Join the Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing in Indiana October 4-20, 2013

Monday, April 29, 2013
By: Bill Pelke

Join the Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing in Indiana October 4-20, 2013 as we celebrate our 20 year reunion with the World Day Against the Death Penalty Tour!!!

October 10^th is World Day Against the Death Penalty. The purpose of World Day Against the Death Penalty is to raise awareness on the inhumanity of the death penalty throughout the entire process, from sentence to execution. World Day is a project of the World Coalition to Against the Death Penalty. The Journey of Hope is proud to be affiliated with the WCADP whose mission is to mobilize for universal abolition.

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, is an alliance of more than 135 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions. The WCADP was created in Rome on 13 May 2002. The aim of the World Coalition is to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its ultimate objective is to obtain the universal abolition of the death penalty. To achieve its goal, the World Coalition advocates for a definitive end to death sentences and executions in those countries where the death penalty is in force. In some countries, it is seeking to obtain a reduction in the use of capital punishment as a first step towards Abolition.

The Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing will be returning to Indiana in commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of our first Journey in 1993. It is with great honor we dedicate this Journey of Hope tour to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
The Indiana Journey of Hope tour is October 4-20. We will travel the state with powerful Journey story tellers. The Journey tour will lead to Indianapolis, the state capital for an Oct 10-13 World Day Against the Death Penalty conference. After the conference Journey speakers will resume their speaking tour throughout the state of Indiana.
The Journey of Hope is very grateful to the Indiana Abolition Coalition for hosting these events. It is our goal to help strengthen the IAC, so that they will continue to grow after we have departed. We will plant the seeds. Everyone is invited to join us for this special World Day Against the Death Penalty Conference and you are also welcome to travel with as we tour.

Bill Babbitt, David Kaczynski, Bud Welch, Randy Steidl, Terri Steinberg, Randy Gardner, George White, SueZann Bosler, Therese Bartholomew, Shujaa Graham, Ruth Andrews, Rev. Walt Everett and his wife Nancy   along with many others have committed to joining this reunion tour. Charlie King and Karen Brandow will grace us with song, love and compassion once again. Charlie was with us on the first Journey back in 93 and has been on every major US Journey since then,

Murder Victim’s Families for Human Rights (MVFHR), Murder Victim’s Families for Reconciliation (MVFR), Witness to Innocence, People of Faith Against the Death Penalty(PFADP), Equal Justice USA, Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty (PHADP), and World Without Hate are co-sponsors of the Reunion Tour and Conference. Let me know if you or your organization would like to be a co-sponsor or participant.
Conference highlights include a press conference in the rotunda of the state capitol on October 10, , plenary and workshop sessions, a festival of films, great speakers, good music, informational tables and an awards banquet on Saturday evening.

The Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing will use the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty’s “World Day Against the Death Penalty” as a highway to deliver our message of worldwide abolition to the state of Indiana.
Our message is “Love and compassion for all of humanity”. We show and tell that message with real people and real stories. The Journey of Hope is led by murder victim family members who say in unison “N0 MORE KILLING IN OUR NAME”.
Forgiveness is the core of Journey members who share the loss of their loved ones. We will continue to promote forgiveness and its healing power. This time around we are going to restorative justice on a pedestal for all to see. It is the alternative to retributive justice.
Hope to see you on the Journey.
Love and Peace,
Bill

Bill Pelke,       President, Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing
Bill@JourneyofHope.org 877-924-4483 Office     305-775-5823 Cell
www.journeyofhope.org PO Box 0390, Anchorage, AK 99521-0390

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Bill Pelke

Bill Pelke, Anchorage AK -- Bill authored a book entitled Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, which details the May 14, 1985 murder of his grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Pelke, a Bible teacher, by four teenage girls. Paula Cooper who was deemed to be the ringleader was sentenced to die in the electric chair by the state of Indiana. She was fifteen-years-old at the time of the murder. Pelke originally support the sentence of death for Cooper, but went through a spiritual transformation in 1986 after praying for love and compassion for Paula Cooper and her family. He became successfully involved in an international crusade on Paula's behalf and in 1989 her sentenced was commuted to sixty years in prison. Over 2 million people from Europe, mostly Italy, signed petitions that Paula be removed from death row. Pope John Paul II’s request for mercy, Paula was taken off of death row and her sentence commuted to sixty years. Bill, a retired steelworker, has dedicated his life to working for abolition of the death penalty. He shares his story of forgiveness and compassion and the healing power of forgiveness. Pelke has traveled to over forty states and ten countries with the Journey of Hope and has told his story thousands of timesFactsPresident and Co-founder of Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing; Chair - PresentBoard Member Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing; 1997-PresentBoard: National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; 1996-Present Chair 2004-08 Founding Board Member of Murder Victims Families for Human Rights 2004Board Member MVFHR; 2004-PresentIncorporator of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation;1993Board Member MVFR; 1991-1998Board Member; Alaskans Against the Death Penalty Cofounder Abolitionist Action Committee; 1993 Author: Journey of Hope…from Violence to HealingLinks to Bill's JourneyThe Hard Road to Forgiveness - Yes Magazine - Mary Sue PennMoving Towards Abolition - The Witness Some murder victims' kin reject capital punishment; others endorse the sanction - Richmond Times-DispatchIn Memory of James V. Allridge III Bill Pelke's portrait at "Our friends in prison"The Optimism Club - Bill Pelke "Forgiveness vs revenge"Interview with Swiss organization "Lifespark"the greatest part of God’s love is the forgiveness that

George White

George White, ALOn February 27, 1985 in Enterprise, Alabama, George was living his little piece of the American Dream. Husband of Charlene and father of Tom and Christie, he was a successful, business-degreed executive, Sunday school teacher, little league coach and PTA president -- a yuppie in southeast Alabama. That evening everything changed.When George, vice-president of Townsend Building Supply, Inc., and his wife, Char, stopped at his store after business hours, they thought they were doing a favor for a man who urgently needed an item for an emergency home repair. Instead, they experienced firsthand the insanity and horror of murder. A masked gunman entered the building and shot the pair repeatedly during an armed robbery. George suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm, thigh and abdomen during a struggle with the gunman. Following emergency surgery, George survived. His wife was not so lucky. Char was pronounced dead at the hospital after sustaining two gunshot wounds to the head. Tom and Christie were only twelve and five at the time of their mother's death. The nightmare had only just begun.Sixteen months later George was charged with the murder of his wife. The State sought the death penalty, and, following a trial that was later characterized as a mockery and a sham, George was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Incarcerated for a total of two years, one hundred and three days, the conviction was overturned in 1989. George remained in legal limbo for nearly three more years. On April 10, 1992, the prosecution asked that the charge be forevermore dismissed when the proof of George's innocence finally surfaced. The trial court so ruled. The ordeal had lasted for more than seven years.As a survivor of a violent crime, husband of a murder victim, suspect, accused, indigent defendant, convicted murderer, and innocent man exonerated, George understands fully how easy it would be to advocate revenge. However, as a family the Whites reject the death penalty as a solution to heal the wounds of their loss. George says, "I believe that society's laws must offer relief for a victim's anger and loss, and we must be afforded protection from those who would harm us; however, one cannot stop the shedding of blood by causing more blood to be shed. No amount of killing would restore Char to my family or take away the pain of losing her. What began with a horrible act ofviolence should not be memorialized with an act of vengeance." By Abe BonowitzFactsJourney of Hope Cofounder Journey of Hope Board Member 1997-2003; 2006-Journey Ambassador MVFR Board Member 1994-1998