We hope that you are as excited about the past year as we are! Together, we made serious strides toward repealing the death penalty in Nebraska and promoting the alternative of a fairer, more responsible justice system.
We only have a few days to prepare for the 2014 legislative session and the challenges it will bring.
During the 2013 legislative session, we came as close as ever to repealing the death penalty in Nebraska for good. In fact, a majority of Senators from across the political spectrum supported a bill to replace the death penalty with life without parole!
With your help, we can overcome the last-ditch efforts of opponents and abolish the death penalty in 2014!
Throughout the year, we were joined by many powerful voices calling for abolition:
In April, evangelical leader Shane Claiborne (right) spoke at the Harper Center at Creighton University in Omaha, discussing the myth of redemptive violence and challenging the crowd to ask themselves, “Who would Jesus execute?”
Then, in September, Sister Helen Prejean visited the communities of St. Paul and Columbus to recount her years of experience as an abolitionist and to remind us that we have a chance to end the death penalty in Nebraska for good.
Later that month, Bud Welch (below) joined us for our annual reception in Omaha, sharing the powerful story of healing and reconciliation in his journey to find forgiveness after the loss of his daughter Julie in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
Finally, in November Curtis McCarty took to the road to visit seven Nebraska communities and speak out about his experience as an innocent man who spent 19 years on death row.
But our work is far from finished, and we need your help!
As always, our work wouldn’t be possible without your generous financial support, especially as we increase our efforts for repeal in the coming months. Make a safe, tax-deductible donation through our website today.
Thanks for all your support this past year and in the months to come.