Conversation, film, art to focus on death penalty

“No Human Way to Kill: Critical Conversations on the Death Penalty” is the focus of a student-produced event that will bring death penalty experts to Arizona State University’s West campus on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University Center Building’s La Sala Ballroom at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road, is free and open to the public.

“In presenting this event, we are working in conjunction with the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and with universities across the United States and North America,” said Laura Adviento, a student in the master of arts in social justice and human rights (MASJHR) degree program. MASJHR is offered by ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

“‘No Human Way to Kill’ is designed to create a space for thought and discussion regarding the political and controversial issues surrounding the death penalty,” Adviento said. “With a local panel discussion, a film screening and a multimedia gallery, the event combines human rights with conversation and art.”

The day’s schedule is:

• 10 a.m. – Welcome by William Simmons, New College associate professor and MASJHR program director.

• 10:30 a.m. – Panel conversation on capital punishment. Panelists include Inge Casey from the Arizona Death Penalty Forum, Bill Hart from ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, and Katie Puzauskas and Lindsay Herf from The Arizona Justice Project.

• Noon – Conversation and refreshments.

• 1 p.m. – Documentary film screening. “No Tomorrow,” by Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth, takes viewers inside a suspenseful death penalty trial and challenges their beliefs about capital punishment. The film has been presented at venues including the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. It recently received the Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Art gallery exhibition. Displays that will be available for viewing throughout the day’s activities include “The McCarty Project,” an exhibit of photography by Jane Lindsay, an ASU student pursuing a master of fine arts (MFA) degree; “American Execution,” oil paintings by Robert Priseman, a British artist and Essex Human Rights Centre fellow; and “No Human Way to Kill,” a panel from White Box Gallery in New York.

For more information about the day’s program, contact Lisa.Dannen@asu.edu.