Starting this month, KCADP and its 40 members organizations are sponsoring a
series of public forums on the death penalty to be held at Louisville Free Public Library
Branches.
These roundtable discussions will be moderated to give all points a view a chance
to speak: pro, con and moratorium. The first one will take place at 6:30, Wednesday,
September 24" in Studio A at the Main Branch downtown at 301 York Street. It will be
moderator by Dr. Roy Fuller, who teaches at IU Southeast, Bellarmine University and
Spalding University.
Death penalty issues have been a mainstay of the headlines for the past year and
more. Recently Governor Paul Patton announced his intention to commute the death
sentence of Kevin Stanford because he was a juvenile when arrested for his crimes.
Patton’s decision has been both praised and castigated in letters to the editors of various
newspapers. Clearly people have opinions on the matter they want to voice.
Since Patton’s announcement, the Missouri Supreme Court has declared
unconstitutional the death penalty for juveniles. The Missouri Court stated that it was not
bound by the U.S. Supreme court’s 1989 refusal to bar the execution of juvenile
offenders in the Stanford case because since then a national concensus has developed
against the execution of juveniles.
Abolition of the death penalty completely and the death penalty for juveniles are
inescapable issues these days. KCADP believes now is the time for open public
dialogues exploring ALL points of view.
Succeeding forums will be held at the Southwest Regional Library Branch Thurs.,
Oct.9; at St. Matthews/Eline Branch on Wed., Oct. 22; the Portland Branch on Thurs.,
Nov. 6; Crescent Hill on Thurs., Nov. 13; and at Highlands/Shelby Park on Thurs.,
January 15, 2004. All will be held at 6:30 p.m.
Please do all you can to get word out to friends and neighbors, at schools and
churches. Come and bring a friend, especially a pro-death penalty friend. If you have
any questions call Mary McCarthy at KCADP’s new number 636-1330.
