tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80290720054944436132024-03-17T23:03:53.327-04:00Humanity for PrisonersDoug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.comBlogger1262125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-8359587145665650782024-03-14T14:46:00.001-04:002024-03-14T14:46:18.562-04:007 Muslims? You bet we’ll help!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While it’s the season of
Lent for Christians, it’s Ramadan for the Muslim community.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are about 2,000
Muslims living in Michigan’s 28 correctional facilities, but only 7 of them reside
in the Upper Peninsula’s Marquette Branch Prison.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First an explanation of
Ramadan, provided by Britannica.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ramadan, in Islam..the
ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and
ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. For Muslims, Ramadan is a period
of introspection, communal prayer (</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">ṣ</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">alāt) in the mosque, and
reading of the Qur</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ʾ</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Sylfaen;">ā</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">n. God forgives the past
sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful
intention.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This week, an HFP client
emailed the HFP office from Marquette with an urgent request.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Since the beginning of
Ramadan the staff have been less than co-operative with regards to providing their
Ramadan food packs and meals in a timely manner. They are receiving their
meals and packs sometimes several hours later than they should be distributed. Last
night they didn't receive their bags until 10 pm and were told by staff that
'YOU will get it when </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">you get it!' Some of these
brothers have no means to purchase their own foods on the commissary and have fasted
all day and are reliant on these packs for their sustenance. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Their current treatment by
the prison is inhumane and we were hoping someone from your </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">organization could
intervene to make sure these men are treated fairly and able to practice their religion
accordingly and with compassion.”</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">HFP promptly responded,
doing what it does best: quietly pressing buttons and pulling strings.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One day later, this
wonderful message in our inbox:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Mr. D wanted me to
forward his thanks to you and thank you from the other Muslim brothers in the
prison for acting so quickly to advocate on their behalf. They wanted to let
you know that tonight they received their packs on time! Hopefully it will stay
that way.”</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Score one for the good
guys!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Crowed HFP Office Manager
Susie: “<span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a;">I opened this message this
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MADE MY DAY!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not a testimonial about Susie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It IS a great example about how HFP, reaching
out, CAN make a difference!</span></span><b style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Never
underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward,
reach out and help. This week reach to someone that might need a lift.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Pablo</span></i></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-53263030959869606632024-03-04T21:40:00.003-05:002024-03-04T21:40:40.080-05:00Does killing alleged criminals really make sense to you? Is it even ethical? Is it even moral?<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm a rare bread of cat. I still read newspapers. Recently,
Will Weissert, in an article about candidates for President in the Detroit News, wrote:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In a speech announcing his
2024 campaign, (Donald) Trump called for those “caught selling drug to receive
the death penalty for their heinous acts.” More recently, he’s promised to
execute drug and human smugglers.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That planted the seed for
this post.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m one of those rare individuals
to have witnessed an execution. I became friends with a young man on death row
in Texas, early in my work with prisoners. He asked me to be his spiritual advisor
at the time of his execution. But, before I go on, let me ask you. Did you see or
hear this story in the news last week? I’m quoting here from the Associated
Press.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Idaho halted the execution
of serial killer Thomas Eugene Creech on Wednesday after medical team members
repeatedly failed to find a vein where they could establish an intravenous line
to carry out the lethal injection.</span> </b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Creech, one of the longest-serving death row
inmates in the U.S., was wheeled into the execution chamber at the Idaho
Maximum Security Institution on a gurney at 10 a.m. Three medical team members
tried eight times to establish an IV…in some cases, they couldn’t access the
vein, and in others they could but had concerns about vein quality. They
attempted sites in his arms, legs, hands and feet.</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One more news quote, then
I’ll get back to my story. This from the Texas Tribune:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Texas executed Ivan Cantu
Wednesday for the murder of his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée. Prior to the
state's first execution of the year, post-trial evidence raising questions
about Cantu’s guilt <u>had persuaded jurors from his original trial to ask
Texas courts to reconsider his case.</u></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There was no reconsideration.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now for the rest of my
story. Anthony Nealy claimed wrongful conviction. The piece of film that
convicted him in Texas was from a web cam, which showed a Black man wearing a
gold chain committing the crime. The problem: Anthony was allergic to gold and could
never wear gold jewelry! He was convicted anyway. In his execution experience, <u>it
took medical techs about 2 hours before they could find a vein.</u></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As you form your opinions
on this barbaric policy, consider these facts:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Innocence Project: <b>Since
1973, at least 190 people have been exonerated from death row in the U.S. A
2014 study estimated that at least 4% of those sentenced to death are innocent.</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ACLU: <b>The color of a
defendant and victim’s skin plays a crucial and unacceptable role in deciding
who receives the death penalty in America. People of color have accounted for a
disproportionate 43 % of total executions since 1976 and 55 % of those
currently awaiting execution.</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The USA is in stellar
company, all right, with its capital punishment policy: North Korea, China,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Yemen.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The
death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they
commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, ‘Do we
deserve to kill?’”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">―
Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-55527861785325559552024-02-19T15:55:00.001-05:002024-02-19T15:55:28.940-05:00Three lives, connected by a divine thread<p><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My kids say it should be a
book! </span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Doug, Pat and Mark story is a doozie!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">About 25 years ago, while
fighting to free Maurice Carter from prison, I read a newspaper column written
by Pat Shellenbarger of the Grand Rapids Press on the topic of eyewitness
identification. I contacted Pat re that story. That led to a friendship between
Doug and Pat that continues to this day.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In subsequent months, Pat
would go on to assist me in an investigation into the Maurice Carter case that
eventually led to solving the crime. </span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That particular episode
became a chapter in my book about the Carter case, SWEET FREEDOM, published in
2006.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fast forward to 2009, A
New York businessman claims wrongful conviction, and while serving time in a
Michigan prison is handed a copy of my book. Mark Hartman, who was also convicted
in Berrien County, was amazed at the similarity of these two stories and tried
to reach out to me. His letters bounced.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Persisting in his efforts
to contact the author, Mark reached out to Pat Shellenbarger at the GR Press, asking
him to forward a message to me. Pat showed me the letter, Noting that Mark was
nearby in one of the Muskegon facilities, I chose not to respond by letter...I made a prison visit.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That led to a beautiful
friendship between Doug Tjapkes and Mark Hartman that continues to this day.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before completing his 12
years behind bars, Mark would go on to complete college-level programs with
Prison Fellowship and Calvin Prison Initiative. Meanwhile, he and I communicated on a regular basis, and I introduced him to a couple of preacher friends as well.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fast forward once again. Following
his release from prison and his one-year parole period, Mark learned of a
vacancy at HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. He applied for the position, and in 2023
assumed his duties as only the third CEO in HFP history!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve often said that no
one will ever know how many lives were touched or changed by Maurice Carter.
But, there’s an interesting sideline here. One wonders how many "stories-within-the-story" there are? Like how Pat Shellenbarger got to know Doug Tjapkes….like how that
relationship led to a friendship with Mark Hartman…like how that friendship
brought about a life-changing future for Mark! And for HFP!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">No human could have written this script.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Providence
has wider issues in mind than merely our personal comfort or gain.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Derek
Thomas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-36999159262915107542024-02-12T21:41:00.003-05:002024-02-12T21:41:47.664-05:00What a way to start the day! What a way to start the week!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not sure exactly when
I rented Box 687 in the United States Post Office of Grand Haven, Michigan…but
it was early in our 23-year history. Those were the days before we communicated
with prisoners via email, so the US Mail was our main method of conveying messages.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What I do recall, though,
is that the daily visit to that post office box was a part of my prayer life.
HFP was a one-man show back then. Each day, when I dropped off my packet of
letters to prisoners and to those persons who supported the work of HUMANITY
FOR PRISONERS, I said a prayer over the outgoing mail. Then I would take a
couple steps over to the PO box, and pray that something good (preferably financial
contributions) would be in the stack of incoming mail that day.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Those memories are all
coming back to me this week. HFP is no longer a one-man show, and I am no
longer the one who makes the post office visits each morning. But, our Office
Manager Suzie has caught the fever! Now she looks forward to seeing if there
are any surprises in the mailbox. And, praise God, there were!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, there was a check
from Eddy, who resides in one of Michigan’s rather unpleasant prisons, located in
Munising. He had alerted us ahead of time, after Sarah and I had assisted him
in preparing an application for commutation of his sentence: <b><i>“You guys
are miracle workers in my eyes. I do appreciate everything all of you have done
for me. As soon as these people here post my pay I will be sending HFP a few
bucks. I know it will not be enough for all the work all of you have done for
me. I just wish there was more I could for all of you.”</i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why the excitement over
his check, received today, in the amount of $25.00? Eddie is in his 70s, has
been in prison over 50 years, and probably earns between 15 and 50 cents an hour
in his prison job! What a gift!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">BUT, that wasn’t the only
check in the mail! The second, also issued by the State of Michigan, came from the
Prisoner Benefit Fund of the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why the excitement over
this check? Well, this is the prison where Calvin University has its CPI
program, enabling incarcerated men to get legitimate college degrees. HFP’s CEO
Mark Hartman is a graduate of that program, and it’s no secret that some key administrative
personnel have resisted efforts to approve any financial grants
to HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. Prayers were answered. We received a $1,000 check in
support of our work!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve said it time and
again: There’s no greater honor for the HFP team than to receive financial
support from the people we serve behind bars!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“<b><i>You
give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of
yourself that you truly give.” <br />
</i></b>- Kahlil Gibran<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-72415650552490270412024-02-09T14:48:00.000-05:002024-02-09T14:48:04.582-05:00It’s no way to treat kids!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Michigan’s deadliest
school shooting in history is still in the headlines, and it’s forcing us to do
some serious thinking.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ethan Crumbley, now 17
years of age, is serving life in prison for killing four classmates at Oxford
High School in November, 2021.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The news that made
headlines in recent days was that Jennifer Crumbley, 45, is now the first US
parent convicted of manslaughter over a mass shooting carried out by their
child. Prosecutors accused her of being negligent in allowing her son to have a
gun, and ignoring warnings signs.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t have any problem
with the way our justice system is treating Mrs. Crumbley. I have a problem
with the way we’re treating her son.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While Michigan legislators
consider bills that would ban life sentences without the possibility of parole
for children, we contin</span>u<span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">e
to support such a sentence when the crime is something that really makes us
angry. Like the Oxford tragedy.</span> <span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ethan Crumbley was sentenced to life without the
possibility of parole for killing four of his classmates and wounding others in
the 2021 Michigan school shooting.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here's the deal. Brilliant
minds in the field of psychiatry insist that no child is incorrigible, no
matter what some cops and prosecutors insist. No matter how much we sympathize
and empathize with the victims of heinous crimes. I invite you to check out the
research for yourself…it’s readily available. In some cases, the amount of
violence these kids have seen in their neighborhoods and right in their own
homes is shocking. Many have never even had the opportunity to be a “normal”
child! I’m hoping that, here in Michigan, the day will come when we can give
them that second chance.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not only does America have
a history of participating in this barbaric practice for juveniles, but as a
couple of writers in the Detroit News pointed out the other day, there are
serious racial overtones. For example, in our country today, 61% of these kids
serving life sentences without parole are Black. And right here in Pure Michigan,
70% are Black!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Come on!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m pleased to report that
the Michigan Legislature is considering bills to ban this practice, and <b>I urge
your support for SB 119-23 and HB 4160-64</b>. These bills do not rank high on
the popularity list, so those of us who care must keep pushing.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I pray that our state’s
position may soften, not only on this sad practice, but also on the practice of
referring young offenders to our adult courts. We have juvenile courts for a
reason.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, my advice for today: Contact
your lawmakers. Then, give your kids and your grandkids an extra hug!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I conclude with these
words from Boys Town:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, more than ever, in
our polarized, too-quick-to-condemn culture, we must ensure there is always
room for compassion for children. The stories of children hurting others are
heart-wrenching. But society must keep moving toward effective solutions that
focus on treating kids like kids. As legislators and decision-makers struggle
with the issue of children accused of serious crimes, they must follow the
science and neuroscience research and choose redemption and rehabilitation.</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Given the right care,
treatment and support, no child is beyond hope.</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></i></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-9681642958124330992024-02-01T12:48:00.000-05:002024-02-01T12:48:28.951-05:00John Lewis: “….get in good trouble, necessary trouble."<p><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Marcia loved to sing this
prayer of St. Francis of Assisi…both for the melody and the lyrics, and I loved
to hear her sing it!</span><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is hatred,
let me sow love;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is injury,
pardon;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is doubt,
faith;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is despair,
hope;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is darkness,
light;<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">where there is sadness,
joy.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">O divine Master, grant
that I may not so much seek<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">to be consoled as to
console,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">to be understood as to
understand,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">to be loved as to love.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">For it is in giving that
we receive,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">it is in pardoning that
we are pardoned,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">and it is in dying that
we are born to eternal life.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then along came the
famous author Anon., who penned a flip side to that beautiful prayer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sort of follows the thinking of John Lewis,
and, I’m liking it!</span><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Reverse Prayer of St. Francis</span></b><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dear Lord, make me a
channel of disturbance.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where there is apathy,
let me provoke.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where there is
compliance, let me bring questioning.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where there is silence,
may I be a voice.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where there is too much comfort
and too little action, grant disruption.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Where there are doors
closed and hearts locked, grant me the willingness to listen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">When laws dictate and
pain is overlooked, when tradition speaks louder than need…grant that I may
seek rather to do justice than to talk about it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Disturb us, O Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">to be with, as well as
for the alienated,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">to love the unlovable as
well as the lovely.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lord, make me a channel
of disturbance.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s a prayer for us to
consider in 2024. I think the good St. Francis would agree!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-65630901918301347042024-01-30T12:17:00.000-05:002024-01-30T12:17:34.471-05:00I’m sick and tired of it!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve never spent a lot of
time thinking about money. Maybe that’s because I never had much of it. I was
gainfully employed all my life, so Marcia and I were able to raise four kids
and pay the bills. Granted, there were some lean years in my topsy-turvy world
of three distinctly different careers, but we always had enough to eat.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My thoughts turned to
money recently, however, when my cousin Nancy---who had an amazing career as an
exemplary teacher---posted this little statement on Facebook:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Imagine
a world where pro athletes buy their own footballs<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and teachers get diamond rings for being good
at their jobs.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As a former broadcast journalist,
I’m still a bit of a news junkie…so I started paying attention to stories about
those persons who make a lot of money.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Donald
Trump, during a recent deposition, threw around all kinds of sky-high figures,
pegging his famous name and related brand at $2.9 billion and even $3 billion!</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Shohei
Ohtani, major league baseball player, was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and
this was his wage: $700M (10 years)!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Nick
Saban, Alabama’s legendary coach who stepped down last year, had a salary of
$11,407,000!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Tyler
Perry, rated the nation’s highest paid entertainer last year, made $160-million
dollars!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m thinking more about
the opposite side of the coin.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have a very good friend
who works at a successful local business, and his wage is $12 an hour!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve had personal
experience with nursing home personnel, and I’m seeing numbers that indicate nursing
home aides are making about $16 an hour!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My job involves working
with prisoners, and I can tell you that the State of Michigan has a serious shortage
of officers serving in our facilities. I’m not sure who would even work under
those conditions for $23 an hour!</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Like him or not, Bernie
Sanders has it right:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“…health
care costs are going up, child-care costs are going up, college costs are going
up, and housing costs are going up. But wages are not. Low-income workers need
a significant boost in what they earn if they are going to live in dignity in
today's economy.”</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, this quote about the shameful imbalance
in wages:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“A
CEO shouldn't get several hundred times the salary that the janitor is paid. An
athlete shouldn't get several hundred times the salary that the waterboy is
paid. A film star shouldn't get several hundred times the salary that the crew
at the bottom are paid.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
understand if you are not yet civilized enough to flatten the field completely
– for you are an infantile species after all. But at the very least, do your
best to reduce the gap - that is, if you intend to be human someday.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">―
Abhijit Naskar<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-3902432541384565582024-01-17T16:26:00.006-05:002024-01-17T16:28:14.606-05:00Cages: No place for man nor beast!<p><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">"If you ask a child
to draw a picture of a zoo, chances are they'll draw an animal behind bars. We
gotta take that image and change it." </span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jim Breheny, Director, Bronx Zoo</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“If you ask someone to
draw a picture of a prisoner, chances are they’ll draw a person behind bars. We
gotta take that image and change it!” </span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Doug Tjapkes, Founder, Humanity for Prisoners</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m thinking about my hero
Dr. MLK this week, thinking about my incarcerated friends this week, and
wishing I had the skill to craft my own “I Have a Dream” speech.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that here, in my favorite
state, we might trash our present programs of punishment and retribution, and
start thinking about humanity and rehabilitation for those persons who have made terrible
mistakes. Just a quick note. Those individuals, also, were created in the image
of God. Just a quick footnote. God loves them just as much as he loves you and
me!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that Michigan chooses to
end solitary confinement in its prisons, bringing us into full compliance with
the UN</span><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Sylfaen;">’</span><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">s Mandela Rules.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that we follow the
example of Norway in doing our best to rehabilitate, instead of punish.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Norway's prison system
has become a model for the rest of the world. Its recidivism rate is much lower
and prisons are now safer and more peaceful. There are no large, centralized
jails. Instead, Norway utilizes a system of small, community-based correctional
facilities that focus on rehabilitation and reintegration into society.)</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that Michigan imitate
Norway by deciding that incarcerated individuals should be geographically close
to their homes so they can maintain relationships with spouses, friends, and
family.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that we build new facilities
like those in Norway, where the prison has a fitness center, library, chapel,
athletic fields, family visiting center, a school, and even a full recording
studio…a building decorated in bright colors and original artwork.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> that we allow prisoners
to have visitors up to three times per week, as well as conjugal visits, and a
strong support system upon their release.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I know the kind of criticism
I’ll receive for this piece. Those of us on the outside, we’re the good people.
Those on the inside, they’re the bad people. That’s exactly what I thought as a
young person.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">An old man, I’m grateful
that a wonderful Roman Catholic Priest taught me how to feel about these men
and women:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">You stand with the
belligerent, the surly and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized
for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose
burdens are more than they can bear.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Fr. Greg Boyle<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It may be idealistic, but
I’m going to hang onto it!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have a dream!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-5127005408003635822024-01-09T21:48:00.008-05:002024-01-09T22:08:33.208-05:00I don't know how you sleep at night!<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">If the law is not strong
enough to protect the humblest and weakest citizen it deserves the contempt of
all.</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Clarence Darrow</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many, many years ago, I
received a standing ovation after telling members of the Criminal Defense
Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM), “You are the backbone of our justice system!” I
made that statement, realizing that a member of the HFP Board of Directors was
wincing. His son had just married a young woman who made a career of defending
criminals, and he boldly told her, “I don’t know how you sleep at night!”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As a young broadcast
journalist, in my first career, I felt some of the same emotions as our board
member. How does one defend these creeps?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Decades later, I befriended
a poor Black guy sitting in the Michigan prison system, accused of a crime he
did not commit. His defense attorney, and I use the term loosely, had a
reputation of falling asleep in the courtroom. Appointed by the State of
Michigan to make sure that Maurice H. Carter would receive a fair trial, defense
attorney James Jesse never even met with his client until the morning of the
trial. Partly due to his inept handling of this case, Maurice spent the next 29
years behind bars.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">That experience prompted
me to change my mind about criminal defense attorneys.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I raise the issue this
week because of a recent newspaper article. MLive writer Ryan Boldrey’s fine feature
was on the front page of MLive Sunday newspapers over the weekend. Boldrey interviewed two
Kalamazoo defense attorneys who, of course, constantly face that same question:
“How do you sleep at night?”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I especially appreciated
the response of lawyer Caleb Grimes. Quoting reporter Boldrey:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What keeps Grimes up at
night isn’t whether a killer walks free if the prosecutor can’t prove their
case---it’s the truly innocent client facing life behind bars if he doesn’t do
his job well. <i>‘I have an opportunity to do something incredible,’ </i>he
said, ‘<i>to make sure that doesn’t happen to them.’”</i></span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I encourage you to find
the story and read it, and I commend Boldrey for a bold piece of journalism.</span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">There was one other quote
in the MLive story that hit me, and that came from the second attorney who had
been interviewed, Don Sappanos. He accurately expressed sensitivity regarding
racial disparity in our judicial system: <b><i>“I’ve seen plenty of courtrooms with
a Black defendant, white attorney, white prosecutor, white officer, white judge
and 12 white jurors. I’ve never seen the opposite.”</i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s the description of
the Maurice Carter trial.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s what led to my
9-year battle for Maurice.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s what led to the
formation of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s one issue that keeps
me awake at night!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-61791228334817487582024-01-05T14:50:00.002-05:002024-01-05T14:50:40.547-05:00How innocent people get screwed twice in Michigan!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s true! A couple of
good news/bad news examples.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The good news:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> our state legislators
adopted a law in 2017 offering compensation of $50,000 per year to victims of
wrongful convictions.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The bad news:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> the measure is so vague that
some of the people who deserve this money cannot collect it.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The good news</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Michigan ranks fifth in
the country when it comes to reversing convictions.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>The bad news: </b>A</span><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">bout one-quarter of the people
exonerated have been denied payment.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When that bill was passed
in 2017, some lawmakers boasted about the state’s generosity…as if $50,000 for
every year spent behind bars was even adequate. How does one put a cost figure
on trying to get started again with no family, no home, no job prospects, no
driver’s license, etc., etc.?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now, I’m wondering if some
of these lawmakers had their tongue in cheek, adopting a law whose <b>narrow
criteria and confusion over eligibility left former prisoners facing another
system that seems stacked against them. </b>The Marshall Project, a nonprofit
news organization, says “…<b>the measure is so vague that state supreme court
justices have urged legislators to fix it.”</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna Clark, writer for Pro
Publica, another nonprofit news organization, recently featured a couple of cases
to prove that point.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marvin Cotton, Jr., whose
murder case was overturned in 2020, had spent nearly 20 years behind bars for
something he didn’t do.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dennis Tomasik, was
sentenced to prison on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor. Nine years later,
in a new trial, the truth came out and he was released.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Both of these guys walked out flat broke. But, their hopes were high because of this
new law.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cotton Filed his claim. No
soap! The Michigan attorney general’s office challenged it, contending that it
did not fit neatly into the parameters set out by the Wrongful Conviction
Compensation Act.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Similar story for Tomasik.</span>
<span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">State officials
contested it, and the courts backed them up. Didn’t fit into the parameters of
the act.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pro Publica quotes Cotton’s
response:</span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“You fight for years to
prove your wrongful conviction was actually wrong, And then immediately, when
you step out, you pick up this new war, and you’re constantly trying to prove
yourself again.”</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tomisak, now 60 years of
age, says he has nothing saved for retirement. He and his wife are on Medicaid,
and he earns money by doing repair jobs on snowmobiles and dirt bikes. <b>“I
live</b> <b>at the lowest means I can possibly live on and survive,”</b> he told
Pro Publica.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, here’s what we have, ladies
and gentlemen. <b>First the state screws up by wrongly convicting these men and
women. Then, it adds insult to injury by fighting to deny them dollars that
would help them rebuild their lives.</b></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">2024 is the year to get
that straightened out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-39342820005371663092023-12-24T17:36:00.000-05:002023-12-24T17:36:03.714-05:00Bah! Humbug!<p>When I worked in the newsroom in the 60s and 70s, Lo<span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">uis Cassels was one of
my favorite news writers. A Washington Correspondent for UPI for many years, he
later came its national religion writer. In 1959 he wrote a parable for UPI
that will last forever. I was News Director of WJBL in Holland when I first
tore that copy off our newsroom teletype machine and aired it. For the next 25
years my listeners, first in Holland and then in Grand Haven, heard me read
this parable at Christmas time. This many years later, as the founder of HUMANITY FOR
PRISONERS, I traditionally share this beautiful story on Christmas Eve as my gift to you.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a
scrooge; he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. He was generous to his family
and upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that
stuff about God becoming a man, which the churches proclaim at Christmas time.
It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m
not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a
hypocrite and that he would much rather just stay at home. And so he stayed,
and they went to the midnight service.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to
fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier.
Then he went back to his fireside chair to read his newspaper. Minutes later he
was startled by a thudding sound. Then another and another — sort of a thump or
a thud. At first he thought someone must have been throwing snowballs against
his living room window.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a
flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm
and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large
landscape window. Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and
freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That
would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Quickly he put on a coat and galoshes and then he tramped
through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on
a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them. So
he hurried back to the house, fetched breadcrumbs and sprinkled them on the
snow. He made a trail to the brightly lit, wide-open doorway of the stable. But
to his dismay, the birds ignored the breadcrumbs and continued to flap around
helplessly in the snow.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by
walking around them and waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every
direction, except into the warm, lighted barn. And then he realized that they
were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying
creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can
trust me — that I am not trying to hurt them but to help them. But how?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Any move he made tended to frighten and confuse them. They
just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed, because they feared
him.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and
mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be
afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm barn. But I would have
to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand.”</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound
reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to
the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in
the snow.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Now I understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why you had to do
it."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-6845623733146486512023-12-18T21:53:00.003-05:002023-12-18T21:53:18.276-05:00The gift of books for kids of prisoners? One that keeps on giving!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Interesting things happen
when you put a couple of authors together.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It gets even more
interesting when both authors are from the same town, and both also have a
history of serving churches as organists.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jan emailed me the other
day to share information about a project that she and her husband love and
support. It’s called Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In 1995, Dolly Parton
launched this new program to benefit the children of her home county in East
Tennessee. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s
preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a
specially selected book each month. The program caught fire…a fire that spread
not only throughout this country, but four other nations as well. In this
program, gift books are provided, free of charge, to children from birth to age
five!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Knowing that Jan loves our
work and has a heart for prisoners, I asked her about the possibility of
expanding the Dolly Parton program to children of incarcerated moms and dads.
Jan pounced on it, and within days spoke to a regional director about the
concept. That led to a meeting with those two women, along with HFP Executive
Director Mark Hartman and me.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It's going to happen!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The four of us bonded on
the topic and the goals immediately. Humanity for Prisoners, the only agency
that spends all of its time helping incarcerated men and women in Michigan with
their personal problems, has also advocated on behalf of the families of
prisoners as well. Expanding into helping the kids of prisoners is a natural
fit!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just imagine the
possibility of explaining to a father or mother behind bars that we can help
enroll their tiny tot in a program that provides a new book in the mail every
month! And, at no charge! I should mention that the list of books not only
includes titles of classics like The Little Engine That Could, but also books
that include activities and fun things to do. And each book bears the name of
the child on the cover!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m already thinking about
the ripple effect of this program among the incarcerated. Children visiting
their mother or father in prison will be able to talk about the gift books.
And, we know that some of our low-income and needy clients struggle, as adults,
with reading ability. It’s a subtle way for them to improve, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm already thinking that perhaps a program for kids of prisoners can be expanded nationwide!<span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You’ll be hearing and
reading a lot more about this project as representatives from Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library and Humanity for Prisoners work out the details.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile, Jan and I will
keep on writing, keep on playing music, and keep on caring about people who
live behind bars. </span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And never underestimate
where our thoughts and ideas might lead!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-72219891214378117022023-12-09T21:54:00.005-05:002023-12-09T22:43:31.195-05:00Forgiveness: A Christmas Gift!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I said some pretty unkind
things about you!”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was chatting with an old
friend the other day…his words caught me off guard.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here I go, starting my
blog post in the middle of a story. Let me back up.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had a wonderful and unexpected
visit in this 2023 holiday season, and it happened at a most unusual place and
unusual time: in a church, following a funeral service!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I had been asked to play
the organ for a memorial service for a very good friend, and I’m always happy
to do that.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the conclusion of the service
I played a short postlude as the attendees left the sanctuary, only to spot an
elderly crippled man coming up the aisle toward the organ. Even with two canes,
he was having difficulty walking. He waited until I alit the organ bench, then
reached out to shake my hand. Indicating that he and I were acquaintances left
me blank…I was forced to admit that I didn’t recognize the face.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Long story short…it was
the face from an earlier chapter in my life, when I was a seller of
institutional organs and pianos. When I first met Dan, he was a competitor…he
and I were selling against each other. Years later, he made some career changes,
he and I became friends and even worked together on some projects.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Years later, he was
involved in an industrial accident that resulted in crippling injuries.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">We shook hands, talked and
laughed for a bit, before he finally allowed that he had one serious matter to
discuss with me. That’s when he hit me with the confession that, in our early
years, he had said some pretty nasty things about me. Well, that stuff happens
in the sales business, especially when you’re competing over big-ticket items.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dan is a man of faith, and
with tears, a quivering lip, he asked, “Will you forgive me?”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dan is 78, and I’m 87…two
old men clasped hands and <u>exchanged Christmas gifts</u> in an empty church
following a funeral service! His gift to me: asking for forgiveness (I was
touched). My gift to him: granting forgiveness (he was blessed). What an
unexpected, meaningful Christmas present!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As you know, my life is
now totally involved in working with the incarcerated, and the experience leads
me to think about possible holiday gifts. All recipients may not appreciate this gift,
but I think it is incredibly sensitive when a prisoner asks friends and
families of victims for forgiveness.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The loved ones of victims
may not be willing to extend this gift, but I think it is incredibly touching when
forgiveness is extended to someone guilty of a crime.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Apostle Paul took an
even harder line on the topic<i>, insisting</i> that we forgive one another: <b>“…as
the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do."</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">A theologian from my own
tradition says:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">"To forgive is to set
a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you."<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Lewis B. Smedes<o:p></o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-79097877240569422472023-11-29T21:05:00.003-05:002023-11-29T21:09:16.112-05:00What's in the brown paper bag?<p>I pass along this story every year during the holiday season. It's not that I want to put a damper on all the fun and frivolity of the season. But, we must be mindful of all of our fellow humans, in all of their experiences.</p><p>This is a beautiful story, really...<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.a story not
written by me.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I feel certain that Luis
Ramirez would be honored to have us pass along what he has written, but I can't
ask him.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He's dead.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">This message came to me from Texas Death Row in the
early days of HFP. I was so touched by the experience that I vowed to keep the
story alive. We generally re-publish it during the holiday season. May it
remind us, again, that the names on death row represent real people. And, that
the death penalty is dead wrong!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">Anyway, here’s my gift to you
today...a story from the late Luiz Ramirez:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">(In all caps, just the way he
sent it)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">I CAME HERE IN MAY OF 1999...A TSUNAMI OF EMOTIONS
AND THOUGHTS WERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I REMEMBER THE ONLY THINGS IN THE CELL WERE A MATTRESS, PILLOW, A COUPLE
SHEETS, A PILLOW CASE, A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER AND A BLANKET.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I REMEMBER SITTING THERE, UTTERLY LOST.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">THE FIRST PERSON I MET THERE WAS NAPOLEON
BEASLEY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BACK THEN, DEATH ROW PRISONERS
STILL WORKED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HIS JOB WAS TO CLEAN UP
THE WING AND HELP SERVE DURING MEAL TIMES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>HE WAS WALKING AROUND SWEEPING THE POD IN THESE RIDICULOUS-LOOKING
RUBBER BOOTS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE CAME UP TO THE BARS OF
THE CELL AND ASKED ME IF I WAS NEW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
TOLD HIM THAT I HAD JUST ARRIVED ON D.R.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>HE ASKED WHAT MY NAME IS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I TOLD
HIM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE HOLLERED AT EVERYONE:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“THERE'S A NEW MAN HERE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE JUST DROVE UP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HIS NAME IS LUIS RAMIREZ.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LIKE MOST OF YOU, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION
THAT EVERYONE ON D.R. WAS EVIL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NOW THEY
ALL KNEW MY NAME.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I WAS SURE THEY WOULD
SOON BEGIN HARASSING ME.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AFTER SUPPER WAS SERVED, NAPOLEON WAS ONCE
AGAIN SWEEPING THE FLOORS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AS HE PASSED
MY CELL HE SWEPT A BROWN PAPER BAG INTO IT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ASKED HIM, “WHAT'S THIS?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE
SAID FOR ME TO LOOK INSIDE, AND CONTINUED ON HIS WAY.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">MAN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I CAREFULLY OPENED THE BAG.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WHAT I FOUND WAS THE LAST THING I EVER
EXPECTED TO FIND ON DEATH ROW, AND EVERYTHING I NEEDED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THE BAG CONTAINED SOME STAMPS, ENVELOPES,
NOTE PAD, PEN, SOAP, SHAMPOO, TOOTHPASTE, TOOTH BRUSH, A PASTRY, A SODA, AND A
COUPLE OF RAMEN NOODLES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I REMEMBER
ASKING NAPOLEON WHERE THIS CAME FROM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE
TOLD ME THAT EVERYONE HAD PITCHED IN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ASKED HIM TO FIND OUT WHO HAD CONTRIBUTED…I WANTED TO PAY THEM BACK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE SAID, “IT'S NOT LIKE THAT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JUST REMEMBER THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE SOMEONE
COMING HERE LIKE YOU, YOU PITCH IN SOMETHING.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I SAT THERE ON MY BUNK AND THOUGHT OF HOW MANY TIMES
I HAD SEEN “GOOD PEOPLE” OF THE WORLD PASS BY SOME MAN, WOMAN OR CHILD HOLDING
A SIGN THAT SAID HUNGRY, OR WILL WORK FOR FOOD.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'M GUILTY OF THE SAME.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I JUST
PASSED THEM BY.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">YET HERE ON DEATH ROW
AMONG THE “WORST OF THE WORST,” I DIDN'T HAVE TO HOLD UP A SIGN.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">I NEVER GOT TO TELL NAPOLEON ABOUT MY FEELINGS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HE WAS EXECUTED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I COULDN'T FIND HIS FAMILY.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">WHAT'S IN THE BROWN PAPER BAG?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I FOUND CARING, KINDNESS, LOVE, HUMANITY AND
COMPASSION ON A SCALE THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN THE “GOOD PEOPLE” IN THE FREE WORLD
SHOW TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">After reading this story, I wanted to send a note of
thanks to Luis Ramirez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I was too
late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was executed by the state of
Texas in October, 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was 42.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He claimed wrongful conviction until his
death.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.15pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 28.35pt 14.15pt 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">“What
you do to these men, you do to God" <br />
</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;">--Mother
Teresa during her visit to San Quentin Prison<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.15pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 28.35pt 14.15pt 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-hyphenate: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: ideograph-other; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode"; mso-font-kerning: 1.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-70304191417635245892023-11-16T15:54:00.004-05:002023-11-16T15:58:43.315-05:00Does it have to be them and us?<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Has the day of
respectfully listening to a different opinion gone by the wayside? As an octogenarian,
I cannot remember a time when there is so little respect for the opinion of
others, and so little interest in open-minded conversation. So much division! So much shouting! So much anger!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is serious stuff, and
we’re going to have to give it some serious thought.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was seriously offended
back in the 1960s when I covered a Spring Lake Board of Education meeting. As a
local reporter, I asked a couple of pointed questions. A board member later
chastised me implying that I was an enemy and certainly not appreciated. Later, however, cooler heads prevailed.
We talked, and it became apparent that we had common goals. It was an honor for
Marcia and me to be invited to a private social event hosted by the same man at a later date.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many years later, while
selling church organs, I had an unpleasant experience with the assistant pastor
of a mega church. They were erecting a new structure, and selling a big
instrument for a prominent new building in town would have been a huge “plus”
for me. Alas, I learned that the church had decided on another brand without
giving me an opportunity to make a presentation. The organ committee had gone,
without my knowledge, to a church using one of our older models and decided they
didn’t like our product. To say that I was upset would be an understatement,
but I quietly advised this person that the organ heard by his committee bore no
resemblance to the instruments I was selling. He wasn’t listening, wasn’t buying
it, and promptly ended the conversation.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Later the same day,
though, his Christian principles rose to the surface, and he called back.
Cooler heads prevailed. I explained our situation, and suggested that I be
given one chance. I would invite the committee to hear one of our instruments,
loaned out for a choral group’s recording session. If the committee agreed that
it was a worthy instrument, we would talk. If not, their earlier decision would
stand.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">We shook hands. The
committee came to the recording session. I got the deal.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">These things are on my
mind as I prepare a speech for next May, when I will be addressing a chapter of
the State Bar of Michigan. Must we always have so much division? As an advocate
for prisoners, I get so tired of hearing prosecution claims that they are fighting
for the rights of crime victims, and that thugs must remain behind bars. Defenders,
on the other hand, say many prisoners are victims of injustice and deserve to
be heard.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Truth be told: We’re
all in this together. It’s past time to politely listen to all sides with
respect and open minds. There are legitimate and valid opinions on both sides.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As Fr. Greg Boyle says: “<b>There
is no 'them' and 'us.' There is only us!”</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s time to listen. To
talk. Not shout. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-69874202736262853272023-11-10T12:19:00.004-05:002023-11-10T12:19:24.821-05:00A challenge to provide kindness…all the way from Texas, of all places!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I can’t think of many good
ideas from Texas, but here’s one!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was recently contacted
by a wonderful prisoner advocacy agency in the UK. They had heard about my
experience with a death row prisoner in 2007. Charles Anthony Nealy and I were
friends…he was a client of ours. Then he asked me to be his “spiritual advisor”
at the time of his execution. While I loved Anthony, the experience was
wretched!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyway, the 30-minute
interview reminded me of one very nice memory in Texas: a mission project, and
it could and should be done here.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On the day of Anthony’s
execution, Marcia and I were invited to take a break at a place called the
Hospitality House, in Huntsville, Texas. It was a beautiful facility erected
and maintained by a Christian group in that state. I’ll explain it, then try to
stir up some interest.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many visitors at a state
prison are from out-of-town. Some families and loved ones travel long distances
to make such a visit. That was true in Texas, and it’s especially true here in
Michigan where we have correctional facilities in far-flung parts of the Upper
Peninsula. Many friends and relatives of prisoners are not wealthy people. It’s
difficult and costly to make a long trip to a prison.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, these caring people
in Texas erected a facility to provide overnight housing for prison visitors. I
stress the word “overnight.” Homeless folks can’t just move in, for example.
The place is well organized and well run. Now let me describe this facility.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Beautiful, clean bedrooms
and bathrooms! Probably nicer than many visitors have at home. Keep in mind,
now, that this is not a hotel. You don’t get room service, or maid service. In
addition to the nice bed and bathroom, there is a huge kitchen, fully stocked.
Again, it’s not a restaurant, there’s no chef, and you don’t get served. BUT,
there’s always a giant cauldron of wonderful soup simmering on a large,
commercial stove. And, there’s a variety of food products and snacks in the
cupboards and the refrigerator. It’s up to you to prepare the food, but there’s
no cost. Besides that, the coffee pot is always on, and the coffee is fresh! Everything is free, including lodging!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One other feature of this
house is the giant, living area. Beautiful couches, comfortable chairs, quiet,
secluded areas to meditate, contemplate and rest. Clergy of various faiths and
counselors are available upon request, again without any charge or fee.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are always staff
members in the building, but they don’t get in your face. They are there to keep
the place clean, change the bedding, answer questions, etc.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just think what a blessing
this could be in places like Muskegon, or Ionia, or Jackson, or Kincheloe,
where we have multiple prisons!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It would be a costly
venture, and it would be costly to maintain…but what an incredible ministry!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s pray that some
individuals and organizations that have the means and a heart for the incarcerated will give this some
consideration.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in…</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Mathew 25:35<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-51791156217594352152023-11-05T16:38:00.002-05:002023-11-05T16:42:07.180-05:00Deaf kids? Hurting inmates? YOU can help!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s a tiny segment of
society I’ve never thought about. But, thank God, someone did!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m talking about
hearing-impaired teenagers. Think about it for a minute.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">A teenager in a typical
family sitting at the dinner table. Sibs and parents all laughing and talking.
One person silent, living in another world…he can’t hear. A teenager sitting with
a circle of friends in a school lunchroom…everyone talking and laughing. One
person is silent, living in another world. She can’t hear.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was intrigued by a short
TV interview the other night with Dan Kregel, Executive Director of Youth for
Christ of West Michigan. His agency has developed a program called Deaf Teen
Quest, and it offers a new, exciting and participatory world for teens who can’t
hear. There are leaders and counselors who chat via signing, and teens actually
get together for events to laugh and talk, the things kids love to do, only
with sign language.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">YFCWM found a niche and
ran with it. The program, only 5 years old, is making an impact. Of particular
interest right now, I suspect, because people are considering year-end giving.
And that leads me to my point.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">If one has the means and the
heart wanting to make a difference, year-end giving is an excellent way to do
it. But, rather than just picking a cause, I suggest doing a little research. I’m
obviously opiniated, because I started an organization 22 years ago that has
also found a meaningful niche.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are numerous prison
ministries offering Bible lessons to prisoners, letter-writing programs, re-entry
assistance, etc., and there are numerous prisoner advocacy agencies striving
for improved prison conditions, sentencing reform, supportive legislation, etc.
But, we found no organization spending all of its time and effort to help people
in cages<b> <u>with their individual problems!<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">No one to help them find a
missing loved, no one to show them how to recover important legal documents, no
one to fight for them when their heart medication is suddenly discontinued, no
one to help with visitation issues, etc.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In providing these many
services, the HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS team made an interesting discovery. Even
if we failed, holding a person’s hand made a difference! It’s not uncommon, in
our business, to strike out. Sometimes we’re able to offer only limited assistance.
Sometimes, the best we can do is confess that we tried. Even then, the response
is the same! Someone cared. People behind bars who felt forgotten learned that they matter!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Giving to charity is a
wonderful thing. With a little extra forethought, you can make a huge
difference!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Year-end dollars help all charities,
but just imagine how effective your dollars might be when supporting a small
agency that helps deaf teens, or how many lives in Michigan prisons you may
touch when you invest in the rare and unique work of HFP!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">…don't forget to do good
and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Hebrews 13:16<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-30276887212944415642023-10-26T11:26:00.002-04:002023-10-26T11:32:32.916-04:00Why it’s important for you to meet with us Friday night!<p><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I realize that Friday
nights are crowded…sporting events, happy hour meetings, cocktail parties,
dinner parties, and a variety of other ways to celebrate TGIF. But just this
once, it’s important that you take a break from that routine.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The 27<sup>th</sup> marks
the very first time that a powerful documentary labeled BEHIND OUR WALLS will
be shown in Ottawa County. This award-winning film, produced by Nate Roels of
Grand Rapids, conveys an important message about incarceration.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> It'll be shown at Central Park Place in Grand Haven...the program begins at 7 PM.</o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">In 2015 Calvin College
(now Calvin University) and Calvin Theological Seminary teamed up to prepare a
classroom experience for a handful of prisoners at one of our state prisons in
Ionia. I’ve been in that facility. The prison system has given Calvin Prison
Initiative a classroom and a library in the Richard A. Handlon Correctional
Facility. The class size is only 20 per year, but you should know that these people
participate in legitimate, certified, college credit courses. When these
students graduate, they have a real college degree.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Radio listeners in Grand Haven
had an opportunity to hear a first-hand report about the program this week.
Mark Hartman, our new Executive Director, was not only formerly incarcerated,
but he was proud to be in the first graduating class of CPI.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was explaining to
someone the other day how wrong I was, in an earlier life, with my views toward
cops, prosecutors and prisoners. I thought police officers and prosecuting
attorneys were always right, and that prisoners were always bad.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">BEHIND OUR WALLS won’t
deal much with the wrongly convicted, those persons overly-charged, or those
persons with unfair and extreme sentences. But here’s what you’ll learn. These
people living in cages are really not that different than the people living in
your home. They laugh, they cry, they love, they enjoy a few positive experiences.
The big difference, though, is that they are alone. They are separated from
family. They struggle with loneliness. They struggle with depression. They not
only face a multitude of unique problems and emotions, but must also face the
reality that very few people really care.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s where you come in.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">We need you to hear this
story, because we need you to join our small band of people who care.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our goal at HUMANITY FOR
PRISONERS is to relay this message to everyone behind bars: “You matter.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our goal, in presenting
the Friday program at Central Park Place, is to add YOUR voice to that message.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-41573268261317739552023-10-12T21:37:00.004-04:002023-10-12T21:37:43.786-04:00Love thy neighbor, when he or she is behind bars?<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyone
can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf! </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tom Flynn</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve been thinking a lot
about love these days.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Perhaps it’s because Pastor
Nate is in the middle of a sermon series on First Corinthians 13, that famous
Bible passage about love. It’s easy for us to mouth popular cliches, “God is
Love,” or “Love thy Neighbor,” but, as Nate is pointing out, the subject requires
much closer examination. And deeper thought.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m a bit of a freak, I
suppose, because I have a genuine love for persons who are incarcerated. I mean
it. I love prisoners! And I think it started long before I got into this
prisoner advocacy business.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I remember in 1969, my
partner and I were excited to bring FM radio to Grand Haven. As the owners of
the local radio station, we staged a big local ceremony when WGHN-FM went on
the air. One of my first goals, as a broadcast journalist, was to do some
in-depth programming on topics of interest. In those days, the use of heroin was
becoming a major drug problem.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It so happens that a new
prison had just opened in Ionia, named after its first warden: The Richard A.
Handlon Correctional Facility. Hoping to get permission to interview prisoners
serving time on heroin charges, I contacted Warden Handlon. He welcomed me with
open arms, gave me a personal tour of that new, innovative facility. He also
arranged for a round-table discussion recorded with a group of inmates. I was
astonished, not only at their candor and willingness to bare their souls, but
how genuinely nice these people were! I had been a police reporter for years. I
had always assumed that prisoners were the bad guys!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It wasn’t the way I
thought my life was headed, but decades later I found myself behind bars quite
often, doing my best to help these people who were doing time. It took 3/4s of my life to get
there, but I finally reached my genuine calling.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I walk across a prison
yard, I meet a cross-section of society. Some guys will not look up, avoiding
eye contact at all cost. Some have anger or fire in their eyes. Old people sometimes
offer a tentative smile and glance as they totter along. Others in the yard are
genuinely outgoing and friendly. I love it! I love them! All of them!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I treasure these words
from Fr. Greg Boyle, who works with gang members:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
stand with the surly and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for
the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose
burdens are more than they can bear.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Someone once asked me if I
was afraid when the prison gate slams shut behind me. I’m not…never have been. One
of my incarcerated friends once said, “Doug, if anyone ever made a move to harm
you, you wouldn’t have to worry. There are a whole lot of us who would have
your back!”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Genuine friendship!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some of the nicest people
I know are behind bars. Some of my best friends are behind bars.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My life is richer thanks
to these relationships.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
sweet friendship refreshes the soul</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">. Proverbs 27:9<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-44130020633231672012023-10-04T21:21:00.003-04:002023-10-04T21:21:23.607-04:00It can't happen to me. Only to others!<p><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If I got locked up in a
prison for something I didn’t do, I’d be a raging bull! </span></i></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those were the words of the Rev. Al Hoksbergen,
wonderful pastor, beautiful Christian, who was at my side during the years we
tried to free Maurice Carter. I raise the issue this week because…</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">October 2 came and went.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Not many people I know paid
much attention to the fact that it was the <u>10<sup>th</sup> annual
International Wrongful Conviction Day.</u></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Granted, the day has <i>real</i>
meaning for me. It was a wrongful conviction that led to my beautiful
relationship with Maurice Carter, which then led to the formation of a fine
prisoner service agency called HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. But my point is this: <b>It
must be important to you, also!</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My very good friend Marla
Mitchell-Cichon, who for years served as Director of the Cooley Innocence
Project, reminds that efforts to help the wrongly convicted go back much longer
than 10 years. After all, I began working on the Carter case in the mid-1990s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I have been working on two clients’ cases for
over 20 years! It is so discouraging, but I won’t quit until they are free.”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Several years ago Marla
conspired with my son Matt to present me with a special birthday gift. A small
group of U of M law students are hoping to apply for a posthumous pardon for
Maurice, who served 29 years for a crime he did not commit. It was a meaningful
gift, and I am touched by the progress of these wonderful students!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I read the Carter case
overview, as prepared by the team, I was shocked, once again, by the injustice.
It was more than an injustice. It was an outrage! And the important message to
you is that <b>it can happen to anyone! It can happen to you!</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marcia asked me, very
early on in our prison work, how many wrongly convicted people I knew. I
started rattling off names, and got up to 20 before I quit! And these weren’t
just indigent, black people. My list included <b>teachers, a doctor, a police
officer, a businessman, a banker, an industrialist…even a lawyer!</b></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marla’s message to you: Commit
to learning more about the issue and contributing factors.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Statistics can be boring,
but here are some data that you should see and hear, provided by the national
Innocence Network:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><i>Together, the
770+ exonerated former clients of Innocence Network organizations spent over
12,700 years wrongfully incarcerated! On the Tenth Annual International Wrongful
Conviction Day, we celebrate the progress we've made & acknowledge how far
we still have to go.</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our friend Sister Helen Prejean
posted this message Monday:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Any
wrongful conviction is a human tragedy. It means time spent in jail for
something you did not do. It means a loss of reputation. It means a loss of
connection to your web of human fellowship. It means the shrinking of your
future. It means a diminishment of your time on this earth.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please take this issue seriously.
Learn what you can. Do what you can.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, pray for a more
just system, and pray for those behind bars who do not belong there!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-48781233591252662652023-09-24T21:10:00.000-04:002023-09-24T21:10:13.188-04:00On things I’m not reading, and why that makes me cross!<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m reading a lot</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> about the UAW (United
Auto Workers union) these days. Auto workers are on strike, hoping to get
better wages and working conditions from the big three automakers. The UAW boasts
about 12,700 members.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m not reading a lot
about another union</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">:
MCO (Michigan Corrections Organization). The MCO Service Employees International
Union, which represents about 6,000 Corrections Officers and other MDOC employees,
is facing a major issue.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m reading a lot about</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Michigan’s Governor and
Democratic-controlled senate and house, and their strong efforts to improve
living conditions in Pure Michigan, and reverse the trend of population decline.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m not reading or hearing
about the MDOC staff crisis in Michigan prisons.</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">An item on the Detroit
News editorial page more than intrigued me…it infuriated me. It was written by Timothy
Fleury, a correctional officer at the Alger CF located in Munising. He
obviously hoped to get someone’s attention. A huge employee shortage in our
state prisons is at emergency level!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fleury states that the
staff vacancy rate at Alger is at 40% right now! The prison, which houses
nearly 1,000, should have a staff of 166. But as of today, they are <b>short by
66 workers</b>! That leaves the job up to about 100 staff members, who must
face excessive and unsustainable overtime hours. We’re talking about <i>mandatory
</i>16-hour shifts, and that’s just not fair. Not fair to staff. Not fair to
incarcerated persons. Worse than that, it’s not acceptable.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Says Fleury about his
drive to work: “I have to steel myself for the exhausting and frustrating shift
ahead. Before my 16-hour overtime shift even starts, I mentally count down the
hours until I can go home and see my family again.”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That sounds like torture
to me, for workers and for prison occupants.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the COs, it’s a
challenge to be attentive and responsive when they’re not getting enough sleep,
or enough time to recover and recharge.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For incarcerated persons, the
predictable results are an inability to provide all of the programs the occupants
need…it means longer waits for showers, food, medicine. And, surprise, surprise…shorter
fuses. On both sides!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is no insignificant matter.
It demands our immediate attention, as well as that of our state legislators. I’m
blaming the media here as well. Granted, topics like a huge auto strike, women’s
rights and gun laws make great headlines, and I’m not minimizing their importance.
<b>But we have a crisis here, and I can’t see that our state is taking it
seriously. Nor are the media!</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Michigan can do better. The
occupants of our prisons deserve better.</span></b><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“In our efforts to make societies
more resilient to crime and to promote social cohesion…, we cannot disregard
those in prison. We must remember that prisoners continue to be part of
society, and must be treated with respect due to their inherent dignity as human
beings.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yury Fedotov, Executive
Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime<o:p></o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-78323501138953587952023-09-13T22:02:00.001-04:002023-09-13T22:02:09.930-04:00I wish you could hear the stories!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">There’s no simple answer
for some questions.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Just tell me what you
guys do over there at HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS.”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When we give our stock
reply, helping prisoners one-on-one with their everyday needs and problems,
more questions persist.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“When I give money to an
agency that feeds hungry people, they can give me exact statistics…how many
people they feed, in what countries, their ages, etc. If we’re going to award
grants to HFP, we need stats!” Gulp.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last week I was one of
four persons in a panel discussion. I was on the panel because I started this
program 22 years ago. The others were there because all had been helped by HFP.
I’ll briefly share a story about each of them.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Heather was in another
state when she contacted HFP. She was engaged to a prisoner in Michigan, and
the two of them hoped to get married. Because of complications involving her
residence in another state and his residency in a prison, a contrary county
clerk decided she would have no part in issuing a marriage license. Heather
discovered HFP’s web site and called to share her frustration. From that day on
she had a partner, and eventually she and James successfully tied the knot in a
prison ceremony. If you ask Heather about HFP’s role in this, she’ll tell you
that the major factor here was that someone cared and someone listened! OK,
under what statistic category do you place caring? Listening? (Bright ending to
Heather’s story: 4 days later she tearfully welcomed her husband as he walked
free after serving 17 years!)</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gilbert was wrongly
convicted and served 32 years for a crime he did not commit. Did HFP help him
get out? Nope. So, how did we help? Well, while in prison, Gilbert was
experiencing unusual foot problems. The standard shoes issued to all prisoners
couldn’t work for him. He was unable to walk. Gil learned about HFP from
another guy, so he contacted our office. Within a day he had “special-issue”
shoes, and he could walk! What’s the category for this resolution? Will the
results impress some generous foundation?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mark claimed wrongful
conviction…he spent 12 years behind bars. While in prison a crooked lawyer
assured him that he could help him achieve freedom, and Mark spent a ton of
money with the guy. After getting paid, the lawyer disappeared. Who was the
real criminal here? HFP found good legal assistance for Mark. He not only got
money back, but the shyster was put out of business! Great story, but where’s
the impressive statistic?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A major goal of the HFP
team is to see that these stories are shared. We may not be able to give you
accurate stats, but our clients will testify that HFP’s response, compassion, and
efforts---no matter how feeble---touch lives!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m not a typical braggart
in my everyday life, but I couldn’t be prouder of this organization, its team, and
its incredible daily impact!</span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“<b>Too often we
underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around.”</b> - Leo Buscaglia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-57045410036498192232023-09-05T21:59:00.001-04:002023-09-05T21:59:12.007-04:00Are we willing to march?<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was so busy writing
about HFP’s August 29 birthday that I never got around to discussing the August
28 Freedom March of 1963. That was the year that 200,000 demonstrators filled
the streets of Washington DC, demanding improvements in jobs and freedom.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have long contended that
democracy not only demands orderly elections, but allows for peaceful protest
on the streets.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just a few days ago
Governor Whitmer presented her “What’s Next” address. She noted many fine
accomplishments in our state, and she outlined many more worthy goals. Notably
missing, however, was an in-depth discussion of prisons and incarceration. Why?
Because these topics do not impress voters.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The only comment I found
in the entire speech was a vague reference to the budget just passed, saying
that there was money to “upgrade correctional facilities.” That’s it? That’s
all there is to talk about?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile, our office
continues to receive a barrage of complaints from residents of Michigan prisons
and from their families and loved ones. Here are some topics that didn’t get mentioned
in the Governor’s address.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Oppressive heat! No AC
for Michigan prisoners.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Terrible food! “Maggots
in the milk and beetles in the greens,” reports one of our friends in WHV.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Drugs and home-made booze
resulting in serious substance abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-A shameful lack of
appropriate medical care. Cruel and unusual punishment?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Aging prison population,
as Michigan holds its reputation for keeping people in prison longer than other
states.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Dangerous staff shortage
at the MDOC. “2,000 open positions,” reports Radio Station WLNS in Lansing.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is just a sampling of
the complaints, the problems, the issues. The big question remains: <b>What are
<u>we</u> going to do about it?</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Michigan’s current prison
population is more than 30,000 people. That means we have thousands and
thousands of friends, relatives, family members and loved ones who could
protest. “Could” is the key word here. Are we willing?</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In a recent interview with
seasoned Innocence Project attorney Marla Mitchell-Cichon, who serves on the
HFP Board of Directors, she and I discussed the many existing problems in the
Michigan prison system.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I asked: “What should we
do about it?”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Marla’s reply: <b>Raise
hell!</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s get started.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-2853606181544545342023-08-28T22:13:00.006-04:002023-08-28T22:13:51.783-04:0022 years?<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m quietly sitting here
on the eve of HFP’s birthday. My wife Marcia, the wind beneath my wings through
this project, is gone. Maurice Carter, the kind, gentle human being who insisted
prisoners deserved humane treatment, is gone. I’m 86 and still here, but
undeniably in my sunset years. And yet, as I reflect on it, HFP flourishes!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I signed all the proper
legal documents on August 29, 2001, but that didn’t mean much. The fledgling
organization called INNOCENT was now legal, but its impact and its future were
uncertain.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doug Tjapkes, church organ
salesman who founded the agency, had to continue working in his day job. Marcia
had groceries to buy and kids to feed. At a borrowed desk and a borrowed
computer, I put up two web sites explaining our mission, and waited for
reaction.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It came in a heartbeat,
and it took only minutes to learn that advocating for prisoners was an uphill
climb. Friends and family wondered if I was goofy. Early board members nodded
kindly, but quietly looked at each other. The first people to contact us were sadly
disappointed.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-A little Black girl asked
me to get her ailing daddy out of prison so that he could die at home. I
failed.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-The father of a
wrongly-convicted woman, accused of killing her husband (who had actually
committed suicide) begged me for help. I could do nothing.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">-The mother of twins whose
estranged husband took revenge against his former wife by accusing her of molestation
of the babies, pleaded with me to help in some way. I failed.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the way HFP
started. But it didn't end there.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our name change came in
about 2008, when Board Chair Dr. Dan Rooks insisted that INNOCENT was the wrong
name. We had found our niche. We were doing our best to help prisoners one-on-one
with every day, in-prison issues, regardless of guilt or innocence. Healthcare,
FOIA requests, family problems, finding loved ones. Michigan prisoners started
getting the picture. Someone cared.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Son Matt, who replaced me
as CEO, adopted the phrase “You matter,” which was then conveyed to all HFP
clients in all correspondence. It caught fire. Prisoners got the idea. Someone really
did care!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fast forward to 2023. A
new CEO, who formerly served time and was an HFP client. A devoted and diverse
Board of Directors committed to the cause. Our own office building, occupied by
a committed team of underpaid, overworked people who insist that persons behind
bars are created in the image of God and deserve kindness and compassion. Amazing
volunteers who ask for nothing in return. We are touching lives!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m grateful.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Incarcerated individuals
in Michigan are exceptionally grateful.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On HFP’s birthday, I
extend our thanks to every person who has helped in the past, and to the many,
many friends who continue to support this unique and impressive service.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was a God thing.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Still is!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029072005494443613.post-55979441996822055222023-08-20T21:56:00.005-04:002023-08-20T21:56:59.206-04:00Are things getting better in Michigan? Another sad tale!<p><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a sad day in 2013
when Michigan’s largest city filed for bankruptcy.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, we’re told, it’s a
different story in Detroit. A new bridge is being built. New buildings are
being erected. Historic buildings are being restored. According to numerous
financial experts, a strong comeback is in the works.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Perhaps that is the case
downtown. I can tell you this: We’re not seeing it in the criminal justice system!</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A dear friend telephoned
me from Detroit. I’ve known her for many years…her husband is a client of HFP, and
we had a mutual friend named Maurice Carter. She called to say that her best
friend’s husband was in prison and had been treated unfairly by the system in
Detroit. She wondered if we could help.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Those of you who are aware
of the work of Humanity for Prisoners also know that we are not attorneys, and
we do not operate an Innocence Project. We cannot help, we can only steer. These
two Black women realized that, also. But, as the bald guy says in the TV ad, “We
know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two!”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I sat with the women in
our conference room, I was painfully reminded, once again, of the shameful racial
disparity in our system of so-called justice.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Black Americans are
incarcerated in state prisons across the country at nearly five times the rate
of whites.”</span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
The Sentencing Project</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Black men
comprise about 13% of the general population, but about 35% of
those incarcerated.” </span></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>National Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ll not go into specific details
of the alleged crime, but the fact is that a retired Detroit police officer
with a fine record of achievement while in service is now behind bars…tripped
up by the very people with whom he worked in the past.</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In an extortion attempt
that went bad, with his life being threatened, he fired his weapon in self-defense.
One of the attackers died. Here’s where the story turns sour. Home surveillance
videos were mysteriously edited by police, deleting critical footage. Police
also snatched his wife’s cell phone, then deleted key video before returning
it. In trial, the high-priced defense attorney chose not to call in a forensic
witness who would testify to these video discrepancies. After the guilty
verdict, as the man’s wife vowed that this case wasn’t over, the shyster lawyer
took his $20,000 and walked away, saying: “Tell the appellate court that I f####d
up!”</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I hurt for these people.
Especially when I read this:</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“…racial disparities in
the criminal justice system are no accident, but rather are rooted in a history
of oppression and discriminatory decision making that have deliberately
targeted black people and helped create an inaccurate picture of crime that
deceptively links them with criminality.”</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Vera Institute</span><span style="font-family: Sylfaen, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And people wonder why we
stand with those who claim <b><i>Black Lives Matter.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Sylfaen",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p>Doug Tjapkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00653161268694314604noreply@blogger.com0