From September 25-27, 2010 El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty
(EPADP), a chapter of TCADP, was proud to host !La Pena de Muerte No Mas!, a speaking tour featuring Juan Roberto Melendez-Colon, an internationally-known death row exonoree.
Sharing a story described as “remarkable” by one EPADP member, Juan
spoke to over 500 concerned El Pasoans at five separate venues. At the
end of each talk, Juan invited audience members to “join me in my
dream” of no more death penalty. These speaking events led to new coalition partners and heightened visibility for the chapter. According to EPADP Coordinator Karen Peissinger-Venhaus, “people are aware of us now!”
While in El Paso, Juan also had the opportunity to meet with elected officials, including Mayor John Cook, an opponent of the death penalty and the recipient of a TCADP Courage Award in 2009.
Read more about the tour and about Juan Melendez inthe El Paso Times (“Ex-inmate: End the Death Penalty,” September 26, 2010) in English or Spanish. Additional coverage is available from KTSM – NewsChannel 9 and All Voices.
We congratulate all the members of EPADP on the success of this tour and thank them for their commitment to raising awareness about the death penalty in West Texas! We also thank Juan and Judi Caruso for sharing their time and passion with us.
For information on upcoming events and activities in El Paso, please contact EPADP Coordinator Karen Peissinger-Venhaus at elpaso@tcadp.org.