A Demonstration

[IMPORTANT UPDATE: NEW MEETING SPOT]

Attention Texas Abolitionists!

Join us for this action:

DEMONSTRATION FOR HUMANE LIVING CONDITIONS ON TEXAS' DEATH ROW

The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, the Austin chapter of Campaign to End the Death Penalty, and other activist groups will be holding a rally on April 8, 2006 to protest the inhumane conditions on Death Row at the Polunsky
Unit in Livingston, TX. Here are some examples of how these men are forced to live:

Inmates are kept on 23-hour lock-down in cells with solid steel doors.

There are no work programs or group recreation on Death Row.

Inmates are not allowed access to television or religious services

The healthcare and food services on Death Row are sub-par.

Death Row inmates are only allowed one five minute phone call every six months and the Polunsky Unit staff has been known to withold their mail. Furthermore, all visits are non-contact, meaning that families and friends of these men will never make physical contact with them again.

Finally, guards and administrators at Polunsky impose disproportionate punitive measures on these inmates, including gassing, taking their clothes, denying them meals, and feeding them with disgusting "food loafs."

These men are slowly losing their minds, with some giving up their appeals and others attempting suicide.

Join us as we demand an end to these cruel and unusual conditions and pose a broader challenge to the unjust machinery of death that is Texas' Death Row. The rally will begin at 2:00 pm at the Polk County Courthouse in downtown Livingston, featuring speakers, spoken word performances, and music from Tropic Blue. At 3:00 pm, the protest will move to the front of the Polunsky Unit, 3872 FM 350 South. Help us protest for those who are unable to protest for themselves!

For those in Austin, Due to a major athletic event on UT's campus this weekend, we've elected to move our carpool/caravan meeting spot to the following location:

Meet at 9:30am, Saturday, April 8, at "It's A Grind" coffee shop. It's A Grind is located at the corner of Red River and 41st streets. The building stands alone in the southwest corner of the Hancock Center complex. We will meet in the lot right beside the shop.

We will leave from there by 10am, so don't be late!

For a map and driving directions to Livingston click here. And to the prison, here.

For more information contact the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement at Abolition.Movement@hotmail.com or email us at the address to the right.

PLEASE COME SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR ABOLITION!