Why I care about freeing Susan LeFevre

This post may be long. I know I tend to be wordy, but bear with me. There are things that need to be said, I promise it will be worth your while. At one point someone asked me why I place so much effort into the cause of freeing Susan LeFevre. I’ll start with a true story.

Part 1 - The Girl Outside HomeDepot

A while back, my wife and I were walking into HomeDepot to buy touch up paint for a rental condo we own. I was in a hurry to get the job done and we were both already angry with the color mismatch they’d previous giving us. As we walk toward the front door a young girl stood nearby, panhandling for money. She must have been around 16 years old with hazel eyes and light brown hair. I breezed by her without replying, more concerned with getting my supplies and wanting to avoid another annoyance in an already annoying day. I glanced at her face for only a few seconds. She seemed lost and scared. From the voice and look on her face, I knew instantly. “Great, another tweeker,” I thought to my self.

I’ve interviewed several meth users and I’m acutely aware of the symptoms. To explain what I do, I am a part time writer (unpublished). No surprise, I’m sure – my principle subject is the War on Drugs. I know enough at this point to tell when a person is strung out, but I arrogantly walked past the girl without uttering a single word.

As I stood in line waiting for customer service, my wife mentioned the girl and felt she should give her some money. My wife, Carolyn is a better person that I am, but I’ve always known that. Carolyn rushed off to find the girl and managed to slip her a couple of dollars before store employees shoed the girl out of the parking lot.

I knew it wasn’t really the right thing to do; giving money to a tweeker in that condition, most likely will only go to buy more dope. I also knew the potential consequences for this girl; most likely a run away. If the law gets to her, entry into the juvenile system is the best case scenario. Other possibilities: prostitution, criminal activity, prison, and/or slow death. I’ve studied over two thousand case files, I know all too well the odds are not with her.

Now here’s the thing. I looked into to the girls eyes and knew perfectly well what I was seeing. I can’t use ignorance as an excuse. How dare I! How Dare I be so self-absorbed and worried about my petty little activities that I did nothing.

Sure, some people would say it was none of my business anyway. I’m not a drug councilor or even personally experienced with drugs. I’ve never used drugs. I never smoked pot in high school or college. I’m a software engineer that writes on the side and interviews people about drug issues. I’m also a human being that saw another human being in trouble. A fellow human being I could clearly tell desperately needed someone to help her. I could have at least tried to talk to her, see if she could go back to her family. I have contacts with NA (Narcotics Anonymous) I could have brought in. I could have tried to do something. I’m not a particularly religious man, but if this was God offering me a test, then I can only admit that I have failed Him miserably.

I do not know what happened to that girl outside HomeDepot. I never will. I can still picture her frightened and confused face. It’s just one more thing I’ll have to think about for the rest of my life.

Part 2 - The Bridge to Susan LeFevre

Sometime in April of this year Marie Walsh was arrested in San Diego. When I first heard headlines on the news that a woman had been captured after being on the run for over thirty years, I thought, “Another member of the Weather Underground – guilty of bombing banks, no doubt.” It turned out to be a housewife found out on a three decade old drug charge. As details emerged, I thought to myself “They’ve got to be kidding me!”

I was wrong, it was no joke. It seemed wrong. The sentence seemed horribly unjust and the more I heard the more unjust it all sounded. I believe in fairness and justice. I believe in the American system of justice being equitable and compassionate. I thought that surely this would all be worked out in a month or two. Again, I was wrong. Susan LeFevre was sent to Michigan to continue her 10 to 20 years sentence. Maybe she’ll be out in another five years, maybe more, no one seems to really know.

No matter what, it is wrong – I can clearly see that it is wrong and this time I am compelled to try to do something about it. I’ve failed in my briefs before. I can’t sit quietly by anymore. Stand for your beliefs or you stand for nothing. That is why.

On Sept 25 Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner stated that LeFevre is facing an "uphill battle" in winning her freedom, although he admitted “if he were sending LeFevre to jail today for her part in the drug sting, it would be for less time than the 20 months she already has served behind bars.” (Detroit Free Press)

Fine, I guess we need to begin fighting uphill, then.

The facts:
* Michigan ruled the sentence handed to LeFevre constitutionally invalid over twenty years ago
* Even the judges know her current sentence is harsh and unfair and have admitted this
* Without winning the hearing appeal of her conviction, LeFevre could be held in prison for the next half decade or more

The change in her sentence to time served has not so much to do with mercy any longer, as much as simply being the right thing to do. Once more, IT IS THE ONLY RIGHT THING TO DO. I have never met Mrs. Walsh, but viewing the pictures of her in court, I see a woman that is frightened, deeply misses her family and I imagine wonders each night if she will see her youngest son again before he turn 21 and regrets her past.

The correction of her sentence has nothing to do with orange peels, or attitude or the assumed value of the home she shared with her husband. That is all a ridiculous distraction from the truth - her sentence is grossly unfair. She deserves to be released – NOW.

By nature I am a very private individual. You cannot begin to imagine how repugnant sole-bearing before a group of anonymous strangers is to me. However, I am completely willing to do that, if it will help people realize how strongly I believe that freeing Susan LeFevre is absolutely the right thing. Here’s my email address (beatnik1209@gmail.com) for those of you who seem to ardently disagree with me. Feel free to take your anger about not getting your thirty year old pound of flesh out on me; I’ll take the heat. I’m not important in this circumstance; this isn’t about me.

In the stories that I write, I research true incidents and cases. My characters are composites of real individuals, but none-the-less they are fictional characters. I determine the outcome for them. I can change their fate at my will. That is the advantage of writing fiction.

It’s easy to view “Fugitive Mom” as a caricature created by the media; it sound like some cheap Hollywood comedy. But, the protagonist of this story, Susan LeFevre, is a flesh and blood person, not a character in some fiction. Her plight is real. Her suffering is authentic. Her family’s desperation is true. However, her fate can be determined by you!

Part 3: My Plea

In a couple of weeks, a decision will be made about bringing her appeal to court. If you are reading this, you must hold some sympathy and interest in Susan LeFevre. If there is anything that I’ve written that may have moved you to act, please now it the time to proceed. Don’t breeze by; there is another human being here that desperately needs your help.

I’m appealing to readers for a favor. Don’t just write your comments below mine. Write to Prosecutor Michael Thomas and ask him not to oppose the re-sentencing:

Prosecutor Michael Thomas
Saginaw County Courthouse
RE: Case No. 74-00284-FY
111 South Michigan Avenue
Saginaw, MI 48602

The deadline is October 10. Please do not delay.

Write to:
Honorable William A. Crane
Saginaw County 10th Circuit Court
111 S. Michigan Avenue
Saginaw, MI 48602

And ask that Susan LeFevre’s sentence be set aside and a fair sentence be given. She has paid her price in full.

Write or phone Governor Granholm and ask that Susan LeFevre be granted clemency.

Governor Jennifer M. GranholmP.O. Box 30013Lansing, Michigan 48909
PHONE: (517) 373-3400PHONE: (517) 335-7858 - Constituent Services

Visit FreeSusanLeFevre.com for more information. You can make a difference. You must make a difference.

Conclusion

Something else to consider: Susan LeFevre’s potential use in war on drug is absolutely incalculable. I’ve reached more people though my MLIVE comments on LeFevre in the last four months about opposition to drugs and necessary changes to the incarceration system than I ever could have hoped for in the previous two years. It is an unpleasant subject and people want to avoid it.

Susan LeFevre’s name can open doors and interest. If she were released and allowed to be an advocate concerning the dangers of drug use, she has the attention, communication ability, and a background that is unparallel. Michigan is wasting an incredible asset everyday by not setting her free. Those of us who are trying to get the word out desperately need her on our side and to be free.

I believe in the American system of justice and am thankful everyday to live in this county. I’ve suggested changes that can be made to make it work better. There is nothing radical in anything I’ve discussed; all the mechanisms exist already. I’m in favor of enhancing them to build a better system. We will never eliminate crime, but we can change how we deal with it and work to prevent people from becoming involved in drugs and destroying lives. Susan LeFevre could serve as spokesperson for the prevention of drug use far more effectively than anyone else in this county today. Michigan prosecutor Kym Worthy has repeatedly mentioned using Susan LeFevre as an example to other prisoners. I say, instead use her as an example to help win the War on Drugs, rather than being held to an unjust sentence.

I’ve pressed this message repeatedly: Drug do destroy lives and prisons do little to reform. I’ve used whatever platform is available to make people aware of this. I’ve annoyed some people with my persistence, I know that. I do not make any apologies.

I stand by my beliefs,

Chris Keil

Free Susan LeFevre

Just say NO

For those of you who remember, in the 1980s, Nancy Reagan made the catch phrase "Just say no!" well know to the American public. This was intended to allow young people to have a way to turn down drugs. The phrase meant little to most teens and others of all ages. It became the butt of popular jokes and served to do nothing more than to allow the administration to say they were battling the War On Drugs, when in reality, Oliver North and others associated with the administration were deeply involved in importation of cocaine into the United States in order to finance their own wars in South America and elsewhere.

For too long the struggle against drug usage in the county has been nothing more than other catch phrases ("This is your brain on drugs", etc.). Some were cute and catchy, others obviously pandering and ineffective.

My own catch-phrase, if I had to start one would be "Drugs Destroy Lives". I could easily list dozens of examples. But, this is still only a catch phrase. It is time to realize we need to become more proactive in prevention of illicit drug use, treatment of drug abuse and education of the dangers of drug misuse.

This will be a difficult and long struggle. There are social changes that must take place. It will require determination and will. I can only hope that whatever administrations takes over in January, that the new leadership will be willing to take a new approach to actually solving the problems.

First post

Hey daddy-o,

I have to admit this upfront, I'm not a beatnik (although I do think Jack Kerouac is a genius). True confession, I needed a user name for eBay a couple of years ago and “beatnik” was the first thing that popped into my mind. So, I could just as easily be calling myself MustangGuy or GodzillaWarrior, but I do to like sound of beatnik. Sorry, no beat poetry or java recipes here.

I tend to type fast to put down my ideas and I’m not a good proofreader, so if anyone knows of a good grammar checker, I'd love to hear about it; I’ve tried a bunch of them and most aren’t very good.

I’m going to be putting down a lot of my ideas on society and life in general. I welcome you to disagree with me. Not everything I say is right and as long as people don’t try to get personal, I’d enjoy debating with you.

And there isn’t anything that happens in this world that I don’t enjoy making fun of. Most people take themselves too seriously (Yes, I'm guilty of that too). So, there aren’t any targets I’m not willing to parody.

If you enjoy this blog, that’s great. If there’s anything you find offensive, well life is full of that – get used to it.