Humanity for Prisoners

Some might say that Marcia and I are heading to Michigan's Upper Peninsula this weekend to celebrate 52 years of marriage! And there's an element of truth to that. But here's what else is happening. On Monday, September 28, I'll be driving to Newberry to -meet with the author of a book of prayers for prisoners that we hope to publish -meet with a prisoner on behalf of a Canadian innocence project -meet with a prisoner who is a friend of an HFP friend and fund-raiser, and -meet with a prisoner who heads up a Christian ministry in that facility. Being locked up in a prison that far away, these men get few visitors. We'll be there! On Tuesday, September 29, I've been invited to be the guest speaker at a conference sponsored by the Kinross Ethics Group, in Kincheloe, Michigan. Nearly 100 prisoners at the Kinross Correctional Facility have already signed up for the event! Our friend and client Troy Chapman, who founded the ethics group, extended t...

I have been here less than three hours today, and the emotional rollercoaster is running at full speed: PRISONER #1, Michigan--- I hope this letter finds you well. You've probably heard that I attempted to hang myself on August 7, quit talking for 22 days, and quit eating and drinking a few days later. I'm back on medication and I'm feeling better. My depression is so severe that it makes me want to harm myself . PRISONER #2, Oklahoma I have no family and receive no mail. So it's pretty lonely here in a super hi-max underground unit being locked down 24/7 in single cells, except for 3-ten minute showers every week. And no chapel. With no TV or radio, time goes slow and it's very depressing. But then comes a pickup from the mother of a prisoner, Michigan It was reading your book (SWEET FREEDOM) that helped light my fire and know that sometimes it takes more than the extra mile, more than extremes to be heard, listened to and a difference made! You and your wor...

It was a three-hour drive. It was worth it! I was at a prison to welcome a woman as she walked from behind bars after nine years! We hugged. I didn't know her well. Our paths crossed because of a mutual friend, who asked that we assist in solving a problem between the family and the state, prior to her release. We honored the request and we helped. Said Ms. G: I am so thankful for your assistance and could not have done it without you. You have been such a Godsend to so many! I had the pleasure of holding the front door of the prison as she took her first step into freedom! As I was reading Psalm 68 this morning, I came across these words: He (God) leads out the prisoners with singing. My mouth wasn't singing. But my soul was! Doug Tjapkes HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS PO Box 687 Grand Haven, MI 49417

The HFP Drag-Racing Fund-Raiser had the potential of being extremely successful, and could have raised several thousand dollars. Let's just say it was partly successful. For background purposes I'll explain that I was racing a 1963 supercharged Studebaker Lark that has a reputation of being one of the fastest stock Studebakers in drag racing today. The engine was built by one of the finest Studebaker engine mechanics in the country, and the car many times has achieved quarter-mile runs in less than 14 seconds! We promised to make at least ten passes in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, this past weekend, and we asked for pledges ONLY ON THOSE RUNS REACHED IN LESS THAN 14 SECONDS. On Friday, here's how we fared: Run #1 13.936 @ 101.24 mph Run #2 14.027 @ 101.30 mph Run #3 14.091 @ 100.88 mph Run #4 13.805 @ 102.84 mph Run #5 14.058 @ 101.26 mph By the 5th run we discovered that ...

A wonderful woman called our office in January, 2007. Her brother, who was in a Michigan prison, asked her to notify HFP that one of our clients was being abused by guards. As we questioned her, we learned that her brother was sick and mentally challenged, and wasn't being treated properly by the prison system, either. And so we added Arnie as a client, and assisted his sister Mary Ann in fighting for his release. I sat next to a jubilant Mary Ann in a Michigan courtroom in May of 2007, when a stubborn judge relucantly agreed with a higher court that Arnie should be released! And thus began a special relationship! Facing continued physical as well as mental issues, Arnie died in September, 2008. But he was a free man! Mary Ann has been a dear friend and staunch supporter of HFP, and when we announced the fall drag racing fund-raiser coming up, here was her response: Doug, I don't care if you win one or 10 races, or none at all. My brother Arnie was in love with cars and l...

All right, girls and boys, it's DRAG RACE TIME and TIME TO RESCUE HFP ! Here's the deal, for those who have never participated. I'm 72 years old and I love Studebakers. I believe they can still win races at the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags. And so we pulled an old junker of a 1963 Lark from a field in Missouri, and put in the best Studebaker drive train we could come up with, including a supercharged 289 V8 engine! We're still tweaking, but it is a solid 14 second car. On a good day, with a tail wind, new spark plugs and a little extra caffeine for the driver, we can make a quarter mile down into the 13s! Now here's the deal about HFP. We're broke, but our future is rosy ! We now have two organizations pledged to write foundation grants for us, and we have fund raisers who are willing to work without charge to help us get back on our feet! Our problem is right now. We've been so busy with prisoners in recent months that we got behind. I want these ...

At a time when we are struggling financially, we acknowledge that this doesn't pay the bills. It does much more! It encourages us to press on! Thank you so much for your help. You are truly the the face of what compassion and love looks like! I can't find words to express how much your support has lifted me up. Knowing you makes me believe once again in humanity and how we should behave and treat each other. God Bless you!! Love, Ms. T (wife of wrongly convicted prisoner) HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS P.O. Box 687 Grand Haven, MI 49417

A team of three Grand Valley State University students has been assigned to seek grant money for HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS , it was announced today by Professor Diane Kimoto of GVSU’s Grant Writing Class. The 501c3 agency is based in Grand Haven, Michigan. Professor Kimoto said that the students will be writing grants on behalf of HFP at both the state and national level. HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS , formerly known as INNOCENT, was founded in 2001 by Doug Tjapkes, of Spring Lake, Michigan. At that time, he was part of a team hoping to free the late Maurice Carter from prison. Carter served 29 years behind bars for a shooting that injured an off-duty police officer in Berrien County, and still claimed he was innocent at the time of his death five years ago. HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS operates an advocacy program for the incarcerated, dealing with issues of alleged wrongful conviction, care for the medically and physically ailing, assistance for inmates eligible for parole, and assistance for...

I just received a telephone call from a prisoner in Muskegon, a young man with an IQ of 61 who has been wrongly convicted. Over the years we have been unsuccessful in helping him in any way, but he and I have become special friends. Family members rarely visit him; they're too poor. The first time I called on him it was his first visit in ten years! "My momma is coming here from Detroit to visit me on Sunday for my birthday! She would like to meet you." "I'm honored to be asked! I'll be in the prison waiting room."