|
December
16, 2002
Exonerated
to Appeal to Illinois Gov. Ryan
CHICAGO
--- On Monday, Dec. 16, the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern
University School of Law will shine a bright light on flaws in the
capital punishment system with a "Dead Men Walking" relay
from Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, site of executions
that have taken place in Illinois, to the James R. Thompson Center
in Chicago (100 W. Randolph).
There
a letter will be delivered to Gov. George H. Ryan urging him to
commute all death sentences to life in prison without parole.
Gary
Gauger, accompanied by Professor Lawrence C. Marshall, legal director,
the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School
of Law, will begin the walk at Stateville at 4:30 a.m., and the
letter will be passed from one exonerated person to the next at
one-mile intervals along the 37-mile route. Around 4:30 p.m., Anthony
Porter will conclude the walk at the Thompson Center, where he will
be met by a representative of the governor, who will present the
letter to Ryan at "The Exonerated," a special performance
of the highly acclaimed play Monday evening. The play will feature
Jill Clayburgh (as Sonia Jacobs), Richard Dreyfuss (as Kerry Max
Cook), Mike Farrell (as Gary Gauger) and Danny Glover (as Delbert
Tibbs).
Starting
at Stateville, the walk will go north on Route 53. The walker will
then go east on Route 7 over the DesPlaines River, and then proceed
north along 171 (also known as Archer Avenue). The walk will proceed
for approximately 27 miles on Archer Avenue through Lockport, Lemont,
Willow Springs, Justice and Summit, into the city of Chicago by
Midway Airport. At the intersection of Archer and California, the
walk will proceed northbound on California, passing the Cook County
Criminal Court and the Cook County Jail at 26th Street and California.
The
path will continue northbound on California to Harrison, where it
turns eastbound, passing Cook County Hospital. The walker will turn
north at Dearborn, passing the federal courthouse, and turn west
on Randolph, where the path will end in front of the Thompson Center
at Clark and Randolph streets.
Relay
walkers’ schedule:
Leg
1, 4:30 a.m., from Stateville Prison, Rte. 53, Romeoville; to Route
53 & Route 7, Romeoville; 1 mile; cumulative, 1 mile; walker,
Gary Gauger; companion, Professor Lawrence Marshall, legal director,
Center on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University School of
Law.
Leg
2, 4:50 a.m., from Route 53 & Route 7, Romeoville; to Route
7 & Route 171, Lockport; 1 mile; cumulative, 2 miles; walker,
Gary Gauger, companion, Rob Warden, executive director, Center on
Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University School of Law.
Leg
3, 5:10 a.m., from Route 7 & Rte 171, Lockport; to Great Baptist
Church at 502 Rte. 171, Lockport; 1 mile; cumulative, 3 miles; walker
Carl Lawson, companion Donald Connery.
Leg
4, 5:30 a.m., from Great Baptist Church at 502 Rte. 171, Lockport;
to American Legion parking lot, 15052 Archer Ave., Lockport; 0.9
mile; cumulative 3.9 miles.
Leg
5, 5:50 a.m., from American Legion parking lot, 15052 Archer Ave.,
Lockport; to parking lot by bar at Archer Ave. & Smith, Lockport;
1.1 miles; cumulative 5 miles; Walker Dale Johnson; companion, John
Lyons.
Leg
6, 6:10 a.m., from parking lot by bar at Archer Ave. & Smith,
Lockport; to Homer Tree Service, 14000 Archer Ave, Lockport; 0.7
mile; cumulative 5.8 miles; walker, Dale Johnston, companion, Joyce
Ruhaak.
Leg
7, 6:30 a.m., from Homer Tree Service, 14000 Archer Ave, Lockport;
to Calvary Chapel, Archer Ave. & State St., Lemont; 1.2 miles;
cumulative 7 miles; walker, Ronald Keine, companion, Bill Ruhaak.
Leg
8, 6:50 a.m., from Calvary Chapel, Archer Ave. & State St.,
Lemont; to 12919 Archer Ave., Lemont; 1 mile; cumulative 8 miles;
walker, Ronald Keine; companion, Anna Aaronheim.
Leg
9, 7:10 a.m., from 12919 Archer Ave., Lemont; to Archer Ave. &
Bailey’s Crossing, Lemont; 1 mile; cumulative 9 miles; walker
Michael Graham; companion, George Brooks.
Leg
10, 7:30 a.m., from Archer Ave. & Bailey’s Crossing, Lemont;
to Mount Vernon Cemetery, Archer Ave. & Parker Rd., Lemont;
1.1 miles; cumulative 10.1 miles; walker, Tom Kimball; companion,
Garnet Fay.
Leg
11, 7:50 a.m., from Mount Vernon Cemetery, Archer Ave. & Parker
Rd., Lemont; to Lemont Paving Co., 11550 Archer Ave., Lemont; 0.9
mile; cumulative 11 miles; walker Robert Hayes, companion, Locke
Bowman.
Leg
12, 8:10 a.m., from Lemont Paving Co., 11550 Archer Ave., Lemont;
to Sean Kaley Bar, 10900 Archer Ave., Lemont; 1.1 miles; cumulative
12.1 miles; walker, Robert Hayes; companion, Bill Ryan.
Leg
13, 8:30 a.m., from Sean Kaley, 10900 Archer Ave., Lemont; to St.
James Catholic Church, 10600 Archer Ave., Lemont; 0.7 mile; cumulative
12.8 miles; walker, Brad Scott; companion, John Bagley
Leg
14, 8:50 a.m., from St. James Catholic Church, 10600 Archer Ave.,
Lemont; to entrance to Red Gate Woods Forest Preserve, Willow Springs;
1.3 miles; cumulative 14.1 miles; walker, Wilbert Lee; companion,
Rose Bagley.
Leg
15, 9:10 a.m., from entrance to Red Gate Woods Forest Preserve,
Willow Springs; to Archer & 95th Street, Willow Springs; 0.9
mile; cumulative 15 miles; walker, Freddie Pitts, companion Karen
Daniels, Center on Wrongful Convictions.
Leg
16, 9:30 a.m., from Archer & 95th St., Willow Springs; to 8979
Archer (Tarlows’s Grove), Willow Springs; 1 mile; cumulative
16 miles; walker, Kirk Bloodsworth; companion, Barry Scheck.
Leg
17, 9:50 a.m., from 8979 Archer (Tarlows’s Grove), Willow Springs;
to 8480 Archer (CIB Bank), Willow Springs; 1 mile; cumulative 17
miles; walker, Greg Wilhoit; companion, Chuck Hutchcraft.
Leg
18, 10:10 a.m., from 8480 Archer (CIB Bank), Willow Springs; to
Willow Springs Village Hall, 8121 Archer, Willow Springs; 0.7 mile;
cumulative 17.7 miles; walker, Ron Williamson; companion, Edwin
Colfax.
Leg
19, 10:30 a.m., from Willow Springs Village Hall, 8121 Archer, Willow
Springs; to Just Us Diner, Archer & 88th avenues, Justice; 1.1
miles; cumulative 18.8 miles; Chick Hoffman.
Leg
20, 10:50 a.m., from Just Us Diner, Archer & 88th avenues, Justice;
to Arbors of Justice, Archer & Heather, Justice; 1 mile; cumulative
19.8 miles; walker, Kurtis Kyles; companion, Bernardine Dohrn.
Leg
21, 11:10 a.m., from Arbors of Justice, Archer & Heather, Justice;
to park at Archer & 66th Street, Bedford Park; 1 mile; cumulative
20.8 miles; walker, Greg Wilhoit; companion, Steven Drizin, clinical
professor, Children and Family Justice Center, Northwestern University
School of Law.
Leg
22, 11:30 a.m., from park at Archer & 66th Street, Bedford Park;
to Green Acres House of Pancakes, 5601 Archer, Summit; 1.2 miles;
cumulative 22 miles; walker, Charles Fain; walker, Jane Raley.
Leg
23, 11:50 a.m., from Green Acres House of Pancakes, 5601 Archer,
Summit; to Brown’s Chicken, 6859 Archer, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
23 miles; walker, Ronnie Burrell; companion, Jane Bohman.
Leg
24, 12:10 p.m., from Brown’s Chicken, 6859 Archer, Chicago;
to Three Sons Restaurant, 6200 South Archer, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
24 miles; walker, Verneal Jimerson; companion, Roberto Ramirez.
Leg
25, 12:30 p.m., from Three Sons Restaurant, 6200 South Archer, Chicago;
to Aldi’s Supermarket, 5775 Archer, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
25 miles; walker, Charles Smith; companion, Paul Schipel.
Leg
26, 12:50 p.m., from Aldi’s Supermarket, 5775 Archer, Chicago;
to Bobak’s Restaurant, 5275 Archer, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
26 miles; walker, Gary Beeman; companion, Jeff Urdangen.
Leg
27, 1:10 p.m., from Bobak’s Restaurant, 5275 Archer, Chicago;
to flower store at Archer & Hamline, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
27 miles; Jennifer Bishop.
Leg
28, 1:30 p.m., from flower store at Archer & Hamline, Chicago;
to Walgreens, Archer & Kedzie, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 28
miles; walker, Juan Melendez; companion, Father Charles Dahm.
Leg
29, 1:50 p.m., from Walgreens, Archer & Kedzie, Chicago; to
California & 38th, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 29 miles; walker,
Darby Tillis.
Leg
30, 2:10 p.m., from California & 38th, Chicago; to California
& 31st, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 30 miles; walker, Delbert
Tibbs; companion, Father Demitri.
Leg
31, 2:30 p.m., from California & 31st, Chicago; to California
and Cermak, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 31 miles; walker, Perry
Cobb; companion, Jeanne Bishop.
Leg
32, 2:50 p.m., from California and Cermak, Chicago; to California
and Roosevelt, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 32 miles; walker, Earl
Washington; companion, Peter Neufeld.
Leg
33, 3:10 p.m., from California and Roosevelt, Chicago; to Harrison
and Western, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 33 miles; walker, Ray Krone;
companion, Jamie Alter.
Leg
34, 3:30 p.m., from Harrison and Western, Chicago; to Hyatt Hotel
at Harrison and Ashland, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 34 miles; walker,
Randall Padgett; companion, Andrea Lyon.
Leg
35, 3:50 p.m., from Hyatt Hotel at Harrison and Ashland, Chicago;
to vacant lot at Harrison and Halsted, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative
35 miles; walker, David Keaton; companion, Leonard Goodman.
Leg
36, 4:10 p.m., from vacant lot at Harrison and Halsted, Chicago;
to Dearborn and Van Buren, Chicago; 1 mile; cumulative 36 miles;
walker, Ronald Jones; companion, Maria Cunningham.
Leg
37, 4:25 p.m., from Dearborn and Van Buren, Chicago; to Thompson
Center, Clark & Randolph, Chicago; 0.7 mile; cumulative 36.7
miles; walker, Anthony Porter; companion, Professor David Protess,
the Northwestern University journalism professor who broke Porter’s
case.
4:40
p.m., Arrive at Thompson Center.
Flaws
in the capital punishment system have led to wrongful convictions
and death sentences in 102 cases nationally, including 13 in Illinois.
The
Center on Wrongful Convictions is an outgrowth of the National Conference
on Wrongful Convictions and the Death Penalty convened at Northwestern
School of Law in November 1998. Professor Lawrence Marshall is the
legal director and Rob Warden is executive director of the center.
The
13 Illinois exonerations prompted Gov. Ryan to declare a moratorium
on executions and appoint a blue-ribbon commission to study the
problem and recommend reforms. The commission recommended 85 reform
measures, which currently are being debated by the Illinois General
Assembly. Before Gov. Ryan leaves office on Jan. 13, he will decide
on clemency petitions brought in the cases of 160 men and women
currently under death sentence in Illinois.
|