WEBVTT - A Long Time Waiting

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<v Speaker 1>Dear Governor is a production of I Heart Media and

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<v Speaker 1>three Months Media. Dear Governor Newsom, Dear Mr Governor Newsom,

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<v Speaker 1>this is an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom. Dear

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<v Speaker 1>Governor Newsom. Okay, So today is Jarvis Master's final state

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<v Speaker 1>appeal and I just pulled into one of many Joe's

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<v Speaker 1>auto parking lots in downtown Los Angeles. It is a

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful Sunday morning. Jervis's attorneys will go before the California

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<v Speaker 1>Supreme Court in the Ronald Reagan State Building, which is

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<v Speaker 1>about a half a mile from where O J was

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<v Speaker 1>tried back in Jarvis can't be here, not allowed to

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<v Speaker 1>leave San Quentin's death throw. Most of his friends are

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<v Speaker 1>in the Bay Area. So I'm here to show my support,

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<v Speaker 1>along with Connie fam who is a longtime advocate and

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<v Speaker 1>confidant of Jarvis's. We're meeting my mom and my brother

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<v Speaker 1>in the court house. Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries

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<v Speaker 1>said that he's going to be sending a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>his homies to attend today to show solidarity with Jarvis.

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<v Speaker 1>For some background, Jarvis filed a petition for his writ

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<v Speaker 1>of habeas corpus back in two thousand five. It's taken

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<v Speaker 1>the court fourteen years to hear as constitutionally guaranteed arguments.

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<v Speaker 1>For perspective, Jarvis was sentenced to death five years before

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<v Speaker 1>o J was ever even tried. Back in Corrections, Officer

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<v Speaker 1>Sergeant Dean Birchfield was murdered at San Quentin. Three of

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<v Speaker 1>the inmates were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. The

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<v Speaker 1>guy who actually did the stabbing was sentenced to life

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<v Speaker 1>without parole, the guy who was accused of masterminding the

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<v Speaker 1>murder was also given life without parole, and Jarvis, who

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<v Speaker 1>was accused of making the SHIV, was sentenced to death.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we'll get into the details of his case and

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<v Speaker 1>talk to investigators and attorneys who who know it well

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<v Speaker 1>at a later date, but suffice to say there's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of alarming incongruities the suppression of information, witness recantations,

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<v Speaker 1>destruction of evidence. Also, keep in mind, Jarvis never murdered anyone,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a verifiable fact, and on top of that, he's

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<v Speaker 1>always denied that he had anything to do with the

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<v Speaker 1>making of the weapon, full and probably obvious disclosure. Those

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<v Speaker 1>of us producing this podcast believed Jarvis to be factually innocent.

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<v Speaker 1>We know what we've read, and we've heard from league

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<v Speaker 1>of scholars who are familiar with the case. Over the years,

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<v Speaker 1>we've gotten to know Jarvis. We've witnessed his good works,

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<v Speaker 1>and we appreciate that he's a man of integrity and honesty.

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<v Speaker 1>We do not expect you to believe him. We don't

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<v Speaker 1>even ask you to believe him. We simply invite you

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<v Speaker 1>to get to know this fascinating man, and to hear

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<v Speaker 1>about the unusual circumstances of his case, and judge for

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<v Speaker 1>yourself whether the death penalty is appropriate. As Governor Newsom

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<v Speaker 1>told us, there are innocent men on death row, and

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<v Speaker 1>there are hundreds of folks on death row now today

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<v Speaker 1>whose crimes and convictions are anything but cut and dry.

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<v Speaker 1>As the only Western country that still executes its citizens,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps you'll consider a worthwhile exercise to question what is

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<v Speaker 1>in order to answer what can be, or maybe even

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<v Speaker 1>what should be. Perhaps the answers you draw will help

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<v Speaker 1>inform your vote in the elections. Is the death penalty

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<v Speaker 1>a necessary evil to keep our streets safe and too

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<v Speaker 1>exact righteous punishment, and to deliver a semblance of justice

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<v Speaker 1>to victims? There is it too fraught with ambiguity and

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<v Speaker 1>contradictions and biases to ensure that we're all protected equally

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<v Speaker 1>under the law. Okay, I've made it over to three

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<v Speaker 1>D South Spring Street, which is the home of the courthouse.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't allow recording apparatus in the courtroom, so I

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<v Speaker 1>will be reporting back later. Jervis Master's case involves a

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<v Speaker 1>prosecution that was rotten to the core. Joe Baxter, the

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<v Speaker 1>appellate attorney who has represented Jarvis for over twenty five years,

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<v Speaker 1>from a KPF a FM interview four years ago, did

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<v Speaker 1>two main witnesses against them are chronic lawers. Both of

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<v Speaker 1>those witnesses ever cantered their testimony. The state failed to

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<v Speaker 1>disclose that one of its main witnesses against Jarvis Masters

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<v Speaker 1>was the key suspect in a murder investigation at the

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<v Speaker 1>time he was on the witness stand and guess what

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<v Speaker 1>the investigation was shut down the minute he agreed to testify. Last,

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<v Speaker 1>and certainly not least, the Marine County d A threatened

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<v Speaker 1>the life of the other witness who had SINTR candidate

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<v Speaker 1>if he refused to testify against Jarvis Masters. So this

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<v Speaker 1>is a case, as I said, that just rotten to

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<v Speaker 1>the rotten to the core. And it's a total miscarriage

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<v Speaker 1>of justice. And I can fully understand why Jarvis's frustrated

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<v Speaker 1>by the delay in his case, waiting for the courts

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<v Speaker 1>further to come in. I have been waiting twenty six

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<v Speaker 1>years for it almost. I think it's a long good

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<v Speaker 1>anybody on death row by far Jarvis masters. And it

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't cold shelf. It wasn't on the shelf colde. It

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<v Speaker 1>was on the docket. It was in their face for many, many,

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<v Speaker 1>many years, and they didn't do anything until now. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know why they weighed it so long, because think

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<v Speaker 1>about it, course they could have found I mean, if

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<v Speaker 1>they really believed I shocked that if they could have

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<v Speaker 1>just said, you know what, didn't I go to another

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<v Speaker 1>courting room, go to you to federal courting room and

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<v Speaker 1>do your appeal. They didn't do that. They didn't do it.

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<v Speaker 1>If me and the guy did. Two of the guys

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<v Speaker 1>were charged with the same thing, and I found guilty

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<v Speaker 1>of the same thing, and their appeals were hurt within

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<v Speaker 1>three or four years. Why it wasn't my hurt, but

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<v Speaker 1>in the same amount of time. M M. It doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>make sense in a civil case if you go to

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<v Speaker 1>trial and the jury flying for the plaintiff. Let's say

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<v Speaker 1>we know that you have appeals. You can go through

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<v Speaker 1>the state system of appeals and and then when that's over,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the end of the case. But we have a trial,

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<v Speaker 1>we have an appeal, that's the end of it. If

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<v Speaker 1>your lawyer committed malpractice, go sue your lawyer, but the

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<v Speaker 1>case is final. Larry Marshall is a professor of law

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<v Speaker 1>Stanford University and maintains an active pro bono practice through

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<v Speaker 1>which he represents individuals and criminal appeals and post conviction

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<v Speaker 1>proceedings in the criminal justice system. We recognize that we

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<v Speaker 1>do need more than just the idea of an appeal

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<v Speaker 1>that when new evidence emerges or new arguments can be

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<v Speaker 1>made that could not have been made undirect appeal, then

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to create a mechanism through which the system

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<v Speaker 1>will look at those to see if there are constitutional violations. So,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, assume that you have a situation where your

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<v Speaker 1>lawyer was dismal, Your lawyer never investigated the case, never

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<v Speaker 1>talked to some key witnesses, You get convicted, you go

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<v Speaker 1>up on appeal. You can't raise that issue because by definition,

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<v Speaker 1>the case as it stands, looking at what happened at

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<v Speaker 1>the trial court doesn't say anything about those witnesses, and

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<v Speaker 1>the direct appeal only deals with what happened at the

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<v Speaker 1>trial itself. The appellate court of the Supreme Court is

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<v Speaker 1>looking to say, did the trial court make any mistakes? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the trial court didn't make any mistakes. In my example,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the lawyer who was dismal. So now what

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<v Speaker 1>do we do. We say, if you want to raise

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<v Speaker 1>that issue on habeas, we will let you go out

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<v Speaker 1>and investigate. We will let you get a statement from

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<v Speaker 1>those statements from those witnesses saying, boy, nobody ever contacted me.

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<v Speaker 1>If they had, I would have testified that this defendant

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<v Speaker 1>was not the person who you know who committed the murder.

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<v Speaker 1>I would have testified that readily. And then you'll get

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<v Speaker 1>to bring in evidence about that your lawyer never did

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<v Speaker 1>interview those people, and so on. So that's an example

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<v Speaker 1>of what can happen at habeas. You also have situations

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<v Speaker 1>where you find out that the prosecutor did not turn

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<v Speaker 1>over exculpatory evidence as the law requires the prosecutor to do,

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<v Speaker 1>and that comes to light afterwards after trial. There again

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<v Speaker 1>we let you advance that. And these are just two

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<v Speaker 1>of many, many examples. And another one is the ability

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<v Speaker 1>to come in and show that there's newly discovered evidence

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<v Speaker 1>that demonstrates your factual innocence. Jarvis's attorneys they filed the

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<v Speaker 1>petition previous corpus back in two thousand five. Why would

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<v Speaker 1>it take so? What is that almost fifteen sixteen years

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<v Speaker 1>to have the oral arguments? Is that unprecedented? Is that typical?

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<v Speaker 1>I can't tell you whether it's unprecedented or not, but

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<v Speaker 1>I'll tell you it's shocking. Um, it's shocking that how

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<v Speaker 1>long this is taken. And I can't begin to understand

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<v Speaker 1>how it's possible that the process has taken this this long. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So I wish I had an answer on that. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just there are delays. Uh. You know a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>the delays in the in the death penalty in California

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<v Speaker 1>are due to a shortage of lawyers willing to take

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<v Speaker 1>these cases. Uh, and that, but I don't believe that

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<v Speaker 1>was what caused the delay in Jarvis's case. He had

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<v Speaker 1>lawyers throughout Um, and Um, the delay is just it's

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<v Speaker 1>unfathomable to me. Yeah, calling the matter now of Enried

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<v Speaker 1>arcs j Masters on Abeas Corplasce. The judicial branch of

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<v Speaker 1>the California Courts does not permit broadcast of their proceedings,

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<v Speaker 1>so we've produced a dramatization directly from the court transcripts.

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<v Speaker 1>At the oral arguments today, Alice Luster, the Deputy Attorney

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<v Speaker 1>General at the Office of the California Attorney General, argued

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<v Speaker 1>on behalf of the state, may it please the court

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<v Speaker 1>new credible evidence is what is required on habeas to

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<v Speaker 1>overturn what is under this law a presumptively valid judgment,

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<v Speaker 1>and what we have in this case. The referee found

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<v Speaker 1>time after time after time that the evidence presented by

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<v Speaker 1>petitioner at the Jarvis Master's habeas hearing was simply not credible.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe Baxter, Jervis's ap Pellet attorney, followed by his second chair,

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Andrian, argued to the contrary, had the jury known

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<v Speaker 1>what we now know, the jury would have had far

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<v Speaker 1>more than a reasonable doubt about Jarvis Master's guilt. Second,

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<v Speaker 1>what we now know and what the referee found and

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<v Speaker 1>what the Attorney General accepted, is that the state's case

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<v Speaker 1>is founded on the testimony of two inveterate liars Bobby Evans,

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<v Speaker 1>whom the state's b GF expert described as a spectacular liar,

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<v Speaker 1>and Rufus Willis, who the referee described as an inveterate

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<v Speaker 1>liar with selective memory who would do anything to save

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<v Speaker 1>his skin. What we also now know, based on the

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<v Speaker 1>findings is that the remaining piece of evidence against Masters,

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<v Speaker 1>what the d A called the choke chain around his neck,

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<v Speaker 1>two kites written by him were probably not authored by him,

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<v Speaker 1>your honor, Associate Justices. I didn't play a major role

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<v Speaker 1>in a in a lot of the briefing, but you

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<v Speaker 1>probably remember I was the lead counsel at the habeas hearing,

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<v Speaker 1>and as it came time for closing argument, I sat

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<v Speaker 1>down with the guys and and we started talking, and

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<v Speaker 1>I said, you know, I think the role I need

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<v Speaker 1>to play, the role, the role I'd like to play

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<v Speaker 1>for you today is to put you into shoes of

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<v Speaker 1>a trial lawyer like myself, somebody who's been trying cases

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<v Speaker 1>for over forty six years now. I'm an experienced trial lawyer,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've had a chance to take all of this

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<v Speaker 1>in and take another look at and say to you,

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<v Speaker 1>if we look the state of the record as it is,

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<v Speaker 1>right now with the presentation of false evidence, new evidence

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<v Speaker 1>lead to the likelihood of a different outcome at the trial.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm going to say the answer is unequivvabally yes.

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<v Speaker 1>And let me tell you why. I think the way

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<v Speaker 1>you have to look at this is take all these

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<v Speaker 1>different things that Mr Baxter was talking about and say,

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<v Speaker 1>we have a new state age the stage. The stage

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<v Speaker 1>has been reset. When you look at Bobby Evans and

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<v Speaker 1>you look at Rufus Willis as well as you have

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<v Speaker 1>if we take the referees findings here, you've got these

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<v Speaker 1>two inveterate liars and Mr Backs are referred to them.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got these two guys and you can't believe a

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<v Speaker 1>word they say. But some guy sitting on death row

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<v Speaker 1>now because at some point, well that's what they said

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<v Speaker 1>that day, and because they said something that day, we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to accept that. And that's fundamentally wrong. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think you can say, oh, we're going to accept what

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<v Speaker 1>they said at the trial when all this other stuff

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<v Speaker 1>has come out, and that shows that maybe those statements

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<v Speaker 1>that the murder trial weren't presently aren't enough to convict

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<v Speaker 1>Mr Masters at trial. It's my understanding that the defense

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<v Speaker 1>went pretty hard to impeach both Willis and Evans. Is

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<v Speaker 1>that not correct? I'm just saying that to you as

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<v Speaker 1>some one who lived through this case. I see it

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<v Speaker 1>now as being a whole different case. And as you

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<v Speaker 1>put this case in my lap today, and as I

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<v Speaker 1>look at it and say, he's got a good chance

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<v Speaker 1>to win this case, and she should get that chance.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Thank you, Mr Andrean He corny He Connie,

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<v Speaker 1>how do you feel? I feel very disheartened. It's one day.

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<v Speaker 1>Connie Famine I sat next to each other in the

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<v Speaker 1>back of the dimly lit baroque courtroom. She's known Jarvis

0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.160
<v Speaker 1>for over twenty years. We did a little post game

0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.840
<v Speaker 1>on the phone after we return from the hearing. What

0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:52.080
<v Speaker 1>is your what is your take of the day? You know,

0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:54.760
<v Speaker 1>it's just it's hard to say. It's hard to say

0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:58.040
<v Speaker 1>because you know, I'm just I just feel really kind

0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.840
<v Speaker 1>of depleted. I mean, it's a little bit disappointing, but

0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.520
<v Speaker 1>now I just want to hope for the best. You know, Yeah, No,

0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:09.080
<v Speaker 1>I feel the same, Lay. I think it was completely disheartening.

0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:14.960
<v Speaker 1>I was. I was so disappointed that that his case

0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:18.080
<v Speaker 1>was heard at the end of a long day I mean,

0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:21.840
<v Speaker 1>how many court cases did we sit through before the

0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:25.560
<v Speaker 1>the court heard his case. It was like four year four. Yeah,

0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:29.720
<v Speaker 1>they're like four cases. Probably we're doing like property management

0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:34.760
<v Speaker 1>and like you know, labor law, wage stepped and I mean,

0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:39.080
<v Speaker 1>here we are talking about like a man's life, you

0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:41.480
<v Speaker 1>know that, you know, I mean, it's it's the difference

0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:45.320
<v Speaker 1>between life and best for somebody, and they just you know,

0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.520
<v Speaker 1>these cases went on and on and on. You know,

0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:51.720
<v Speaker 1>in civil law, there's civil law cases is there give

0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:56.320
<v Speaker 1>each other were money and here we are, like at

0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.800
<v Speaker 1>the end of the day, everyone's exhausted. It's like five

0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.400
<v Speaker 1>talk and that's when it was hurt. I mean really,

0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:06.960
<v Speaker 1>I know, and I felt like they almost felt bored

0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:09.240
<v Speaker 1>or like they weren't paying attention, like they engaged in

0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:12.400
<v Speaker 1>the civil law cases, but that none of the justices,

0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:15.440
<v Speaker 1>none of the seven justices, really seemed to be particularly

0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:20.439
<v Speaker 1>invested or maybe that was just my perception. No, I

0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:22.520
<v Speaker 1>think you're totally right. I think it was the end

0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:26.479
<v Speaker 1>of a long day and everyone which was really really tired.

0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:30.440
<v Speaker 1>And I mean, but that's scary to think that somebody's

0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:33.320
<v Speaker 1>life is on the line under those conditions, you know,

0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:36.440
<v Speaker 1>I know, Yeah, I'm so glad we were we were

0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.640
<v Speaker 1>able to come out and you know, and I'm glad

0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:41.960
<v Speaker 1>that the law students were there in the gallery to

0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:46.720
<v Speaker 1>watch at least, you know, some part of the proceedings today. Um,

0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.160
<v Speaker 1>you know, it's always an education. I mean, I've got

0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:53.320
<v Speaker 1>on several juries previously, but this is I have never

0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.280
<v Speaker 1>I have never sat on a jury. So that was

0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:59.399
<v Speaker 1>that was actually my first time ever stepping foot into it,

0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:05.440
<v Speaker 1>into a courtroom. It's pretty intimidating. Now, Yeah, yeah, I

0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:09.880
<v Speaker 1>was very formal. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity

0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.320
<v Speaker 1>of the judges though. I mean there were seven of

0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:14.320
<v Speaker 1>them and it was did you see that three of

0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:17.879
<v Speaker 1>those were women and there were several different ethnicities, So

0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.720
<v Speaker 1>that that was that was a positive. Yeah, I mean,

0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:23.399
<v Speaker 1>and like I said, I mean, this case is so

0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:28.280
<v Speaker 1>complicated honestly, Um, you know, we we all believe in

0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:33.760
<v Speaker 1>Darvice's innocence, but in terms of like what the law limits,

0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:38.000
<v Speaker 1>in terms of the arguments that were presented today, UM,

0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.879
<v Speaker 1>I think just puts all of it in a difficult situation,

0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:45.440
<v Speaker 1>and including I think maybe the judges because they can

0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:52.119
<v Speaker 1>only comment on certain parameters of the case. Um, you know,

0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:56.879
<v Speaker 1>and and it's yeah, it's it's very technical, and uh,

0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.320
<v Speaker 1>it's it's it's a hard thing to resolve. Um. I

0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:03.480
<v Speaker 1>mean if this if this thing goes to the federal level,

0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.080
<v Speaker 1>you know, um, you know, well that's the next step,

0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:10.840
<v Speaker 1>isn't it that. I mean, if the if the if

0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:14.240
<v Speaker 1>the opinion comes back and it's not in favor of Jarvish,

0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:17.080
<v Speaker 1>then I mean he's exhausted all of his state appeal,

0:19:17.200 --> 0:19:20.920
<v Speaker 1>so he will be headed to the to the federal level, right,

0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.920
<v Speaker 1>and a whole new team team of attorneys, and it's

0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 1>going to be a whole new move ballet, right, Yeah, exactly,

0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:33.159
<v Speaker 1>And hopefully at that level there will be new sets

0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:37.720
<v Speaker 1>of eyes that can you know, look at this case again,

0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, and and it's hard. I mean, this case

0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:45.800
<v Speaker 1>is is over what almost thirty five years old? Um,

0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:49.480
<v Speaker 1>so yeah, but you know it's not impossible. So keep

0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.880
<v Speaker 1>the faith. I mean, we've heard of some really egregious

0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:57.320
<v Speaker 1>cases where uh, people have been released and people have

0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:02.280
<v Speaker 1>been exonerated after thirty five forty years. This is a

0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:06.119
<v Speaker 1>really great political moment to really shine a spotlight on

0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:16.720
<v Speaker 1>what's going on in our justice system. Dear Governor newsom

0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:19.320
<v Speaker 1>My name is Connie fam and I am a public

0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:23.760
<v Speaker 1>school teacher in southern California. Twenty years ago, when I

0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:27.000
<v Speaker 1>myself was in high school, I read Jarvis J. Master's

0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:31.080
<v Speaker 1>book Finding Freedom, Writings from Death Row. It had a

0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.960
<v Speaker 1>profound impact on me as a young person, a Buddhist

0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:39.440
<v Speaker 1>and an Asian American. It was awe inspiring to see

0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:42.280
<v Speaker 1>an example of how someone who shared my own spiritual

0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:46.359
<v Speaker 1>convictions could live their ideals and craft an amazing life

0:20:46.359 --> 0:20:51.679
<v Speaker 1>of service even under the most tragic of circumstances. Well

0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:54.040
<v Speaker 1>lear me to say this. I'm a lot older than County,

0:20:54.080 --> 0:20:57.639
<v Speaker 1>but I still think Connie is my big shield. It

0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:00.800
<v Speaker 1>kind of stick over me. The power of Ris's books

0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:05.399
<v Speaker 1>lie in the fact that they serve both as mirrors

0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:10.000
<v Speaker 1>into our own lives and as windows into the lives

0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:13.119
<v Speaker 1>of others. I meant her when she was in high school.

0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:17.040
<v Speaker 1>I think Finding Freedom. It just came out and I

0:21:17.080 --> 0:21:19.119
<v Speaker 1>had been outful a while, and she wrote me a

0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:23.879
<v Speaker 1>letter and shared a lot of commitments that I thought

0:21:24.240 --> 0:21:26.880
<v Speaker 1>was inspiring. She wanted to be a teacher, she lived

0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:31.400
<v Speaker 1>in a Buddhist community. I heard the Buddhist in her.

0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:35.040
<v Speaker 1>It was not just words than I heard but a

0:21:35.040 --> 0:21:38.600
<v Speaker 1>commitment to the practice. His writings have helped open a

0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:43.199
<v Speaker 1>whole new world to people, young and old. Governor, I

0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.320
<v Speaker 1>write to you knowing I represent hundreds of school teachers,

0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:50.960
<v Speaker 1>social workers, counselors, and professors from across the country. We

0:21:51.040 --> 0:21:56.720
<v Speaker 1>have read, been inspired and transformed by Jarvis's essays, stories

0:21:56.760 --> 0:21:59.480
<v Speaker 1>and articles, and have gone on to share them with

0:21:59.520 --> 0:22:03.760
<v Speaker 1>our students. This is not someone who's going to, you know,

0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:07.160
<v Speaker 1>find another path in her life. This is someone who's

0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:10.159
<v Speaker 1>going to keep a path she's on, and however it

0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:13.160
<v Speaker 1>brings something new to her, she's gonna be that way.

0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:16.639
<v Speaker 1>Through his personal correspondence to our classrooms and offices, he

0:22:16.680 --> 0:22:20.199
<v Speaker 1>has become a friend, a mentor, and her brother to

0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:24.239
<v Speaker 1>so many people, and through his guidance and compassion, he

0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:28.600
<v Speaker 1>has helped to inform our life's work and dedication to others.

0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:32.840
<v Speaker 1>So we started writing each other and we wrote. We wrote.

0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:37.080
<v Speaker 1>Most times it was not about Buddhism, but a lot

0:22:37.119 --> 0:22:39.560
<v Speaker 1>of times it was about how she deal with certain

0:22:39.600 --> 0:22:43.600
<v Speaker 1>things and how I explained to her what I deal

0:22:43.680 --> 0:22:46.760
<v Speaker 1>with every day. And she thought that was very, very

0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:52.600
<v Speaker 1>powerful because she lives in a community that was more,

0:22:53.840 --> 0:23:00.439
<v Speaker 1>more comfortable, more structured, and when I was in and

0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:03.560
<v Speaker 1>I was on death row, these people visit me. Blah

0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:07.920
<v Speaker 1>blah blah. It's an ongoing travesty that Jarvis spends any

0:23:07.960 --> 0:23:10.280
<v Speaker 1>more time in prison for a crime that he did

0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:15.280
<v Speaker 1>not commit. I believe in Jarvis's innocence not because I

0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:20.560
<v Speaker 1>was physically present at San Quatin in when Sergeant Halbert

0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:25.040
<v Speaker 1>Field tragically lost his life. I believe in him because

0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:28.720
<v Speaker 1>of what my lived experience tells me that anyone who

0:23:28.760 --> 0:23:32.320
<v Speaker 1>can muster the courage and clarity of mind to precisely

0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:35.720
<v Speaker 1>articulate suffering and redemption in the way that Jarvis does,

0:23:36.520 --> 0:23:42.080
<v Speaker 1>cannot also falsify their innocence. But she stated in the background,

0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:47.120
<v Speaker 1>you know and really really became my big sister over

0:23:47.240 --> 0:23:50.680
<v Speaker 1>the years, and actually have a feel good calling that

0:23:50.880 --> 0:23:55.840
<v Speaker 1>you know, Governor and issuing your moratorium. You have gone

0:23:55.840 --> 0:24:00.960
<v Speaker 1>on record stating there are innocent people on death row. Well,

0:24:01.560 --> 0:24:04.240
<v Speaker 1>Jarvis is one of them, and I urge your office

0:24:04.280 --> 0:24:08.240
<v Speaker 1>to closely examine his case as soon as possible. On

0:24:08.320 --> 0:24:11.800
<v Speaker 1>behalf of my friend Jarvis and in faith and solidarity,

0:24:12.280 --> 0:24:18.040
<v Speaker 1>Connie fam Jarvis has been very transparent about the fact

0:24:18.080 --> 0:24:20.280
<v Speaker 1>that he is a much different man now than when

0:24:20.280 --> 0:24:22.480
<v Speaker 1>he first walked through the gates of San Quentin in

0:24:22.600 --> 0:24:26.080
<v Speaker 1>nineteen one. He was on a fast track to prison

0:24:26.160 --> 0:24:29.200
<v Speaker 1>from the moment he left the womb. By his late teens,

0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:31.800
<v Speaker 1>he was bitter and angry, had a chip on his shoulder,

0:24:32.160 --> 0:24:35.440
<v Speaker 1>and he made many ill conceived choices that eventually landed

0:24:35.480 --> 0:24:39.960
<v Speaker 1>him in prison. Next week, as we anxiously await the

0:24:40.000 --> 0:24:43.359
<v Speaker 1>opinion from today's habeas hearing, we'll learn about those crimes

0:24:43.359 --> 0:24:45.720
<v Speaker 1>as Jarvis reflects on that dark time in his life,

0:24:46.000 --> 0:24:48.760
<v Speaker 1>whether he has any regrets, and how he was able

0:24:48.800 --> 0:24:53.879
<v Speaker 1>to make such a dramatic transformation. Today's episode was written

0:24:53.880 --> 0:24:57.600
<v Speaker 1>and produced by Donna Fazzari and myself Corny Cole. Our

0:24:57.680 --> 0:25:01.520
<v Speaker 1>theme song sentenced his compliments of the band stick Figure

0:25:01.720 --> 0:25:06.320
<v Speaker 1>from their album Set in Stone. Stu Sternbach has composed

0:25:06.320 --> 0:25:09.320
<v Speaker 1>of the original music and provided voice work for this episode.

0:25:09.800 --> 0:25:12.600
<v Speaker 1>Special thanks also to Sue Cardon and Tim Carton for

0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:16.640
<v Speaker 1>their voice work. Nate Defort did the sound design. Visit

0:25:16.720 --> 0:25:19.600
<v Speaker 1>free Jarvis dot org to find out more about Jarvis's

0:25:19.600 --> 0:25:21.760
<v Speaker 1>case and to sign your name to our dear Governor

0:25:21.840 --> 0:25:24.919
<v Speaker 1>newsom petition and if you have questions for Jarvis, please

0:25:25.000 --> 0:25:27.840
<v Speaker 1>leave a message on our hotline at two zero one

0:25:28.200 --> 0:25:32.040
<v Speaker 1>nine zero three thirty five seventy five. That's two zero

0:25:32.119 --> 0:25:36.399
<v Speaker 1>one nine zero three thirty five seventy five. Dear Governor.

0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:39.160
<v Speaker 1>Newsom is a production of I Heart Media and three

0:25:39.200 --> 0:25:42.840
<v Speaker 1>Months Media. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit

0:25:42.880 --> 0:25:46.639
<v Speaker 1>the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:25:46.720 --> 0:25:48.160
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows,