Dateline: April 18, 2008
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Yesterday, I wrote about the 1974 photo of the young Charlie and Chrissy Norman in Atlanta, and all that I'd lost. Not just myself, though, my family lost much, too. When you come to prison for life, you take your family with you, and they suffer through your imprisonment. Chrissy came out better, she remarried some sort of doctor, and had the one son she always wanted, and I hope she is happy. She was one of the innocents, and paid a painful price for loving me.
I'll be mentioning Chrissy in the future, she'll be in the book, for sure, and her late brother, Bruce Wilkinson, who plays a prominent role in my case. A more in-depth account of Bruce Wilkinson can be found on the web site, http://www.freecharlienow.com/ under the "Case Facts" tab.
I wanted to mention Ron Slinker, who died March 28, 2008, my former partner and associate in TPD and Martial Arts Institute, a true one-of-a-kind, one of the baddest boys who ever walked the streets of Tampa. We went back to 1971, at the TPD Academy, and went forward to 1978, when both our lives had been irrevocably changed.
I am writing about Ron in some of my non-fiction accounts, one of them is "Killer Cops," where I tell the story of watching the young black teenager bleed to death in the Tampa General Hospital emergency room, who Ron had shot in the back of the head while running from Jesse Harp's Gun Store on Cass Street. That incident had a great effect on Ron Slinker and me both, and it needs to be told.
He's dead now, too, and I am still alive, against all odds. May I live long enough to breathe the air of freedom. I hope you will help me. Thanks.
Charlie
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: Thursday, April 17, 2008
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Some things have been happening lately that caused me to do a lot of thinking about the past, my life, & some of the people in it.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Daniel Faulkner, sent me a copy of a photo he took in Atlanta in 1974. It was a picture of a 24 year old Charlie Norman with his wife, Chriselle Wilkinson Norman, 22 years old at the time. I'm writing that as from the third person because I'm so far removed now from that fellow that I had to look at the photo again to recognize it as myself.
Dan & I went to the University of South Florida together in the 1970's, & were involved in Martial Arts Institute, Inc., a taekwondo school on Busch Boulevard in Tampa. A number of us had gone to Atlanta to represent our school & attend Joe Corley's "Battle of Atlanta" karate tournament at the Georgia Tech Coliseum. I was on the board of directors of MAI, Inc., the treasurer, in charge of personnel, & one of my reasons for going there was to hire some black belt instructors for the chain of karate schools we were opening. That's where I met & became friends with Chuck Norris, Texas karate mogul, Allen Steen, some of the stars of the movie, "Enter The Dragon," (Bruce Lee was dead by then), & several other highly-ranked martial arts stars.
I see that young guy in the tailored suit, with his beautiful wife, by his Mazda rotary engine car, successful & fairly happy, smiling, & it hit me how much I've lost these past 34 years: everything but my corporeal life, & that was what they all wanted to take from me. I am the ghost looking back at the past, wondering where time went so quickly.
Dan does much of the work on the Free Charlie Now web site, & perhaps he'll post that photo so you can take a look at it. When I see that photo, & look in the mirror, I wonder if certain people who have abused their power for their own ambition & political gain realize how badly wrongfully convicting someone of a murder they did not commit can damage & destroy so many innocent lives. The ripples are far-reaching, & continue on.
Charlie
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Some things have been happening lately that caused me to do a lot of thinking about the past, my life, & some of the people in it.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Daniel Faulkner, sent me a copy of a photo he took in Atlanta in 1974. It was a picture of a 24 year old Charlie Norman with his wife, Chriselle Wilkinson Norman, 22 years old at the time. I'm writing that as from the third person because I'm so far removed now from that fellow that I had to look at the photo again to recognize it as myself.
Dan & I went to the University of South Florida together in the 1970's, & were involved in Martial Arts Institute, Inc., a taekwondo school on Busch Boulevard in Tampa. A number of us had gone to Atlanta to represent our school & attend Joe Corley's "Battle of Atlanta" karate tournament at the Georgia Tech Coliseum. I was on the board of directors of MAI, Inc., the treasurer, in charge of personnel, & one of my reasons for going there was to hire some black belt instructors for the chain of karate schools we were opening. That's where I met & became friends with Chuck Norris, Texas karate mogul, Allen Steen, some of the stars of the movie, "Enter The Dragon," (Bruce Lee was dead by then), & several other highly-ranked martial arts stars.
I see that young guy in the tailored suit, with his beautiful wife, by his Mazda rotary engine car, successful & fairly happy, smiling, & it hit me how much I've lost these past 34 years: everything but my corporeal life, & that was what they all wanted to take from me. I am the ghost looking back at the past, wondering where time went so quickly.
Dan does much of the work on the Free Charlie Now web site, & perhaps he'll post that photo so you can take a look at it. When I see that photo, & look in the mirror, I wonder if certain people who have abused their power for their own ambition & political gain realize how badly wrongfully convicting someone of a murder they did not commit can damage & destroy so many innocent lives. The ripples are far-reaching, & continue on.
Charlie
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
I've heard that some of the top CFO's & billionaires like Mark Cuban & Bill Gates get up early in the morning & spend hours reading & answering their e-mail. I'm in a little different situation, without a laptop, no wi-fi, no Starbucks or hotspots; you think "dial-up" is slow! - you ought to try prison! I totally rely on my dear friend, Libby, the President of The Norman Partnership, Inc., to check my e-mail, relay the messages to me, & send back my responses.
On a "typical" blog, I suppose the blogger would check the responses, & then make comments right then. Instant access. Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Tribune does a newspaper column that reprints & comments on some of the entries readers have made. Are you googling your name, Mr. Daniel Ruth? If so, it will lead you right here, like Hansel & Gretel's bread crumbs. If Mark Ober & Norman Cannella google their names, they're probably going to be pretty upset with me, & want my head on a platter, but come on, guys, haven't you had your turn? You did your best to strap me in the electric chair, Old Sparky, & would probably have enjoyed pulling the switch.
Most likely, Mark delegates his googling to his protege, Pam Bondi, who loves dogs. Mark is grooming her for greater things, though. My sources in the state attorney's office say that Mark has someone to do all that internet & computer search stuff for him, so he can go fishing.
They say that the best route to internet success is to mention Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce, & the Pussycat Dolls on WWE, but I'm not going to resort to such trickery. I'll try to maintain my focus on the fact of an innocent man in prison for over thirty years, desperate to be vindicated, no hard feelings.
I look forward to your comments & suggestions. You can also click on e-mail at the web site, http://www.freecharlienow.com/ . There may be a delay of a day or three in response, but I will diligently answer your questions. Thanks.
Charlie
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
I've heard that some of the top CFO's & billionaires like Mark Cuban & Bill Gates get up early in the morning & spend hours reading & answering their e-mail. I'm in a little different situation, without a laptop, no wi-fi, no Starbucks or hotspots; you think "dial-up" is slow! - you ought to try prison! I totally rely on my dear friend, Libby, the President of The Norman Partnership, Inc., to check my e-mail, relay the messages to me, & send back my responses.
On a "typical" blog, I suppose the blogger would check the responses, & then make comments right then. Instant access. Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Tribune does a newspaper column that reprints & comments on some of the entries readers have made. Are you googling your name, Mr. Daniel Ruth? If so, it will lead you right here, like Hansel & Gretel's bread crumbs. If Mark Ober & Norman Cannella google their names, they're probably going to be pretty upset with me, & want my head on a platter, but come on, guys, haven't you had your turn? You did your best to strap me in the electric chair, Old Sparky, & would probably have enjoyed pulling the switch.
Most likely, Mark delegates his googling to his protege, Pam Bondi, who loves dogs. Mark is grooming her for greater things, though. My sources in the state attorney's office say that Mark has someone to do all that internet & computer search stuff for him, so he can go fishing.
They say that the best route to internet success is to mention Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce, & the Pussycat Dolls on WWE, but I'm not going to resort to such trickery. I'll try to maintain my focus on the fact of an innocent man in prison for over thirty years, desperate to be vindicated, no hard feelings.
I look forward to your comments & suggestions. You can also click on e-mail at the web site, http://www.freecharlienow.com/ . There may be a delay of a day or three in response, but I will diligently answer your questions. Thanks.
Charlie
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Location: Deep inside a prison cell in Florida
I've been told that blogs should just be a couple paragraphs long, so that thousands of people will read them, post comments, catch on fire in cyberspace, tell all their friends about it, click on the "donate" button, & do like Barack Obama's supporters, send millions of dollars for the freedom campaign, raise the hue & cry, petition Governor Charlie Crist, Alex Sink, Bill McCollum, & Charles Bronson to sign the papers & kick me out of here.
So that's what I'm going to do - give you two paragraphs & shut up. "The Norman Partnership, Inc.," a Florida not-for-profit corporation, is spearheading the efforts to educate the public on the issue of wrongful conviction, & I am their first poster child. There will be more. This has been an incredible educational experience for me already, & as we prepare the first "online clemency application," I pray that you will sign up, join with us, go to the web site, & FREE CHARLIE NOW! Thanks, & good night.
Charlie Norman
Location: Deep inside a prison cell in Florida
I've been told that blogs should just be a couple paragraphs long, so that thousands of people will read them, post comments, catch on fire in cyberspace, tell all their friends about it, click on the "donate" button, & do like Barack Obama's supporters, send millions of dollars for the freedom campaign, raise the hue & cry, petition Governor Charlie Crist, Alex Sink, Bill McCollum, & Charles Bronson to sign the papers & kick me out of here.
So that's what I'm going to do - give you two paragraphs & shut up. "The Norman Partnership, Inc.," a Florida not-for-profit corporation, is spearheading the efforts to educate the public on the issue of wrongful conviction, & I am their first poster child. There will be more. This has been an incredible educational experience for me already, & as we prepare the first "online clemency application," I pray that you will sign up, join with us, go to the web site, & FREE CHARLIE NOW! Thanks, & good night.
Charlie Norman
Sunday, April 20, 2008
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: Monday, April 14, 2008
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Yesterday, I spoke about the national writing award from the PEN American Center in NYC. They have some great people associated with PEN - it used to stand for Poets, Essayists & Novelists - I know very few of them now; that's the price you pay for outliving others' expectations, I suppose. Larry McMurtry, Joyce Carol Oates, E.L. Doctorow, the late Arthur Miller, and Salman Rushdie were once prominent, but I don't see their names anymore. Bit the ones important to me are Bell Chevigny, Jackson Taylor, Susan Yankowitz, William Brantley, and the late, great Fielding Dawson, all mentors and encouragers.
The incongruity is that so many prisoners are illiterate, can't read or write, that most people who know are amazed that anyone in prison can tie ten words together in a sentence. The inability to read and write bodes ill for our society. These people must get jobs and support poverty-stricken families oftentimes as soon as they are released, and with no education, what kind of job can they get?
Time and time again the guards have posted memos, I'd be reading them, and someone would ask, "What does it say, Norman?" I'd move out of the way so they could read it. "I don't have my glasses," is a common excuse to alleviate the shame of prison illiteracy.
I have written thousands of letters for fellow prisoners over the years. Most don't even know how to compose a simple letter. I ask them, "Just tell me what you want to say, and I'll put it together for you." "Mama, how are you, can you send me some money, when are you coming to see me, can you bring my children?" Much of it is heartbreaking, much of it is pitiful.
People in society shouldn't fear most of the people in prison -- they fear the people in society even more. These are the ones who sat in the back of the class in school, who never raised their hands, who skipped, who had undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities and mental illnesses, who can't hold a job, so they steal, and not very well.
It is in the interest of society to teach these prisoners to read and write stories and poems, enter and win literary competitions, watch the news, take an interest in the world, become law-abiding members of that same society.
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Yesterday, I spoke about the national writing award from the PEN American Center in NYC. They have some great people associated with PEN - it used to stand for Poets, Essayists & Novelists - I know very few of them now; that's the price you pay for outliving others' expectations, I suppose. Larry McMurtry, Joyce Carol Oates, E.L. Doctorow, the late Arthur Miller, and Salman Rushdie were once prominent, but I don't see their names anymore. Bit the ones important to me are Bell Chevigny, Jackson Taylor, Susan Yankowitz, William Brantley, and the late, great Fielding Dawson, all mentors and encouragers.
The incongruity is that so many prisoners are illiterate, can't read or write, that most people who know are amazed that anyone in prison can tie ten words together in a sentence. The inability to read and write bodes ill for our society. These people must get jobs and support poverty-stricken families oftentimes as soon as they are released, and with no education, what kind of job can they get?
Time and time again the guards have posted memos, I'd be reading them, and someone would ask, "What does it say, Norman?" I'd move out of the way so they could read it. "I don't have my glasses," is a common excuse to alleviate the shame of prison illiteracy.
I have written thousands of letters for fellow prisoners over the years. Most don't even know how to compose a simple letter. I ask them, "Just tell me what you want to say, and I'll put it together for you." "Mama, how are you, can you send me some money, when are you coming to see me, can you bring my children?" Much of it is heartbreaking, much of it is pitiful.
People in society shouldn't fear most of the people in prison -- they fear the people in society even more. These are the ones who sat in the back of the class in school, who never raised their hands, who skipped, who had undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities and mental illnesses, who can't hold a job, so they steal, and not very well.
It is in the interest of society to teach these prisoners to read and write stories and poems, enter and win literary competitions, watch the news, take an interest in the world, become law-abiding members of that same society.
Friday, April 18, 2008
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: April 13, 2008
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
A couple weeks ago, I got a nice letter from the "PEN American Center" in New York City, notifying me that I'd won a national writing award, first place, for the memoir, "Fighting the Ninja," a heavy look at HIV and AIDS in prison. That's a great honor, to have intelligent, decent, educated people in New York judge my writing, and proclaim it the best in the nation. I thank them for their generosity and perception.
I don't have HIV or AIDS. I'm clean. No hepatitis, no tuberculosis, no communicable diseases. Considering the cesspool that is prison, you might think that's amazing, unless you know me. Numerous times over the years people have asked me, since I'm a prisoner serving life, they've heard all the stories about those showers, "Have you ever, uh..., you know,...uh,...?" and the answer is no. I tell them, I'm a rare bird in prison, I'm old-fashioned, I'm what they call a heterosexual, I like women, I don't like men, they don't interest me. i don't consider barnyard animals as suitable companions, either, though I've heard tell that some do.
When I wrote "Fighting the Ninja" last year, I sent a copy to my Aunt Alice in Tampa, and asked her what she thought of it. She gave me a one-word review, "Horrible!" I loved it, best review I could ask for. If you haven't read it, it's on the website, www.freecharlienow.com. Check it out, let me know what you think. AIDS in prison is an expensive proposition. and it's only going to get worse. I have some ideas about that, too.
Location: deep inside a prison cell in Florida
A couple weeks ago, I got a nice letter from the "PEN American Center" in New York City, notifying me that I'd won a national writing award, first place, for the memoir, "Fighting the Ninja," a heavy look at HIV and AIDS in prison. That's a great honor, to have intelligent, decent, educated people in New York judge my writing, and proclaim it the best in the nation. I thank them for their generosity and perception.
I don't have HIV or AIDS. I'm clean. No hepatitis, no tuberculosis, no communicable diseases. Considering the cesspool that is prison, you might think that's amazing, unless you know me. Numerous times over the years people have asked me, since I'm a prisoner serving life, they've heard all the stories about those showers, "Have you ever, uh..., you know,...uh,...?" and the answer is no. I tell them, I'm a rare bird in prison, I'm old-fashioned, I'm what they call a heterosexual, I like women, I don't like men, they don't interest me. i don't consider barnyard animals as suitable companions, either, though I've heard tell that some do.
When I wrote "Fighting the Ninja" last year, I sent a copy to my Aunt Alice in Tampa, and asked her what she thought of it. She gave me a one-word review, "Horrible!" I loved it, best review I could ask for. If you haven't read it, it's on the website, www.freecharlienow.com. Check it out, let me know what you think. AIDS in prison is an expensive proposition. and it's only going to get worse. I have some ideas about that, too.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
COMMUNIQUES FROM A DEAD MAN
Dateline: April 12, 2008 Location: Deep inside a prison cell in Florida
Do you think the title, "Communiques From a Dead Man,' is too morbid for a blog? Or does it fit? If you read the first one, April 5th, you'll probably understand my thinking process, but since this isn't meant to be "Aunt Delilah's Southern Cooking Recipe Blog," perhaps you'll indulge my quest for the dramatic.
Which is worse, life or death? I admire the Abe Bonowitz anti-death penalty folks who go to the executions with their signs and tirelessly lobby to abolish capital punishment, but when you are serving "life in prison," you develop a different mindset.
What was that Oklahoma City bomber's name? Timothy McVeigh. A real idiot. 167 counts of premeditated murder. It would be hard to find a better poster boy for the death penalty, hanging, firing squad, electrocution, stoning, whatever your cultural choice. But there was another argument against giving McVeigh the death penalty - it was too good for him. Why should he enjoy a quick death and release from his punishment when we could put him in a concrete cell, never to get out, to grow old and sick and decrepit, to be alone with his conscience, to reflect on his crimes, to eat prison food forever, or until he dries up and dies, an empty husk of a man. That would be a far worse punishment than a quick, painless death.
Those people are right. I've known a lot of men who have served twenty, thirty, forty years and more - some are still serving time with little hope of getting out. Most of those men have been dead for years - they just keep walking around, eating, sleeping, existing, turning inward. After a time, in many cases, it would be better for society if they didn't get out, but according to statistics, 98% will one day.
So many people have been wrongfully prosecuted and convicted and later cleared, thanks mostly to DNA tests, that the anti-death penalty advocates' point is clear - it is a great societal wrong to kill an innocent man, so keep them alive just in case. As for me, I believe it is a grave societal wrong to keep an innocent man in prison for life, present company included. What do you think?
Do you think the title, "Communiques From a Dead Man,' is too morbid for a blog? Or does it fit? If you read the first one, April 5th, you'll probably understand my thinking process, but since this isn't meant to be "Aunt Delilah's Southern Cooking Recipe Blog," perhaps you'll indulge my quest for the dramatic.
Which is worse, life or death? I admire the Abe Bonowitz anti-death penalty folks who go to the executions with their signs and tirelessly lobby to abolish capital punishment, but when you are serving "life in prison," you develop a different mindset.
What was that Oklahoma City bomber's name? Timothy McVeigh. A real idiot. 167 counts of premeditated murder. It would be hard to find a better poster boy for the death penalty, hanging, firing squad, electrocution, stoning, whatever your cultural choice. But there was another argument against giving McVeigh the death penalty - it was too good for him. Why should he enjoy a quick death and release from his punishment when we could put him in a concrete cell, never to get out, to grow old and sick and decrepit, to be alone with his conscience, to reflect on his crimes, to eat prison food forever, or until he dries up and dies, an empty husk of a man. That would be a far worse punishment than a quick, painless death.
Those people are right. I've known a lot of men who have served twenty, thirty, forty years and more - some are still serving time with little hope of getting out. Most of those men have been dead for years - they just keep walking around, eating, sleeping, existing, turning inward. After a time, in many cases, it would be better for society if they didn't get out, but according to statistics, 98% will one day.
So many people have been wrongfully prosecuted and convicted and later cleared, thanks mostly to DNA tests, that the anti-death penalty advocates' point is clear - it is a great societal wrong to kill an innocent man, so keep them alive just in case. As for me, I believe it is a grave societal wrong to keep an innocent man in prison for life, present company included. What do you think?
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