Packing For Prison
#FreeTemujinKensu
By: Joy Marie Mann
In less than 2 weeks, I will be boarding a plane to Michigan, preparing for my visit to McComb Correctional Facility, to interview inmate #189355.
I have been interviewing prisoner Temujin Kensu on staticky, supervised prison phones for over 4 years and I am no short of elated that we are finally scheduled to meet in person. My relationship to him has evolved from journalist, to advocate, to life-long friend.
According to thousands of Temujin’s supporters around the globe, Temujin’s case is one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in the past several decades. He is currently serving his 38th year of a life sentence, despite being proven innocent with an abundance of tangibles on his side.
Temujin is accused of killing a young college student, Scott Macklem, by a single gunshot to the stomach. Scott was the mayor’s son, which made the urgency to find his killer that much more pressing.
So, where does Temujin come in? It is a story much too long and involved for this brief article; however, the first thing you need to know is that he was over 400 miles away at the time of the shooting and has over a dozen witnesses, including 9 unimpeachable ones who testified at trial.
You’re likely thinking what we all have: “End of story. He wasn’t there.” But political corruption and money do not care about facts. Temujin Kensu is 61 years old, now having served almost 40 years of his life for a crime proven he could not have committed. He fights through each day with a brain tumor and other disabilities as they continue to refuse him treatment and continue to disregard his innocence.
I was planning to fly to Michigan to meet with Temujin last October, but my trip was cancelled with the sudden implementation of new visitor rules. Thus, although I’m scheduled to meet with Temujin at 2pm on January 16, I continue to trepidatiously check my email. Not solely because I want to meet my dear friend in person, give him an enormous hug and interview him so I can share his story in a way which has yet to be done, but because I do not want to disappoint him again.
Understandably, the most exciting thing for inmates is to have a visit lined up, regardless of who it is with. I’ve been working directly with the prison for over a month to make this visit happen and won’t be able to sigh a breath of relief unless and until I am physically in the room with Temujin.
Admittedly, I have never been to a prison; however, knowing Temujin is completely innocent gives me nothing to fear. I am simply visiting my friend. While trying to organize my January visit with the prison, it became increasingly apparent just how ignorant I was to the process. I wasn’t anticipating certain questions like being asked every single thing I’ll be bringing, down to a pen, paper, and folder. My mind spun as I tried to discern what I could possibly do with those things; give a guard a paper cut? Write a cryptic message on Temujin’s arm? Considering I’m visiting as a journalist/media, one would think these items would be expected, but ok. Alternately, I was concerned about using my cane. Blindness and visiting new places don’t typically go together very well.
Without exaggeration, I’ve probably listened to at least a thousand true crime podcasts and documentaries over the past decade, yet 99% of them did not directly include the inmate. The only ones I’ve seen with the inmate present have been on 20/20 or 48 hours and they are very contrived. No prison cells, nothing organic. Additionally, I certainly had never heard anyone describe the process of entering into a prison (not that they are a monolith).
Most embarrassingly, I asked the prison if I could bring Temujin an acoustic guitar. I assured them it is “only a little bigger than a ukulele and it isn’t very loud, so it shouldn’t bother anyone.” I can only imagine the laughter erupting when my question was received. Obviously, the answer was a firm “no”. I responded, asking if I could bring Temujin food. A book? A coloring book with paint markers? A journal? Also, “no.”
I’m sure the woman I’ve been emailing with either thinks I am the worst actress who ever lived or I am as dumb as a box of rocks. (Hopefully, the latter). In fairness, Temujin’s record in the prison has been stellar for decades. Naively, I was assuming he would have gotten back some of his “privileges” by now.
I realize Temujin’s story isn’t as sexy as, say, mysterious drones and pop culture, but this is quite literally about an innocent man’s life or death. Temujin deserves his autonomy. He deserves to be the brilliant free-thinker he is, without being forced to obey orders from a system of corruption and toxicity. He deserves to spend the rest of his days in his true home with his incredible wife and beloved puppies.
While I don’t believe there could be *real* justice for what Temujin continues to be forced to endure for over two-thirds of his life, myself and other devout supporters will not stop fighting until he is free.
Temujin is a friend who has inspired me more than I can quantify. A friend who has changed my life by exemplifying strength in his fight for survival, his passion to help others, his beauty and kindness after all of his heartache, and his feverish quest for knowledge. He is truly a remarkable man and I cannot wait to head to prison.
***To learn more about Temujin’s case, please visit The Innocence Project at
https://innocenceproject.org/fred-freeman-temujin-kensu-what-to-know/
***And his linktree at
*** To demand Temujin Kensu’s release, please contact Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (who has had his clemency papers on her desk for 6 years, when she took office)
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer contact link:
https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/contact