Executions
The State of Texas is scheduled to execute Edgar Tamayo on January 22, 2014 for the 1994 murder of Officer Guy Gaddis of the Houston Police Department. Tamayo, who is a Mexican national, was denied his right to seek consular assistance after his arrest, as required under article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Read more about his case here.
Please note that the scheduled execution of Edgardo Cubas has been moved from January 16 to May 29, 2014. Currently, seven additional executions are scheduled to take place in Texas over the next five months.
TCADP encourages all members to attend a vigil in your community on the evening of executions. Information and updates on these cases will be available on our website and through Facebook and Twitter.
Announcements: TCADP 2014 Annual Conference
Register today for the TCADP 2014 Annual Conference, which will take place for the first time in Fort Worth! Take advantage of our advance registration rates of $50 for TCADP members, $60 for non-members, and $25 for students. Rates will increase again after February 1st.
Our 2014 Keynote Speaker is Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders. A Fort Worth native who knows and cares about his community, and those with whom he shares this planet, Bob Ray is a columnist who is not afraid to speak out on behalf of downtrodden people.
The morning panel discussion will feature Kathryn Kase, the Executive Director of Texas Defender Service, and Shari Silberstein, the Executive Director of Equal Justice USA. Kathryn will address the role that Texas plays in the national movement and how our state serves as a model for collaboration around decreasing use of the death penalty. Shari will frame the national movement and strategy for abolition, with a particular focus on state legislative efforts and on EJUSA’s new outreach effort, Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty.
Learn more about the conference, including details on our 2014 award winners, hotel information, and sponsorship opportunities. See you in Cowtown!
In the News: Reports on Texas, National Death Penalty Developments in 2013
TCADP’s year-end report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2013: The Year in Review, received coverage from numerous media outlets and was the basis for an editorial by the Dallas Morning News, “Dallas County’s dubious death penalty distinction,” (December 28, 2013). Copies of the report will be delivered to every legislative office in the State Capitol later this month.
For a national perspective on recent death penalty developments, check out this report from the Death Penalty Information Center and this editorial from the New York Times, “The Slow Demise of Capital Punishment” (December 29, 2013).
End-of-Year Fundraising Update
TCADP is immensely grateful to everyone who contributed to our organization in 2013. Responses to our year-end appeal topped all previous records and exceeded our goal of raising $15,000 in December! We invite you to take your support to the next level by becoming a TCADP Partner for Justice or a Sustaining Member. Visit www.tcadp.org for details!
In Memoriam
TCADP member Dr. John E. Johnson passed away on December 21, 2013 at the age of 88. He and his wife Shirley were long-time members and generous supporters of our organization. Most recently, John and his daughter Susan attended TCADP’s membership gathering in September at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. We express our sympathies to his family and friends.
We also express our condolences to the family of Harold Simmons, who passed away on December 28, 2013. TCADP recently received a generous grant from the Harold Simmons Foundation in support of the 2014 Annual Conference and other projects.
Calendar
January
8: TCADP in Collin County meeting, Suncreek United Methodist Church, 7:00 PM, Allen; collincounty@tcadp.org
9: Panel discussion and book presentation of “Go Cowboys,” an artistic compilation of imagery of public executions across all nations and time periods since visually recorded history; University of Texas-Dallas Centraltrak Gallery, 7:00 PM http://larissa-aharoni.info/index.php?/works/go-cowboys)
17-20: MLK Day Activities are happening around Texas. Be in touch with the TCADP office for more info; info@tcadp.org.
18: RESCHEDULED DECEMBER EVENT – “Listening to Families of Executed Texans – a Storytelling Circle in Fort Worth” Co-sponsored event with Texas After Violence Project, at the Tarrant County College Trinity Campus TRTR 4102, from 4 PM to 7 PM, Ft. Worth
20: El Paso Chapter Meeting; Juan Diego Room in the Ministry Center of St Pius X Catholic Church, 1050 N Clark St, 7:00pm; elpaso@tcadp.org
21: Dallas Chapter Meeting, Cathedral of Hope in room CLC 196 at 6:30pm; dallas@tcadp.org
22: Delivery of TCADP year-end report to legislative offices at the State Capitol, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM; contact Kristin at khoule@tcadp.org to volunteer
23: TCADP presentation to the MFSA Central Texas Annual UMC Conference Chapter, Georgetown 6:30 PM
29: “Fair & Just” Lunch Series in Houston, 12:30-1:30 PM, St. Anne’s Catholic Church – Professor Ana Otero from Texas Southern Law School will discuss the American Bar Association’s Texas Death Penalty Assessment; Bi-monthly membership luncheon in Austin featuring Jordan Smith of the Austin Chronicle (more details coming soon)
30: “Incendiary” Film Screening, 6:00 PM at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2200 N. Bell Ave., Denton, TX 76209
February
1 Last Day to Receive TCADP Annual Conference Advance Registration Rates; Last Day to Book Block Rate Hotel rooms for TCADP Annual Conference
11: Dallas Prayer Breakfast on the Death Penalty; 9:00 – 10:30 AM; Cathedral of Hope; 5910 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas, Texas
12: Fort Worth Prayer Breakfast on the Death Penalty; 9:00 – 10:30 AM; Bread Fellowship; 2902 Race Street #116, Fort Worth, Texas
Support all of the programs and initiatives described here with a generous donation to TCADP today!