Notes from a talk by an acquitted death row inmate

Last Tuesday, when I heard from my lovely friend Laura that her class was invited to attend a talk by a Floridan who had spent several years on death row and, 15 hours prior to his scheduled execution, had been acquitted based on DNA evidence, I knew that was an opportunity most people would never have. I got the information from her that night and decided that if I made the trek, found the church basement where the talk was being help, and simply sat down, nobody would notice. That's exactly what happen: ni vu, ni connu. What follows are a few point form notes I took of things he said that I found particularly striking during his talk. He went by Bob, but I can't find his full name right now...

-When someone commits an atrocious crime, epecially against someone close to you, it would be wierd if you didn't want to strangle them. (Of course, though, Bob was strongly opposed to the death penalty.)

-He spent 15 years in isolation, only ever having human contact with his guard!

-Because there's nothing to see in your 5 x 6 cell, you develop a great sense of hearing: at night, you can hear a little noise and know that the guy 5 cells over is hanging himself. In the morning you find out you're right.

-You have to find the strenght to rise above the dehumanization and tell yourself: "I'm not going to take my life. I'm not abnormal."

-"When people see me they don't know who I am or what I've been through beause I always have a smile on my face."

-2 days before your execution, you're moved to a special cell for the presidential treatment: you get to hear the chair being tested twice a day: zzzzzzzzzzzzzap! zzzzzzzzap! A civilian also comes in to measure you, like an inanimate object, to make something for your corspe to wear.

-During your time of presidential treatment, there is also a lieutenant there 24/7 to ensure you don't deny the State the right to kill you by doing it yourself.

-When he was finally released, he thought it was a trap and that someone would shoot him, claiming he was trying to escape.

-After being released, it took him 3 weeks before he could strap a seatbelt around himself.

-The first thing he wanted upon his release was a glass of ice water (they only get lukewarm water in prison).

-It took him 8 yrs to find a job because of 15-year gap in his resumé. One employer said he didn't meet the requirement of not having been convicted in the last 5 years. He now works at the Covenant House here in DC.

-He is afraid that one day all his emotions erupt and only hopes to be alone if it happens.

-All he wants from the state is an apology. He turned down a $10 million settlement agreement they offered him instead.

-He found his emotions were the same as those written about by a man who was in a Nazi concentration camp.

-His brother needed a kindney transplant and they couldn't find a match other than Bob's. However, Bob was first denied permission to go to the hospital and donate his kidney because it was too far away. His brother then moved to the hospital used by the prisoners, but they still would not allow him to leave the prison. 8 days later, his brother died.

-Of his work at the Covenant House, he said that most people have issues, but that if we had been through what they went through, we would have issues too.

-When back in Florida for the first time since his release to give a talk at a university, the prosecutor's daughter and son organized a protest. He "gave them a spanking" during the question period of his talk.

To end on a funny note:
-When talking about where the Covenant House is active, he mentioned the USA, Honduras, and "two other Latin American countries: Mexico and Canada."