TCADP Key Accomplishments in 2016
- Hosted the TCADP 2016 Annual Conference in Houston, featuring Nebraska Senator Colby Coash as the keynote speaker.
- Recruited and trained our fourth class of TCADP Lobby Corps members, who are playing an active role in the 85th Texas Legislature.
- Featured prominently in local, state, and national media coverage of death penalty issues.
- Published year-end report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2016: The Year in Review, which received widespread media coverage in Texas and nationwide; hand-delivered copies of the report to every legislative office at the State Capitol.
- Cultivated relationships with community leaders throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, presented to more than a dozen groups, and co-hosted two high-profile events with author and faith leader, Shane Claiborne.
- Supported three conferences of the United Methodist Church in Texas in passing resolutions supporting the church’s position against the death penalty and encouraging clergy and lay leaders to become engaged in the issue.
- Mobilized our members and key partners to stop executions in cases that raise troubling questions about the fairness and accuracy of the Texas death penalty.
- Raised awareness of the flaws that persist in the administration of the death penalty in observance of the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Gregg v. Georgia.
- Organized events featuring exonorees, murder victims’ survivors, family members and friends of persons on death row, and former prosecutors.
- Attracted new followers and increased engagement on social media.
- Secured more than 100 recurring donors, whose gifts collectively amount to nearly $20,000/year for TCADP.
- Received a $1,000 cash prize for having the most unique donors in a one-hour time block during Amplify Austin for the fourth year in a row.
TCADP Key Accomplishments in 2015
- Hosted the TCADP 2015 Annual Conference in Austin, featuring former District Attorney Tim Cole as the keynote speaker.
- Released an Interfaith Statement of Opposition to the Death Penalty signed by more than 550 Texas faith leaders representing 25 religious traditions and held first Faith Leader Advocacy Day on the Death Penalty at the State Capitol.
- With our volunteer Lobby Corps, advocated for repeal of the death penalty at the 84th Texas Legislature and organized powerful testimony for a committee hearing. We also supported an abolition bill that was filed for the first time in the State Senate.
- Hired two new staff members: Vanessa Akins as our Communications Coordinator and Jason Redick to lead our campaign to reduce use of the death penalty in Dallas and Tarrant Counties.
- Collaborated with key partners on campaigns to stop executions.
- Organized dozens of events featuring death row exonorees, murder victims’ survivors, family members and friends of persons on death row, and former prosecutors.
- Collaborated with the national network Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty to provide speakers to libertarian and liberty groups, including the Young Americans for Liberty.
- Secured more than 100 recurring donors, whose gifts collectively amount to nearly $20,000 per year.
- Featured prominently in local, state, and national media coverage of death penalty issues.
- Published year-end report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2015: The Year in Review, which received widespread media coverage; hand-delivered copies of the report to every legislative office at the State Capitol.
TCADP Key Accomplishments in 2014
- Marked record-high attendance at the TCADP 2014 Annual Conference, which took place for the first time in Fort Worth, Texas
- Raised more than $5,000 in 24 hours through Amplify Austin, an online giving festival; received a $1,000 cash prize for having the most unique donors in a one-hour time block for the second year in a row.
- Secured endorsements from more than 525 Texas faith leaders on an Interfaith Statement of Opposition to the Death Penalty. The statement will be released during an event at the State Capitol this spring.
- Supported TCADP Board Member Rev. Jeff Hood’s 200-mile pilgrimage from death row in Livingston to the State Capitol in Austin to raise awareness of the death penalty.
- Collaborated with litigators and communications professionals on campaigns to stop the executions of Robert Campbell and Scott Panetti
- Organized dozens of events featuring the personal stories of death row exonorees, murder victims’ survivors, family members and friends of persons on death row, and former prosecutors. Our speakers’ tour in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex featured death row survivor Juan Melendez and former Montague County District Attorney Tim Cole and reached more than 350 people of faith, university students, and community members. More than 120 people attended our event with death row survivor Anthony Graves and murder victim family member Jan Brown in College Station. Many individuals told us they changed their position on the death penalty after hearing these powerful stories.
- Collaborated with the national network Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty to provide speakers to libertarian and liberty groups, including the Young Americans for Liberty at Texas State University.
- Recruited and trained our third class of Lobby Corps members, who will be active in the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature.
- Featured prominently in local, state, and national media coverage of death penalty issues, including the botched execution in Oklahoma
- Received grant funding from the Proteus Action League
- Secured more than 20 organizational affiliates
- Raised more than $20,000 in December
- Surpassed 4,000 Friends/Likes on Facebook and added more than 300 new followers on Twitter
- Secured more than 100 recurring donors, whose gifts collectively amount to nearly $20,000/year for TCADP
- Published eighth consecutive year-end report on Texas Death Penalty Developments
TCADP Key Accomplishments in 2013
- Marked record-high attendance at 2013 Annual Conference, which took place at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas (February)
- Raised more than $5,000 in 24 hours through Amplify Austin, an online giving festival; received a $1,000 cash prize for securing the most donors in a one-hour time block (March)
- Participated in the activities of Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty, including its debut at the Conservative Political Action Conference and presence at Republican Liberty Conference in Texas (March, May)
- Testified in support of House Bill 1703, which calls for abolition of the death penalty in Texas, and House Bill 2458, a Racial Justice Act, in front of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee; maintained active presence throughout the 83rd Texas Legislature Regular Session (April)
- Ensured our messages about the death penalty were communicated clearly and effectively to state, national and international media throughout the uproar surrounding the 500th Texas execution since 1982 (June)
- Launched bi-monthly luncheons in Houston and Austin, established a new group in Collin County, and convened membership gatherings in San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton (in addition to regular chapter meetings in Dallas, Houston and El Paso) (Summer, Fall)
- Delivered countless presentations to faith communities, civic and political groups, and students (Year-Round)
- Surpassed 300 signatures on Interfaith Statement of Opposition to the Death Penalty (October)
- Trained second class of TCADP Lobby Corps members (November)
- Maintained grant funding from the Tides Death Penalty Mobilization Fund and secured new funding from the Harold Simmons Foundation (November)
- Increased number of Twitter followers by more than 150% and hosted first Tweet Chat, featuring Jordan Smith of the Austin Chronicle (December)
- Released seventh consecutive year-end report on Texas Death Penalty Developments (December)