Susan Burton's story: Important for all of us!

Maurice Carter was a hero to many when he walked out of prison in 2004. He had served 29 years for a crime he did not commit. At the conclusion of a ten-year battle with the State of Michigan, he finally obtained a compassionate release from the Governor because he was dying. He may have been a hero in our circles, and he’s still my hero today. But, he was no hero in the community when it came to reentry issues. He couldn’t find a play to stay. Here’s what he had going against him: He was Black, he had a prison record, and he was suffering from Hepatitis C. 

We were finally fortunate enough to find one kind couple, who owned and operated a care facility, who had a heart and took him in. 

Some 90% of the prisoners in Michigan will get out someday, but the going won’t be easy. Besides that, these people get little help with personal issues upon reentry. My friend Ronnie got caught up in his old ways upon his release, eventually got picked up again, and took his own life in a county jail. My friend Joe just couldn’t make the adjustment after 30 years behind bars. Friends did their best to help him, but his bad choices eventually put him right back where he came from. 

That’s why it’s so important to hear our guest speaker next week. Author Susan Burton is coming to Grand Haven, and everyone should hear her story. She experienced a childhood of immense pain, poverty and abuse. In her early teens she became pregnant, due to a rape. Still, she loved that little boy, but he was run over and killed by a cop driving past their home. That led to addiction. That led to arrests. That led to prison. 6 different times! Her life was so difficult upon release that she'd fall back into her old habits. Then her old habitat.

Against all odds, however, she survived. 

She argues: Everyone needs a place to live. Everyone needs a place to come home to every night. I don't understand why our society, our government, can think that you can lock a person away for months or years... and then release them back after they pay their debt without any support and expect it to be okay. 

Perhaps more than that of any other author we have brought to Grand Haven, Susan Burton’s story best underscores the “why” behind our work at HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. 

You’ll want to read her story. Even better yet, you’ll want to hear it first-hand! Next Thursday, 7 PM, Lakeshore Middle School, Grand Haven. 

I hope to see you there!

 

 

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