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A
group of more than one dozen death penalty opponents will begin a 300-mile
pilgrimage in Raleigh on Sunday, June 15, at 1 p.m. calling for an end to the
death penalty, and to promote compassion for murder victims' families and
support for the families of those on death row.
The "Pilgrimage of Remembrance: Making Strides Toward
Abolition and Reconciliation" begins in Raleigh at 1 pm Sunday, June
15, at Central Prison (1300 Western Blvd.) and ends Sunday, June 29 at the US
Supreme Court, a total of 300 miles. A service of blessing and support featuring
the Rev. Dr. William Barber,
president of the NC NAACP, followed
by a potluck supper will be held Sunday night at 6 pm at the Church of the Nativity, 8849 Ray Rd.,
Raleigh.
The walkers – including a computer programmer, a teacher’s
assistant, a father of eight, and others – will pass through dozens of towns and
cities along the way, stopping each night for programs and discussions in local
churches and community centers. Walkers will stop in several towns and cities
including: (in NC) Wake Forest, Franklinton, Norlina, Warrenton, Littleton,
Roanoke Rapids, and (in VA) Emporia, Jarratt, Petersburg, Richmond, Ashland,
Ladysmith, Fredericksburg, Triangle, Woodbridge, Hybla Valley and Alexandria.
"We walk to remember murder victims, people on death row, the
executed, the exonerated and the families of all these persons,” said Scott
Bass, an organizer of the Pilgrimage, “and we walk to call for an end to the
death penalty.”
The
Pilgrimage will also remember those wrongfully convicted of murder and people
who commit violent acts, "especially remembering that we are all children of
God," Bass said. "It’s about remembering there is no right way to do the wrong
thing, and executing human beings is wrong, an unnecessary evil that does not
make us safer and cannot deliver on its false promise of helping murder victim
families heal."
All are welcome to join the pilgrimage at its start
outside Central Prison this Sunday, or join for all or part of the it.
The
pilgrimage is co-sponsored by People of Faith
Against the Death Penalty, Murder Victims’
Families for Reconciliation, and the Capital Restorative Justice
Project.
For more information and updates on
the Pilgrimage, please see: http://abolition-reconciliation.blogspot.com/
or www.pfadp.org.
The planned itinerary follows. Times
may vary depending on weather and other variables. For up-to-the-minute
information, use the contact numbers above.
Sunday, June 15
Raleigh
1 p.m.
Gather at Central Prison for spiritual reflection and blessing of the
Pilgrimage.
1:30 p.m. Begin walking
2:30 p.m. Prayer and Reflection on
the State Capital grounds. (first rest stop)
Continue walking by
Governor's Mansion to Circus Restaurant (Site of a murder – 3:15) at 1600 Wake
Forest Rd. Continue walking up Capital Blvd. Day 1 of walking concludes near
Triangle Town Center at approximately 4:30-5:00 p.m.
6 p.m. Potluck
supper and Service of Blessing and Support, Episcopal Church of the Nativity
(8849 Ray Rd). Rev. William Barber, state president of the NAACP,
keynote.
Monday, June
16
8 a.m. Begin walking at 6917 Capital Blvd., Gresham Lake
Antique Mall. Walk from Raleigh to Wake Forest (11:30 AM); Youngsville
(1:00 PM) and Franklinton (4:30 PM).
Tuesday, June 17
Kittrell (11
AM)
Henderson – Vance County Courthouse (3:30 PM)
Middleburg – 5
PM
Wednesday, June
18
Middleburg 9 AM
Manson
9:30
Ridgeway 10:30
Norlina 12 noon
Warrenton 2 PM
Macon 4
PM
Vaughan 5:30
Thursday, June
19
Vaughan 8:00 AM
Littleton 9:30 AM
Roanoke Rapids 5
PM
Friday, June
20
Roanoke Rapids 8:00 AM
Gaston 9 AM
Virginia Border 11
AM
Emporia 4 PM
Saturday, June
21
Emporia 8 AM
Greensville Correctional Center, Jarratt
10:30 AM
Stony Creek 5 PM
Sunday, June 22
Stony Creek 9
AM
Petersburg 4 PM
Monday,
June 23
Petersburg 8 AM
Richmond 5 PM
Tuesday, June 24
Richmond 9
AM
Ashland 5 PM
Wednesday,
June 25
Ashland 8 AM
Ladysmith 4 PM
(Vigil back in
Richmond at 5 PM and/or at Greensville Correctional Center at 8:30 PM unless
scheduled execution is stayed.)
Thursday, June 26
Ladysmith 9
AM
Fredericksburg 5:30 PM
Friday, June 27
Fredericksburg 8:00
AM
Triangle 4 PM
Saturday, June
28
Triangle 10 AM
Woodbridge 12 noon
Hybla Valley 5
PM
Sunday, June
29
Hybla Valley 8 AM
Alexandria 10 AM
Enter DC
noon
Arrive Supreme Court 1 PM
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