40 years.
This gave us focus and a way to carry on the Journey’s energy even when
people were tired. We were able to
keep up our spirit and move into our next battle. D.
Identifying and building relationships
with victims and victims’ groups Some
groups or individuals may react with strong objection to, even anger at, the
Journey's position on the death penalty. Be prepared for this reaction and be
ready to dialogue around areas of shared concern. Some may be ambivalent about
the death penalty and some may share the Journey's opposition. Some family
members may be opposed to the death penalty but may not feel ready to speak
publicly about it. Any victim family members who are interested in meeting with
Murder Victims’ Family Members and/or participating in part or all of the
Journey should be encouraged to do so. (see IV.C.3 Contacting victims’ groups
in the area.) E.
Impacting public policy and other purposes Any
group hosting a Journey of Hope may have its own particular purposes and goals
for the event. It may have to do with reaching a particular audience, creating
the climate for introduction of repeal legislation, or any other specific goal
which is consistent with the nature of a Journey. This purpose can be woven into
the planning of the Journey so that it is reinforced throughout the event. For
example, in Virginia the focus on the 21 Day Rule was easy to incorporate into
Journey events. Journey organizers prepared a one page handout with information
on the Rule, along with a letter that could be sent to legislators. Journey
participants and speakers were briefed on the issue and included information on
the 21 Day Rule when making presentations. Organizers found that this issue had
a broader appeal than abolition‑‑even those who continued to support
the death penalty were struck by the unfairness of this policy. The activities
of the Journey invigorated legislative action to abolish the rule and provided
an issue for on‑going work that continued after the Journey had left. EXAMPLE: Anne-Marie Moyes (Tennessee ’99): At the time the Journey
came to Tennessee, the state had yet to have a post-Furman
execution. We hoped the Journey
would encourage folks to question the wisdom of restarting the death machine in
Tennessee. EXAMPLE: Harmon Wray
(Tennessee ‘99): Tennessee had not had an
execution for 39 years, so the death penalty was not “real” to most
Tennesseans, even though we had 95-100 people on Death Row.
Tennessee was getting close to its first scheduled exection at the time
the Journey came to our state. The
political climate was (and is) unfavorable for the Journey in particular and for
anti-death penalty activism in general. But
today it’s better than it has been in 25 years, and the Journey was a big step
in bringing us to this point, in my view.
The
need for such diversity should be obvious: if the planning group is made up
solely of active Christians, for example, it may plan too many activities in
which people of other religious faiths (or nonreligious) would feel
uncomfortable. And if the group is all white, it is not likely to know or be
known by many key people who can help make the Journey a success. Ideally, this
central group (and every local planning group) should be a microcosm of the
people the Journey is intended to reach. EXAMPLE:
CA organizer: Each Journey needs to create solutions
to the diversity issue‑‑to insure that all communities are
represented and organized. Lack of diversity was a major issue in California,
where we missed opportunities in key communities, but it is an area where we
could have done better on all Journeys. Each
organizing group should explicitly address this issue and actively organize for
and with a diverse base; leaving no stone unturned. Attend meetings of the
groups you wish to involve, don't expect them to come to you. Ask yourselves,
"Who haven't we talked to yet?" Look at your planning group, "Who
isn't here who should be?" This
should be an important objective--do not think it will take care of
itself.
We did not do a great job with respect to diversity. Our planning group was almost all white and, not
surprisingly, most of our speaking engagements were at predominantly white
churches. I think it’s important
to put together a diverse planning/organizing committee in order to reach
diverse audiences.
2. Meetings.
In Indiana we met monthly in the year before the Journey, and were in
contact much more often by telephone. We alternated our meetings between central
Indiana (Indianapolis, state capital) and northwest Indiana (Bill's house, and
close to Chicago) for the convenience of various members. When in Indianapolis,
we also met with local Journey organizers. Our
meetings were fun. We often opened with a round of "good news" from
everyone, we appreciated each other's work, we forgave each other’s
shortcomings, and so we looked forward to being together. Since we met only
monthly, we met long. At Bill's house especially, we might meet for five hours,
with a supper break. We found that the basic items on our agenda remained the
same in every meeting (basically the list of items in the “IV.
PREPARATIONS" section) but that we usually saw progress on most fronts each
month. Each meeting would have some time for brainstorming ideas, and this is
important. Our
division of responsibilities was pretty clear, but flexible. Sometimes we
shifted responsibilities, but we tried to be sure we knew who was doing what, so
that we would not duplicate efforts or let something slip through. EXAMPLE:
VA organizer: Our local planning committee started
with core group from church peace committees and ended up with 6‑7 very
hardworking (i.e. overworked) people. There wasn't much communication between
our group and groups in adjacent areas. Our
meetings weren't fun. Since this guide was used as a "bible" during
the planning, we read this and expected that we too would develop a sense of
fellowship within the group. However, divisiveness within the leadership created
on‑going tensions which set the tone for the rest of the group. It is
important that you find people who are willing to work well together, with a
spirit of cooperation, fellowship and tolerance. Tensions between individuals
can and will spill over to the whole planning process and will impact the
effectiveness of planning and implementing your events.
This is the heart of the Journey. Getting Murder Victims’ Family
Members folks in contact with the public, or with selected groups, is what the
Journey is about. (See Appendix:
Speaking Engagements).
1. Determining the
route/scope of the Journey.
Start with the broad strokes. Where do you want to go? Remember your
central purposes as you choose locations for major events and the general route
of the Journey. A Journey should not be spread over too large an area, or it
will not make much of an impact anywhere. In 1993 we covered Indiana pretty
well, and added Chicago, Dayton, and Louisville. That may have been too large,
but we wanted to give three other state coalitions a chance to make something of
the Journey in their states. A Journey could just as well be carried out all in
one city or county. Thinking strong is more important than thinking big. In Tennessee, the Journey went to the four main cities and a
few other areas. But they talked to
about 12,000 people. If you have a
long narrow state like Tennessee, you might try to concentrate on covering major
areas more thoroughly- media coverage is easier this way, etc.
But this will vary from state to state. 2. Determining when and where to hold major events. State capitals and Death Row prisons are natural locations for major events, but other sites may do just as well. Perhaps a county courthouse which is/was the site of a trial you want to use to get a certain message across, or a site with important civil rights history would be better than a capitol buildin |