Making a difference, even behind bars!


I love good quotes. I have such deep respect for those speakers and writers who can create profound statements on a given topic…statements that prompt genuine self-examination and honest discussion.

Today, as I’m thinking about two prisoners whose actions touched me, I’m paging here and there, hoping to spot just the right quote. It’s finally dawning on me. This time the statements just may have to come from me. These prisoners made an impact on my thinking, and hopefully my life. It’s time for my words.

You already know about my friend Sharee, the topic of our blog of August 1. If you haven’t read it yet, please take a moment to do so. The important thing to note is that Sharee was not only intent on getting her job back. Sharee knew that her legal action against the Michigan Department of Corrections would ultimately result in better care of mentally ill inmates. Recently her four-year battle came to an end, and change will come.

Then I learned about a ballsy jailhouse lawyer. Mr. D is confined to a wheelchair. But, that didn’t keep him from the law library, and didn’t prevent him from taking legal action against the MDOC. Each time the antiquated prison elevator broke down (which happened frequently), he and others in wheelchairs were stuck in their basement cells. They couldn’t make their medical appointments, couldn’t go outside for fresh air, couldn’t see visitors, couldn’t go watch TV or even get to a church service.  It’s not official yet, but we’ve learned that because of Mr. D’s persistence and expertise, we’ll soon see the installation of new wheelchair ramps, replacement of decrepit elevators, as well as new and improved wheelchairs for the disabled in Michigan prisons!

Granted, Sharee and Mr. D took action to improve their personal situations. But, they also knew that favorable decisions would make a huge impact on the care and treatment of mentally and physically challenged prisoners for years to come.

They’re heroes, in my book!

And now I will still conclude with three quotes.

From Thomas Foxwell Buxton: “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.” 

The first verse of an old, gospel song Marcia used to sing:

Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, by Charles D. Meigs

And, from the Bible I love: As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. I Peter 4:10


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Half-a-race!

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
Read more

Gregory John McCormick: 1964-2008

Itchy is dead. The lifeless body of this talented rock musician, whose band Shock Therapy was a popular group especially in Europe, was found in a field in Detroit last Wednesday, November 5. The Wayne County Coroner's office informed father Glenn McCormick that the body of his son Gregory, better known to all of us as Itchy, bore no signs of trauma. Glenn said that Itchy, who had been living at his father's dental lab in Detroit, had been drinking to excess for some time. While the toxicology report has not been released yet, the general consensus seems to be that he drank himself to death. Our agency, while still named INNOCENT, first got involved with Itchy in 2005. The Detroit native, who called Germany his home, got involved in some unfortunate activity that placed him in the Michigan State prison system on a charge of arson of a dwelling. It was really just a bonfire in an alley, but an alleged parole violation placed him in prison for 1-20 years. I personally sat w
Read more

Three lives, connected by a divine thread

My kids say it should be a book! The Doug, Pat and Mark story is a doozie!   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.   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.  That particular episode became a chapter in my book about the Carter case, SWEET FREEDOM, published in 2006.   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.   Persisting in his efforts to contact the author, Mark
Read more