This Dead Man Walking is not what I thought about it.

When we were “in” the actual group processing, I seemed to think that this was the beginning of that sort of intense processing. It turns out that was it- that was what I thought I was waiting for.

I regret that I took those moments for granted. I had a tense moment with a fellow student who claimed to think that some people deserved to die. I felt the passion, the indignant righteousness in my chest before I even knew what words I would choose, and instead of resting with that feeling, I let it rise to my throat and out my mouth. This is not entirely shocking, if you’ve spent even small amounts of time with me!

I remember reflecting then, that I had just perpetuated a smaller scale version of the Death Penalty dynamic: I tried to deal with another person’s violence with aggression and anger, rather than patience and compassion.

This seems to be the most profound (and astonishingly obvious) reason that the Death Penalty is, as Poncelet’s lawyer says to Sister Prejean, “bunk.” I am reminded of a situation I encountered this summer. My mother and I were Kenya to working and teaching in an orphanage. One day, during the play period. A small child (about 6 or seven years old) pushed a younger child over and the child began to cry. Immediately one of the teachers, and also consequently the Head Master of the school the orphans attended during the week, called the boy who had done the pushing over to him. He took the boy firmly by the arm, and picked up a stick that was laying beside him and put it up the boys shorts. The boys head fell and he began to cry silently, as the man spoke in hushed tones to him.

I went up, and asked, “What are you doing?”

The man’s lips began to quiver….

I will not go further into the story, but when we hear this example it is so obvious that the man was trying to get the boy to not hit younger children through his own act of violence (and how much more powerful he was than the 8 year old to a 6 year old!) We cringe at the story because, when it comes to children, our hearts are so much more tender; we still believe in their humanity, their right to be loved and cared for, respected and taught with compassion.

But somehow, if the child is 18 years old, he no longer deserves our compassion or love, patience, creativity or nurturance. Violence that is “treated” with violence is actually only “perpetuated.”

One might argue that these are just my “beliefs.” This is incorrect. I am pointing to simple truths. Francis’ lip   quivered at being caught in an act of violence toward a vulnerable child, because he knows- he knows something that as humans, we all have the potential to recognize.

I would like to quote the Dalai Lama from his book How to Practice; The Way to a Meaningful Life:

The sales of weapons-thousands and thousands of types of arms and ammunitions- by manufacturers in big countries fuels the violence, but more dangerous that guns or bombs are hatred, lack of compassion, and lack of respect for the rights of others. As long as hatred dwells in the human mind, real peace is impossible… The only way to achieve lasting peace is through mutual trust, respect, love and kindness. The only way. Attempts by global p0wers to dominate one another through competition in armaments- whether nuclear, chemical, biological, or conventional,  is counterproductive… To achieve a friendly attitude, a warm heart, respect for the rights of others, and their welfare you must train the mind [to cultivate an attitude of compassion and calm]… Anger diminishes our power to distinguish right from wrong, and this ability is one of the highest human attributes… Anger is not necessary. It has no value. I call compassion the human staple”

This speaks to me in terms of how it relates with the family of victims wanting to see the attested criminal be killed. They claim that they need vengeance to feel at peace. I challenge this with all my heart. I know it would be very hard to say this to a person who is in pain, having lost someone they loved and were deeply attached to. And compassion means I must have compassion for them. But it does not believe that I have to side with them and say, “Oh, I understand how you feel and therefore, I am on your side: let’s get that scum!” Compassion is unbiased, and is very courageous.

That’s all for now.

Clay Hamilton

Thanks, Bob! This is exactly the kind of dialogue that the DMW School Theatre Project calls for and calls forth.

On Tuesday my class (PAX 340: “Conflict Transformation Through Dialogue”) made a trip to the Boulder County Jail as part of our study of restorative justice and the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project.

Student papers have been rolling in this afternoon. The assignment is to explore key principles and practices of restorative justice along with observations on the field trip to the Boulder County Jail.

One student wrote: “Going to the Boulder County Jail was an incredibly transformative experience for me. I was very anxious to go, not having been inside of a correctional facility before. I really didn’t know what to expect. I have always had a negative attitude toward law enforcement officers. I feel like they are just trying to get me in trouble and make me pay money rather than protecting me. After our class met with Commander Dwight Hill, I realized that I have been dehumanizing law enforcement officers for a long time.

Walking through the jail was an interesting experience for me because it was hard to see past the labels I kept giving people. I kept thinking, “Those are the inmates, we are the students, and they are the officers.” My constant labeling really started to bother me. About halfway through the tour, I began to drop the labels and it became, ‘They are people, we are people,’ etc.

I do not fear people in the jail like I did before I went on the tour because I have come to realize that they are just people who made bad choices. Studying restorative justice before going to the jail helped me develop this perspective. Restorative justice has helped me understand the needs of the offender as well as the victim, and I have some interest in working with offenders in their healing process. This unit has given me a whole new insight into both justice systems and has sparked a new curiosity to continue this exploration.”

A second student notes: “Howard Zehr (2002) defines crime as a result of damaged relationships and a loss of interconnectedness with other human beings. For this reason, I was intrigued by the Phoenix program at the Boulder County Jail. The way Dwight Hill described Phoenix program, it seems to be based on a restorative justice model where inmates are empowered to solve their own problems through dialogue, assuming accountability and thereby integrating themselves within their community. I imagine that witnessing this process must be deeply touching and serves to restore sundered relationships.”

Quotations are from Howard Zehr’s The Little Book of Restorative Justice (Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2002).

Naropa University’s Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project learning community is beginning to extend beyond the bounds of the university; at the same time, students are building the knowledge and skills they need to put their wisdom and insight into creative, helpful and effective action.

–Candace Walworth, Peace Studies Department Chair