My name Tubaa and i live in Ottawa, Canada. I am currently taking an English course in which i chose to read your novel “dead man walking” i found this novel very insightful and interesting, i was wondering if you could answer some questions for me, please and thank you.

p.s
i don’t know how else to get in contact with you other then this, so if there is any other way then please inform me.

Sincerely Tubaa

I met you in Juneau, Alaska when you visited a few years ago. I was chair of the Youth on the Street citizen grassroots coalition to make the problem of youth homelessness in Juneau. We raised awareness but the problems have only increased since the 5 years we convened the coalition. There is a new group on homeless and the schools at least have finally identified the children we know needed assistance. I think that is a success for the group. I now am the coordinator of the Juneau FASD Diagnostic Clinic an all volunteer interdisiplinary team provide medical diagnosis of brain damage caused by mothers who drank during pregnancy.

Your talk reminded me of the youth on the street and our current clients. Many of our clients are in and out of jail if they do not have support to remind remain out of jail. Many of the people who we serve do not understand that they are doing something illegal. We know that some of them have do some pretty serious offenses that landed them in jail of decades at a time. You simply speak the truth eloquently without any illusions of social conventions to soften your message. Thank you for bring the issues of racism, poverty and political connectedness in communities that keep people out of the so falled justice system. You example of the judge telling one of the people on death row that they had not followed the proper procedures and the window of the opportunity had past never to be revised either in court or simple justice. I have had these experiences myself in court wit some of our clients. I give testimony encurage the judges to asking questions that will clearly indicate that they do not competent to stand trial, not just “do you understand” but a response that requires an indication that a person has understood and can explain that what was happening in that part of the trial. Once a judge gave a young man a number of pleas explaining that each plea meant. I mentioned that the young man probably did not understand 90% of what she had just explained. She was shocked to realize that the court was actually meaningless to this man. We was waiting to be found guilty he had no defense because he did not undertand what was happening other than he would lose and go to jail. Many traditional Native Alaskans do not understand the court culture, the terms used and the result other than “you go to court and then you go to jail”. Most people simply are resigned to going to jail when they are picked up by the police and face a judge the next morning.

I have rambled enough. God bless and thank you for fighting the good fight “God’s least of these”.

Ric

- Editor, Authors On Tour