Friends of Justice

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Dear Friend of Justice,

The full-length documentary movie about the Baran case is now available through Amazon Instant Video.

You may rent the movie for $2.99 or purchase it for $9.99.

You must download a special player from Amazon to watch the movie. There is no additional charge. But you can’t copy the movie to a DVD and view it on a standard DVD player.

The doumentary contains some powerful footage, especially of Baran and his family. I’m most interested in hearing your reactions.

-Bob Chatelle

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Dear Friend of Justice,

On April 17, 2012, Bernard Baran and his attorney, John Swomley, visited a criminal justice class at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.

Here is a link to the video.

An unscrupulous prosecutor rode a wave of homophobic hysteria to get his career-advancing conviction. (Disgracefully, he is still a judge in Massachusetts.) Baran, an innocent man arrested when only 19, survived 22 years of rapes, beatings, and degradation. The Berkshire County still refuses to acknowledge the terrible mistakes that they made.

-Bob Chatelle

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Dear Friend of Justice,

Michigan and Northwestern Law Schools have just created an online registry of exonerations since 1989.

Initially, 891 cases have been put online. One of them is the case of ny dear friend, Bernard Baran — the first case sponsored by the National Center for Reason and Justice.

Here is the link.

-Bob Chatelle

 

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http://www.newenglandinnocence.org/2011/neip-hosts-first-annual-exoneree-picnic/

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photo: jim d’entremont

Yesterday Bernard Baran came by and took Jim and me to lunch. Afterwards, we hung out for a while in the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden, where Jim took this photo.

Bee has had some terrible health problems over the past couple of years. He’s lost too much weight.

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Dear Friend of Justice,

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Dear Friend of Justice,

Thought you might like to see this slide show at The Nation‘s  web site.

The National Center for Reason and Justice (the group that got Baran out of prison) is featured in slide number two. It has a photo of Bee taken shortly before his arrest.

http://www.thenation.com/slideshow/157189/slide-show-katha-pollitts-holiday-giving-guide-nation-readers

-Bob Chatelle

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Dear Friend of Justice,

Film maker Daniel Alexander will be interviewed about his movie, Freeing Bernie Baran, this evening on Austin Texas radio station KOOP at 6 p.m. Central Daylight Time, 7 p.m. Eastern.

The movie will premier at the Austin Gay/Lesbian film festival on September 11.

I will be listening live. Please join me by clicking here.

-Bob Chatelle

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Dear Friend of Justice,

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Reverend John M. Swomley, father of Bernard Baran’s lawyer, John G. Swomley. I never met the elder Swomley, but I know that his values were deeply instilled into his son, who achieved the exoneration of Baran and has fought for justice and civil liberties on so many fronts.

Here is an obituary of a most remarkable man: http://forusa.org/blogs/ethan-vesely-flad/john-swomley-leader-dies-95

-Bob Chatelle

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Dear Friend of Justice,

This morning I received the sad news that Robert Aitken, an eminent Buddhist teacher and scholar, had died at the age of 93.

http://robertaitken.blogspot.com/2010/08/goodbye-dad-grandfather-papa-friend.html

Roshi was a true friend of justice, as is his son, Tom. They contacted me many years ago after learning about the case of Bernard Baran from Katha Pollitt’s first column in The Nation. Both contributed financially to Baran’s cause and spread the word about this great injustice. Roshi also regularly corresponded with Baran while he was still behind bars.

Roshi also sent Baran many of his wonderful books. Some were passed on to me and I treasure them.

-Bob Chatelle