Bill Pelke was a steel mill crane operator from Gary when he
learned that teenage girls had murdered his grandmother Ruth after getting into
her home in Glen Park under the pretense of wanting Bible lessons. The were
quickly caught and the supposed ringleader 15-year-ld Paula Cooper eventually
tried as an adult and sentenced to death by electrocution. Bill Pelke and his family were gratified by
sentence. One day, while at work in his crane Pelke had an epiphany: his
grandmother telling him that she didn’t want Paula to die. Much to his dad’s
chagrin, Bill joined an effort to save Paula from the electric chair that
ultimately succeeded thanks to millions of signatures and statements from
religious leaders, including the Pope. Bill also reached out to Paula herself
in letters and finally face-to-face visits.
Paula became a model prisoner, was released three decades later, and
tragically, killed herself, perhaps out of guilt that she could never
completely shed.
Despite this terrible blow, Bill Pelke has continued his work
with an organization he founded, Journey of Hope . . . from Violence to
Healing. Its central purpose: opposing the death penalty. No in his 60s and
living in Anchorage, Alaska, Pelke spent a frustrating week striving
unsuccessfully to prevent the execution of three federal prisoners brought to
Terre Haute, Indiana, to await the lethal injection. Pelke led protests at the
Supreme Court building in Washington as the high court rejected, 5-4, pleas to
halt the first such executions in 17 years.
The first, Daniel Lewis Lee was convicted of taking part in the murder
an Arkansas family. The family’s
relatives objected to his execution, and the man most responsible for the crime
avoided the death sentence by cooperating with the authorities at Lee’s
prosecution. One of the other two suffered from dementia. All three had committed heinous crimes, and
all three were white, perhaps selected to dispel any hint that race was an
issue.
Bill Pelke posted this statement from Ruth Friedman, attorney
for Daniel Lee and Director, Federal Capital Habeas Project
It is important for
everyone to understand exactly what happened last night to our client, Daniel
Lewis Lee. At 2 AM on July 14, while the country was sleeping, the Supreme
Court issued a 5-4 decision vacating the injunction that had been in place
against the first federal execution in 17 years. Within minutes, the Department
of Justice moved to re-set Danny Lee's execution--for 4 AM, summoning media and
witnesses back to the prison in the very middle of the night. When it was
brought to the government's attention that a court stay still remained in
place, the DOJ first maintained that that stay presented no legal impediment to
executing Danny Lee, but then filed an "emergency" motion to lift the
stay.
Over the four hours it
took for this reckless and relentless government to pursue these ends, Daniel
Lewis Lee remained strapped to a gurney: a mere 31 minutes after a court of
appeals lifted the last impediment to his execution at the federal government's
urging, while multiple motions remained pending, and without notice to counsel,
he was executed.
It is shameful that
the government saw fit to carry out this execution during a pandemic. It is
shameful that the government saw fit to carry out this execution when counsel
for Danny Lee could not be present with him, and when the judges in his case
and even the family of his victims urged against it. And it is beyond shameful
that the government, in the end, carried out this execution in haste, in the middle
of the night, while the country was sleeping. We hope that upon awakening, the
country will be as outraged as we are.
Before I came to know Bill Pelke, I wouldn’t given these
executions much thought. Since inviting
him to speak at IU Northwest on two occasions, I have become a strong advocate
for abolishing the death penalty. It has proved not to be a deterrent and
costlier, given the extended appeal process, than life without possibility of
parole. What’s more, modern DNA analysis
has shown numerous prisoners on death row to have been innocent. Most important, I believe it morally unjust
for the state to put someone to death.
Bill Pelke is a man of faith who believes all souls are redeemable. One
executed man’s final words were, “Holy Mother, mother of God, pray for me.” I couldn’t bring myself to sympathize with
him but did say a prayer of thanks to crusader Bill Pelke, who is keeping the
faith in our troubled times.
The country lost another man of faith, Democratic Congressman
John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights pioneer involved in the 1960 sit-ins,
1961 Freedom Rides, 1963 March on Washington, and the 1965 Selma march, where a
trooper fractured his skull. Like his mentor Martin Luther King, for him an
open, just, integrated society was not just a Black issue, it was a goal we
should all embrace. He championed the
cause of gas, Latinos, poor people, native Americans, women – and he worked
within the political system, making friends across and aisle. Tributes were so
nonpartisan even the President was pressured into lowering federal flags to
half-staff. Son Dave wrote:
My heart is saddened. Last night John Lewis died, but for 80
years he showed us how to truly live. Our
hero is with God. May we be his legacy.
“May we love as courageously; serve as
humbly; and until justice rolls down like water, may we always cause Good
Trouble.” - Cory Booker. “Not many of
us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable
way. John Lewis did” - Barack Obama
This from former IUN colleague Don Coffin
Native village.
Hidden in the bamboo, cannot
Escape the summer storms
Japanese haiku
Frank Certa in 1950s with sons Mike and Jerry
This from former IUN colleague Mike Certa:
It's
a sad/glad couple of days. A year ago on 7/19 our friend George passed away. On
7/20/91, my parents died in an auto accident. Thinking of them reminded me of
all of the friends and relatives who have passed away. The glad part of
these two days comes from the literally thousands of good memories that I have
of those folks that we made when we were together. If I've learned anything,
it's to never take anyone for granted. Everyday is a gift! Live it like you
mean it! Stay safe.
