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.
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