Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Some numbers about the German Journey of Hope tour



During the German Journey of Hope tour we had 32 events in 18 days.

Alltogether there were about 4850 spectators (a very cautious estimate – it was probably a few hundred more) at the events.

Plus about 1.9 Million people watched Ray and heard his story at the Kerner Show on TV.

During the tour we had up to 7 petitions with us at times. Taken all of the petitons together, we collected about 7900 signatures. These signatures are on the petitions as follows:

- "FROM THE MORATORIUM TO THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY APPEAL" (http://www.santegidio.org/en/pdm/app_en.rtf) - 1320 signatures

- Petition für Justin Wolfe "Don't let an innocent man die!" (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/do-not-let-an-innocent-man-die) - 2720 signatures

- Petition against stoning " (http://www.igfm.de/Steinigung-weltweit-aechten.189.0.html) - 1050 signatures

- Petition for a moratorium in Saudi-Arabia (Amnesty) - 102 signatures

- Petition for abolition of the death penalty in Balarus (Amnesty) - 579 signatures

- Petition for Troy Davis (Amnesty USA) - ca. 1700 signatures

- Petition for abolition of the death penalty in Texas (http://www.tcadp.org/uploads/File/AbolitionPetition-mvfm.pdf) - 433 signatures

There are still people over here collecting signatures for Justin.

During the tour 2 documentaries were filmed, one of them is finished already (see earlier post).

Bill found about 100 new friends on facebook and some of these already helped with petitions and joined causes which have to do with abolition of the death penalty.

A number of people addressed us and told us that listening to Ray’s, Bill’s and Terri’s story got them to think about their position on the death penalty or even changed their views on the death penalty.

So taken everything together this tour was a big success and talking from our experience over here, I can only recommend to every group to invite the speakers of the Journey of Hope to their community!

1 comment:

CN said...

Journey Family and Susanne - What an amazing adventure toward Abolition World-Wide. Thanks for doing this for us all including all the hard work of the speaking, the arrangements, travel and even now, letting us in on the numbers! Really exciting.

I decided to post this here on Comments so as not to take away from the German Journey post and yet to let some here know who may want to go or pass it on...It's an even coming right up in my state: NC!

Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation

Reconciliation means accepting you cannot undo the murder but you can decide how to want to live afterwards.

On June 13th at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC, MVFR NC and members will be hosting a book signing and discussion for, Therese Bartholomew and her book entitled, "Coffee Shop God." When Therese Bartholomew's younger brother Steve was shot and killed in Greenville, SC, she wondered how she would survive without him. Bartholomew's powerful new memoir, Coffee Shop God, details her struggle to adjust in the weeks and months following her brother's untimely death. In this collection of essays, Bartholomew questions her spirituality in the midst of bond hearings, debilitating grief, and a new marriage. As she heals, she strives to connect with the family she has left-the mother who always has a joke, the father who cannot show affection, the ex-drug-dealing brother who is now an evangelical Christian, and the talking bird she inherits from her brother-while learning to forgive the young man who killed her brother.

Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, calls Coffee Shop God "a moving account of the author's struggle to make sense of life, faith, and humanity after the tragic loss of her brother." A featured selection in Central Piedmont Community College's ArtsFest 2009, Coffee Shop God offers a roadmap to anyone who has experienced loss and gazed uncertainly into the future.

When: Saturday, June 13th, from 3pm-5pm Where: The Regulator Bookshop 720 Ninth St. Durham, NC 27705 For more information: Call John P.Comer at 919.956.5900 Please mark your calendar.