Dear Friends,

When I met with Joseph on the 13th of April I told him about all of our efforts on his behalf. I told him of the organizations who rallied for him, the prominent individuals who spoke out for him, the thousands of petitions that asked to spare him, and the letters that begged for mercy in his case. As we parted, Joseph asked that I thank all of the people who worked to save him, and stood with him until the end.

The other thing I made sure to tell Joe was that even if things did not work out in his favor, he could take some solace in the fact that the fight to save his life strengthened the movement to end the juvenile death penalty as a whole. The allies that we have gained in Joe's name will stay with us in the next struggle. They make us an even more formidable opponent in the future.

It is important at this time that we do what long-time activists have always done in the face of a setback - channel our pain, anger and energy in a way that makes it possible to redouble our efforts toward our cause. On behalf of Joseph Cannon, his attorney Stanley Schneider, and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, let me say again - THANK YOU!

Yours in the struggle,

Brian Henninger
Program Coordinator

Prominent International Figures:

Prominent Domestic Organizations:

Letters & Petitions: