Petition to free Gregory-John Mc Cormick (Itchy) from prison

To the friends and fans of Gregory-John Mc Cormick (Itchy), his band Shock Therapy, fans of Wave, Gothik, Metal, EBM, Punk, Industrial, and music fans in general, I would like to draw your attention to a dreadful situation.

Itchy, head of the band Shock Therapy (best well-known album/single "hate is (just) a four letter word"), has been locked up in a Michigan prison for the past 4 years. For the past 20 years Itchy lived most of the time in Europe. At the beginning of year 2000 he visited his native America.

After he visited Keith Jackson in Phoenix (guitar player and one of the founders of Shock Therapy), he went to Michigan, to visit his father, an old granny from the neigbourhood, who is like a mother to him, and his brother. Some days, after arriving in Michigan, Itchy came back to his father's house and found the old granny beaten and robbed by a drug dealer in her house. Itchy called the police, because he knew the perpetrator, because he could help them locate this person who lived in the neighbourhood, but the police were totally disinterested in this case and did nothing. Also because the old lady could not name "eye witnesses" and Itchy came to her house, after the robber was gone, the police did nothing. Itchy was angry and despaired. Itchy's relationship with this old lady was very close and she cared much about him, especially since his natural mother died from cancer 9 years ago. That old lady looked after Itchy`s house, when he was on tour, and she cared about his dog and much more. Often people from the neighbourhood broke into Itchy`s house and stole his music equipment.

After the police disappeared, Itchy called to the house of the drug dealer when he was drunk intending to talk to him but the drug dealer was not at home. As a small warning Itchy burned downa tiny pile of trash at the back of the drug dealer`s garage-shed. The police arrested him for this.

What would you do, or how would you react in his situation? Just imagine if someone did the same to your father or to your mother. Okay, the old lady is not dead, but the drug dealer beat her hard and robbed her. No life was harmed in this tiny fire because Itchy knew that the drug dealer was not at home (or at least he did not show up at the door, after Itchy rang the bell!). Anyway, the drug dealer died 2 weeks later from an overdose.

Since that day Itchy has been imprisoned under very bad circumstances. For a comparable crime one would get half a year, or maximum one year, in a German prison. More likely than that one would just receive probation. The Parole Board, which decides once a year about prisoner releases and the Parr Highway Correctional Facility, probably want to keep Itchy in as long as possible.

Itchy has been defacating and vomiting blood now every morning for the past year. His guts and his stomach hurt, he has strange blisters all over his skin, and one of his eyes has been blood red for weeks. He has constant Migraine headaches, nightmares every night, and strong depression. He has suffered from rheumatic fever for one year, and this poisoned his blood. I remember a case in America where Maurice Carter died after he got no medical help. The Government released him from prison, but he died some weeks later, because he was so sick.

Itchy and I have written to each other for 3 years, often 3-4 big letters a month. I'm his closest friend and he calls me his real brother. Thus I know all about him and his condition. Itchy is really very ill and he may not remain alive more than another six months. He often writes to me about his thoughts of suicide if his situation does not improve.

Itchy is well-known as a hard boiled Elektropunk-musician, but this is just one of his images, he plays for his fans. I know Itchy as the best friend anyone can have, very broad minded, success oriented, and someone who gives his best for a friend and who is always willing to help. Now he remains imprisoned for this crime, for which he has repented several times over for far too long.

I would like to state some other reasons why he should have been freed a long time ago:

1. Itchy has lived his life mainly in Europe, and after his release from prison he plans to leave the USA forever and he would never return there.

2. As I have already written, Itchy has been jailed too long for this crime. This is also what the lawyer Mr Gary Margosian from Michigan told us. Even this good lawyer could not do anything against the judgments of the Parole Board.

3. Each prisoner held longer than necessary in prison costs lots of money for each hard working American taxpayer. Since Itchy plans to leave the USA forever this is a negligent waste of tax money.

Instead of this the Parole Board could sanction Itchy's release + immediate expulsion, also through the decision of Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor in Michigan. All this is an unjust, senseless and overstated sadistic behaviour on the part of the Parole Board and the Parr Highway Correctional Facility which, in my opinion, is not behaving accordingly with the American sense of fairness.

Itchy has about 100 new song ideas, 3 books are in progress, I sell his paintings to earn money for a lawyer and to pay for his dinner in prison. Since the prison serves old and rotten food to the prisoners I must supply Itchy with necessary requirements. Itchy became as ill as he is now from the grief, his depression, and from his meals in prison. Actually he should be free because he is unsuitable to be detained because of his bad health, but the Parole Board and the Parr Highway Correctional Facility probably want kill him. Each consultation at the prison doctor costs Itchy $5 and he can not trust the doctor in prison anyway. Some prisoners have already died after a normal routine check up and they use the ill prisoners as subjects for unregistered medicine. Itchy can not expect protection from these doctors since he cannot trust them.

Therefore I ask you to give your support for the release of Gregory-John Mc Cormick (Itchy), and against the Parole Board and the Parr Highway Correctional Facility's decision to hold him far too long. This signature will cause no trouble or any cost for you. By signing you can help save the life of Itchy, who is very ill, and you will save the continuing of Itchy's and Shock Therapy's artistic work.

The signatures collected will go to a very good Attorney in Michigan, to the mechanism I mentioned (Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, Parole Board and Parr Highway Correctional Facility), and to most well-known magazines in Europe and America, to appeal to the sanity of the decision makers. Some people told me lately, that Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has a heart and a good and fair character, and she is one of the less of Michigan Governor, which do and have done very good work. I hope Ms. Granholm and the Parole Board decide fairly.

I have informed Amnesty International London and America, and ACLU Michigan about Itchy's case and maybe they support us.

Itchy is the best friend one can have and his long suffered incarceration is inhuman and inappropriate. Please support his release from prison.

Captain Ralf Dellhofen

15. September 2004

Itchy's address in prison is:

Gregory-John Mc Cormick 347089
Parr Highway Correctional Facility
2727 E. Beecher St. / P.O. Box 1888
Adrian, Michigan 49221
U. S. A.

For your support please write in my Guestbook. Write your full name in "Name" and your Countryunder "Ort." Please don't use the guestbook for other topics... only for the support of Itchy's release.You must write something into the message field "Kommentar,"or else your message will not be posted! If you like, write just "I support Itchys release."

If someone has doubts in the data or the sincerity of my Petition, please contact me via Email!

http://artofitchy.gaestebuch-2.de/?h=F5FFCC