Dozens of Wyoming residents, civic and faith leaders and good government advocates will gather outside the State Supreme Court building in Cheyenne at noon on Tuesday, April 30, to launch the Wyoming Campaign to End the Death Penalty in 2020.
Repealing the death penalty in Wyoming will help eliminate racial and jurisdictional bias, reduce unnecessary waste of tax dollars and eliminate the risk of executing innocent people. The Campaign to End the Death Penalty in 2020 is supported by the ACLU of Wyoming, the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, the League of Women Voters of Wyoming, Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian Church of Cheyenne, and the Wyoming NAACP.
Speakers will include Rep. Jared Olsen, Father Christopher Xanthos from the Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian Church and Sabrina King from the ACLU of Wyoming. Marguerite Herman with the League of Women Voters and Bethany Baldes with Young Americans for Liberty will be the campaign launch emcees.
“Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic system,” said Sabrina King, director of campaigns for the ACLU of Wyoming. “We know innocent people are sent to death row, we know the toll on victims’ families from the death penalty is immense, and we know having it in law does not serve as a deterrent to violent crime. It’s time to end the death penalty in Wyoming.”
Ending the death penalty is not a partisan issue. The death penalty’s history of deep injustices, skyrocketing costs and entrenched discrimination defies party lines.
In the 2019 Wyoming legislative session, a bill to repeal the death penalty drew far more support from state lawmakers than ever before. The bill had 13 co-sponsors in the House and five in the Senate, and had the support of leadership in both chambers. Ultimately, the bill passed in the House but failed with an 18-12 vote in the Senate.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Campaign to End the Death Penalty in 2020 Campaign Launch
WHEN: 12 p.m. April 30
WHERE: Steps of the Wyoming State Supreme Court, 2301 Capital Ave., Cheyenne
FOR INFORMATION: https://www.facebook.com/WyoEndDP/
In case of inclement weather on April 30, an advisory will be sent Tuesday morning with an updated location.
About the ACLU of Wyoming
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Wyoming is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and South Dakota. The team in Wyoming is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBT communities. The ACLU of Wyoming carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of Wyoming.
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