Murder Victims' Families Ask Gov. Ryan to Grant Clemency Requests

    Members of Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation are urging Governor George Ryan of Illinois to grant the clemency petitions of more than 150 inmates on the state's death row. The organization, comprised of murder victims' families who oppose capital punishment, will host an event to show victim support for the clemency requests  on Sunday, December 8, at Loyola University School of Law. The event will feature speakers such as Ross Byrd, Jr., Mamie Till Mobley, Bud Welch, Jennifer Bishop, and Illinois death row exoneree Gary Gauger. For more information about the speakers and this event, see MVFR's Press Release.

    On December 15, an historic gathering of many of those who have been freed from death rows around the country in the past 25 years will be held at Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.