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2009 Convention program
Saturday (Registration starts at 8 AM)
9 AM
Welcome to Convention.
Ronnie Kitchen, Marvin Reeves, Mark Clements, all newly exonerated prisoners
9:20 AM Seating of delegates.
Plenary Sessions:
9:30 to 10:30 AM Making the Death Penalty History!
Activists have made great strides in this past year, from Troy Davis winning a Supreme Court ruling in his case to the freeing of several victims of police torturer Jon Burge. How can we move forward to abolition? How do activists organize in the Obama era? What are our possibilities for building in this new period? Featuring Marlene Martin, CEDP's National Director and Lawrence Hayes, exonerated death row prisoner from NY.
15 Minute break
10:45 to 12 PM Will Troy Davis Win?
Georgia death row prisoner Troy Davis has won the right to finally be able to present evidence of his innocence in court. But as his sister and most vocal advocate says, "This is still an uphill battle." Martina Correia will speak along with Georgia activist Patrick Dyer will about what it will take for Troy to win, and what the impact of this case has had on the death penalty debate more broadly.
12 to 1 PM Lunch break.
1:15 to 3 PM Victory and Struggle: Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
Featuring newly exonerated prisoners Ronald Kitchen, Marvin Reeves, Mark Clements, Darby Tillis and Jeannine Scott, wife of newly released prisoner Michael Scott talking about talking about their victories. We will also hear about the ongoing struggle to win justice for Texas death row prisoner Rodney Reed from his mother Sandra Reed, and the fight for justice for Oscar Grant from Jack Bryson whose sons were with Oscar the night he was shot on an Oakland train station platform.
15 Minute break
3:15 to 4:45 PM Workshop Sessions – concurrent:
Mumia Abu Jamal and Jailhouse Lawyers.
Lawrence Hayes, former death row prisoner from New York and Derrel Myers, who lost his son to violence, will speak about Pennsylvania death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal's latest book.
Fighting for the Guilty Too.
Barbara Lewis, death row family member and Sandy Jones, Delaware CEDP activist talk about fighting for all death row prisoners.
Coerced Confessions: Why would someone confess to something they didn't do?
Michael Scott, former prisoner from TX recently cleared of murder charges, and Lee Wengraf, CEDP activist in NY expose the way police use coercive tactics and even torture to extract false confessions.
Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences – Are they just?
Mark Clements, a former juvenile LWOP prisoner and activists from Juvenile Life Without Parole Project talk about fighting these harsh sentences.
4:45 to 6:45 PM Dinner break.
7:00 PM Saturday evening event
Howard Zinn on the "Power of the Powerless."
Moderated by Dave Zirin
Howard Zinn, historian, author and activist will speak on the power of ordinary people to in changing the course of history. Zinn is the author of A People's History of the United States. Dave Zirin is a sports commentator and activist and is the author of A People's History of Sports in the United States. With participation from: Ronnie Kitchen, Lawrence Hayes, Martina Correia, Sandra Reed, and Darby Tillis
Book signing to follow program.
Sunday
Plenary Session:
9:30 to 11 AM How do we organize? Building the CEDP from the grassroots.
A discussion of strategies successful for building the anti-death penalty movement and specifically CEDP chapters, as well as some of the challenges that chapters face.
11 to 12:15 PM Workshop sessions – concurrent:
Getting the Most out of the Media.
Liliana Segura, CEDP activist in NY and writer for Alternet and other independent media, and Laura Brady, CEDP activist in Texas .
Witness to an Execution.
Lily Hughes, CEDP activist who witnessed for her friend Justin Fuller and Delia Perez Meyer, sister of Texas death row prisoner Louis Castro Perez.
15 Minute break
Final Plenary Sessions:
12:30 to 1:30 PM Working Lunch
Covering Fundraising and the New Abolitionist newsletter. With Pizza.
1:30 to 3 PM Board Elections and National Initiatives
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