A plea from Innocence Project co-founder Barry Scheck for donations of money and frequent flier miles to Send an Exoneree to Chicago, Help Save a Life:

"This is a fundraising plea for a tax deductible contribution you'll never regret -- help sponsor a trip to Chicago, using frequent flier miles or traditional money, by someone who was innocent but wrongly sentenced to death. On December 15th as many as 50 death row exonerees will assemble in Chicago in what will undoubtably be the most important event surrounding Illinois Governor George Ryan's decision as to whether or not to grant clemency to the nearly 160 people currently on the state's death row before he leaves office in January. We need your help! "

"As you know, the Governor declared a moratorium on IL's death penalty several years ago after 13 innocent persons who had been sentenced to death were exonerated, a total that exceeded the number of executions (12) in the state to date. Faced with this shocking error rate and his own crisis of conscience, Gov. Ryan not only declared a statewide moratorium on the death penalty, but convened a blue-ribbon commission of notables from across the political spectrum to study the flaws in Illinois' system and ensure that no innocent person would ever again be sentenced to death. The majority of the Commission stopped short of calling for an outright end to the death penalty, but recommended 86 comprehensive, meaningful reforms based on nearly two years of review of the system's flaws. Months later, however, the State Legislature has yet to act on these recommendations (and has, in fact, rejected many of the most fundamental ones). Governor Ryan's imminent departure from office thus presents what may be the final opp ortunity to obtain meaningful results from the Commission's painstaking work and his own courage in taking on this difficult issue. It also affords an unprecedented opportunity to save the lives of almost 160 people -- some of whom are likely innocent, and far greater numbers of whom were victims of grossly unfair trials and sentencing. "

"A coalition of groups in Illinois are about to launch a two-month campaign to remind the public about the arbitrariness and unfairness of the death penalty in system in Illinois that led to the moratorium in the first place. This message has been largely buried in recent weeks during public clemency hearings, which, as expected, have focused on the heartrending expressions of grief by members of the victims' families who testified and the horrible details of many of the underlying crimes. Once those hearings conclude, however, we hope and expect that the public may once again become receptive to the notion that IL's flawed death penalty system has also exacted a terrible human cost on others, including the families of those who were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, and that deciding to commute existing death sentences to life without is the best way to ensure that both fairness and justice are achieved. It is crucial that this message be disseminated and received as widely as possible in th e coming months -- not only to maximize the chances that the Governor will take meaningful action, but to prevent a public backlash on the issue of death penalty reform if and when he does so."

The most important single event in this upcoming campaign will be a historic gathering of innocent men and women who have been released from death row. The goal is to bring as many as 50 of the nation's 102 death row exonerees to Chicago on the weekend of December 15th, for two days of events that will both honor and allow them to speak out in favor of meaningful action by the Governor. As you may recall, the first such Conference on Wrongful Conviction and the Death Penalty was held in Chicago in 1998, and helped set the stage for the IL moratorium.

"Bringing the exonerees to Chicago will be not only the most crucial, but also the most expensive piece of the IL campaign. Organizers have estimated that it will cost an average of $1250 for each exoneree's travel, lodging, and expenses (while some are in major cities or in-state, others live in remote areas and/or need a companion's assistance to travel). As the campaign is already operating on a shoestring budget, this event will be difficult, if not impossible, to pull off without the generous support of others."

"Contributions in any amount will be welcomed to support an exoneree to attend the 2nd National Conference on Wrongful Convictions and the Death Penalty. The recipient is the Illinois Death Penalty Education Project, a 501©(3). The address is 850 N. Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Contributions will be deductible for federal income tax purposes to the full extent allowed by law."

"Please make out checks, frequent flier miles, etc. to the Illinois Death Penalty Education Project c/o NACDL, Attn: Steven Frazier, 1150 18th St. NW #950, Washington DC 20036."

Please help spread the word.