KENTUCKY COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
PO BOX 3092 LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
502 636 1330
www.kcadp.org
staff@kcadp.org
In re: TFR 10-02654
Goals and Objectives. KCADP has a strategic plan that includes this goal: Create and implement a marketing and
education campaign to engage supporters, educate the undecided, influence public opinion, and counter myths. One
objective of this goal is to “establish presence among service, civic, leadership, and social groups.” Another goal is
to develop a statewide system to organize supporters and move them to action. One of its objectives is to identify
and secure contact information for 5,000 new and diverse supporters and another is to focus organizing and
advocacy campaigns in districts represented by Senators and Representatives in leadership and Judiciary Committee
positions
Upon receipt of the Tides grant of $15,000, the KCADP board, staff and selected allies met to formulate a plan in
keeping with the goals and objectives cited above. As a result, four distinct action plans will be carried out (all
providing residual and ongoing benefit to the Coalition) before December 31.
Kentucky State Fair (August 18 - 28): $2500 (Attendance is 600,000).
¢ Faith Leaders Training Seminars (November 16, 17); (day long meetings in two locations $1,500 each =
$3,000. (Attendance is 100, a representative from each Ky House legislative district but impact is targeted:
legislators and key leaders).
* — Strategic Dissemination of American Bar Association’s Assessment of Death Penalty Usage in Kentucky
(expected before December 31); ($2,000).
* Witness to Innocence (Fall, 2011). There will be five presentations at key locations in important districts in
Kentucky. (5 x $1,500 each = $7,500).
KENTUCKY STATE FAIR. A continuous presence of KCADP at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville from its
opening on August 18" through its closing on August 28". In 11 days, 600,000 people are expected to attend from
every county and municipality in Kentucky. The ability to buy prime rental space in a main exhibition hall would
not have been possible without the Tides grant. The ability to share KCADP message points with a state-wide
Kentucky in such a short period of time will enable us to tailor our message to legislative leaders in specific towns,
districts and regions of the state. In addition, fairgoers have an opportunity to sign a petition asking the Governor to
refuse to sign death warrants, as well as postcards to the chair of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee asking a
fair hearing for legislation to end the death penalty for severely mentally ill persons during the next meeting of the
General Assembly. This also builds capacity because signers who provide an email address will be added to our
eNews list.
TWO FAITH COMMUNITY TRAINING SESSIONS, Faith leaders from each of Kentucky’s 100 legislative
districts will convene for training. We are seeking persons in leadership positions who already agree on the issue of
abolition and who need training in how to advocate on the issue among peers and congregants. A speaker from
DPIC has been requested to help attendees with message points. The day-long sessions (one in Louisville and a
second in Berea) will answer three questions: 1) what do we say; 2) what do we do; 3) how do we stay in touch? As
of today nine persons from nine distinct districts have registered.
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION KENTUCKY DEATH PENALTY ASSESSMENT REPORT. A panel of
distinguished Kentucky experts selected by the American Bar Association has been investigating death penalty
usage in Kentucky for 18 months and is expected to release its finding before December 31. As a result of the Tides
grant, KCADP is providing ‘architectural support’ for wide and strategic distribution of the report in specially
convened meetings, seminars, editorials, television interviews and victims survivors’ networks.
WITNESS TO INNOCENCE.To reach additional Kentuckians in regions of the state less likely to hear our
message, KCADP is arranging for a minimum of five Witness to Innocence events which bring a member of WtI to
speak in a community over a one or two day period. In addition to a formal presentation an effort is made to appear
on local radio and/or TV talk shows, grant interviews to media, and meet local leaders. Thomas More College in
Northern Kentucky has agreed to host and event and invite Northern Ky University to join in promoting it. A
Catholic deanery in Lexington is working with the University of Kentucky Newman Center and Transylvania
University to host an event. Campbellsville University in Campbellsville Ky is considering an event. And Brescia
College in Owensboro has agreed to consider. Other events will become final in the next month or so as students
return to campuses throughout the state. KCADP asks host to consider partial funding of the event and if they do,
the Tides Foundation funds will be used to sponsor additional WtI events. These events educate the public and help
us meet our strategic goal to build capacity.
There have not been any staff changes and our strategic plan is still operative. The major change in Kentucky is an
undeclared moratorium resulting from the lack of sodium thiopental and the inability to use another drug because
that would require administrative hearings and face a court challenge. Also, a court has under consideration whether
or not the execution protocol in Kentucky is lawful or not.
Evaluating our success regarding the use of the funds from this grant will be based on the number of postcards
signed at the State Fair, as well as the number of names gathered on a petition there. For the other activities, success
will be measured by how many religious leaders register for and attend the training for pastors and subsequently
how many of these stay active on the issue. This latter will depend on KCADP to help them do so. For both the work
regarding the Bar report and the Witness to Innocence events, success will be measured by how many events take
place, how many attend, how many join KCADP, and then how well KCADP engages them to take further action.
KCADP has learned that the use of social media is helpful in all this. Through our eNews, our website, and our
Facebook page and through alliances with others like the KY ACLU and the KY Council of Churches, KCADP
recruited the workers for the state fair and, as noted above, is registered pastoral leaders for the trainings.
This grant was received unexpectedly, after we learned that our application for one the major Tides Death Penalty
grants had not been approved. As a result none of the funds have been expended in the first half of this year and only
in August have funds begun to be spent. To date KCADP has received and deposited the $15,000 from the
Foundation and of that amount $2431 has been spent on booth rental for the Fair, including insurance; materials for
the booth display; and the purchase of entry passes for our 40 volunteers who are working in the booth. In addition,
$250 was paid for an advertisement about the upcoming training of pastoral leaders in a program for an event hosted
by the largest grassroots organization in Kentucky, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
Some funding comes from religious organizations, especially orders of nuns, but the primary funding for ongoing
operations is from the many members of KCADP whose gifts range from $10 a year to more than $10,000. KCADP
has a few persons who contribute above the $1,000 level. The rest of the $50,000 - $60,000 operating budget comes
from the smaller donations of many dedicated members and smaller affiliate organizations.
Submitted by
Rev. Patrick Delahanty
Chair
KCADP
502 494 3298
delahantyp@bellsouth.net
August 19, 2011
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