To Whom It May Concern:
After reading materials available via the web site The Injustice Must End (TIME) http://4efren.com and recent news articles heavily biased against Efren Paredes Jr., I write this letter with great concern about his unjust incarceration. I fully support and adamantly urge that Mr. Paredes, Jr.’s sentence be commuted.
I graduated high school (1992) in DeWitt, Michigan, a predominantly White community once farmed by German immigrants including my mother’s family. Due to the State of Michigan’s Tuition Incentive Program, I was able to afford being a student at Lansing Community College. Also, I am an alumnus of Michigan State University twice over: a B.A. in Linguistics (1999, with honor) and an M.A. in Critical Studies in Literacy and Pedagogy (2006).
I present these details about my educational history to explain that I attended school with people typically more affluent than myself in a community where few people of color lived. Most people of color in my area arrived seasonally as field workers, and I did not see them from a working-class street on which I lived. By far and large, their laboring bodies where invisible to community members. This background greatly influenced my path as an educator as I came to understand White privilege: how privilege is conferred according to perceptions of race and is reinforced by institutions such as education. (For an in-depth look at race and White privilege, see this 1999 article from Multicultural Education.)
But White privilege harms our society as a whole by treating communities with mostly White people as privileged and treating communities with mostly people of color as harmful. In other words, presently and historically, people of color have been treated as harmful while White people have been treated as privileged. Educator Jonathan Kozol (see a brief biography) documents disparities based on economics in U.S. school systems, and these economic segregations follow divisions of racial demographics (see article “Overcoming Apartheid”). In the state of Michigan, we find the same inequities, the most obvious travesty found in Detroit schools.
After reading the 24-page Case History made available from the web site http://4efren.com alongside recent news articles about Mr. Paredes, Jr.’s possible commutation, I recognize the insidious work of White privilege and am outraged at the harm done to all of us. Furthermore, the child who Mr. Paredes, Jr. was is now a man; he is a person locked behind bars for more years than he was that child raised by his family.
The Case History and irresponsible media coverage remind me that my light-colored skin as a person of color who grew up in a White family in a White community has afforded me many opportunities. But White privilege is harmful, period, as seen in Efren’s life, evidenced clearly by his treatment as a person with dark-colored skin who grew up in a Latino family among the White police officers and the 11 out of 12 White jurors involved his case.
My years teaching at MSU with a focus on diversity and White privilege taught me an important lesson: how language and imagery in public spaces, including the criminal justice system and the media, too often reinforce racism as an ideology and reality. I witnessed racist ideology in practice during years of educational work with non-profit organizations serving children and adults; native English speakers and learners; US native-born and naturalized citizens; refugees and immigrants. And so far in the case of Mr. Paredes, Jr., I witness racism overwhelmingly trumping truth.
But now there is hope for truth to triumph. The possible commutation of Mr. Paredes, Jr. is an opportunity to restore justice, not only to this incarcerated child-become-man but also to our communities. Taking a stand for truth will not dishonor murder victim Rick Tetzlaff, though his survivors convey as much according to recent news articles. Rather, Mr. Tetzlaff’s memory is not honored through the unjust incarceration of a child-become-man. No one is honored by injustice.
Sincerely,
Melissa Dey Hasbrook
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Breaking the Silence is a series of essays by Melissa Dey Hasbrook. The series’ concept is explained here: What Do You Think?.
Post updated: 28 January 2009.
Open Letter for Efren Paredes, Jr. by Melissa Dey Hasbrook is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
As a “teacher” if find it interesting that you are making a case based on racial issue rather than the evidence presented during the trial in 1989. I went to school with Efren, and my wife attended the trial everyday. It appalls me that an educator is not more careful about what they advocate for based on a website clearly devoted to getting Efren’s freedom at the cost of justice for Richard Tetzlaff. Regardless of race, where is the remorse for Rick’s children? Do you care, or does the fact that he is white remove you from caring? How was Rick privileged? He was the assistant manager of a small grocery store in a small town. I can see how you would cling to race as the reason for Efren’s incarceration, since you did not know him. He was well liked in school, not a victim of prejudice. The issue is Efren began running with a bad crowd, and as a leader, became the focal point of poor decision making. Efren was always larger than life, and could not accept mediocrity, but that coupled with bad friends ultimately drove him to prove himself to these friends. As a result, the only person with a connection to Vineland, the only person who knew the victim (who happened to be his boss), the person who lived at the location the money was recovered from, the person who’s finger prints were located on a case drawer he did not have access to, the person was the leader of the 8-ball Posse. These are the facts you won’t read about on his parents website. These are the things they want you to forget about. The will make villains out of his friends but Efren was there leader. How different do you think he was from his friends? How blind do you have to be to only see the world in Black & White?
Mr. Michael Wojcik of Valparaiso, Indiana:
I see you spent yesterday writing against the commutation of Efren Paredes, Jr. with similar comments on Pardon Power and Topix.com.
Despite the rhetorical nature of your questions about my letter, I am working on a thorough response. Meanwhile, I wonder about your connection to this case, to Efren Paredes, to Richard Tetzlaff.
You mention being a classmate of Efren’s. It does not sound like you two were friends. What was the nature of your relationship?
Also you mention that your wife attended Efren’s trial every day. Was Mr. Tetzlaff a relative or friend of hers? There must be a compelling reason for her to attend a murder trial every day.
Thanks for being transparent in our exchange, as I have attempted to do in my open letter.
HTML Updated: 28 January 2008.
Mr. Wojcik, fellow alumnus of Michigan State University, here are my replies to your questions:
Q1: Regardless of race, where is the remorse for Rick’s children?
I must ask, where do you find me lacking remorse for Rick? As I wrote in my letter, no one is honored by injustice.
Q2: Do you care, or does the fact that he is white remove you from caring?
Yes I care that violence was — and is being — done. I say this as a survivor of violence with too many loved ones who also are survivors. Race doesn’t gauge my empathy either, but being aware of how racism works in institutions is essential for my survival and the health of our communities.
Q3: How was Rick privileged?
Notice that in my letter, I address the institutional nature of racism and White privilege. We live in a society made up of institutions like education, the media, and the criminal justice system. Even when as individuals we are violated by violence, we are not exempt from the workings of racism and White privilege.
Q4: How different do you think he [Efren] was from his friends?
The 24-page Case History available on http://www.4efren.com details that Efren was not friends with those involved in Rick’s murder. In particular, Steve Miller is mentioned as someone Efren didn’t get along with. The history also mentions that Steve Miller has a history of drug dealing and assault, which was not addressed at Efren’s trial though the prosecutor relied upon Miller’s testimony.
Q5: How blind do you have to be to only see the world in Black & White?
If I were blind, I would not see colors. I counter that it is not me who is “seeing” in “Black & White.” In actuality, I never use the word “black” in my letter.
HTML Updated: 28 January 2009.