My Friend Efren: A Video Redux

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GOVERNOR JENNIFER GRANHOLM HERE.

Let me tell you about my friend Efren Paredes, Jr.

A Rogue’s Gallery Plus One

One night in early March 1989 in St. Joseph, Michigan, the grocery store manager at Vineland Foods was murdered and the store robbed. Five suspects quickly emerged in the police investigation. Four of the suspects were named in a phone tip received by the police. The phone tip, it turned out later, was made by the father of a fifth suspect. The suspects were composed of a 15-year-old Latino honor roll student – Efren – and the others a rogue’s gallery of thugs affiliated with the grocery store. Facing charges that could easily lead to life sentences, who do you think the thugs fingered – with constantly changing and conflicting stories – as the trigger man, or boy? Your American pedigree is confirmed if you guessed the 15-year-old Latino honor roll student.

The prosecutor did not hesitate to prosecute Efren to the fullest extent of the law with all the trimmings of American-style justice: A whirlwind trial, flavored with sensational coverage in the local media; totally circumstantial evidence, a chunk of it supplied by the plea-bargained thugs; a tainted jury foreman; an unbalanced legal system in a community known – then and now – to be tainted with racial overtones, and…well, fellow American, you can probably fill in other aspects of the story. I encourage you to read the jaw-dropping details of the case here. Ann Rule could not have written a more twisted true-crime tale than this.

Twenty Years Later

It’s been twenty years. Efren sits in prison, where he grew up. He self-educated himself in prison and has a commanding intellect. He has led an exemplary life in prison and is well- respected, to the point that even prison officials support his release (a very rare stance for prison officials). He is supported by respected wrongful-conviction experts and by many others across the country. Effectively, Efren has never been in trouble – before his trial or after his trial.

During the last 20 years, two of the murder participants were released from prison in 2005. One served only 6 months in a juvenile correctional facility. The other suspect was not charged at all. Finally, two of these criminals later committed other unrelated crimes.

At a parole hearing in December 2008, the former prosecutor of the case admitted to be without a good explanation for Efren's motivation for committing the murder, guessing it was a “thrill kill.” Law enforcement officials decorated this weak theory with words from some rap lyrics purportedly found in Efren's school locker. The circumstantial evidence is even thinner now than it was 20 years ago.

The Keys of Justice

Michigan continues to be a state that convicts juveniles – a vast majority of them minorities – and locks them up and throws away the key. There is no hope for rehabilitation, no hope for redemption. And, if you did not commit the crime, almost no hope for justice.

The Michigan State Legislature is currently considering House Bills 4518 and 4594-4596, which would end the practice of throwing way the keys on juvenile offenders. Opponents of these bills are currently painting a false and mis-leading – not to mention, desperate – campaign claiming these bills will give violent criminals an easy get-out-of-jail card. Don't believe it. The bills give juveniles convicted of crimes eligibility for a parole hearing after serving more than 15 years. Eligibility for a parole hearing is far from a free pass. I encourage you to read the bill summaries here and to contact your State Rep and State Senator in supporting these bills.

Finally, the keys of Justice are also held by Governor Jennifer Granholm. She has the power to commute sentences and to grant pardons. I've personally gotten to know Efren and I know, like some many people inside and outside of the prison system, that he is no threat to society -- never was and never has been. Please join me in contacting Governor Granholm by phone, email, or letter, in respectfully asking for justice for my friend, Efren.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

[Text abridged from my posting from May 29, 2009.]

My Friend Efren

Jason Argonaut has always claimed that my Facebook friends are somehow not real.

My Internet imagination run amok.

My pretend world pixilated.

That was far from true last year when a group of us greeted the Wheels of Justice Tour that rolled through Lansing and East Lansing.  Arriving on the bus were my four newest FB friends, Ceylon, Leah, Dan and Bill.  We met at New Aladdin’s Restaurant in the Frandor Shopping Center.  At the dinner table were approximately 25 people, many of whom were invited via FB.  Realizing this, I counted the number of my FB books sitting with me at the time:  Eighteen.  Eighteen live, breathing, laughing, eating FB friends.  If Jason could have seen me then.

It is special moments like the one at New Aladdin’s when my mind drifts – as it did that day – to one FB friend who is never present.  He is never at any gathering.  No Thanksgiving Day dinner at my house. No Christmas celebrations.  No time or place, day or night, is my friend ever physically present.  But he is real – very real – and ever-present.  

Let me tell you about my friend Efren Paredes, Jr.

A Rogue’s Gallery Plus One

One night in early March 1989 in St. Joseph, Michigan, the grocery store manager at Vineland Foods was murdered and the store robbed.  Five suspects quickly emerged in the police investigation.  Four of the suspects were named in a phone tip received by the police.  The phone tip, it turned out later, was made by the father of a fifth suspect.  The suspects were composed of a 15-year-old Latino honor roll student – Efren – and the others a rogue’s gallery of thugs affiliated with the grocery store.  Facing charges that could easily lead to life sentences, who do you think the thugs fingered – with constantly changing and conflicting stories – as the trigger man, or boy?  Your American pedigree is confirmed if you guessed the 15-year-old Latino honor roll student.

The prosecutor did not hesitate to prosecute Efren to the fullest extent of the law with all the trimmings of American-style justice:  A whirlwind trial, flavored with sensational coverage in the local media; totally circumstantial evidence, a chunk of it supplied by the plea-bargained thugs; a tainted jury foreman; an unbalanced legal system in a community known – then and now – to be tainted with racial overtones, and…well, fellow American, you can probably fill in other aspects of the story.  I encourage you to read the jaw-dropping details of the case here.  Ann Rule could not have written a more twisted true-crime tale than this.

Twenty Years Later

It’s been twenty years. Efren sits in prison, where he grew up. He self-educated himself in prison and has a commanding intellect.  He has led an exemplary life in prison and is well- respected, to the point that even prison officials support his release (a very rare stance for prison officials).  He is supported by respected wrongful-conviction experts and by many others across the country. Effectively, Efren has never been in trouble – before his trial or after his trial.  

During the last 20 years, two of the murder participants were released from prison in 2005.  One served only 6 months in a juvenile correctional facility.  The other suspect was not charged at all. Finally, two of these criminals later committed other unrelated crimes.

At a parole hearing in December 2008, the former prosecutor of the case admitted to be without a good explanation for Efren's motivation for committing the murder, guessing it was a “thrill kill.”  Law enforcement officials decorated this weak theory with words from some rap lyrics purportedly found in Efren's school locker.  The circumstantial evidence is even thinner now than it was 20 years ago.

The Keys of Justice

Michigan continues to be a state that convicts juveniles – a vast majority of them minorities – and locks them up and throws away the key.  There is no hope for rehabilitation, no hope for redemption. And, if you did not commit the crime, almost no hope for justice.

The Michigan State Legislature is currently considering House Bills 4518 and 4594-4596, which would end the practice of throwing way the keys on juvenile offenders.  Opponents of these bills are currently painting a false and mis-leading – not to mention, desperate – campaign claiming these bills will give violent criminals an easy get-out-of-jail card.  Don't believe it.  The bills give juveniles convicted of crimes eligibility for a parole hearing after serving more than 15 years.  Eligibility for a parole hearing is far from a free pass.  I encourage you to read the bill summaries here and to contact your State Rep and State Senator in supporting these bills.       

Finally, the keys of Justice are also held by Governor Jennifer Granholm.  She has the power to commute sentences and to grant pardons.  I've personally gotten to know Efren and I know, like some many people inside and outside of the prison system, that he is no threat to society -- never was and never has been.  Please join me in contacting Governor Granholm by phone, email, or letter, in respectfully asking for justice for my friend, Efren.   

-- Rico Thomas Rico

This is the first in a new series. A Friday Facebook Friends profile will be posted on my blog every Friday. 

Blogging for Justice: Ending Juvenile Life Sentences Without Parole

“We don’t need more legislation, we need to grow a soul,” the 94-year-old Detroit activist Grace Lee Boggs told us at the Michigan Policy Summit on May 16.

Well, in the case of ending juvenile life sentences without parole here in Michigan, we need both.

Michigan is one of the leading states that locks up juvenile offenders and throws away the key.  The United States of America is one of the few nations that locks up its youth in such a manner.  All civilized nations globally have ended the practice.

The Michigan Legislature is currently grappling with the issue.  The House of Representatives is considering legislation that will end juvenile life sentences without parole. A second round of hearings was held yesterday as the House Judiciary Committee took public testimony on pending House Bills 4518 and 4594-4596.

The House, during the last legislative session which ended in December, passed similar legislation with strong support.  The measures died pending before the State Senate.  So the process has started all over again.

As this week’s House Judiciary committee approached, the press grabbed onto the issue and gave some politically posturing local prosecutors a stage to inject scare tactics into the debate.  These local politicians certainly don’t want to be seen as “soft on crime” so justice-be-damned.

A number of opponents to the bills painted a picture that the legislation, if passed, would open the doors and let large numbers of violent killers loose on the public.  This is a convenient picture to paint as the cash-strapped state government is preparing to downscale the prison-industry complex and is set to release a number of prisoners for budgetary reasons.

The legislation does no such thing.  Passage of the bills would make parole available – many years down the road – to juveniles who are convicted of serious crimes.  Instead of just throwing away the key on the youth, these people will be given the chance to rehabilitate and prove themselves worthy of being released.  They would have to make a good argument – starting with a track record of good behavior in prison – before the parole board.  The legislation would give this opportunity to a limited number of prisoners currently serving no-parole life sentences that Michigan meted out to individuals as juveniles.  No one gets a free get-out-of-jail card.

I hold up the example of Efren Paredes, Jr., who has been incarcerated since he was 15 years old for a crime he did not commit.  He has grown up in prison and is now 36 years of age.  He is well-educated and very well respected both inside and outside the Michigan prison system.  Paredes, to start, deserves a medal for turning out to be a decent man having grown up in prison surroundings.  But more than that, he deserves Justice.  He was the first Michigan juvenile given a life sentence with no chance of parole.  Not only was his conviction wrong, but so was his sentence.

Paredes’s wrongful conviction should not detract from the larger point. Any under-aged youth convicted of a serious crime should not be denied the chance of rehabilitation. 

I encourage all of my readers to contact their state legislators to support the passage of these bills.  And I encourage everyone to contact Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to request the commutation of Efren Paredes, Jr.'s sentence.

Let’s not leave our sentencing guidelines for youth offenders a soul-less endeavor.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Peace Education Center Advocates for Efren Paredes, Jr.

at Lansing's Cristo Rey Festival May 22-23, 2009 

Human Rights: Now!

Sixty years ago - December 10, 1948 - the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This action, and the principles in the declaration, are nearly widely ignored in the U.S. Our oligarchy and power structure do not allow these principles to be studied, discussed, and implemented because the principles weaken the power elite's ability to manipulate and exploit the populace. Still, these principles will not go away and people will continue to demand them.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Community Members Announce Support for Wrongfully Convicted Efren Paredes, Jr.

Various members of the community -- from various parts of Michigan -- addressed the December 3, 2008, press conference regarding the wrongful conviction of Efren Paredes, Jr. They stood before the press and the gathered crowd at the NorthStar Center in Lansing and expressed and explained their support for Paredes. Cameras and recording devices were not allowed at the commutation hearing on Thursday, Dec. 4th, but the testimonials shown in the video below give you the flavor of sentiments expressed by community members who support the commutation and release of Paredes.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Community Members Express Support for Paredes's Commutation

Advocates Address the Wrongful Conviction of Efren Paredes, Jr.

Wrongful conviction expert Paul Ciolino was joined at the December 3rd press conference by Efren Paredes's parents and students from Michigan State University. Here the advocates for Paredes read statements to the press and Ciolino elaborates further on the case.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Paredes Advocates Address the Press

Wrongful Convictions Expert Explains Paredes Case

The nationally respected wrongful convictions expert Paul Ciolino held a press conference on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, to explain the case of Efren Paredes, Jr. Ciolino's press conference was a lead-in to the commutation hearing for Paredes on Thursday, December 4th. Below is the opening portion of Ciolino's presentation. I will continue to report on this case as it proceeds through the process, including an upcoming report on my observations of the dramatic, intense nine-hour hearing on Thursday.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Wrongful Convictions Expert, Paul Ciolino
on the Efren Paredes, Jr. Case

SBUX REDUX: Voices from the Global Day of Action Against Starbucks

It was two weeks ago that the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) conducted a global day of action against the Starbucks Corporation. There are clear indications that the Starbucks "progressive" image does not match its actions toward its employees and its employees' labor rights. Locally, Cole Dorsey, a Starbucks barista and union organizer, was fired by the one of the company's Grand Rapids stores. This was not an isolated incident as similar firings of union organizers by Starbucks have occurred around the globe. A "global day of action" was called for July 5, 2008 by the IWW. This blog provided extensive video coverage (see earlier postings) and visit the links provided (at right). Also see the photos here.

Today I want to release my unpublished video interviews with activists who attended the action in Kentwood, Michigan, just outside of Grand Rapids.

"Voices from the Global Day of Action"


SHANNON





GERARD





COLE





MATT