Official Press Release After Parole Hearing
On July 2, 2008, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald was denied parole by the California Board of Parole Hearings for one more year. That is, he will not be eligible for another hearing until July 2009. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner conducting the hearing for the entire Board said Chip had to do more “programming,” such as participating in group discussions and counseling—all of which “rehabilitative” work and more Chip has performed and completed over these 38 years.
The Deputy Commissioner, Lee Cox, a former prison guard who became a lieutenant, stated that the nearly-3,000 signatures on Chip’s Petition and the numerous support letters, offering Chip a UCLA education, housing, employment and publication of a book about his life meant nothing to her, that “the people who sign them [petitions] and write letters really don’t know what goes on with these inmates.” It is significant that it was Lt. Cox who seemed to influence the ultimate decision, bolstered by her charge that Chip had some rules violations in 2005. considering that even Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been critical of the extraordinary power wielded by California prison guards and their union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, in its management of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and influence over the parole process.
Chip was in good spirits at the end of the hearing and did not seem surprised by the outcome.
Write to Chip! Join the Committee to Free Chip Fitzgerald and keep fighting for his freedom! We have legal appeals and more strategies to employ, including new legal representation, and we will execute our commitment to FREE CHIP!
We thank all of you who support Chip. We urge you to keep spreading the word, sign and get others to sign the Petition, and stay tuned for updates.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!