Tag Archives: social justice

A Meaningful and Long Overdue Exchange…

I spotted him standing in line a few yards from where I sat. “Now’s your chance,” I thought to myself. Mimicking those same thoughts were ones spoken aloud by my husband, Mike. “You better go now or you’ll lose your chance to talk to him,” he urged. That was all the motivation I needed.

I stood next to him and blurted out, “Howdy!”

He turned. I smiled.

He then greeted me with similar enthusiasm and a smile that warmed my heart.

I showed him my name tag, compliments of the Great North Innocence Project (GN-IP). This evening was their annual gala which had finally brought the two of us together.

“Does this name look familiar?” I inquired. He responded with a curious “No.” It was not too surprising, given that what I was about to share with him happened ten years ago in 2015. This exchange we were now sharing was long overdue.

I explained how I had recently come across correspondence he and I had while he was still incarcerated. “I was sifting through names of all the people who’ve reached out to me over the years through my website, A Matter of Facts, and I came across your name,” I explained.

Recollection was still absent from his face.

I continued. “I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw your name, especially after hearing about you in the news following your exoneration. And then…I freaked and wondered if I had bothered to respond back to you. So…I went digging through my emails and sure enough, I found the correspondence between us. I have to be honest. Back then I received a lot of messages from people looking for help and sadly, I was overwhelmed. As much as I tried, I could not respond to everyone. Your message was so kind and respectful so it was a huge relief to know that I hadn’t ignored you.”

Marvin Haynes* stood there reconciling the details of this long lost connection. “I do remember writing to you!” Familiarity flooded his memory. “Can you send those emails to me? I’d like to see them,” he said.

“Yes, of course,” I reassured him.

“Please, I’d like you to meet some of my friends and family. They’re just over there at that nearby table.” I said. “Plus I have something I’d like to give to you.”

“Sure,” said Marvin. I introduced my husband, Mike, my sister, Clare, a friend, Mark Charron, and finally, Keith Kutska, all of whom were delighted to meet my new friend.

I then pulled my last copy of Reclaiming Lives out of the cloth bag that was hanging on the backrest of a nearby chair. Marvin glanced at it. “You wrote this? I want to write my own book, too,” he said excitedly. “Well, maybe I can help you with that, give you a few pointers,” I offered. That would be great!” Marvin’s excitement grew. I explained that my contact information was inside the book and we agreed that we’d be in touch.

I asked Marvin if he’d pose with me for a photo. He agreed and Mike took the first picture. “Oh, I should be holding your book up for the next one,” Marvin declared.

An entire month passed before I finally got around to gathering the contents of those emails onto a word document which I sent to Marvin in a private message. I reiterated who I was and included the photo Mike had taken of us (with him holding my book) at the Benefit.

To my surprise, almost immediately, Marvin tagged me in the following post on social media:

*Marvin’s story.

Donate to Marvin’s GOFUNDME Campaign

If you have thoughts/feedback about my content please feel free to share them on this site. Thank you. Take care…

Connecting With Quality Friends at Eden Vista…

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Good friend and fellow advocate for six innocent men, Shirley DeLorme now resides at a senior living community in Green Bay called, The Village at Eden Vista. Through her efforts, I was scheduled to give a book talk to its residents on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

When doing these events, I always keep in mind that sometimes it is more about the quality of my audience than the quantity. That was certainly the case with this event which summoned a modest group of 15-20 attendees made up of both residents and staff. It was held in the basement theater space and was a mixed group of those who were aware of the Monfils case and those who were not.

Photo courtesy of The Village of Eden Vista

Our exoneree, Michael “Pie” Piaskowski, joined me for this event. And this time, I provided a slide show to accompany my usual presentation of introducing myself, summarizing the case, announcing him as my guest, and finally, fielding questions from the audience.

Locatelli family circa 1964 (Joan Treppa’s immediate family)

Shirley was the first to arrive downstairs. Aside from her welcomed presence, one other woman stood out quite prominently. Judy is a retired attorney who grew up in Green Bay. She had practiced elsewhere and was not in the area when the Monfils case saturated news headlines. In fact, she had only recently returned to her hometown of Green Bay.

I asked what her level of understanding of the case was. “I was kept abreast by colleagues in this area during that time,” she explained. “I wanted to attend today to hear more details and to learn what has happened since. If you have extra books with you, I’d like to buy one.” I signed her copy and showed her the four additional signatures near mine. “I was able to get some of the six guys to sign the books as an added bonus for these events,” I said to her. She was thrilled.

Following the presentation, Judy’s background became apparent when she asked a number of very technical questions regarding appeals, procedure, etc., which Mike Pie handled with ease. She was also interested in knowing whether or not the other five men were still in prison. Shirley asked a number of questions as well, as a way to help the rest of the audience gain an appreciation of the flaws in this case.

During questions, I shared Shirley’s role of hosting the Family and Friends (FAF) meetings at her home. I shared photos taken of her with various family members of the six men. The photos also included John Gaie and Denis Gullickson, authors of the book, The Monfils Conspiracy.

Back row L to R: Denis Gullickson, Lee Basten, Mike Pie, Clayton Kutska Front row: Shirley DeLorme, Gina Martin, Claire Micoliczyk

John Gaie, Shirley DeLorme, Mike Hirn

After every one else had left, both Shirley and Judy hung out with us to chat further. Much more was discussed about the case. Judy also shared an impressive list of prominent people she considered as close friends. Those in the political arena such as Wisconsin Senator, Tammy Baldwin and Virginia Senator, Tim Kaine are among her closest. Judy promised to share my book with Senator Baldwin.

Both women walked with us to the front entrance and lingered for a bit longer. As we exited the building I said to Mike Pie, my husband, Mike, and Clare, “There’s always at least one interesting connection made at these events. You just never know what that connection will be and where it might take us.”

Persistence is “Key” in a Successful Journey…

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Image courtesy of the Hennepin County Library

On July 24th I participated in a heartfelt and candid recorded conversation with Myron Metcalf; a Minnesota Star Tribune Columnist and the great, great, great grandson of Mary Ann Key. Myron is responsible for creating the Mary Ann Key Book Club.

I had introduced myself to Myron in the fall of 2024 at a book club talk at the Hennepin County Library in downtown Minneapolis. The featured speaker at that meeting was Anthony Ray Hinton, an exoneree who had written a memoir about his experience of being wrongfully convicted titled, The Sun Does Shine.

Following Hinton’s talk, I approached Myron and shared my story. I gifted him a copy of my second edition of Reclaiming Lives. My hope was that he’d read it and be so moved by it that he’d reach back out with an offer to highlight this story in some profound way.

In my futility, I often harken back to something my friend, Byron Lichstein, former Wisconsin Innocence Project (WIP) attorney had said at one of our Walks that, “Persistence and determination will be the deciding factor to move this case forward.”

Former WIP attorney Byron Lichstein at the 2011 Walk for Truth and Justice at the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin

So…after publishing the third edition* of my book, I contacted Myron again and included the link for the new edition. He responded with an offer to include my book in the library’s summer reading list. Our recent conversation in their latest Mary Ann Key Book Club Newsletter is the result. Many thanks to Myron Medcalf for this amazing opportunity!

August 4, 2025

Our 2026 season book club title and program details will be announced in February. In the meantime, the Mary Ann Key Book Club newsletter will highlight authors from the Twin Cities in conversation with Myron Medcalf about their latest books and work within the community.

Myron Medcalf and Joan Treppa discuss “Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men”

(Run time just over 15 minutes)

Joan Treppa is a social justice advocate for those who’ve been victimized by the criminal justice system. She’s best known for her unwavering advocacy on behalf of six Green Bay, Wisconsin men she believes were wrongfully convicted in 1992 for the death of coworker, Tom Monfils, a case cited as one of the most notorious injustices in Wisconsin history. With no formal legal training, Joan’s actions illustrate the power of persistence and drive to highlight the voices of those silenced.

Her first edition of Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men, a four-and-a-half-year labor of love project, won three book awards. More importantly, it has played a significant role in the recent releases of some of the convicted men. Treppa currently resides in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, Mike.

Our journey on behalf of the six men is not yet complete. Please help out by watching the video, hitting the “like” button, and sharing it far and wide. Thank you!

*Note: If you’d like a paperback copy of this edition your best bet is to order it directly through my publisher, Kirk House Publishers. Amazon currently has it listed with an overpriced vendor. However, the pricing of the audiobook, hardcover, and e-book on Amazon are correct.