They Were ‘Freezin’ for a Reason’

They Were ‘Freezin’ for a Reason’:

Over 90 people take an icy dip to raise funds for Burroughs Ctr.

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 2/5)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All rights reserved.

2/5/11

Fairfield, CT – Air temperature: 34 degrees. Water temperature: 33 degrees. A snow covered beach. Light drizzle. Gray skies. The perfect environment, one would argue, for an event called “Freezin’ for a Reason.”

The fourth annual plunge into Long Island Sound drew over 90 participants late Saturday morning, who were expected to raise about $50,000 to help fund after-school programs offered by Bridgeport’s Burroughs Community Center. The plunge took place near the pavilion at Jennings Beach and drew an equal number of friends, family and passersby who came to offer support -- or just look on in disbelief.

Leonela Cruz, a part-time staff member at Burroughs, was an early arrival who came to ensure that a path had been cleared to the water and the plunge site was accessible. “I actually did the plunge last year,” she said. “It was exciting, and the first time I ever did it. The adrenaline was kicking. The event has attracted mostly adults, but this year we thought it would be good to have kids from our after-school program participate, too.”

Cruz explained that the program serves about 45 children from families in the greater Bridgeport area that are experiencing financial difficulties. It offers homework help, computers, gameplay, fitness, a mother-daughter club, art classes and sports. Funds would help purchase materials like backpacks, notebooks and art supplies.

“We raised about $60,000 last year,” Cruz said, “and as of pre-registration this morning, we were at $43,000.”

Kevin Simmons, Burrough’s Executive Director, spoke on how the event first came about. “I kicked the idea around for five years before voicing it at a committee meeting,” he said. “A board member replied, ‘Kevin, I have no doubt you’ll find enough crazy people to do this. I will not be one of them.’ Now with this year’s event, we’ll have raised over $200,000.”

Simmons said a number of elected officials were participating, whose support he appreciated. “Congressman Jim Himes has done this for the past three years. It’s nice to have someone of his stature here. We also have Mayor Finch, Tom McCarthy (president of the Bridgeport City Council) and council members Marty McCarthy and Sue Brannelly.”

Cruz noted that weather conditions were noticeably different this year. “Last year, it was all sand here, no snow. A few days ago, we had a crew come over to clear ice away from the plunge area so participants can actually go in.”

Wardell Hairston, a volunteer at Burroughs, was busy salting a path to the water. He was also a plunger. “It’s warmer than last year and there’s no wind. You just hit the water quick and come out. That’s it. You don’t stay in there,” he chuckled.

Spectators and family preceded the arrival of participants. Among them was Weston’s Candace Debarger whose son, Sky, 14, was plunging. Debarger had an armful of clothing for Sky to change into. “I’m proud of him. This is a great way to raise money.” With regard to the cold water, she added, “He’ll be fine. He’s 14. They bounce back.”

Van Kolton of Fairfield was another supporter and carried a boxful of items for his wife and son. “I’ve brought warm water, towels, hot chocolate and even flowers,” he said. “I think what they’re doing is awesome. Everything we can do to contribute to the community is what it’s all about.”

Kolton’s wife, Linda, and son, Ethan, 9, soon appeared, arriving in one of two buses that were used to transport participants from Burroughs, where they had all met up to sign in and get a wristband and “plunger bag.”  

“As a Black Rock business owner, I wanted to support the community,” said Linda Kolton. “This is the first time I’m doing this. It seemed like a good idea when I signed up… I’m not so sure now,” she chuckled, surveying the icy water.

In contrast, plunger Mark Adintori, 49, was shirtless and gung-ho, ready to go. “I’ve been doing this since the beginning. The first year, I had just had bicep surgery and had a plastic bag over my arm, as it was in a brace. I really don’t mind this. I’m acclimated to the cold. I’m outside all the time.”

Participants followed the salted path down to the shore, stood in a line at the water’s edge and, at the sound of a horn, dashed into and quickly out of the water. Only a hardy few lingered for any period of time, daring the elements.

“I was very freezing,” said Anastasia Rivera, 15, from Bridgeport, emerging from the water. “There was a rush of adrenaline. I want to do it again now.”

Allie Muolo from Bridgeport missed the initial horn but made it in. “It was freezing. Bringing hot water in a bottle was a good idea,” she said.

Congressman Himes, who plunged with his daughters Emma, 11, and Linley, 8, said, “The water was mind altering. This year the challenge was not getting in the water, but getting to the water. But it’s all to benefit a spectacular community program.” 

CT Audubon Society Toplines Its 2011 State of the Birds Report

CT Audubon Society Toplines 
Its 2011 State of the Birds Report:

Forest birds in permanent decline 

due to hard development

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 2/5)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

2/4/11

Fairfield, CT – Milan Bull, Senior Director of Science and Conservation for the Connecticut Audubon Society, has been sounding the alarm for years now that, due to hard development, our state’s forests and forest bird populations are in permanent decline.

This is the topline message of the Society’s 2011 State of the Birds Report, a brief preview of which Bull was to present at the Birdcraft Museum on Saturday, Feb. 5. The presentation, which was to have been given to Society members, was cancelled in advance of a winter storm that was expected to deposit a snow/sleet mix in the area throughout the day Saturday. The complete report will be released during the last week of February at a press conference to be held at the state’s legislative office building in Hartford. 

Interviewed by phone late Friday afternoon, Bull gave some background about the report and expanded on its key message.

“Our annual reports were instituted to provide members and the public with an idea of how the state’s birds are faring,” explained Bull. “Our first report six years ago showed that 50% of the state’s birds were declining. The significance of this finding impacts everyone in the state, whether you’re a fan of birds or not. Birds, which inhabit all of the state’s various habitats – forests, salt marshes, inland wetlands, lakes, grasslands -- are a key indicator of environmental quality. They are literally our canary in the coalmine. That finding confirmed the importance our of work to monitor bird populations and environmental conditions.”

Since that first report, the Society has studied the various habitats to understand why the birds there are declining, and to make recommendations on how to conserve both the habitats and bird populations.

Bull said that they have been successful in getting the state legislature to look at and try to improve how the state acquires conservation land. “For instance, we recommended that the state develop a registry of protected lands in Connecticut, to determine how much land is protected, if it protects the bird species we need to protect and where the land is located,” he said. “Then we can identify and prioritize critical land and habitats that need to be acquired and protected. That’s been the thrust of our recommendations these past years.”

This year’s report, though, is focused on conserving our forest birds. To get a perspective on how this particular population has changed, Bull provided a quick history lesson.

“Early colonists made the first dent in native bird populations, removing trees for agricultural reasons, fuel and to build their houses – what we call soft development,” Bull explained. “This changed the type of local birds from forest birds to more grass and shrub land birds. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, farmers moved west or into the cities and abandoned their farms. The trees grew back and the forest birds returned.”

What the state has experienced in the last 20 years or more is what Bull calls hard development, which is having a permanent effect on forest bird populations. “The forests have been in decline without regeneration due to the construction of big box stores, roads and power lines,” he said. “Fragmentation and parcelization is reducing our forests into smaller and smaller blocks that can no longer support productive populations of forest dependent birds.”

Bull said this is a definite concern and that the report makes suggestions on how to protect and conserve our forests, with the goal of improving our economy and quality of life while preserving the unique character of our New England landscape.

Student Exhibition Opens to Rave Reviews

Student Exhibition Opens to Rave Reviews:

Fairfield Museum debuts 

‘Our Nation’s Generations’

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 2/4)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

2/3/11

Fairfield, CT – Normally a fairly tranquil place, the venue echoed with excited chatter, laughter and chirpy shouts, much like the halls of a busy elementary school. As such, it was no surprise to find a pack of bubbly fifth graders at the heart of the din, celebrating themselves and their achievements.

The setting early Thursday evening was the Fairfield Museum and History Center on Beach Road and the fifth graders, 21 students in all, were from the New Beginnings Family Academy of Bridgeport. The students, several teachers, school administrators, museum personnel and a number of parents had all come together for the opening reception of “Our Nation’s Generations”, a new student exhibition featuring a mixed media story quilt, personal artifacts and writings that explore the broad and modern view of family. Also introduced were narrative quilts and illustrations by celebrated artist Faith Ringgold that served as inspiration for the project.

“We’ve been doing outreach programs for the past two years at the museum, working closely with teachers at a lot of different area schools,” said Christine Jewell, the museum’s director of educational programs. “Programs have often related to family and family history, which allows children to explore and connect with the past and make it relevant to their lives today. We’ve also been focused on identifying particular objects like family heirlooms and artifacts that tell stories. In planning an exhibit for Black History Month, we wanted to keep the family orientation and object focus. But rather than focus on ancestors, we wanted to focus on present-day family members or friends that are role models.”

Jewell worked with faculty at New Beginnings to create a student-developed exhibit that showcases work reflecting and capturing the relationship they have with the role models. “They interviewed them, identified objects that connected to that person then created central quilt squares that represent that individual,” said Jewell.

The squares were integrated into one overall class quilt which is now displayed alongside select family artifacts, the students’ essays about their role models, framed illustrations from Faith Ringgold’s children’s books and two of her quilts, respectively titled “Tar Beach” and “My Ancestors.”

“New Beginnings is all about getting kids to think about their future and own abilities, and confidence to believe in themselves,” said Ronelle Swagerty, from the school’s development office. “One student’s thought for an object was her mother’s high school diploma, which was a great achievement in her eyes.”

“My inspiration was my older brother Marcus,” said student Jaleah Bennett, 10. “In times when he has struggled, he has always managed to get through. When I have problems, I think about that and it helps me.”

Bennett’s essay about her brother hung in a frame above a glass display case that contained some of his personal items including a baseball trophy, an athletic shoe, his honor roll certificate and the crown he wore as king of his senior prom.

“My mom is my role model,” said Bennett’s classmate Eyga Williamson, 10. “In a bad predicament, she taught me that everything is going to be o.k. If we’re having trouble, she tells us not to hold our feelings inside and to express ourselves.”

Williamson’s mother, Lakesha Jackson, was honored by the tribute. “It makes me feel very proud. I work hard to be a good example to my children. I always try to encourage them to push themselves to the limit.”

“This is really exciting,” said student Imani Williams. “We worked really hard on this. It’s amazing to see our artwork in a museum.” 

William’s pal Imani Hall noted the educational aspect of the project. “Faith Ringgold taught us how to show our feelings about who we’re writing about. We read her poetry and it helped us write our own pieces of work.”

For Christine Listorti, executive assistant to Paul Whyte, New Beginnings’ principal, the exhibit recalled moments from her past. “These quilts bring back memories of my childhood and my grandparents making quilts in the big room at home with neighbors.”

Both faculty and museum staff made a few remarks at the reception, including Principal Whyte, who noted, “Demographics is not destiny,” and the school’s art teacher, Jennifer Strausser, who said the children “really rose to the challenge and worked together” given the compressed time the class had because of the holidays and all the recent snow days.

As Christine Jewell ushered Eyga Williamson to a podium to read her essay aloud, she asked the bright student how she felt about this special evening. “I feel like a celebrity!” the girl replied.

“Our Nation’s Generations” exhibit will run through March 6. For more information, visit www.fairfieldhs.org

Snow-Melting Latin Rhythms Engage WAC Crowd

Snow-Melting Latin Rhythms Engage WAC Crowd:

Afro Cuban jazz great Arturo O’Farrill provides hands-on demo

(Ran as a full page in Westport News 2/4)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/30/11

Westport, CT – Though recent heavy snowfalls had cooled Westport’s spirits, the hot Latin rhythms that Arturo O’Farrill banged out on a recent Sunday afternoon did much to reignite them.

The pianist, composer, educator and winner of the 2003 Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award made an appearance at the Westport Arts Center at 51 Riverside Avenue Jan. 30 to present “Bang on a Drum: Latin Rhythms for Kids” program. The presentation was an introduction for children and their families to Latin rhythms and beats, featuring hands-on demonstrations and education.

“I thought this season we would do world music styles and that it would be great for the community to hear one of the world’s greatest Afro Cuban jazz musicians,” said Brian Torff, Westport Arts Center’s artistic director for jazz. “We always do at least one educational program a year. It’s important to introduce children to the profound value of music to our lives.”

Torff and O’Farrill have a long-standing connection. “I’m a bass player and have performed with Arturo,” said Torff. “We’ve known each other at least 10 years. We spoke about this a year ago and he was very enthusiastic about providing music education.”

To that regard, O’Farrill said, “I founded a non-profit called the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, which is dead serious about music education. We have residencies in New York City public schools where we actually give students instruments and small group instruction. We send master musicians into the field to teach them how to play. The kids may not realize they’re working with internationally famous musicians. Performing is teaching and teaching is living, and without it you’re winging it.”

O’Farrill has also served on the faculty at S.U.N.Y. Purchase and the University of Massachusetts and has taught everyone from nursery school students to doctoral candidates.

As a performer, Mexican-born, New York City bred O’Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra at Lincoln Center and produced a debut album, “Una Noche Inolvidable”, which earned a 2006 Grammy Award. A follow-up album with the Orchestra, “Song for Chico”, earned a 2008 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Adults and children alike were excited to be in O’Farrill’s company. “There aren’t many live music experiences that you can expose children to that are age appropriate,” said Norwalk resident Susan Blazer, attending with grandson Logan, 4.

Westonite Candace Halpern, onsite with her husband Jeff and son Alexander, 6, said Westport friends, who knew that Alex is very interested in music, invited them. “He’s been studying the piano for a year and a half. I love the up-close, personal and interactive nature of this event.”

Employing a host of percussion tools including metal shakers, clave sticks, congas, guiros, fuche cabasas, sticks and beaters, O’Farrill engaged the crowd with both his personable style but also a step-by-step educational approach.

“Pretend you’re in Puerto Rico and it’s 90 degrees outside and you’ve got your toes in the sand,” the performer said, demonstrating how to strike a conga with both the fleshy part and heel of his hand. “Open, heel, toe, snap,” he called out. Youngsters in the group mimicked his actions.

“Let’s move our bodies,” O’Farrill added, introducing movement to complement the rhythms. “You’ve got to have fun.”

With the audience’s collaboration, O’Farrill gradually built what he called a “Mambo Lasagna” comprised of instruments, sounds and clapping he termed “ingredients”. It was a hot meal to be sure that sated the appetite of attendees, smiles spreading across their faces.

Fairfield Families Developing Cabin Fever

Fairfield Families
Developing Cabin Fever:

Parents and kids endure
another snow day

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 2/1)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

2/1/11

Fairfield, CT – An early morning weather system deposited another couple of inches of snow and threatened icing conditions later in the day Tuesday, forcing the closure of town schools. The cancellation surprised many Fairfield parents and disappointed children who have developed a case of cabin fever with all their days off.

“I think some of the snow days have been reasonable, but today we could have had school,” said Harry Murphy, 15, a Fairfield Ludlowe High School sophomore. “I was surprised school was canceled, but I was ok with it as I got to sleep late. I’m just hanging out for the afternoon as my mom has work. My sisters have been playing a lot in the snow. My brother and I will probably need to do some shoveling at some point. Snow is nice to have on the ground, but not the ice and sleet. It can be dangerous, especially for drivers.”

For Pam Murphy, the day created some challenges and unrest at home. “Cole (Murphy’s 14-year-old son) is doing some drawing and Sam (16) just got up, showered and plopped down in front of the TV. He started complaining when I asked him to shovel the back deck. I’d seen a report that it can separate from the house and collapse under all the snow and ice and I thought it would be an effective use of his free time. After all, he does live here. He didn’t agree. We’re scheduled to get Cole’s braces off today, and then hair appointments up in Ridgefield. I’m debating doing the latter given the icy roads.”

Up on Woods End Road, Ann Kubel was just trying to keep it together with a house full of rugrats. “I’m sick of the snow and I’d rather the kids were in school. The house is filled with not only my own kids but also the neighbor kids. This is the house to be at apparently. They go out, get soaking wet, the clothes go in the dryer, they go back out again, they’re on the Wii screaming. It’s a madhouse. Now I’m feeding everybody lunch and they’ve asked for cookies. I’ll do that then I’m done!”

Kubel added, “The way Fairfield has been calling things, I knew it would be no school or nothing versus a delay, as it was going to be an early dismissal day anyhow due to professional development. Personally, as I have to be home with them, I’m catching up on some house chores that I needed to do. That’s the only good thing about this situation. And it looks like I’ll be doing it tomorrow, too.”

In the Beach Area, Maryann Dolzani was multi-tasking, juggling mom and work tasks. “I’m home but working from home. Elliot (her 9-year-old son) is at a neighbor’s house and Spencer (6) has a buddy over playing. Seeing that the snow stopped and there’s not much going on, I was surprised school was called. The forecast had predicted more of an event though, so I understand why they called it. I feel bad for the kids. It’s fun to be off but I think they miss some of the school activities.”

Benny Ortiz, 7, was happy to be off but running out of things to do. “I have another day off. I’m getting kind of tired of it. I want to get school over with. I just went over to my grandpa’s house, now I’m playing with my little toy.”

Benny’s mom, Pam, who was home from work to watch Benny, was more concerned about how her son’s vacation days were being whittled down. “What’s unnerving to me is the school’s plan to start taking spring vacation days away. I really think they should take the days from the February vacation. I think we should be able to vote on it. I’d rather have the time off when the weather is good. The kids are really getting behind on instructional time this winter. It’s a lot to try and make up for.”

Town Services Tackle Unique Challenges of Sleet/Snow Mix

Town Services Tackle Unique Challenges of Sleet/Snow Mix:

Patch checks in with the 

USPS, DPW and UI

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 2/1)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

2/1/11

Fairfield, CT – Fairfielders have again been hit with a winter weather event this season, with an accumulation of an inch or two of snow as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning that forced closure of local public and parochial schools. Unlike previous events though, the latest system calls for unique conditions to develop Tuesday night that include freezing drizzle and sleet and an ice accumulation of up to 0.3 of an inch into Wednesday.

The potential for hazards like slick roads and downed wires and tree limbs exists, which will present challenges to town services like the postal service, United Illuminating and the Department of Public Works. Patch connected with these services to get insight into how they are preparing for these eventualities and a current status on conditions.

Superintendent of Public Works Scott Bartlett, a veteran with regard to winter storm events, had mapped out his plan but said unpredictable factors may alter his strategy.

“We deal first with snow and ice and put a coat of salt down,” he said, “with the priority to make the roads passable. But we don’t know what the ice is going to do. We’re not going to plow off right now, but instead will leave the roads slushy as it’s easier to plow off a slushy road coated with ice than to try and remove ice off a bare road. Once ice forms on the road, it’s trickier to treat. You want to prevent the bonding of ice to pavement.”

With regard to the potential of tree limbs coming down, Bartlett said, “The town owns two aerial bucket trucks that are ready to go, plus we’ve already reached out to our contractors to see how many crews they can provide, but here’s where it gets tricky. We’re assuming the roads will be passable from where the contractors are coming from. If they are, we’ll deploy them. If they are not and we have a coating of up to an inch of ice on the roads, we’ll need to reprioritize where our personnel are in terms of people we need for road salting and for tree maintenance.”

Bartlett says they are not responsible for electric wire issues – that would be United Illuminating. However, he said, “If wires start coming down, that creates additional issues for us. It requires us to block off roadways and notify the town and the power company. It really complicates things. Dead-ends are a bigger concern than a main road in terms of a tree or wire down because there is less access. With a main road, you have two sides of attack. Of course, with a main, you have an interruption of traffic flow. The mains will always be a priority so that we can enable the passage of emergency responders.”

Reached in Syracuse, NY, United States Postal Service Public Affairs Specialist Maureen Marion, whose responsibility is New England and upstate New York, said the USPS has its own challenges with icy conditions and plan of attack.

“We have a couple of tools at our disposal to deal with ice,” she said. “On the carrier side, that includes footwear with ice grippers to stabilize themselves on treacherous walkways, plus headwear, parkas and snowpants. There’s an initial uniform allowance for career employees and garments are added as seasons approach. Often, letter carriers share garments as their needs change. They look out for each other.”

Marion said the biggest concern this winter has been the USPS’ relationship with its communities and customers. “We need a clear road to go down and clean mailbox to access. We have found by and large people have been as cooperative as they can be but, that said, there are pockets of difficulty all around the region. For the carriers driving our vehicles, we need to snuggle right up to a box as it is too dangerous for our carriers to get out, walk around, dangle and potentially fall out of their seats. We can’t do anything that would cause the carrier to lose control of that vehicle. If we don’t have the clear access, we can’t deliver the mail and will hold it. For carriers that walk, we need to be able to get up front walks and driveways in a safe manner.”

On the electricity distribution front, United Illuminating, as of 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, was reporting only one Fairfield household power outage among 22,194 town customers served. Its site, www.uinet.com, offered tips with regard to being prepared for a potential outage that included turning refrigerator/freezer dials to their coldest settings, unplugging sensitive electronic equipment and unplugging major appliances that are not in use. It also advised having working flashlights, a battery-operated radio, containers of bottled water, a first-aid kit and manual can opener.

First Death Row Inmate Freed by DNA Relates Story

First Death Row Inmate Freed by DNA Relates Story:

Kirk Bloodsworth tells hell-and-back tale to parish group

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 1/31)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

1/31/11

Fairfield, CT – He was wrongly accused of a horrific crime, placed in a hellish penitentiary and sat on death row. If not for an interest in reading, he may never have become aware of DNA testing, which proved to be his ticket to freedom.

Maryland resident Kirk Bloodsworth, the first death row inmate in the world to be freed by DNA evidence, was on hand Monday night at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish at 545 Stratfield Road to tell his riveting tale to a small group of parishioners, speak about wrongful convictions and urge the abolishment of the death penalty.

An honorably discharged former Marine, Bloodsworth was convicted in 1985 of the sexual assault, rape and first-degree premeditated murder of nine-year-old Dawn Hamilton and sentenced to death. Even though five eyewitnesses placed him with the victim, he continued to maintain his innocence.

“It was an awful thing,” said Bloodsworth, reflecting on his arrest and conviction. “You can’t imagine being taken from your home, being accused of something you didn’t do and then facing 12 people and a judge and being convicted. It was just a horrible situation. The gavel came down and the sentence was death.”

Bloodsworth was transported to Maryland Penitentiary. As he described, “It was one of the most notorious prisons ever. It looked like Dracula’s castle. You could smell the pain and feel the tension in the air. It was a god-awful place. I was thrust into this environment and it was so foreign to me. I was only 22 years old. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

It was unimaginable to him to be associated with such a heinous act. “It was the most vicious crime in Maryland’s history and this is what I was accused of. I was a Marine and was no angel, but I knew what I wasn’t. I wrote everybody I could that I was an innocent man and signed my letters with my name and the initials A.I.M. – An Innocent Man.”

From the moment he entered the prison system, fellow inmates wanted to do him harm. “I was hit in the back of the head with a sock containing D-cell batteries that split my skull, struck in the chest with a Master lock and stabbed in the leg.”

To pass the time in his narrow, cockroach-and-rat-infested rundown cell, Bloodsworth began reading. One book, “The Blooding”, by Joseph Wambaugh, which told about how DNA testing was successfully used in a criminal case in England, had a life-changing impact.

“I requested testing through the prosecutor’s office,” he said. “The prosecutor agreed, but said the results would need to be made public. I said ‘fine’ as I knew I was innocent. It took a year, as there were only two DNA labs in the country in 1992. The tests proved my innocence and were confirmed by separate FBI tests. I was released five months later on June 28, 1993, after nine years in prison.”

Bloodsworth became a Catholic while incarcerated, in a ceremony conducted underneath the gas chamber. Now he tries to change laws and has a DNA law named after him – the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program, which was achieved through The Justice Project and Congress. It provides funding for post-conviction DNA testing for indigents or states that aren’t able to fund it.

“It has already benefited a fellow in Arizona, two inmates in Washington state and people in Virginia,” he said of the effort. “You shouldn’t be in a prison for something you didn’t do and, if you can take a DNA test, it’s the best way to go.”

Bloodsworth added, “I work with people to try and abolish the death penalty because of one fact: we could execute an innocent person. We have a death row population of 3,500 and a prison population of 2.5 million. The risk is too great for error. One hundred and forty inmates have been exonerated from death row – 14 of whom have been proven innocent by DNA testing.”

The ex-Marine admits it’s a controversial topic. “No one can deny the emotional weight on society to punish wrongdoing but we must rise above letting someone else fall for a crime they didn’t commit. I can’t condone the death penalty. I used to think people got what they deserved but when this happened to me, I realized it could be real bad.”

Even among attendees, there was division on the topic. Fairfielder Irene Gifford said, “I feel very strongly against the death penalty, as many people are likely incarcerated who are not guilty, often inner city people. I think they should just be kept in jail.”

Sharing an opposing view, Fairfielder Diane Quaranta said, “Though I’m pro-life, I believe that people who have committed terrible, heinous crimes should be put to death if they are guilty. But I feel a good advocate needs to be assigned to each individual person to explore all evidence and to make sure nothing’s been overlooked.”

Bloodsworth’s story is told in the book “Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA” by Tim Junkin.