09/06/2024      Letter of support from Dave G.

Thank you very much!

Please let me know what more I can do to help. One of the things I have learned is that the members of NLA are truly remarkable people. I would trust them more than most people I have met on the outside. They involve themselves with so many activities that helps other people. The sad thing about our criminal justice system is that they like to label people. Once people receive the label as felon, that label sticks no matter what good they do. Redemption and forgiveness aren’t included at all. I was happy to see that Emily Dievendorf has a different view. She said that there are better solutions than punitive measures alone.

Forgiveness and letting go of the past so that we are not trapped by the past is so important. My father was murdered when I was 11 (not sure I mentioned that to you.) Years later I realized that the person responsible is a human being and not some faceless monster. Reaching a point of forgiveness removed a huge weight from my shoulders and was a relief. Criminal justice reform would be a win-win for everyone. People would be given more chances to improve society, costs in the MDOC would be reduced so that we can spend more money on things like education, and the victims of crime would still know that there is accountability for the things that happened before. But obviously people don’t listen to me. Hopefully the legislature will do something positive which will be nice to see.

Thank you for everything you are doing. I know that the guys at Macomb appreciate you very much. Have a great weekend!

P.S. Are you a psychologist? I know that you have a doctorate. It must be very interesting for you to work with people in prison as well as other situations where psychologists do important work. I went to a psychologist when I was feeling overwhelmed in grad school. He helped a lot. Thank you again, Conrad!