Organizing Packet: Introduction

State by state, resolution drives are laying the groundwork for moratorium legislation.

Raising the call for a moratorium offers a common denominator from which we can build bridges and educate people on both sides of the death penalty debate about the structural inequities that feed the death penalty's use and make it unjust.

Moratorium resolutions passed by local churches, businesses, and other organizations are key tools in the effort to increase awareness and grassroots support. Each proposed resolution offers a chance for dialog about the death penalty's systemic flaws, while every resolution that actually passes sends a strong message to state and national officials and provides an opportunity for media attention. Change does not occur in a vacuum. Each resolution is another building block in the political foundation needed for a moratorium to be legally enacted. Each group that passes a resolution represents people who elect officials at the local, state and national level. When ratified resolutions reach those elected leaders, we exert grassroots pressure to put a halt to executions.

Resolution drives provide a focus with achievable goals for state coalitions, and an “entry point” for new people brought into our movement. How many resolutions does your group want to pass this year? In which legislative districts? In which constituencies? The next time someone approaches you and asks you what they can do to help, tell them, “Get a resolution!”

Equal Justice USA keeps a National Tally of groups that support moratorium. As the moratorium movement has grown, we've seen public opinion on the death penalty shift dramatically! A majority of Americans now support a moratorium, and support for the death penalty overall is the lowest it's been in years. The bigger our National Tally, the stronger our appeal!

Please join us in this historic campaign. Help us proclaim "Not one more execution!" to our neighbors and our nation!