CADP 1999 Year-end Update
By Vicki Mandell-King
President, Coloradans Against the Death Penalty
Dear CADP Friends:
Thank you for your generosity and support for the dinner CADP held to honor Father Jim Sunderland. We had a wonderful turn-out. Jim was touched by your affection and admiration. Although CADP's modest goal was to break even, we did much better than that! The crowd was quite a mix, reflecting the broad coalition we are trying to build: young and older, criminal defense lawyers, clergy, and citizen activists. Thanks again to everyone who helped to make the dinner a success.
Our web site is up and running @ www.coadp.org, thanks to Wendy Trafton and Phil Tobias. Check it out. Compliments as well to Karen Chaney for our newsletter, and Denise Madden for our brochure.
Bud Welch, whose daughter was one of the victims from the Oklahoma bombing, was in Colorado in mid-November. His message is about healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Hope you had the chance to hear him. All the arguments for and against the death penalty pale in the face of a murder victim family member saying, "Not in my loved one's name." Dennis and Judy Shepard's decision not to seek the death penalty for the brutal murder of their son Matthew, is another example of the angels among us.
At our last meeting, we were pleased to welcome Mary Miera and other persons who are defendant family members. They asked how they can help CADP and how CADP can help them. Defendants' families are the invisible victims ñ unsupported by victim assistance programs, confused by court procedures, struggling with all sorts of emotional reactions to a family member's alleged crimes, often alienated from the defense team due to efforts to discover mitigation.
While the plight of defendants' families is one CADP is concerned about, CADP has to stay focused on its mission to abolish the death penalty through legislative, educational, and religious efforts. Because so many issues ultimately are related to abolishing the death penalty, sometimes it is difficult to make choices. CADP hopes that defendants' families will become CADP Friends, expanding our organization.
CADP suggested that a steering committee could be formed to assist Mary Miera in starting a Defendants' Families Support Network. The committee could consist of representatives from defendants' families, CADP, CCDB, the State Public Defenders, and other interested persons or organizations.
The CADP Board won't meet again until January. CADP's New Year MILLENIUM resolutions include to expand our organization; consider appropriate legislative action; continue to collect signatures in support of the Moratorium (in our view a step toward abolition); send our speakers to churches, schools, and organizations; and improve and increase our communication with all of you.
We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season.
Vicki Mandell-King, President.
See the Web site's News section for more articles and information about the death penalty.
