Chesa Boudin, 29th DA of the city of San Francisco
(his office is being contested now. Chesa won against
the Democratic establishment who never liked his politics)
son of Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert
Chesa Boudin as brilliant as every Boudin grandfather Leonard
defended Daniel Ellsberg Dr. Spock Lillian Hellman
scores of people worked until he died his grandmother Jean
wrote poems like no one else. Both funny. Chesa’s mother
Kathy tireless prison advocate former member
of the Weather Underground
in jail too long like so many people she started an institute
at Columbia University with her friend Cheryl Wilkins for women in prison
theirs is one of those Big Important Stories people living lives
actually making the world better right before Chesa’s
having a baby and yesterday in one of his final acts
Andrew Cuomo (I don’t like him, but still he did this)
Andrew Cuomo granted clemency to Chesa’s father
David Gilbert and Chesa found out from a text from Kathy
2:30 yesterday afternoon so many of us sent
texts happy for this news in the middle of everything else
happy that sometimes out of the blue although nothing is actually
out of the blue so many years of hard work and petitions
happy that some days the story we thought we knew
has a better ending.
Much needed good news poem!
i ws thrilled to see the clemency granted. those of us of a certain era and a certain political persuasion will never forget that long, wrenching saga of Kathy Boudin and her compatriots. thank you for writing about chesa & his family...