Who are all these people passing moratoriums on executions these days? In North Carolina alone 147 groups-including city governments, churches, schools and the state bar association-have passed moratorium resolutions. But why are we now suddenly so concerned about the executions of our nation's killers? And what is the point of a moratorium passed by a high school?
Equal Justice USA got this round of the moratorium movement started in 1997 when the country broke its 40-year-old record for most executions in a year. Much like the grassroots organizing strategy of the '80s Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, the Moratorium Now! movement consists of small groups that pass moratoriums to put pressure on their local governments, which then put pressure on state governments, which eventually put pressure on the federal government. Members of congregations or parishes are able to speak for themselves-and their voices are actually getting attention.
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