It most probably goes without saying that we keep a close watch on executions and stays around the country, on the individuals affected and also on their issues. We mourn and we rejoice. Stays are of course always good news and make us take a closer look at why they came about.

The stay in TN highlighted an issue which as so often is the case with death penalty issues reflected negatively on AL. Last week TN was set to execute Oscar Franklin Smith after the Supreme Court of the United States had denied a stay of execution. An oversight in the preparation for the lethal injection caused the delay. In AL no one would know about an oversight as the protocol is secret! We also found it of interest that the Governor was forced to issue a delay.

We voted to once more be a sponsor of the annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty. This is the 29th consecutive year of this vigil outside the U.S. Supreme Court and the dates are 6.29-7.2.

We dedicated some time during our meeting to evaluate all of our projects that we have been working on, the ones we completed and the ones still in progress. We know there is no such thing as standing still, not for us, nor for anyone!

In closing and as always, we continue to thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. You encourage us and make all the difference. Stay safe!

                                                                                                       Esther