From our partners at North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP):
Please join people from across our state for a march and rally in Raleigh demanding commutation of our state’s 135 death sentences. In June, NCCADP began convening a monthly Commutation Working Group including attorneys, activists and people directed impacted by the death penalty. Our goal: To compel Governor Cooper to commute death sentences before he leaves office in 2024. It is time to launch our commutation campaign publicly.
We’ll meet at noon outside the gates of Raleigh’s Central Prison, 1300 Western Blvd, and walk 2 miles to the Governor’s Mansion. At 1:15, we’ll gather at 200 E. Jones St. for speeches, a spoken word performance, music and more. If you don’t want to march with us, come to both locations or just meet us at the mansion.
In the wake of the recent NC Supreme Court and Court of Appeals elections, the time is ripe for us to begin this campaign that will continue until Governor Cooper leaves office. The launch is during the third annual Vigil for Freedom and Racial Justice. The event is open to all, but we’d love to know you’re coming. So if possible, please use the button to register.
Parking & Shuttles: If you meet us at Central Prison, there is parking available on the campus of Dix Park. From Western Boulevard, turn onto Hunt Drive directly across from Central Prison and you will see a gravel lot a short way up the road on the right. You can also park on the street in the Boylan Heights neighborhood beside the prison. If you join the march, we will provide a shuttle back to your car after the rally concludes. If you meet us at the Governor’s Mansion, you can find more information about parking here.
Travel to Raleigh: If you need help getting to Raleigh, carpools are happening across the state. In Asheville, contact Jean Parks; in Charlotte contact Anne Cochran; and in Wilmington Rhonda Thomas. If you need financial assistance for travel costs, reach out to Kristie Puckett Williams of the ACLU of NC.