By Stanley Howard
I’m sending the Open Letter from Dixon Correctional in Illinois to all the Mothers (and Fathers) of the Movement.
I remember calling home from Area 2 police station in Chicago to tell my mom what happened to me. I was arrested, beaten, and tortured into signing a false confession to crimes I did not commit.
On that unforgettable day, November 3, 1984, my quiet, docile Mother and Father (Jeanette Johnson and William Travis) were immediately transformed into warriors—Mr. & Mrs. Oh-No-You-Didn’t do that to my child. They took the fight for justice on my behalf to City Hall, the F.B.I., and the courts and even refinanced the house just to 
get a lawyer.
There was no playbook for them to follow but that didn’t stop them because they were two warriors on a warpath and were willing to do battle on any battlefield. Their passion for justice was super-intensified after I was sentenced to death and the discovery that a host of other men were tortured by this same group of crook cops—ten of us landed on Death Row.
Then came “The Death Row 10 Campaign” (25 years ago) and our first protest on September 12, 1998, in front of Police Headquarters which drew a huge crowd and officially took the fight to The Streets & The People.
They were now a part of a small cavalry of other Fierce Fighters whose sons were also tortured and sent to Death Row (Louva Bell-Mother of Ronald Kitchen, Castella Cannon-Frank Bounds, Juanita Rhymes-Derrick King, Joanne Patterson-Aaron Patterson, along with the Ultimate Fighter Mary L. Johnson-Michael “Dice” Johnson).
These Trailblazers stood on the frontlines and helped to expose the Jon Burge torture scandal—one of the largest police corruption scandals in U.S. history—and helped to reveal how it was covered up by The Powers-That-Be.
Even though significant progress has been made, it’s sad to know that the fight is not over and the frontlines extend all across the country.
I want to acknowledge and thank all of the Mothers (and Fathers) of the Movement who picked up the torch and are fighting on the frontlines today. Please know that I cannot wait to get out of prison and join the fight with you. I love you all!!!
