After the May 2nd event, I reconnected with Karen and Jim. I restated my enthusiasm to move forward with planning another event. Karen’s response was prompt, uplifting and included an introduction to the ESTHER Transformative Justice Task Force; an organization similar to JOSHUA, located in the Fox Valley in Wisconsin that “brings together people of many faiths to build community and act on issues of injustice.”
In addition to this amazing intervention, we had the good fortune of having the entire event recorded. Yes! Really! And it gets better…
Film crew: Damon Schneider, Jeremy Jordan, Mike Putchel (Photo courtesy of Damon’s friend Dan)
Last year (2025) I learned of a new documentary in the works about the Monfils case that is being produced by Damon Schneider. I kept hearing from various colleagues that they had been contacted by Schneider and were being asked to do interviews for his film. In January (2026) Damon reached out to me with the same request. In his email, he explained that he lives in the Milwaukee area. As a courtesy because I live in the Minneapolis area, he suggested we could do the interview by phone. We worked out the logistics and on Thursday, February 12, 2026 we completed an over-the-phone interview I thought went quite well.
I let Damon know about the May 2nd event. He expressed interest in attending and asked if it would be okay to record parts of it to use in his documentary. My response to him was…would he be willing to record the entire event? Damon agreed and arrived with two other colleagues; Mike Putchel, and Jeremy Jordan. They recorded all of it! (In time I hope to have access to the recording for widespread sharing.)
In addition, Damon had asked if any of the Monfils Six guys would be there and inquired specifically about Mike Johnson. Damon had not yet interviewed Johnson for the documentary and was hoping to conduct one after our event concluded. I let him know that all three Mikes would be there and that Johnson was open to doing the interview.
(LtoR) Damon Schneider, Mike Johnson, Mike Putchel, Jeremy Jordan. (Photo courtesy of Damon Schneider)
Afterwards some of us, including each of the Mikes, gathered at a nearby pub to grab a bite to eat before going our separate ways. It was there that I made a proposal to them that will definitely make a powerful statement at our next event. This proposal was agreed upon and will be disclosed at a later date.
Prior to May 2nd, I experienced considerable anxiety because of the many unknowns as to how this event would turn out. My anxiety was from a lack of my ever having worked with musicians, and the fact that we were doing this together for the first time on the day of the event! There were redeeming factors to this madness. I had sent…in my opinion…a rather unpolished, audio version of my narrative to Karli and Jason beforehand so that they could become familiar with the content and tone of my voice. Other than that, there were no practice runs or in-person “dress rehearsals.”
(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)
(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)
Also, there’s no doubt that Karli and Jason are very accomplished, very talented musicians which helped put me at ease…somewhat. Okay…I was worried that I’d make them look bad. Karli thoughtfully reassured me that this would go well and to not worry. We arrived at the venue that day, each of us with the intent of pouring our hearts into what we both do best; sharing meaningful stories through notes and words. Though attendance was less than hoped for, we thank those who cared enough to be there. And we—Karli, Jason and myself—view this session as an outstanding trial run that could lead to more of the same.
And alas, I’m proud to announce that through successful coordination efforts, we have secured both a date and a venue for another event. Thanks to the ESTHER Transformational Task Force, this next one—also free for attendees—will take place at:
Fox Valley Technical College Date: October 15, 2026 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
A good fit? Naturally…
Thanks for taking the time to read this posting. If you ever have questions or feedback about any of my content, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you!