Help stop Virginia's 100th Execution....

Last week Virginia Governor Tim Kaine Commuted Percy Walton's death sentence, making the execution scheduled for next week in Virginia the likely 100th execution in that state. We have two executions in the USA today (6/17/08) and other items of interest. Read on for the details!

But First - For over 30 years the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has worked to abolish capital punishment in the United States. With death sentences on the decline and a growing number of Americans convinced the death penalty is unjust and unfair, we are building our capacity to end the death penalty in the U.S. once and for all. Please take a minute to support the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty with your financial contribution. Whether it is $5, $50, $500, $5,000 or even more, please help us make the difference by clicking here now!

HELP STOP VIRGINIA'S 100TH EXECUTION

Robert Yarbrough is scheduled to be killed by the people of Virginia at 9pm on June 25, 2008 for the slaying of Cyril Hugh Hamby on May 8, 1997.

At a time when much of the country is turning away from the death penalty, Virginia has three executions scheduled in the coming months. Second only to Texas in the number of prisoners killed since 1977, next week's scheduled killing of Robert Yarbrough could be Virginia's 100th execution. Please take a few minutes right now to say "Enough!" and help stop this execution.

Please take one or more of the following actions - Details below:

Contact Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and ask him to stop the execution
Forward this and ask people you know to also contact Governor Kaine
Attend the execution protest and vigil
Support VADP's Efforts
Write a letter to the editor

ACTION #1: Contact Gov. Tim Kaine RIGHT NOW by telephone and/or fax and politely ask him to grant clemency (show mercy) to Robert Yarbrough by commuting his death sentence to life without the possibility of parole. If you live in Virginia, be sure to start by stating your name and where you live.

Gov. Tim Kaine

Phone: (804) 786-2211

Fax: (804) 371-6351

NOTE: You can e-mail Gov. Kaine via his web page, but in order to stress the urgency of this matter we are urging more personal/tangible contact at this time (i.e. make a phone call or send a fax - something that forces the recipient to acknowledge your communication.)


ACTION #2: Ask others to join you in taking action. Calls may be made and faxes may be sent as late as 8pm on June 25th, so please forward this action to others. Ask people you know to also contact Governor Kaine, including people at religious services or other activities you attend. Print it out so that you have the information with you when you bump into a friend who might call.

ACTION #3: If no stay or commutation has been granted by the afternoon of the execution, attend the execution protest and vigil outside Greensville Correctional Center at Jarratt. Because this is execution #100, we urge all who can to attend the vigil at the prison. Jarratt is about 50 miles south of Richmond on I-95. If you cannot travel to the prison, please attend a vigil closer to where you live. Details on scheduled vigils are at http://vadp.org/attend-a-vigil.html

For last minute information about whether a stay has been granted, please call VADP at 888-567-VADP. You can also check the web page at www.VADP.org


ACTION #4: Please support VADP's efforts on-line HERE or by sending a donation to

VADP
P.O. Box 4804
Charlottesville, VA 22905



ACTION #5: Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling for Virginia stop executions and abolish the death penalty. If you would like some helpful hints about points you could make in your brief letter, send a message to office@vadp.org


Thank you for supporting these actions.