This posting, which is long overdue, has the link to an important panel discussion that took place on March 26, 2024. The event was held at The Weidner; a performing arts center on the University of Wisconsin’s Green Bay (UWGB) campus. It was attended by nearly 200 people.
A special thank you to Nolan Bennett, Professor of Democracy&Justice Studies and Political Science at UWGB who so graciously dedicated the Spring semester to educating his students on the Monfils case. Throughout the semester, Bennett coordinated a screening of the Beyond Human Nature documentary and diligently orchestrated many visits with those of us heavily involved in the case to share our knowledge and advocacy with his students.
Joan and Keith’s visit to Nolan Bennett’s class on February 29, 2024.
Keith Kutska and I spoke to one of Bennett’s classes on Thursday, February 29, 2024. It was Keith’s first public appearance since his release on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Like his codefendants prior to their public appearances, Keith was nervous about how the students would react to him. Based on my past experiences with students, I reassured him that this visit would likely be positive.
In fact, Keith was delighted by how welcoming, engaging, and inquisitive the students were. And when asked a thought-provoking 2-part question, Keith answered as honestly and sincerely as he could. The student wanted to know if, in hindsight, Keith would have acted differently in confronting Monfils, and if he regretted his actions on that day. “Yes, I regret what happened after I confronted Tom. If I knew how badly things were going to get I would have done it in private.”
Keith was gracious and thoughtful in his interactions with the students. Afterwards some of them came up to him to shake his hand and thank him for sharing his experience. I could see how deeply his presence had impacted them.
The panel discussion at the Weidner was the finale for the semester. Following opening remarks by Dean Ryan Martin and Professor Bennett, I recited a thorough summary of the case to the audience. Bennett then conducted a two-hour Q&A with seven of us; codefendants in the case: Michael Piaskowski, Michael Hirn, and Michael Johnson, retired Attorney Steve Kaplan, Cal Monfils (brother of Tom Monfils), author Denis Gullickson, and myself. The feedback we all received following the discussion was gratifying. In our ongoing mission to educate the public on the merits of this case, we had once again succeeded in sharing crucial facts that had been blatantly ignored for decades; facts that could have determined a much different outcome in this case.
(L to R) Joan Treppa, Michael Johnson, Michael Piaskowski, Steve Kaplan, Denis Gullickson, Cal Monfils, Michael Hirn. At the podium, Professor Nolan Bennett.
And now…here is the discussion in its entirety. Please note that the actual discussion begins at the eleven minute mark:
Sketch of Tom Monfils by Artist Jared Manninen
