How to Help Johnny Pippins

Join Cornel West and me in supporting a worthy cause

Many of you have asked how you can help Johnny Pippins, a remarkable reader who is serving out the remainder of a lengthy prison sentence. Johnny and his family have told us unequivocally that they are not accepting monetary donations of any kind. Instead, they ask for your public support. I’ve already enumerated the reasons I believe Johnny should be allowed to go free, so I won’t rehash them here. I’m not the only one who finds Johnny’s story compelling. My friend Cornel West is also in his corner. So the two of us put our heads together and wrote up a statement of support that we intend to send to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

We’d also like to ask for your support in helping to free Johnny. So if you’d like to add your name to the petition below, I ask that you comment with your name, city, and state in this discussion thread. We’ll then add all the names in support to the bottom of the statement below. And if you feel so moved, please share this statement as widely as possible.

I would also like the thread to function as a place where a broader discussion can happen. People have complicated feelings and opinions about early release for prisoners. Whatever my thoughts about Johnny, I want this newsletter to serve as a place where principled debate can happen.

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Dear Governor Pritzker, 

We the undersigned write to you with an appeal for the release of Johnny Pippins, who is currently serving out a sentence handed down by Illinois’s courts. He is presently incarcerated in Iowa’s Anamosa State Penitentiary under the auspices of the interstate compact. We believe no further good can come from keeping Johnny in prison. Indeed, the people of Illinois and Iowa can only benefit from his timely release.

The crime for which Johnny was convicted occurred in 1996. He was a gang member, and he doesn’t deny taking part in the offenses for which he was sentenced to prison. Though Johnny personally did nothing violent, his actions resulted in a person’s death. He does not deny the seriousness of his crime, nor does he seek to minimize his participation in it.

But in the 25 years since his sentence began, Johnny has done something remarkable with his life. He left the gang he was a part of and became a mentor and teaching assistant in the education programs available to him and other inmates. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in statistical science. He obtained a coveted academic internship, during which he studied the use of statistical methods to discover genes differentially expressed among patients with different types of lupus, the disease that prematurely ended his mother’s life. And now, most recently, he’s earned admission to a Ph.D. program in sociology at the University of Iowa. 

However, Johnny cannot attend the University of Iowa while in prison, and so the future he has worked so hard to build for himself is imperiled. One of the stated goals of our penal system is prisoner rehabilitation. When functioning properly, prisons should provide the incarcerated with the opportunity to participate in their own reformation, to make themselves into productive members of society. By that measure, Johnny is a success story. 

We believe that keeping Johnny Pippins incarcerated serves no further purpose, either to him or to society. Indeed, we believe that Johnny’s continued incarceration is a net negative for the people of Illinois and Iowa, whose taxes pay for Johnny’s room and board, and for society at large, which will be enriched by Johnny’s future research, if he is allowed to conduct it. He has already served the vast majority of his sentence, he has been forgiven by the victim’s mother, and no family members are contesting his petition for clemency.

Johnny is set up for success. He poses no threat to anyone’s safety. He has a loving family waiting for him, including his remarkable wife, Tracy. He has a job and a spot in an academic program. Perhaps most importantly, he has a sense of purpose and an extraordinary work ethic. We ask that you allow him to continue to pay his debt to society in the place where it will do the most good: outside of prison. 

We thank you for taking the time to read this letter, Governor Pritzker. We understand that you must weigh a number of competing political concerns when it comes to granting clemency. However, we hope you will recognize Johnny’s potential, as we have, and that you will grant him a speedy release.

In Gratitude, 

Glenn Loury, Brown University

Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary

Karen L. Thompson, University of Idaho

Rajiv Sethi, New York City, NY

Eric Zepp, Frisco, Texas

Beth Kais, Miami, Florida

Brendan Dolan, New Haven, Connecticut

David Zammiello, Libertyville, Illinois

Gordon Strause, San Mateo, California

Stephanie M. Davis, Boston, Massachusetts

Ellen Kahan Zager, Baltimore, Maryland

Diane Conrad, Charlottesville, Virginia

Leslie McClinton, Chicago, Illinois

Clifton Eric Smith, Stow, Massachusetts

Kathleen Spillane, Palo Alto, California

Breihunna Smith, Enterprise, Mississippi

William Crawford, Columbus, Ohio

Katherine DiRe, Chicago, Illinois

Mark Wentzloff, Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Anndal Narayanan, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

David J. Schlenz, Wakefield, Rhode Island

Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Huntington Station, New York

Laura McFarland, PhD, Liberty Hill, Texas

Barry Koch, New York City, New York

Brittany Davis, Enterprise, Mississippi

Chad Cartier, MS, LPCC, Woodbury, Minnesota

Lisa Carson, Athens, Ohio

Natasha Kuczynska, Oakland, California

Carl Carlson, Brighton, Michigan

Jacob D. Jones. Richmond, Virginia

Szymon Nowak, San Francisco, California

Verónica Carmona, Miami, Florida

Scotty Perey, Eugene Oregon

S.A. Gould, Park Forest, Illinois

Melissa Knox, Essen, NRW, Germany

Donna M. Villelli-LaPlante, Spokane, Washington

James Taylor, Baltimore Maryland

JoAnn Brekke, Roseville, Minnesota

Geoffrey Nathan, Wayne State University

Diana L. Montoya, Lumberton, Mississippi

Kevin M. Cahill, Athens, Georgia

Elias Laham, Providence, Rhode Island

Jeffrey Gold, Los Angeles, California

Clark Davis, Grant Park, Illinois

Dmitry Sharkov, Dublin, Ohio

Matt Marsden, Alexandria, Pennsylvania

Alexander Riley, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Leslie Lepeska, Evanston, Illinois

Laurel Mark, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Meg Gillette, Iowa City, Iowa

Joseph Clark, Tucson, Arizona

Jeremiah Ludwig, Tucson, Arizona

Tracy Pippins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Rebecca Harp, Overland Park, Kansas

Damon Newby, Charleston, South Carolina

Michael Hamilton, San Luis Obispo, California

Charles L. Becker, Novato, California

Brandon Eisenman, Cypress, Texas

Garrick Messer, Lexington, South Carolina

Jacob Morse, Boise, Idaho

Judy Shubin, Rohnert Park, CA

Mark Sussman, Brooklyn, New York

John P. Mortimer, Esq., San Francisco, California

Arlen Zinn, Pembroke Pines, Florida

Adam J. Smith, Los Angeles, California

Nancy Nolan, Placitas, New Mexico

Jennifer Mentzer, Haddon Heights, New Jersey

Donald Smith, Richmond, Virginia

Becky Groth, St. Charles, Illinois

Robert Beckmann, Seattle, Washington

Avery Grace Ke, Kirksville, Missouri

Phil Peraza, Tucson, Arizona

Jonathan Silver, Northbrook, Illinois

Matt Lichtash, Brooklyn, New York

Benjamin Wilson, Seattle, Washington

Emma Harvey, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Kenneth Allen, Perry, Ohio

Sandra Leider, Hendersonville, North Carolina

Elizabeth Lada, Palo Alto, California

Elana Abraham, Bronx, New York

Houston Foppiano, Cary, North Carolina

Jason Teter, Saint Peters, Missouri

Laura Gutierrez, Ramsey, New Jersey

Rachel Colbert, New York City, New York

Kelly Anthony, PhD, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Rico Bartolo, San Diego, California

Sherry Korthals, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Charles W. Thomson, Esq., Charleston, South Carolina

Mary Ellen VanMarter, Murphy, North Carolina

Terrill A. Browne, Olympia, Washington

Lydia Sorenson, Ashburn, Virginia

Stan Sundel, Washington, D.C.

Robert Schachter, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Susan Rule, Austin, Texas

Sonia Bowers, Phoenix, Arizona

Siddhartha Naithani, Brooklyn, New York

Johnathon Miller, Houston, Texas

Sarah Sunu, Seattle, Washington

Philip H Dybvig, Saint Louis, Missouri

Ethan Laudermilch, Woodbury, Minnesota

Bruce Stubblefield, Corona del Mar, California

Andrew Swan, Chesterfield, Missouri

Isaac S. Kohane, Newton, Massachusetts

Randolph S Williams, Cabazon, California

Alan Finger, Topsfield, Massachusetts

Nathaniel Dick, Chicago, Illinois

Michelle Reavis, La Crosse, Wisconsin

Carol Horton, Chicago, Illinois

Rebecca Stuart, San Diego, California

Liam Hanson, Houston, Texas

Ammiel Alcalay, Brooklyn, New York

Sarah Ochoa, Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Christopher Edwards, Acton, Massachusetts

Kevin Kamphaus, Cincinnati, Ohio

Henry Palmer, Melrose, Florida

Silvia Gazoni, Oakton, Virginia

Cato Grace, Sebastopol, California

Leah Borden, St. Louis, Missouri

Michael Yoakum, Dayton, Ohio

Philip S. Heap, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Raj Desai, Quincy, Massachusetts

Sean Shannahan, Houston, Texas

Gregory Kurtz, Lewis Center, Ohio

Malia Taylor, Sacramento, California

James H. Wright, Charlottesville, Virginia

Mary Fitz-Gibbon, Ashfield, Massachusetts

Sally Satel, Washington, D.C.

Mark Silbert, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Norah Lally, Los Angeles, California

Kim Mickna, Holt, Florida

David Hayes, Torrington, Connecticut

Brian Olson, Dallas, Texas

Alisa Glembotski, Washington, D.C.

Reese Macbeth, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Bethany Preston, Trumbull, Connecticut

David J. Seleb, Lake Forest, Illinois

George Mayer, New York City, New York

Jonathan D. Storm, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Paris Conway, Maple Falls, Washington

Jennifer Hirsch, Claremont, California

Kip Mann, Mesa, Arizona

Samuel Simon, Chicago, Illinois

Kathlean Keesler, Lacey, Washington

John Knowlton, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Scott Thompson, Atlanta, Georgia

Meredith Baxter, Atlanta, Georgia

Diana Bailey, Tucson, Arizona

Douglas Bennett, Topsham, Maine

David Block, Huntsvillle, Alabama

Jayson Seaman, Durham, New Hampshire

Elizabeth Hummel, Olympia, Washington

Mimsie Lanier, Sea Island, Georgia

John Boudry, Waukesha, Wisconsin

Chris Flanagan, Houston, Texas

E. H. Reumann, Kirkland, Washington

Roseanne Spagnuolo, Boston, Massachusetts

Kevin Atkins, Fairfield, Connecticut

Gregory Leonard, Hillsborough, California

Peter Couri, Chicago, Illinois

Brad Oexeman, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Tyland Hunter, Houston, Texas

Andrew Heinze, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

Saul D. Raw, Brooklyn, New York

Kyle Stewart, Atlanta, Georgia

Raymond Ravaglia, Holland, Michigan

Kelly Philson, Washington, D.C.

Judy Stewart, Hazel Green, Alabama

Todd Lester, Asheville, North Carolina

Larry Duer, Morton Grove, Illinois

Catherine Prescott, Roanoke, Virginia

Brad R. Roth, Wayne State University

Bonny Reinhart, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Adam Sher, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania

Frank Rowley, Carthage, North Carolina

Frances Woodford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lukas Puris, Brooklyn, New York

Madeline Lozowski, Bloomsbury, New Jersey

John Leo, Chicago, Illinois

Daniel Mascal, Iowa City, Iowa

Andrew T. Dolan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Heather Bonner, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Bugsy Gabriel, Brooklyn, New York

Nan Schleusner, Anchorage, Alaska

David G. Anderson, PhD, Denver, Colorado

William Matthews, Columbus, Ohio

Sean M. Brown, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Dan Schnaidt, West Windsor, Vermont

Robert Henderson, Lake Villa, Illinois

Imam Taha Tawil, Mother Mosque of America, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Aaron Geiger, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

James M. Gerlach, Buffalo, New York

Shirley Gien, Greenwood Village, Colorado

Robert J. Grabowitz, New York City, New York

Eric Nelson, Seattle, Washington

Dennis Brown, MS, IADC, Davenport, Iowa

Jason Kurtz, New York City, New York

Elizabeth Miller, Washington, D.C.

Dee Hickman, Rock Island, Illinois

Marty Rosenfeld, Richboro, Pennsylvania

Angela Mahoney, Walker, Iowa

Amber Baker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sheila Wagner, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Danielle Cooper, CPN, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Jeff Mark, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Walter Barnett, Davenport, Iowa

Susan Kerr, Mooresville, North Carolina

Sebastian Evans, Jersey City, New Jersey

Charles Donath, Saratoga Springs, New York

Emerson Dyer, Brooklyn, New York

Catherine Madsen, Amherst, Massachusetts

Robyna Lopez, Arnold, Maryland

Rachel Greenberger, Belmont Massachusetts

Jon Hepworth, San Francisco, California

Glenn Stanley, Reno, Nevada

Robert Madden, Black Mountain, North Carolina

Nicholas V. Regester, Baltimore, Maryland

Chirag J. Patel, Boston, Massachusetts

Derrick Filkins, Indianapolis, Indiana

Christian Champion, Chicago, Illinois

Nicole O. Moeller, San Antonio, Texas

J. Rakiiba Jackson, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Michael Ryan, Waco, Texas

Andrew Prosch, Boulder, Colorado

Kim Shankman, Atchison, Kansas

Anna Swynford, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Benjamin Copan, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Josh Ford, Savannah, Georgia

Eric Salo, Seattle, Washington

Brendan Dolan, New Haven, Connecticut

Edie Overduin, Arroyo Grande, California

Daniel Wills, Woodstock, Illinois

Susan Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Jessica Birman, Marion, Iowa

James Relihan, Naperville, Illinois

Kelly White, Davenport, Iowa

Kelly Soliman, Nashville, Tennessee

D.R. Brown, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Joseph Whinnery, Soquel, California

Mark Perrino, Elsinore, Denmark

Walter G. “Chip” Morris, Hubbardston, Massachusetts

Amber Fitch, Tucson, Arizona

Melvin Hawkins, Davenport, Iowa

Linda Hamilton, Lisle, Illinois

Serena Cha, Lisle, Illinois

Kris King, Phoenix, Arizona

Lissette Roman, Tallahassee, Florida

Sheri Hand, Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Jeremy R. Freeman, Los Angeles, California

Mira Seagrave, Alameda, California

Shirley Wilson, Fort Collins, Colorado

Kate Knight, Brooklyn, New York

Rhonda West, Auburn, Alabama

Lauren Welsh, Coralville, Iowa

P.J. Glandon, Gambier, Ohio

Bill Ryan, Kennett, Missouri

Brenda Kay Belcher, Marietta, Georgia

Ed Croft, Buffalo, New York

Jeff Calander, Blaine, Minnesota

Stephen Payte, Los Angeles, California

Mark Gargiulo, Franklin Square, New York

James Marshall, Mamaroneck, New York

Eric Nelson, Seattle, Washington

Cale Corbett, Yukon, Oklahoma

Jack Bassett, Charleston, South Carolina

Tina DuBosque, Waterford, Connecticut

Zarith Pineda, New York City, New York

Sean Gabriel, Denver, Colorado

Brian Cotter, Sebastian, Florida

Marc Jones, Seattle, Washington

Tajinder Samplay, Pittsburg, California

Piper Gibson, Easton, Washington

Rob Heise, Mokena, Illinois

Jennifer Lukehart, Los Angeles, California

Susan Heath, Albany, Oregon

Kevin Kovach, Akron, Ohio

Robyn Leff, Los Angeles, California

Patricia Stokes, Athens, Ohio

David Gillette, Stockton, California

Toni Whiteside

Bill Ryan, Kennett, Missouri

Daniel Wills, Woodstock Illinois

Liv Sellnau Mount Vernon, Iowa

Edie Overduin, Arroyo Grande, California

Carl Gilbertsen, Big Rock, Illinois

Keirsten Giles, Whitefish, Montana

Katherine Evers, Medway, Massachusetts

Andy Mills, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Nancy Faunce, Evanston, Illinois

Roman Birman, Marion, Iowa

Todd Williams, Des Moines, Iowa

Jesse Luke Crosson

Courtney Auran

Ryan Ray, Joshua Tree, California

Janice Clover, Phoenix, Arizona

Paul Harrison, Huntsville, Missouri

Remy R. Flaten, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Stephanie Jessee, Callahan, Florida

D. Harrison Holt, Richmond, Virginia

Ariana Fullmer, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Connie Popmarkoff, Granite City, Illinois

Cara Gomberg, Brooklyn, New York

Greg Komerosky

Christine Harris

Samantha Carte, Charleston, West Virginia

Ciara Graham, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Damien Pearse, Benalla, Victoria, Australia

Yvonne Ilioi, Peoria, Arizona

Kevin Jones, Warren, Rhode Island

Julia Treme, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Jessica Dickson

Zachary A. U. Herron, Knoxville, Tennessee

Jayna Sanders, Omaha, Nebraska

Justin Tash, Winter Garden, Florida

Robert Hilliker, Houston, Texas

Rene de los Santos, San Antonio, Texas

Wes Forrest, Roland, Iowa

Madeleine Bates, Portland, Oregon

Brittany Haag, Denver, Colorado

Linda Gabor, European Union

Tristen Stallworth, Baltimore, Maryland

Saffron Francis, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Nicole Tucker, New York City, New York

Marvin Young, Jeffersonville, Indiana

Katherine Odell, Kerhonkson, New York

Liza Strout, Florida

Gabby R., Albany, New York

Nancy Michael, St. Albans, West Virginia

David J. Seleb, Lake Forest, Illinois

C.J. McLaughlin, Aurora, Illinois

Aaralyn Loop, Blue Springs, Mississippi

Malia Taylor

Andrew Selden, Ogden, Utah

Deanna Bridges

Drew E., Chicago, Illinois

Maddie Zickel, Louisville, Kentucky

Brooke Barnes, Quincy, Illinois

Robert Bowley, Peoria, Arizona

Michelle Bright, Roland, Iowa

Rich Holst, Roland, Iowa

Phoenix LaMonda, Delray Beach, Florida

Autumn Bigelow, Iowa City, Iowa

Julie Layle, Dearborn, Michigan

Beth Pajak, Manalapan, New Jersey

Amber Abuja, Zion, Illinois

Jordan, Clarksville, Tennessee

Diane Whitten, Oakton, Iowa

Alan Wieber, Tucson, Arizona

Millie Campbell, Manchester, United Kingdom

Tasneem Abdus-Shakur

Mariah Diaz, New York City, New York

Charlie Kapinos, Los Angeles, California

Beth Richardson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Grant D. Talabay, Woodstock, Illinois

Mekhi Rhodes, Detroit, Michigan

Benjamin Gustafson, Chicago, Illinois

Luca, Atlanta, Georgia

Natasha Steines, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Louise Seamster, Iowa City, Iowa