Tag Archives: Social Justice

Huge Victory Against the Death Penalty!

News,

From Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

Huge Victory. Act Now!

On April 16, 2015, the Nebraska Unicameral debated the bill to repeal the death penalty. After a morning of passionate discussion, Senator Chambers called for a vote on the bill. LB 268 passed with sweeping support from 30 senators, with only 13 voting against it!

What an exciting day! Read coverage from the Lincoln Journal Star.

We are now past the first hurdle toward passing the bill. However, it is more crucial than ever that you contact your Senator. We have to win two more votes before the bill goes to the Governor’s desk. And if the Governor vetoes the bill as he promised, we need to hold on to all 30 of those votes to override it. They must hear from you! Our partners at EJUSA created a simple form to thank your Senator for their support of repeal, or to tell them you are disappointed with their “no” vote. Simply follow this link, enter you information, and get the message to your Senator! We’ve come a long way to repeal the death penalty, but we’ve still got a battle to fight. We couldn’t do this without you, our dedicated supporters.

Thanks for all that you do! Let’s keep the pressure on our representatives!

Luncheon at UNO April 10: How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement

Events,

From the Progressive Research Institute of Nebraska:

Jill Reese, Alliance for a Just Society Associate Director, will talk about “How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement” at UNO’s Community Engagement Center April 10. The talk will begin and 10 a.m., include a luncheon, and wrap up at 1 p.m.

To eat lunch during this event, you must purchase a box lunch from UNO Catering. You can register without lunch (but are not allowed to bring your own food into the CEC).

The Alliance for a Just Society’s mission is to execute regional and national campaigns and build strong state affiliate organizations and partnerships that address economic, racial, and social inequities.

Read more about the event and register.

Read more about the Alliance for a Just Society.

Former death row inmate, wrongfully convicted, to speak in Omaha

Events,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

Nebraska Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty and the Creighton University chapters of the Young Americans for Liberty and Students for Life will host an evening of discussion with former death row inmate Ray Krone Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Omaha.
A lifelong Republican and an Air Force veteran, Krone was a death penalty supporter until he was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1992 and sentenced to death in Arizona. A decade later, DNA tests proved his innocence and led authorities to the actual killer.

Read more about the event.

Bill to repeal death penalty headed to full Unicameral

News,

From the Omaha World-Herald:

LINCOLN — For likely the first time ever, a Nebraska legislative committee has given unanimous support to repealing the death penalty. On an 8-0 vote Monday, March 9, the Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to repeal capital punishment for debate by the full Legislature.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who has made ending the death penalty his top priority during four decades in office, said that 2015 presents as good a chance as ever to “get this state out of the killing business.”

Eleven other senators, including three or four who could be described as conservative Republicans, have signed on as co-sponsors to the repeal proposal, Legislative Bill 268.

Read the full story.

Also read The Case for Repeal from Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.

Families of murder victims call for death penalty repeal

News,

From the Associated Press:

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Family members of murder victims called on Nebraska lawmakers Wednesday, March 4, to abolish the death penalty in the state, saying it prolongs the suffering of the relatives of those who died and wastes tax dollars on endless appeals.

Several dozen people rallied at the Capitol in advance of a legislative hearing on a bill that would end capital punishment. Death-penalty opponents circulated a letter signed by 25 relatives of murder victims.

Read coverage of the hearing in:

Judge strikes down Nebraska’s same-sex marriage ban

News,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

A U.S. district judge Monday struck down Nebraska’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, setting the stage for county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses next week.

The state quickly scrambled to request a stay that would delay the March 9 date Judge Joseph Bataillon set for his order to go into effect.

In the order posted early Monday, Bataillon called section 29 of the state Constitution — Nebraska’s Defense of Marriage act — an “unabashedly gender-specific infringement of the equal rights of its citizens.”

Approved by 70 percent of voters in 2000, the ban defines a valid marriage as one between a man and a woman.

The state has the right to encourage couples to marry and provide support for one another, the judge wrote.

“However, those laws must be enforced equally and without respect to gender. It is time to bring this unequal provision to an end.”

Read the full story.

Hear Leonard Pitts Jr. at workshop in Lincoln, April 12

Events, ,

From the Interfaith Peacemaking Coalition:

SAVE THE DATE: Leonard Pitts will keynote this year’s Interfaith Peacemaking Workshop, First United Methodist Church, 2723 N. 50th St., Lincoln, NE, 1:00 to 5:30 p.m., on April 12th.

Leonard Pitts will speak for about 45 minutes, followed by time to view exhibits. There then will be five break-out sessions:

  • 1.1: Implicit Bias; Anna Shavers, UNL Law College.
  • 1.2: Unconscious Bias; Karen Starkweather, Center for Rural Affairs.
  • 2: Three Barriers to Re-entry from Prison to Civilian Life; Larry Wayne, Corrections Dept.; Katrina Thomas, reentrant; and Jim Jones, Oasis.
  • 3. Youth Organizing for Social Change; Vernee Norman, Union College; Keiana Thomas, UNL.
  • 4. Poverty and Organizing for Inclusive Community: Economic Justice; State Sen. Patti Pansing Brooks; Beatty Brasch, Center for People in Need.
  • 5. Racial Profiling in Nebraska; Rebessa Conzales, Appleseed Center; Bennie Shobe, NAACP; Amy Miller, ACLU.

Check out the Facebook event page.

Join NADP’s Lobby Day, March 4

Action Alerts,

From Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

Join NADP’s Lobby Day, March 4th, 2015, at the State Capitol. Rally and lobby training begin at 10 a.m. Join a luncheon with senators at 11:45. The Judiciary Committee hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. (Remember, no T-shirts with writing in the Capitol; NADP will distribute repeal buttons.) Come and show your support for the cause. This could be the year!

Read more and RSVP.

Next Holland Speaker: Angela Davis on Prison Reform, March 4

Events,

From the First Unitarian Church of Omaha:

The next Holland Lecture will be on Wednesday, March 4, 2015. Speaker Angela Davis will deliver her talk, “Prison Reform: Real or Imagined.”

Angela Davis, is a writer, activist and scholar and comes to Omaha to share her unique perspectives on prison reform, a topic front and center in current state as well as national debates. She envisions a future without prisons and advocates for dissolving what she coined the “prison industrial complex.” Ms. Davis grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, giving her a front row seat to the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, her social activism, involvement in the Communist Party and “alleged” association with the Soledad Brothers attempted courtroom escape made her a controversial figure. The latter led to an intense police search that ended with her arrest, trial and eventual acquittal of the charges. Ms. Davis has written nine books and is Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness and the Feminist Studies departments at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Read more on the Holland Lecture Series from the First Unitarian Church of Omaha.

Death penalty repeal: 2015 could be the year!

News,

From Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

Last week, Senator Ernie Chambers introduced his bill to repeal the death penalty. This will be Senator Chambers’ 38th go at abolishing the death penalty. Let’s make it his last one! After a near win in 2013 and two years of organizing to make sure our new legislators understand why our death penalty fails us, we have great reason for optimism!

Read more and learn how you can help.