At the May 12 conference on Race, Media and Capital Punishment at John Jay College, speakers ranged from advocates rallying for the abolition of the death penalty, the Una bomber’s brother to an ex-offender who escaped death row.
Panelists include Errol Louis, New York Daily News, Andrea Lyon, Director of DePaul University Center on Death Penalty Case, William Sothern, Soros fellow, author and Deputy Director Capital Appeals Project, Byron Halsey, exoneree, Vanessa Potkin, Attorney, Innocence Project, Matthew Johnson and Margaret Kovera, Professors of Psychology.
Access the program brochure here.
Access the program bios here.
Advocates looked ahead to abolishing the death penalty in California, Tennessee, and Maryland — as well as New Mexico and Montana. Prospects are looking up for anti-death penalty advocates around the country, according to Celeste Fitzgerald, who spearheaded the successful New Jersey campaign to abolish the death penalty.
David Kaczynski, head of New Yorkers against the Death Penalty, argues that race is a crucial factor in determining who receives the death penalty in the U.S. In a moving luncheon address, he compares the treatment given to his brother, the Unabomber and an African-American defendant.