Are we willing to march?

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. 

I have long contended that democracy not only demands orderly elections, but allows for peaceful protest on the streets. 

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. 

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? 

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. 

-Oppressive heat! No AC for Michigan prisoners.

-Terrible food! “Maggots in the milk and beetles in the greens,” reports one of our friends in WHV.

-Drugs and home-made booze resulting in serious substance abuse.

-A shameful lack of appropriate medical care. Cruel and unusual punishment?

-Aging prison population, as Michigan holds its reputation for keeping people in prison longer than other states.

-Dangerous staff shortage at the MDOC. “2,000 open positions,” reports Radio Station WLNS in Lansing. 

This is just a sampling of the complaints, the problems, the issues. The big question remains: What are we going to do about it? 

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? 

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. 

I asked: “What should we do about it?” 

Marla’s reply: Raise hell! 

Let’s get started.



 

Comments

MaryMargaret said…
As always Doug well done. So many problems which seem insurmountable. We need to think about each one in and of itself. Otherwise, it's way to big to digest. The stigma attached to inmates attaches to the family and friends as well and make it emotionally costly to participate in being part of the change. This is the blessing of your brain child, Humanity for Prisoners, and it's curse. A blessing that HFP is desperately needed and a curse that the volunteers needed to move the needle do not step forward in the numbers needed to make a bigger impact toward systemic change. So HFP continues to make a difference one incident at a time and stays the course.
September 6, 2023 at 11:37 AM
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 c...
Read more