They Were There the Day I Was Arrested—Last Week, We Reconnected

Mr. Mack and Bob Hartsuyker never stopped believing in me

From the Lockerbox

You might remember from my last post that when I was first arrested for a murder I didn’t commit, I wasn’t in New Orleans. I was at a Job Corps campus in Mount Hood, Oregon.

I had left New Orleans in January of 1982 to look for better opportunities on the West Coast. I enrolled in the Job Corps, hoping to learn a trade, and planned to join the military after earning my GED.

My first time seeing Mount Hood was a life-changing experience. A boy from the ‘hood could have never imagined mountains so tall, forests so green, or river water so clear that you could drink it straight from your canteen.

A photo of the Timber Lake campus that I kept in my lockerbox in prison.

Another first for me was feeling safe. Growing up how I did, I never knew what was coming around the corner. But at Timber Lake, the Job Corps campus, I could finally relax. Two people in particular made me feel at ease: Bob Hartsuyker, the campus counselor who picked me up from the train station and introduced me to Mount Hood, and Mack Ferrick, the campus director, who made sure all the students had what they needed and were treated fairly.

Four months into my stay, sheriff’s deputies came to campus looking for me. Bob and Mr. Mack stayed by my side as the deputies interrogated me about a murder I supposedly committed. We sat in Mr. Mack’s office, my heart pounding with each accusation—“We know you and your friend robbed the victim and his girlfriend, just tell us who the other guy was.” I could see Bob and Mr. Mack were upset by what was happening, but when the deputies finally arrested me, they were powerless to stop it.

Still, they didn’t abandon me.

From the New Orleans jail, I wrote asking them to hold my place at Timber Lake so I could return once my case was sorted out. They wrote back promising they would.

Two and a half years later, when my trial began, I was stunned to see Bob and Mr. Mack sitting among the spectators. They had flown across the country at their own expense to speak on my behalf. Judge Frank Shea made it nearly impossible for them to tell the jury what they knew, but they tried, and it meant the world to me.

When Innocence Project New Orleans took my case years later, they tracked down Bob and Mr. Mack and obtained affidavits from them about what they had seen. In my book, we include part of Bob’s affidavit:

I have very strong feelings about what I witnessed those many years ago, both at Timber Lake Job Corps, and in New Orleans. . . I was so angered by the process, I swore never to set foot in New Orleans again. All Calvin received from the legal system was injustice. That injustice has haunted me all these years.

Knowing Bob and Mr. Mack still believed in me after two decades gave me courage to persevere. I held onto their words in moments when it felt like all might be lost.

So you can imagine how happy I was to cross paths with Mr. Mack again last month when my book came out. We reconnected on Facebook, and Sophie and I sent him a signed copy of The Jailhouse Lawyer. He wrote back:

I received your book, thank you so very much. Please thank Sophie as well.

I must admit, it brought tears to my eyes several times. You have no idea how much your success means to me.

Mr. Mack’s words reminded me that when we’re the ones in need of help, we don’t always realize how much our friendship means to those standing with us. For Mr. Mack, righting an injustice for me meant righting an injustice for him, too. He was there when deputies put words in my mouth and pretended I knew things about a crime I didn’t commit. He was there when the detective and prosecutors withheld the truth from the jury. His life was changed by my arrest, my trial, and my 28 ½ years of incarceration, because we were friends, and he never stopped caring.

Maybe you have a story like this: reconnecting with an old friend who had stood by you during a difficult time in your life, or realizing your hardship mattered deeply to someone else in your community. I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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Did you catch my recent interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air? You can listen here.

I loved my time with Terry, who I’ve been listening to for decades, including throughout my incarceration at Angola. Her producer shared this amazing picture of Terry’s copy of The Jailhouse Lawyer, showing how much work went into her preparation for our interview.

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Upcoming Events

Sophie and I hope you can join us at these events in New Orleans to discuss The Jailhouse Lawyer. We’ll be with our friends at Octavia Books this Wednesday for a book signing, and we’ll join IPNO for their 24th Anniversary Freedom Gala on September 13 - get your tickets now! More details below.