Beginning Sept. 3 Spokane resident Victoria Thorpe will lead an 18 and-a-half-day walk across the state to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
“Its purpose is to draw attention to the failure of the death penalty system; not only on the factual level, but as a tool designed to preserve our humanity it has only taken us further away,” she said in a letter.
She will depart on what she's calling the “Peace Journey” at 4 p.m. on Sept. 3 from Couer d’Alene Park in Browne's Addition and conclude at the state capital on Sept. 21. Sept. 21 is the International Day of Peace and is also the second anniversary of the execution of Troy Davis.
Those interested in putting an end to capital punishment are invited to walk with Thorpe at any point along the way. Many Spokane residents are planning to walk with her from Spokane to Cheney.
Thorpe, author of “Cages” plans to stop in cities along the route to speak about her mission, and will also hold a peaceful gathering at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
The walk, she explained, is 18 and-a-half-days to symbolize her sister's 18 and-a-half-year journey through the legal system. Her sister, Kerry Lyn Dalton, was convicted of murder in 1995 and is still waiting her first appeal. She and her family maintain that she was wrongfully convicted.
