| For Whom the Bells Toll |
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For Whom the Bells Toll is a program coordinated by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty to encourage congregations to ring their bells at 6:00 pm for two minutes on the day of an execution in the United States. To view a current schedule of upcoming executions, please click here. If bells are not available, a banner can instead be displayed on the day of an execution. We encourage faith communities to share the meaning of tolling their bells in an effort to educate members of their faith community and local media. Participants in For Whom the Bells Toll join an email list and will receive regular updates about approaching executions in the United States. PFADP can assist with ways to inform the congregation’s broader community about the purpose of the bell ringing. How to get involved: If you would like more information about For Whom the Bells Toll please contact Amanda Lattanzio at amanda (at) pfadp (dot) org or 919.933.7567. Or you can sign-up directly by following this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1576/signUp.jsp?key=5043 The history of the program: The idea of ringing bells on the day of an execution was developed when Bishop Walter Sullivan of Richmond, Virginia heard about Jaime Cardinal Sin of the Philippines encouraging Catholic churches in the Philippines to toll their bells in response to the execution of a Filipino citizen. Starting on November 9, 1999, Bishop Sullivan encouraged all churches in his diocese to toll their bells on the evening of every execution until the death penalty was abolished in the United States. Sister Dorothy (Dot) Briggs founded the national program that we know today and PFADP assumed responsibility of the program in 2009. Before PFADP adopted the program, For Whom the Bells Toll was a program of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE). The history of tolling bells: The tolling bells will be a reminder to all who hear them that all of us are diminished by continuing acts of state-sponsored murder. The churches, monasteries, abbeys, temples and synagogues that join in this effort will go a long way toward stopping the death penalty in this country. The campaign will continue until the death penalty is abolished in this country. Throughout history, bells have been used to warn people of dangers such as marauders or approaching storms. They have been used to celebrate happy occasions such as weddings and to mark sorrowful occasions such as deaths. Bells have been tolled to gather village residents for meetings. In 1945, many church bells tolled to announce the end of World War II. How to help: If your place of worship has a bell: • On the date of an execution, toll the bells at 6:00 p.m. for 2 minutes. If your place of worship does not have a bell: • Hang a black drape outside the doors of the building on the day of the execution.*Banners will be coming soon. Whether there is a bell or not: • Include information in your bulletin.If you need help or advice with anything, do not hesitate to contact us. You can email Amanda Lattanzio at amanda (at) pfadp (dot) org or call 919.933.7567. If you have not signed up yet to join For Whom the Bells Toll, please do so by following this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1576/signUp.jsp?key=5043 The current execution schedule is as follows: Last updated May 7, 2013 2013 MAY 7 - Texas Carroll Parr is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Joel Dominguez. 7 - Mississippi Willie Manning is scheduled to be killed by the people of Mississippi for the murders of Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller. 15 - Texas Jeffrey Williams is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Troy Blando. 21 - Texas Robert Pruett is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Daniel Nagle. 29 - Florida Elmer Carroll is scheduled to be killed by the people of Florida for the murder of Christine McGowan. JUNE 12 - Texas Elroy Chester is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Willie Ryman, III. He was also convicted of murdering John Henry Sepeda, Etta Mae Stallings, Cheryl DeLeon, and Albert Bolden, Jr. 12 - Florida William Van Poyck is scheduled to be killed by the people of Florida for his role in the murder of Fred Griffis. 18 - Oklahoma James DeRosa is scheduled to be killed by the people of Oklahoma for his role in the murders of Curtis and Gloria Plummer. 25 - Oklahoma Brian Davis is scheduled to be killed by the people of Oklahoma for the murder of Josephine "Jody" Sanford. 26 - Texas Kimberly McCarthy is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Dorothy Booth. JULY 10 - Texas Rigoberto Avila, Jr. is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murder of Nicholas Macias. 16 - Texas John Quintanilla, Jr. is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for his role in the murder of Victor Billings. 18 - Texas Vaughn Ross is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murders of Viola Ross McVade and Douglas Birdsall. 31 - Texas Douglas Feldman is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murders of Nicholas Velasquez and Robert Everett. AUGUST 7 - Ohio Billy Slagle is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Mari Anne Pope. 18-24 - Colorado Nathan Dunlap is scheduled to be killed by the people of Colorado for the murders of Sylvia Crowell, Ben Grant, Colleen O'Connor, and Margaret Kohlberg. SEPTEMBER 19 - Texas Robert Garza is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for the murders of Maria De La Luz Bazaldua Cobarrubias, Danitzene Lizeth Vasquez Beltran, Celina Linares Sanchez and Lourdes Yesenia Araujo Torres. Mr. Garza was also involved in the murders of rival gang members Jimmy Edward Almendariz, Jerry Eugene Hidalgo, Ray Hidalgo, Juan Delgado Jr., Juan Delgado III, and Ruben Rolando Castillo. 25 - Ohio Harry Mitts, Jr. is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murders of John Bryant and Sergeant Dennis Glivar. 26 - Texas Arturo Diaz is scheduled to be killed by the people of Texas for his role in the murder of Michael Ryan Nichols. NOVEMBER 14 - Ohio Ronald Phillips is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Sheila Marie Evans. 2014 January 16 - Ohio Dennis McGuire is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Joy Stewart. MARCH 19 - Ohio Gregory Lott is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of John McGrath. MAY 28 - Ohio Arthur Tyler is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Sander Leach. AUGUST 4 - Ohio William Montgomery is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murders of Debra Ogle and Cynthia Tincher. OCTOBER 15 - Ohio Raymond Tibbetts is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murders of Judith Sue Crawford and Fred Hicks. 2015 JANUARY 7 - Ohio Warren Henness is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Richard Myers. MARCH 12 - Ohio Robert Van Hook is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of David Self. MAY 14 - Ohio Jeffrey Wogenstahl is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Amber Garrett. JULY 15 - Ohio Alva Campbell is scheduled to be killed by the people of Ohio for the murder of Charles Dials. CONTACT FLORIDA Governor Rick Scott The Capitol 400 S. Monroe St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Phone: (850) 488-7146 Fax: (850) 487-0801 Web form: http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/ MISSISSIPPI Governor Phil Bryant Office of the Governor P.O. Box 139 Jackson, MS 39205 Phone: 1 (877) 405-0733 or (601) 359-3150 Fax: (601) 359-3741 Email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OHIO Governor John Kasich Riffe Center 77 South High Street, 30th Floor Columbus, OH 43215-6108 Phone/General Info: (614) 466-3555 Fax: (614) 466-9354 Web form: http://governor.ohio.gov/Contact/ContacttheGovernor.aspx OKLAHOMA Governor Mary Fallin State Capitol Building 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Room 212 Oklahoma City, OK 73105 Phone: (405) 521-2342 Fax: (405) 521-3353 Email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web form: http://1.usa.gov/tIMKb0 TEXAS Governor Rick Perry P.O. Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711-2428 Citizen's Opinion Hotline: 1 (800) 252-9600 [for Texas callers] Information and Referral and Opinion Hotline: (512) 463-1782 [for Austin, Texas and out-of-state callers] Office of the Governor Main Switchboard: (512) 463-2000 [office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST] Fax: (512) 463-1849 Email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web form: http://www2.governor.state.tx.us/contact/assistance.aspx
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