There will be a vigil in Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park Wednesday Nov. 30 for the 1,000th execution in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to the Rev. Jack Zylman.

“This is a somber milestone in the history of capital punishment, but it comes at a time when the use of the death penalty in this country is sharply declining,” he said. “Death sentences, the size of death row, executions, and public support for the death penalty are all lower than they were five years ago.”

The vigil will start at 5:30 p.m. near the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Kelly Ingram Park at Sixth Avenue and Sixteenth Street North.

“This event presents an opportunity to reflect on the application of the death penalty over the past 30 years,” Zylman said. “The majority of Alabamians have said they support a moratorium on the death penalty. It is time to stop executing our citizens and fellow human beings and look at what we are doing.”

Scheduled to be executed this week are Eric Nance in Arkansas on Monday, Nov 28; John Hicks in Ohio on Tuesday, Nov 29 and Robin Lovitt in Virginia on Wednesday, Nov 30.

Sponsors of the vigil include Amnesty International, USA, Pax Christi, the Alabama Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the Birmingham Alliance Against Racist and Pollitical Repression.

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