The Substance of Dreams…

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On October 28, 2013, I participated in an annual Walk for Truth and Justice held in Downtown Green Bay, as I’ve done for four years now. I relished in the time spent with close friends and families of the six men; Keith Kutska, Dale Basten, Michael Hirn, Michael Johnson, Reynold Moore and exoneree, Michael Piaskowski, convicted in the death of Tom Monfils in 1995. Some of my family members came along as well and I was grateful for their participation.

We met at 5:30 p.m. in the St. Willebrord’s Catholic Church parking lot and moseyed across the street where a sound system had been set up on the Courthouse steps. Three of us would be addressing a modest crowd that evening before embarking on our short trek; to the front of the Courthouse, towards the Church entrance to stop and recite a prayer, and then on past the Green Bay Police Department.

Excitement was overflowing this year. We were about to disclose a huge development regarding the case. Up until then, aside from the city’s law enforcement community, only those in our inner circle of family members and close supporters of these men were aware that a sizable Minneapolis law firm had begun a re-investigation of this historic case. No one else knew that the firm, Fredrikson&Byron, PA, had also received additional support from both the Wisconsin Innocence Project and Innocence Project of Minnesota AND that each of the five men still imprisoned now had his own attorney. In addition, it was going to be announced that this legal assistance was all being provided Pro Bono.

Word spread that I was responsible for much of these actions because of my influence in Minneapolis. The local media had gotten wind of the news and were there in full force. I was asked to be interviewed for the first time by three local news stations. Denis Gullickson, Master of Ceremonies and author of The Monfils Conspiracy; the book that directed my attention to this cause, also asked me to give a short speech. I was stunned and humbled when he introduced me as “St. Joan of Blaine”.

I’ve little recollection of what Denis said after that. All I know is that my cue to go up onstage came when I heard clapping. As I stepped behind the microphone, I stared out at the smiling faces. And as I blurted out something I hope was legible, in my mind I realized the full magnitude of what had developed out of a five year mission to free five wrongfully imprisoned men. All of the attendees, including Denis had placed so much value in my abilities and this venue was where they all thanked me. But my actions were my way of honoring all of them, to give them hope…and peace of mind. None of us would ever forget this experience. We all knew these developments were going to change their lives for the better.

I suppose it wouldn’t have mattered what I said in those few minutes. Their gratitude was evident. When I finished speaking, someone summed up the collective feelings of the crowd by shouting, “We love you!” It took tremendous effort to maintain my composure.

The walk concluded but the effects of that evening still linger…long after the signs and candles have all been put away for another year.

This is the kind of thing that dreams are made of, a dream that I, an unknown woman from Blaine, Minnesota, was proud to have become part of. This dream was theirs. It was coming true…for them. And no matter what happened from then on out, no one could ever take that away from them… which is just fine with me.

What Is Mine Is Now Also His…

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This month’s featured exoneree is one I met close to eighteen months ago. He’s my son, Jared’s age and was released from prison on my birthday in 2012. That day is now referred to as his day of rebirth so for both of us it holds plenty of meaning. I cannot help but contemplate how vastly different our reasons are for its significance but I am overjoyed to share this special day with such an admirable friend.

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Jared Manninen with exoneree Damon Thibodeaux and girlfriend, Veronika  

Damon Thibodeaux is the 300th person nationwide and the eighteenth from death row to be exonerated by DNA evidence. He spent fifteen years on death row in Angola Prison in Louisiana for the rape and murder of a family member. He was under lock down for twenty-three hours a day in a cell that measured roughly 8×10 feet at one of the toughest maximum security prisons in the United States. Damon’s story is extremely tragic and the circumstances leading to his incarceration are similar to those found in many wrongful convictions.

After being subjected to nine hours of questioning, Damon admitted he had raped and murdered the victim, even though he had not. It was later determined that the confession was the result of police pressure, exhaustion, psychological vulnerability, and fear of the death penalty. Even so, the case against him had been built around that confession despite the discrepancies within his statement and the lack of physical evidence to prove the victim had even been raped.

Damon was also misidentified. A week after the crime, two women identified him in a photo line up as the man they saw pacing and acting nervously on the evening of the murder. They then pointed him out during the trial as the man they had seen. But when Damon’s case was later re-investigated, it was revealed that the women had seen Damon’s photo in the news before police showed them the photo line-up and the date of the sighting turned out to be the day after the body was found when Damon was already in custody.

Damon shows no anger about his false imprisonment. During a news conference Damon stated that, “Being angry would be a waste of time because…I can’t get the sixteen years back. I have to keep focused on where I want to go and hope I can figure out along the way what I want to do. I can’t think about what could have been, but will be.”

Having hosted Damon in our home along with other exonerees, we’ve found that being around them inspires us to be thankful for the freedoms we have. Despite the horrors that Damon endured, we know him as someone who is genuinely kind and compassionate. Right after he was freed he was quiet and reserved. Now he has learned to live, love, and laugh again. Sometimes when I see or think of him, I say a silent prayer of thanks; both for his good fortune and because what happened to him could have easily happened to Jared, given similar circumstances. I was excited when Jared and Damon had the opportunity to get to know each other late last year. What a priceless experience for any mother on her birthday…or any other day.

**Damon was one of a handful of guests Mike and I hosted the evening that his story was featured on the Saturday, March 29, 2014 segment of 48 Hours on CBS.

 

Let’s Be Truthful About a Fallacy…

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Test your knowledge…

 1. How many exonerations have there been since 1989?

 2. How many exonerations were there in 2013? 

 3. How many DNA exonerations since 1989?

 4. Which state has had the most exonerations since 1989?

 5. How many exonerations came from that state?  

Start a Conversation…

  1. Have you ever been aware of the existence of wrongful convictions before now?   

As you can see, I purposely redirected the aim of my inquiry and simplified things to ask one question I believe is more relevant. After some thought I decided the rest are irrelevant if there is no understanding of the overall issue to begin with.

I ponder the new question which begs for answers every time I write a letter to a wrongfully convicted person. I’ve been told by some of them that although they did not feel they were very nice before their troubles began, they were never concerned about going to prison for a crime they didn’t commit. They trusted the system like everyone else and before they’d become one of its victims, would’ve replied with a resounding no to the question at hand.

Surprisingly, some of them have truthfully admitted if they had not been the one targeted, they more than likely would have been among those eager to believe that whoever was arrested, probably did commit the crime. But because of what has happened to them, they are no longer as quick to judge.

Since I started asking that question about wrongful convictions five years ago I’ve a pretty good grasp on what the majority of people will answer. Still, for your sake, I’d like you to think about asking a few of your friends. Get a conversation going about your knowledge of this country’s flawed system. Then decide if you can understand why wrongful convictions have happened repeatedly in our society for decades. I’ll be honest; I was clueless about it. I thought that everyone in prison must be guilty. I never thought about whether or not the authorities are prone to making mistakes. I trusted that truth prevails and that we are all safer as a result.

My knowledge has caused skepticism, cynicism, and bias within that leans heavily toward error on the part of the authorities. I cannot watch a crime news story without deep scrutiny. And it drives me crazy to see the faces of those accused plastered all over the news before charges have even been filed. What I’ve decided I must do is to look at the facts first and reserve judgment for later…period. How many of my peers wait until all of the information has been revealed before their verdicts are in?