'Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break' in Austin March 13-17; MTV Plans to Feature It on MTVU

Texas Students Against the Death Penalty will hold an "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" in Austin, Texas from March 13-17, 2006.

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) March 6, 2006 -- Texas Students Against the Death Penalty will hold an "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" in Austin, Texas from March 13-17, 2006. The full schedule and a registration form is on the TSADP website (http://www.texasabolition.org).

Austin is an appropriate location for this kind of spring break because Texas is the number one execution state in the United States. 359 people have been executed in Texas since 1982.

Alternative spring breaks are designed to give high school and college students something meaningful to do during their week off. The specific purpose of this alternative spring break is to train the next generation of human rights leaders by bringing students to Austin for five days of anti-death penalty activism and education. "We will provide participants with workshops that will teach them skills they can use to go back home and set up new anti-death penalty student organizations or improve ones that may already exist. Participants can apply what they learn to organize against the death penalty or in their activities involving other issues," said Hooman Hedayati (19), president of TSADP. Hedayati participated in the 2005 alternative spring break as a high school senior and was motivated to found TSADP as a result of what he learned. TSADP is the first state-wide, student-run anti-death penalty organization in Texas. It has grown to almost 20 college and high school chapters in its first year.

The "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" was started by Texas Moratorium Network in 2004. It is now organized by Texas Students Against the Death Penalty and co-sponsored by TMN, the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights.

Activities for the "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" include various workshops, a bus trip to Hunstville to protest the execution of Tommie Hughes on March 15, and a Lobby Day in Austin on March 16. Workshop presenters include Rev Carroll Pickett, who was death house chaplain in Huntsville from 1982-1995 and accompanied 95 people to their executions; Walter Long, who represented Napoleon Beazley and Karla Faye Tucker; and Shari Silberstein, co-director of Equal Justice, USA and named by the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty as 2005's Abolitionist of the Year. There will also be a panel discussion on March 16 in the Texas capitol building with family members of murder victims who oppose the death penalty.

MTV will feature "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" on the MTVU channel and online at www.mtvu.com . Annie Gillies, MTVU-Spring Break Coordinator, explained MTV's interest in an email to TSADP, "When people think of Spring Break the vision of beaches, night clubs and drinking until you drop usually comes to mind. MTVU wants to put a new spin on the typical Spring Break stereotypes by showcasing college students from around the country with alternative plans. The new Spring Break trend has students using their time away from school for more meaningful purposes -- whether volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, helping restore properties affected by Hurricane Katrina or protesting a cause they believe in. We want to showcase these unique Spring Breaks by following students on their adventures. We'll not only shoot the events they're partaking in but also get the back stories for why these students chose their plans, how they feel throughout the trip and what they come away from the trip with. It's time to put the spotlight on students who are getting more than a great tan out of their Spring Break!"

There is no participation fee for the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break except for those people who need housing. Housing is $25, which gets participants a place to sleep for five nights in a dormitory across the street from The University of Texas at Austin. Participation for students who do not need housing, because they live in Austin or are making their own housing arrangements is free, but everyone is asked to register so the organizers know how many people to expect. Participants are expected to travel to Austin at their own expense and pay for their meals and incidental expenses while in Austin.

To register for the "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" visit:
http://texasabolition.org/pages/events/2006springbreak/2006.htm.

CONTACT:
Hooman Hedayati, Presidend, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty: 210-601-7231
Scott Cobb, President, Texas Moratorium Network: 512-689-1544

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