David Kaczynski of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

David Kaczynski is the executive director of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. A long time anti-violence advocate, David was kind enough to do an interview with me. We discussed the killing of Osama Bin Laden, as well as school and gang violence, among other things.

Interview by Josh Medsker

"We think the best alternative to the death penalty is for violence not to occur in the first place"

David Kaczynski

What is your opinion on how Bin Laden was handled? Should we have taken him in and tried him or was justice served?

I’m still processing this. I think taking out Bin Laden could be justified as an act of war. If President Obama had said: “Now the world is a safer place. We have removed a dangerous menace,” I would have found it easy to agree. Instead, the President’s lead line was: “Justice has been served.” Then, as a truer picture of the tactical operation emerged, it appeared as if we had shot an unarmed man in the head in front of his family. Thus, our President seems to have defined justice narrowly as “pay-back” (with no judicial process needed). By contrast, when the Israelis kidnapped Adolph Eichmann – the architect of the Holocaust - in Argentina, they didn’t just kill him; they brought him to Israel to stand trial. In doing so, they displayed a commitment to the legal process, and they also afforded the world and Holocaust survivors an opportunity to hold a mass murderer accountable by means of a public trial…Granted, the post WWII period was different from today, and it should be noted that the Israelis reacted very differently when they hunted down and assassinated the terrorists responsible for the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. For a reflective, thoughtful, nuanced treatment of those events, I recommend Steven Spielberg’s film, Munich.

I read with deep sympathy and admiration some of the comments of 911 family members as reported in my local newspaper. The common thread of their sentiments seemed to be: “Yes, I feel great relief… I don’t celebrate the death of any human being… The killing of Bin Laden does not diminish my personal loss.” I think the killing of Bin Laden does, however, represent an opportunity to reflect deeply and collectively on the problem of violence. I don’t claim to have any answers. However, unless we are able learn something (through introspection as well as analysis) about violence and why it happens, we are left simply waiting for the next outbreak of violence to occur.

Tell me about the Journey tours. As the director, are you the only one who goes on them?

“The Journey of Hope – from Violence to Healing” was founded by Bill Pelke, whose grandmother was murdered by a group of teen-aged girls in Indiana. To find out more about the Journey, please visit their website. But to summarize, Bill underwent a spiritual and emotional journey after his grandmother’s murder from supporting the death penalty for the girl who stabbed his grandmother to asking that her life be spared. The “Journey” began as a group of murder victim family members who travelled in various states advocating for an end to the death penalty. The group was later expanded to include death row exonerees and family members of death row inmates or of those already executed. I guess I’m an honorary member, since my brother received life without parole. Bill is a personal hero of mine. I’ve always remembered a phrase that he includes in every telling of his personal story: “Revenge is never, ever the answer.”

Why did the NTADP change from "against the DP" to "alternatives to the DP"? What philosophical change went on?

NYADP protesting on behalf of Troy Davis, who was convicted
of the murder of GA police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. Davis
maintians his innocence.

When New York’s death penalty was ended by the Court of Appeals in 2007, NYADP had a choice: either continue in a watchdog role to prevent reinstatement of the death penalty, or use our groups’ relationships and ethical capital to work toward a reduction in violence and healing for victims of violence. We argued that the death penalty was ineffective in reducing crime, and that it tended to aggravate rather than alleviate the grief of murder victims’ family members. As NYer’s Against the DP, we had formed many collaborative relationships with members of law enforcement, victims families, mental health advocates, social justice advocates, and clergy. What if we expanded our mission to promote common-ground goals? We had this crazy idea that if we brought all these folks together, we could create a critical mass of influential, committed people dedicated addressing the problem of violence in a serious way. We figured our only obstacles would be apathy and ingrained thinking. It actually did feel like a relief to finally be For something instead of Against something. In this case, we think the best alternative to the death penalty is for violence not to occur in the first place.

Has the NYADP done any work the Fortune Society here in NYC?

I’m actually on the advisory board of the Fortune Society, whose founder David Rothberg I regard as a friend. I’ve spoken to staff at the Fortune Society and to residents at “The Castle” in upper Manhattan. NYADP’s victim chapter, Family and Friends of Homicide Victims, has cordial relations and has met a number of times inmate and prison family advocates, including Larry White of the Fortune Society. Members of Family and Friends actually hope to travel down to the Castle in the near future to meet with people who have been recently released from prison. Our philosophy is that everyone without exception has a role to play in reducing violence and in reweaving the fabric of community.

I like the idea of violence prevention, which you discuss on the site. What successes have you had with this program? That is, what have you guys been doing at the community level that has shown results?

NYADP partnered with the grassroots Community Coalition Against Violence in Albany that was formed after a 10-year old girl was killed by a stray bullet fired by a 15-year old boy from what he called “a community gun.” The Community Coalition, in turn, partnered with the City’s Gun Violence Task Force to develop and implement several of the Task Force’s recommendations. NYADP played a key role in lobbying the state legislature in 2009 which led to $4 million in state funding to implement the Chicago Ceasefire model of violence interruption in 10 urban sites across New York State. The NY program is new, but the model is evidence-based and considered highly successful. Early anecdotal results in the city of Albany suggest that the program has successfully prevented several shootings. In Schenectady, NYADP joined the Community Empowerment Partnership that was formed after four high school girls of color committed suicide within a four-month stretch. While Schenectady was left out of SNUG funding, the grassroots CEP has worked with Schenectady DA Bob Carney to implement a program housed at the Boys and Girls Club named SAVE (Schenectady Anti-Violence and Empowerment Project) which is designed to engage and divert the most highly at-risk youth from gang activity. NYADP is involved in planning an anti-violence conference that will be held at LeMoyne College in Syracuse in the fall. In essence, NYADP works in the gaps to facilitate collaborative relationships between key stakeholder groups who might not otherwise be working together - or who might even see themselves at odds. Programs and funding are a means to specific ends, but overall what is needed – we believe – are working, collaborative relationships that lead to community empowerment: law enforcement appreciating the need to involve the community and to heal strained relationships with the community; lawmakers realizing that preventing crime is as important as reacting to it; victims in all communities empowered to speak out against violence; policy-makers becoming more conscious and paying more attention to the root causes of violence; adapting public health strategies to combat epidemic violence. Our hope is that after helping to develop some successful pilot programs in the capital region and elsewhere upstate, we can then begin to disseminate those models statewide.

Going back to the Journeys question... What historically has caused Texas to have such a strong affinity (so to speak) for the death penalty? Do you think that if your group helped change peoples' minds in Texas that it would reverberate out towards the weaker states?

Well, I lived in Texas for eight years in the 1980’s and [my wife] Linda and I still have vacation property and plans to retire in West Texas. Yeah, there are cultural differences, but I think people are pretty much the same everywhere. No one wants a system that executes the innocent and Texas has a bad record in that regard. The rate of death sentencing has gone down about 50% in Texas in recent years. Prosecutors are now less eager to seek it and juries are far less willing to impose it. Religion may play a part in Texas, since Southern Baptists, I believe, have a statement that favors the death penalty, unlike most religious groups that have statements opposing it. I think the Journey of Hope has been extremely effective in Texas, because it invites people to think more deeply about what their faith means. Unfortunately, I suspect that the more the death penalty gets used, the harder it is to get rid of since there is a general reluctance to question the status quo. There’s a certain hard-headedness in some people that desires the death penalty no matter how counter-productive it is shown to be. I’ve met a few hard-headed Texans. But, as we know, Texas has no monopoly on that breed.

Does the NYADP have any contacts in the public school system? In the Albany area, and elsewhere? It seems that going along with the idea of violence prevention would be education about the DP. School-age kids seem like a great place to start, especially in New York, with all of its urban violence.

We haven’t done as much in the schools as we would like. We’ve done panels on the subject of “snitching” in a couple of schools that really got the kids talking, and I hope thinking as well. Panels have included Steven Mollette, whose daughter was shot to death in front of 17 people who “didn’t see anything;” a former gang member who talks about how the no-snitching code played out in his life; a police chief; a district attorney; youth from the community; and some guy who turned in his brother to the FBI. The idea is not to lecture the kids, but to keep it real and to listen to their experiences, concerns, and questions. I would like to bring this kind of panel to high schools across the state.

NYADP Online

http://www.nyadp.org/

NYADP on Facebook

Further Reading
Journey of Hope

Campaign Manager Must's: Keep Perspective & Keep it Civil

(Note: Given the nastiness of the election cycle so far, I would hope Campaigns, Media Consultants & Staff take some ownership by their lonesome. Barring this sort of miracle, I do hope this post might influence at least a Candidate or staffer to conduct themselves as if they respect the office they are seeking.)

As a Campaign Manager you are advocating for your candidate. A political opponent is just that: Your opponent in a political contest. You are in the business of drawing legitimate contrasts between your Candidate & his opponent. You can better advocate for your Candidate if you're not preoccupied with your personal dislike for the opponent. Believe me, I know how tough it is not to take a jab when the opportunity presents itself.

A political campaign is persuading the electorate that your Candidate is the better person for the job because of a, b & c. Even if your Candidate isn't always respectful about their opponent in private, you have to keep proper perspective in public & in private for your Candidate, for the volunteers, for the partisans already on your side. Being the representative for the Candidate to the public, you help set the tenor & affect the level of civility or incivility in the atmosphere that surrounds your Campaign.

You are a public face for the Campaign &, win or lose, it is the Candidate's personal & professional reputation that is on the line. Remember that you & the Candidate have relationships here that you both value. You will take these relationships & your reputation to Salem & through the rest of your life.

This can be a very lonely job. This is one of the toughest you're likely to have in your working life. Few people outside of politics can understand the pressures & even fewer people will fully appreciate the inherent tensions that exist within a partisan Campaign.

Probably the most immediate thing to put together for yourself is an emotional & intellectual support system. You need trusted people around you to bounce ideas off of (not just a significant other). They will provide you, the manager, with moral & directional support so you can in turn keep the Candidate & the Campaign as a whole directed & working properly.

If you haven't already, try setting up a weekly meeting with Campaign Managers you respect. They could be friends, acquaintances, past or present peers. Vent to them. Problem solve with them. Eat & drink with them. This is a support structure that will help you to keep perspective as the election calendar eats up more & more of your time.

This is a hell of a job you're doing & it can be very taxing. This job can lead you to go into politics yourself (Haley Barbour) or lead you to diabetes (Joe Trippi). So, take care of yourself & enjoy.

Campaign Management... for Dummies

Crafting the Campaign structure, chasing votes & keeping momentum.

(Note: This post is the beginning of a discussion meant to inform partisan candidates & staffers of what this job entails on the "Ground." I would hope the following job description disabuses staffers of unrealistic expectations.)


Each Candidate & Campaign differs, but in essence a Campaign Manager is the public face of the Campaign who provides the glue that structures & executes the ground-game. Specifically, you will wear a dozen or so hats. One way to look at it is that you want to work yourself out of a job by structuring the campaign, its tasks & volunteer resources better & better as the weeks go by. A previous Candidate I worked with put it another way: “I like efficiencies 'cause I enjoy being lazy.”

Depending on your race, & where you are in the election calendar, this job requires 40, 60 or 80 hours a week. Of course some weeks won't require this at all, but you won't know until you plot out the time-line of completion for tasks & goals for the campaign. You will be in never-ending pursuit of building the better political mouse trap, so put the initial Campaign structure together now.

A Political Campaign in Oregon is two separate entities that compliment each other: Media & ground-game. They should be seen as relatively independent of each other, but always complimentary to one another. You are one of three architects for a massive endeavor. The other two are the Candidate & the Media consultant. Thankfully, you don't have to design & schedule the Media. Plus, the Media consultant's job really starts after the primary. This is all you & the Candidate right now.

A race I worked in 2008 never had an original ground (or other) plan. I pulled one out of thin air at the beginning of August with help from the people I brought to the table to bounce ideas off of. They kept me motivated & productive. Additionally, I had seen good management up close on other Campaign's, which allowed me to close a 20 point name ID gap with our opponent in one months time. If this had not been accomplished the donor Lobby would certainly have closed their wallets.

After my first two months we had 1800 hours of direct voter contact. This was done with nothing more than organization, volunteer labor & palm cards. We canvassed an average of 18 hours a week the first month & 12 hours a week the following month. Some of what was required of me in the 2008 Campaign:

• Developing & executing targeted & blanket canvasses with volunteers.
• Continually growing & accommodating the volunteer base.
• Attending community & area-governmental meetings for candidate.
• Researching voter trends to adapt volunteer resources.
• Coordinating preparatory work for fundraising events.
• Organizing forums in-concert with area civic groups & local businesses.
• Composing outreach documents for press, donors & voters.
• Directly managing the candidate's continually shifting schedule.
• Defining & managing the duties & work product of three staffers.
• Chasing & inking endorsements.
• Delivering, placing & maintaining yard & field signs
• Checking PO Box & Depositing/tracking donations.

Going into this, you need to count on your personal & professional relationships to provide you with emotional & material support. The only way for you to be successful in this is to put together a campaign structure & schedule, stick to it & constantly build on it. You need to manage the candidate's time well & chase what you can control.

The “Ground” consists of minding the Campaign store-front, scheduling your Candidate & the Campaign. The ground game Campaign is Retail Politics potentially at its finest. One great benefit to having a muscular ground campaign is that you can feel the energy by being closer to voters & getting direct feedback without waiting for polling or news articles.

You set the tone each week for the ground game. Scheduling & communicating with the Candidate, volunteers, donors, press. Though the Candidate makes the ultimate decisions, you are the primary “decider” of where the Candidate & Campaign are gonna be on any given day. Always remember the political truism: Campaigns are not won on organization alone, but they can be lost for lack of one.

Civic Introduction

A little about me & why I decided to begin this blog...

I have volunteered on a number of campaigns for public office & I'm still a romantic when it comes to civic engagement. Though it has cost me hair, it has led me to a fuller appreciation of my neighbors, my country, form & function of our governments & political campaigns. It is both a rewarding & maddening endeavor that I continue to participate in.

It's astounding to think of all the ways one can participate during the election season: Voting, poll watching, donating labor, sign waving, phone banking, fundraising, message crafting, canvassing, candidate management, volunteer resource management, pounding in lawn & field signs, attending city council, talking with neighbors, swaying strangers, chain smoking while returns are coming in... When you do it right, a Campaign can be the hardest work you have ever done. It is a field open to all comers. It is a place where all talents are welcome. It is representative democracy & it depends on good people standing up.

I grew up in a sort of "McGovern-Goldwater Ticket" of a family which is where I began to develop respect for & a genuine interest in hearing from persons who hold differing opinions. I understand the perennial importance of reaching out to disparate groups & believe most persons engaged in the political process are dedicated to better outcomes for their neighbors & State.

That being said, if someone is attempting to engage politically I expect them to listen & engage with persons they disagree with in a civil fashion. I view this blog as a chance to share some of the positive & frustrating things learned while working in state & local politics in Oregon.