Next Meeting

The next ACCADP meeting will be held on Thursday, August 5th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at a NEW location. Please join us at the Progressive Jewish Alliance office located at 409 Liberty Street in El Cerrito.

ACCADP Expands Into Neighboring Contra Costa County

Contra Costa County welcomed our death penalty coalition with open arms last week, when the Richmond Public Library hosted the event, "The Death Penalty: Why We Should End it and How," sponsored by the Berkeley/North East Bay Chapter of the ACLU, Death Penalty Focus, The El Cerrito Democratic Club and our very own Alameda County Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. The event opened with a screening of the film, "Race to Execution," which follows the stories of Madison Hobley and Robert Tarver who both were found guilty of murder and sentenced to die at the hands of the state. Following the film, the audience heard from Darryl Stallworth, former prosecutor, and Judy Kerr, murder victim survivor, about their personal experiences with California's dysfunctional death penalty. The audience, which included staff from both Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin's office and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner's office, engaged the two speakers in an in-depth conversation about the realities and the fallacies of the death penalty. This highly successful event was the first ACCADP gathering in Contra Costa, in the hopes of eventually expanding our Alameda death penalty work into our neighboring County.

Why Expand? We Have Enough Work to Do in OUR County!

The latest death penalty report published by the ACLU of Northern California, "Death in Decline, '09," informs us that in 2009 Alameda County experienced no new death sentences, setting our county on the right path to ending death sentencing. Contra Costa County, however, confronted two new death sentences bumping their 10 year total to 11 death convictions and making them tied for 6th place for California counties with the most death sentences. Since criminal justice policy decisions made by the Contra Costa District Attorney oftentimes affect us in neighboring Alameda County, the ACCADP has decided to begin educating the residents of Contra Costa County about the realities of the death penalty in their county.

What Can I do?

  1. Mark your calendars and attend the next ACCADP meeting on August 5, 5:30-7:00 pm. at the Progressive Jewish Alliance located at 409 Liberty Street in El Cerrito.
  2. Make a list of 3 people you know who live in Contra Costa County.
  3. Email or call them and invite them to the August 5th meeting
  4. Tell them about our website,www.alamedadeathpenalty.org and our Facebook
All of our hard work in Alameda County has paid off, with a reduction in death sentencing in 2009. The time has come for us to help our neighboring Contra Costa County jump onto our bandwagon and let elected officials know that we believe it is time for public safety priorities to change in the East Bay by ending death sentencing and investing the money saved into solving homicides, violence prevention programs, and effective public safety programs. Including Contra Costa in our advocacy work, however, does not mean the struggle has ended for us in Alameda County--we will continue to educate the voters and engage with elected officials including the Alameda County DA to encourgae alternatives to the death penalty.

Dear Governor, Cut This: The Death Penalty

At a time of fiscal crisis, when there are more needs than dollars, we're calling on Sacramento to cut the death penalty. We would save $1 billion in five years without releasing a single prisoner or jeopardizing public safety—$1 billion that could be spent on education and vital social services for Californians.

We know that advocates and community members from across the state are fighting to ensure that the vital social services that make the safety net for California's most vulnerable populations aren't slashed. We're here with a small piece of the solution. Need to cut something? Cut this: The Death Penalty.