VIRGINIANS FOR
f ALTERNATIVES
TO THE DEATH PENALTY
2019 Annual Report
From Left: Executive Director Michael Stone,
activist and actor Mike Farrell, former death row inmate
Joe Giarratano, and Field Director Dale Brumfield
at our March 2019 awards luncheon.
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
P.O. Box 12222
Richmond, VA 23241
(434) 960-7779
office@vadp.org
www.vadp.org
A Message from the VADP President
Dear Abolition Colleague,
The death penalty is a terrible punishment that
violates the dignity of a human being.
As VADP begins work in 2020 to seek an end to
capital punishment, Virginia is not in this alone.
Our fight to become the first Southern state to
repeal the death penalty is being fought in many
other parts of the country.
In 2019 New Hampshire
became the 21st state to
end the death penalty
thanks to the leadership of
Renny Cushing, a member e
of that state’s House of
Representatives. Many
of you heard him speak at
our annual awards luncheon in October.
Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on
executions in California (where 740 prisoners are
on death row) and ordered the execution chamber
at San Quentin State Prison to be dismantled.
Since 2007 nine states have abandoned the death
penalty entirely. Four more have suspended use
of capital punishment — California, Oregon,
Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Twenty-nine states, including Virginia, retain the
death penalty. However, twelve of these states
have not executed anyone in over ten years!
Only eleven states, including Virginia, have
carried out an execution in the past five years.
Public opinion is changing. For the first time in
more than three decades, a majority of Americans
say life imprisonment is a better approach for
punishing murder than execution.
According to the 2019 Gallup Poll, sixty per cent
of Americans would support life imprisonment
a
without the possibility of parole over death. Only
thirty-six percent favored the death penalty.
Seven states executed 22 detainees last year,
the fifth year in a row with fewer than 30 people
suffered that fate. On a more positive note, two
more death-row prisoners were exonerated,
bringing the national total to 166 since 1973.
I would like to recognize the fine work that your
Board of Directors does in helping guide the
strategies and tactics of this organization. It’s
a diverse and committed group, comprised of
individuals who come to us from a wide variety
of views and political affiliation.
Among my colleagues are a criminal defense
attorney, community volunteer, retired reference
librarian, university law professor, corporate
marketing strategist, Libertarian activist and
Conservative think tank president.
Together, with our hard working staff, and the
hundreds of donors who provide us with needed
funds, VADP is a formidable force that will
soon put an end to the state’s grim legacy.
— Kristina Leslie, VADP President
Sen. Barbara Favola (Arlington) accepts
the VADP 2019 Legislator of the Year award.
2 VADP 2019 Annual Report
Accomplishments in 2019
Public Education
¢@ VADP Field Director Dale Brumfield spoke at
27 public education events, including:
— Clifton Republican Women
— Chesterfield & Rockingham County Libertarians
— Seven local Democratic Party groups in
Northern Virginia and Tidewater
— Greenspring and Westminster at Lake Ridge
retirement communities in Northern Virginia
— Virginia Beach Kiwanis Club
— Three regional prison ministry summits put on
by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Shared materials at conferences of the Virginia
Community Criminal Justice Association and
the Virginia Federation of Republican Women.
Provided death penalty information on VADP
website to a monthly average of 774 visitors.
Media
¢ Organized press conference with murder victim
family members urging abolition in Virginia
that was covered by the Richmond Times-
Dispatch, Roanoke Times, Fredericksburg Free
Lance-Star, Daily Press, Virginia Lawyers
Weekly, the Capital News Service, six local
television news programs (in Richmond,
Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, and
Northern Virginia), US News & World Report,
Chicago Tribune, and two Texas newspapers.
Assisted Rachel Sutphin, daughter of a sheriff's
deputy killed in Virginia, on an abolition op-ed
that was published in the Washington Post.
Worked with capital murder exoneree Keith
Harward on an abolition op-ed that was printed
in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Had letters to the editor published by the
Washington Post, Richmond Times-Dispatch,
and Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star.
Met with Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial
board to discuss the death penalty in Virginia.
°
°
°
°
°
°
@ Assisted media outlets with their news stories,
including Richmond Times-Dispatch, Capital
News Service, Associated Press, Feature Story
News, TRT World News, Sky News (UK),
ABC Australia, WRVA News Radio, WRIR-
FM, WLS-AM (Chicago) and VoxFairfax.com.
Field Director appeared as a guest on the
“Breakfast with Bacon” radio show in Norfolk.
°
Public Policy Advocacy
Worked with mental health organizations to
support legislation that would ban executions
of people with severe mental illness (SMI).
Created online Action Alert used by 314 people
during January to contact their state Senator in
order to support the SMI exemption bill.
Obtained the signatures of 18 state and local
Conservative leaders on a letter supporting the
abolition of the death penalty in Virginia.
°
°
°
°
Received support from 13 family members of
murder victims for a letter calling on the state
legislature to abolish capital punishment.
Organizing
°
Met with VADP supporters at five regional
meetings in Arlington, Richmond, Norfolk,
Charlottesville and Roanoke in the spring.
Convened a series of three “Insider Update”
conference calls for supporters in the autumn.
°
Panel of speakers at an educational event
in a Charlottesville evangelical church.
VADP 2019 Annual Report
How VADP Funds Its Work
2018 2019 Income: $159,625
Income
Individuals $ 89,129.17 $ 97,529.55
Faith communities 15,122.16 12,095.69
Grants 30,000.00 50,000.00
TOTAL $ 134,251.33 | $ 159,625.24
Expenses
Staff $ 111,086.53 | $ 111,457.76
Travel 9,770.56 10,875.70
Telephone 896.40 896.40 Expenses: $159,121
Postage and printing 759.10 1,732.08
Fundraising 8,541.57 8,968.87
Technology 13,863.61 8,775.42
Contract services 16,876.35 8,836.19
Miscellaneous 3,754.31 7,578.94 Te tration
TOTAL $ 165,548.43 | $ 159,121.36 13%
Net Income
- $31,297.10 + $ 503.88
VADP Board of Directors
President
Kristina Leslie At Large Members
Annandale Jayne Barnard Williamsburg
Vice President Chris Braunlich — Alexandria
Paul O’Shea Nicholas Cote Alexandria
Fairfax Theresa Dunleavy Norfolk
Secretary Todd Peppers Salem
Carissa Phillips Virginia Podboy Richmond
Charlottesville Nancy Ritter Richmond
Treasurer Jean Segner Richmond VADP board members and staff at
Adam Northup Gerald: Zerkin Richmond our March 2019 awards luncheon.
Richmond
6 VADP 2019 Annual Report
