Report from San Bernardino and Orange Counties

After leaving Riverside on September 21st we headed for San Bernardino where Carolyn Boyle and Verne Schweiger welcomed us.

About thirty people gathered in front of the San Bernardino Court House on Monday, September 24th to protest the death penalty. A local priest spoke of the first murder recorded in the Book of Genesis. The murderer, Cain, feared that he would be killed by his victim’s friends. To prevent this God marked Cain so that everyone would know that Cain’s life should be spared.

Carolyn Boyle spoke and introduced a series of speakers including Jeff and I. We were interviewed by two Spanish speaking newspapers, La Prensa and La Opinion. Also the San Bernardino Sun printed a picture of the demonstration on its front page.

We then left for Orange County. On Wednesday, Jeff set a new record for longest non-stop walk, when he walked almost six miles uninterrupted. I read my magazines. It was an easy day.

On Thursday, September 27th Jan Urban met us four miles from the Orange County Court House and walked the route with Jeff. I transported signs to the court house.

About fifteen people were at the Orange County demonstration led by local activist Dave Johnson. Fr. Bill Barman led us in Sister Helen’s prayer. Jeff asked the absent district attorney, Tony Rackauckas, to save Orange County’s tax money by not seeking the death penalty.

Exoneree Tom Goldstein reported on the injustice that resulted in his 24 year jail term for a murder he did not commit. The event was covered by local TV Channel 56 (Channel 12 on most cable systems.)

Now we’re on to Los Angeles!

By Richard Carlburg

Walk route in Los Angeles on Oct. 4th

For anyone who would like to meet the walkers on their way to the Oct. 4th rally in downtown Los Angeles, the one-mile marker BEFORE the rally is at the Japanese American National Museum at East 1st St. and North Alameda St. Meet at 11:30am.

The rally will begin at noon at the County Criminal Court Building, at the corner of W. Temple St and N Spring St.

Speakers will include:

• Norm Stamper, former police chief of Seattle and 29-year veteran of the San Diego Police Dept.
• Gloria Killian, wrongfully convicted of a murder she did not commit. Narrowly escaped the death penalty.
• Aqeela Sherrills, whose son was murdered
• Rev. George Regas

The one-mile marker after the rally is at South Grand Ave. and West 5th St. That’s across from the Main Los Angeles Library.

Of course, all walkers are welcome to continue on down Wilshire Blvd. and beyond.

Questions? Contact Emily at email: cpf@la-archdiocese.org or phone: 213.235.8305.

Join the Walk in Orange County this Thursday, Sept. 27th!

Join us at 11:30am at 17th St and Main in Santa Ana, CA to WALK one mile to the Courthouse on Civic Center Drive for a Rally at Noon.

Join Walkers for one mile leaving the Rally as they move on to Los Angeles. The one mile marker after the Rally is at 17th St. and Bristol. Then it’s an easy return to your parked vehicles at 17th and Main !!

Questions? Contact Jan at: janurban@adelphia.net

Day 7: Even rain and heat can't stop us from walking

The walk from San Diego was uneventful if you exclude the weather which ranged from very hot to cold light rain. On Monday, September 17, I had to drop out in order to make a doctor’s appointment and Jeff’s son, Mat, walked in my place.

We arrived in Riverside Thursday night (September 20). Audrey Owens and her group organized a great demonstration on Friday, September 21st. About fifty people gathered on the Court House steps to listen to songs by local activist Dick Morris and a series of eloquent speakers led by Riverside Public Defender Gary Windom. Thomas Goldstein, who was exonerated of murder after 24 years in prison, spoke of the terrible injustice done to him and others by the California justice system. A local TV station interviewed Jeff and I and filmed the demonstration. A reporter from The Press-Enterprise also interviewed us.

The good people of Riverside took up a collection for our expenses. We spent four nights in motels and the contribution was greatly appreciated.

By Richard Carlburg
Sept. 22, 2007

Still walking, despite injuries

On Day 1 of our March from San Diego to Sacramento one of our soldiers for justice went down for the cause. At about mile 7, on the north side of the San Diego River bike path, 71 year-old Tony Brown (Photo: pictured 2nd from the left) stumbled and hit his head on the asphalt.

At this point there were five marchers, including Tony, and the other four of us had some anxious moments while he lay there, not responding to the simple question "What are the five main reasons you oppose the death penalty in order of importance?"

Not really. We actually kept repeating, "Tony, can you hear me?" About 1½ -2 minutes later, he responded, began to stir, and we helped him to a sitting position, leaving a prominent little pool of blood on the path. He sported a fine goose egg on his forehead with a 2-½ inch gash diagonally across it. Mike Peddecord whipped out some large bandages from his fanny pack. We mopped away enough blood so that Mike could get two band-aids to stick.

We then determined that Tony didn't require an ambulance and decided to drive Tony to his health care provider, Sharp Memorial Hospital. Jeff Ghelardi’s son Mat was waiting in the lead car about five minutes drive ahead. We called him; he came immediately and packed Tony away to the emergency room.

There, the receiving nurse checked Tony over, cleaned the wound, re-bandaged it, and sent him, with Mat in tow, to the "fast track" waiting room to be seen ASAP. Five hours later, the doctor collected Tony, sent him for an EEG (results were fine), stitched up the wound, and sent Tony and Mat on their way.

Early the next day, Sunday the 16th, Tony, who is a cantankerous old dude, insisted on rejoining the March. The lead marchers, Richard Carlburg and Jeff, quickly put the kibosh on that idea, thanked Tony for his loyal service, got back on the road, praying for a dull, uneventful Day 2.

Note: Tony Brown is a veteran of several integrated Civil Rights Marches through the South in the early 1960s. Participants were routinely harassed, jailed and brutalized.

by Jeff Ghelardi

Walk to stop in Riverside tomorrow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 20, 2007

Contact: Melissa Daar: 510-550-8170; 415-312-0222
Audrey Owens: 909-322-9213

MEDIA ADVISORY

800-Mile Walk to Stop Executions Arrives at Riverside Hall of Justice
Walkers Ask District Attorney NOT to Seek Death Penalty

WHEN:
Friday, September 21, 2007 - NOON

WHERE:Riverside Hall of Justice, 4100 Main Street,Downtown Riverside, CA

WHAT: Press conference for the 2007 Walk to Stop Executions. The Walk will stop in 15 counties along the 800-mile route and will end at the State Capitol in Sacramento on November 30th. The Walk was initiated to call attention to the death penalty and encourage district attorneys not to seek the death penalty.

WHO:
Tom Goldstein, wrongfully convicted or murder in California, served 24 years
Herman Atkins, wrongfully convicted of rape in California, served 11.5 years
Gary Windon, Riverside Public Defender

WHY:When District Attorneys pursue death sentences, the lengthy and complex legal proceedings not only perpetuate the suffering of the survivors but also focus all the attention on the accused instead of the victims. Seeking the death penalty also costs far more than seeking the alternative sentence, life without parole. While some district attorneys do not to pursue the death penalty, these counties' district attorneys do. As a result, California has the highest rate of death sentencing in the country.

To locate the walkers, please call:
Jeff Ghelardi 619-850-7470 or Richard Carlburg 714-222-2164.

For more information, please visit:http://walktostopexecutions.blogspot.com/

The Walk: Day One

The walk started off with a great demonstration at the San Diego County Courthouse. Approximately 50 supporters attended including giant puppet images of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King. The CBS TV station recorded the proceedings and interviewed me. Representatives from CPF, AIUSA, DPF, ACLU, and the California Innocence Project spoke in opposition to the death penalty. The final speakers were Jeff Ghelardi and I.

The candle of hope was lit at 10:00 and the march started. Most of the fifty supporters followed the candle through downtown for about a mile. A few hearty souls walked for ten miles, at which point Jeff and I continued.

At about mile eight, Telemundo Channel 17 interview Jeff and filmed the walkers. Tomorrow at 7:00 AM Jeff and I will continue the march starting at Kearney Villa Road one mile north of Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

Richard Carlburg
Sept. 15, 2007

Op-ed about the Walk appears in the North County Times

Walk on Saturday to stop executions
North County Times
Sept. 13, 2007

By: Azim Khamisa

This Saturday, a crowd will gather outside the San Diego Hall of Justice to urge District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis to stop seeking death sentences in our county. This event will mark the beginning of an 800-mile Walk to Stop Executions, which will travel throughout the state of California to make the same plea to district attorneys in other counties. This is a journey in which all San Diegans should participate, whether in body or in spirit.My own journey in opposition to the death penalty began in 1995, when my son Tariq, then 19, was shot and fatally wounded by 14-year-old Tony Hicks. Tony became the first juvenile in California to be tried as an adult, and was sentenced to 25 years to life.

After my son's murder, I decided to become an enemy not of his killer, but of the forces that put him on that dark street holding a handgun. I reached out to Tony's grandfather, Ples Felix, and we have worked together ever since to break the epidemic of youth violence. Tony now writes letters from prison that we use in our programs -- letters that have had a positive effect on other young children. If California had punished Tony by executing him, both his life and the effect of his message would have been lost.

All of us, as San Diegans, Californians and Americans, created the society that made both Tariq and Tony into victims. We must take responsibility for our creation. Instead of breaking the cycle of violence, the death penalty perpetuates it, both by committing more killing and by draining resources that could be used to help our children find hope and move away from violence. Maintaining the death penalty has been estimated to cost Californians more than $100 million every year over and above the other costs of our criminal justice system. Wouldn't this money be better spent on providing after-school activities for our children, and educating them on the alternatives to violence?

I know from experience that the journey from tragedy to forgiveness can be long and difficult. But I have also found that it is necessary, both for the individual and for our society as a whole. I encourage all members of our community to join in this effort to walk away from violence and turn our attention to the pressing problems that make our children into victims of society, and of each other. Please join me, and all of those participating in the Walk to Stop Executions, in asking our district attorney to stop seeking death sentences in our county.

Azim Khamisa is founder and chairman of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the epidemic of youth violence. Among other activities, he speaks to elementary and middle school children about gangs, violence, revenge and the importance of becoming "peacemakers.

To see this op-ed online, please visit: http://nctimes.com/articles/2007/09/13/opinion/commentary/20_36_239_12_07.txt

Media Advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Contact: Melissa Daar 510-550-1870; 415-312-0222
Jeff Ghelardi, 619-224-7322

MEDIA ADVISORY

800-Mile Walk to Stop Executions Launches at San Diego Court House
Walkers Ask District Attorney NOT to Seek Death Penalty


WHEN: Saturday, September 15, 2007 – 9 AM

WHERE: San Diego Hall of Justice, 330 Broadway, Downtown San Diego

WHAT: Press conference and launch for the Walk to Stop Executions. The Walk will stop in 15 counties along the 800-mile route and will end at the State Capitol in Sacramento on November 30th. Walkers will join to call attention to the death penalty and encourage district attorneys not to seek the death penalty.

WHO:
Walk Leaders: Richard Carlburg and Jeff Ghelardi
Rev. Tony Currin
Calif. People of Faith: Ronnie Friedman-Barone
Amnesty International USA: Tim Spann
ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties: Kevin Keenan
Jeff Chinn, California Innocence Project

WHY: When District Attorneys pursue death sentences, the lengthy and complex legal proceedings not only perpetuate the suffering of the survivors but also focus all the attention on the accused instead of the victims. Seeking the death penalty also costs far more than seeking the alternative sentence, life without parole. While some district attorneys do not to pursue the death penalty, these counties’ district attorneys do. As a result, California has the highest rate of death sentencing in the country.

For more information, please visit: http://walktostopexecutions.blogspot.com/

Look who's walking!

Norm Stamper, a 28-year veteran of the San Diego police dept. and former Seattle police chief and Gloria Killian, who was wrongfully convicted in California and narrowly escaped the death penalty, will be walking in Los Angeles.

Tom Goldstein and Herman Atkins, both wrongfully convicted in California will be walking in Riverside.

Vera Ramirez-Crutcher, who lost her son to murder, will be walking in Ventura.

Will you be walking?