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There has been so much going on my head is spinning. Achieving some big milestones is huge but it still leaves you to manage all the change and the innumerable details that need to get nailed down when you succeed.
Before I get into that some of the eggs have hatched in the House Finch nest in the wreath on our front door.
All of the projects I have been working on seem to be coming together at the same time. At the New American Community we have been leading the local opposition to keep CoreCivic from reopening their troubled detention facility as an ICE detention center.
Through our work on the issue we came to know William Rogers a former corrections officer who has become a leader in exposing their understaffing and unsafe conditions for staff and residents. Mr. Rogers was kind enough to share his story on our first podcast episode.
https://newamericancommunity.podbean.com/
On the literary front Bread and Roses Press has The Practical Guide to Building a Better World at the print house. Presales are open and we should have books in June!
https://breadandrosespress.com/products/the-practical-guide-to-building-a-better-world
Thank you for support and follow along here or at Https://www.miketrapp store or Https://www.newamerican.community for the latest updates on the book, podcast, and organizing events and materials.
Say “No” to CoreCivic
When CoreCivic first sought to use Leavenworth County as a proxy to garner an ICE contract I gave it serious consideration. I was superficially aware of CoreCivic’s failings maintaining adequate staffing putting employees and inmates at unnecessary risk. I knew superficially about the serious issues with private prisons in general and CoreCivic in particular. Cost cutting at the expense of safety and basic needs is the norm in the industry and CoreCivic is the worst amongst them.
I was on the Executive Committee of the Leavenworth Lansing Chamber of Commerce so I had to consider investment in the region, bringing a shuttered facility back online and creating employment opportunities for folks without a college degree. With an immediate public outcry against the plans we weighed the pros and cons quietly. I was pleased when the County quickly dismissed the idea as not in the best interest of their constituents.
With the change of administration I saw news stories about CoreCivics stock price surging, rising 69% in a single week after the election. I was not surprised when CoreCivic began the process of trying to bring CoreCivic back online in Leavenworth with an ICE contract. While discussing the issue online I met a former employee William Rogers who personalized the issue for me.
His firsthand accounts of the impacts of short staffing the unit are graphic and incredibly sad. He had both his head split open and was stabbed. The “observation bubbles” which should be staffed to monitor conditions and provide assistance were routinely closed because of staffing issues. He told me about another co-worker who was also beaten and stabbed requiring 16 surgeries. While on workers comp CoreCivic cut off her health insurance. She lives in poverty in our community unable to work.
Before the facility was shuttered U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson stated in court: “The only way I could describe it frankly, what’s going on at CoreCivic right now is it’s an absolute hell hole”. A 2017 audit found that its officer vacancy rate was nearly 25%. Contraband and weapons were commonplace. Inmates were left unsupervised while guards had to monitor multiple pods. In 2011 CoreCivic was triple-bunking inmates in cells designed for two people but uninstalled the beds to conceal it from its certifying body the American Correctional Association.
CoreCivic is pursuing a Special Use Permit. A public hearing will be held on April 7th, 2025 at 6:00 PM at Leavenworth City Hall, in front of the Planning Commission. Planning Commisioners will make a recommendation regarding the permit to the Leavenworth City Commission. Leavenworth will hold two more public hearings, also at 6:00 PM, on May 13th and May 27th with a vote occurring after the final hearing. In addition to the zoning decision the City will also take up a Government Services Agreement between the City of Leavenworth, ICE, and CoreCivic detailing emergency response and payment arrangements.
I urge the Planning Commission and the City of Leavenworth to deny the permit and to not approve the agreement. CoreCivic has a long history of unsafe operation and their failures to protect their staff and residents make them unfit to operate a detention facility in Leavenworth. Kansas zoning law allows us to weigh the relative gain to the public health, safety, and welfare to the hardship imposed to the property owner. CoreCivic’s poor performance history including the death of a facility resident would negatively impact the health, safety, and welfare of their workforce, facility residents, and the community.
The Bureau of Prisons and Lansing Correctional Facility currently struggle with staffing issues. There is a workforce shortage in the region that shows itself in ways that we all see. CoreCivic would cannibalize the existing workforce without allowing for the safe operation of their facility. CoreCivic struggled with adequate staffing levels in an economy with less workforce challenges than we wrestle with currently.
Even larger issues than CoreCivic’s poor operating history is the current state of the Federal Government. Leavenworth should take no part in the adminsitration of mass deportation where seperating families and casual cruelty are a feature not a bug. Right now the Trump administration has illegally fired 13 Inspectors General who provide critical outside accountability to ensure legal and safe contracting and government operations.
Signing a contract with ICE while numerous contractual obligations are flouted by DOGE cuts and staffing changes. New York City had a contract to house undocumented individuals and families. They provided the residential services and the payments were direct deposited into their account. Without notice or just cause those funds were taken by the Federal government. How can Leavenworth rely on Federal partners to uphold any agreement they make while existing agreements with contractors, employers, and funding recipients are violated across the country.
Leavenworth has an opportunity to protect the health, safety, and well being of our residents by rejecting this special use permit and government services agreement. With the growing unpopularity of Elon Musk and his unaccountable DOGE minions we will likely see a change in Congress in 2026 and a change in administration in 2028. Once again private prisons will fall out of favor and how will CoreCivic maintain their facilities and staffing with a dimmer economic forecast? Why should we undercut the performance and safety of our existing correctional facilities for a potentially short term divisive project with partners who cannot be relied upon?
Contact the Leavenworth City Commission and demand they vote “no” on CoreCivic.
Mayor Holly Pittman holly.pittman@firstcity.mo 913-449-8991
Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Bauder nbauder@firstcity.mo 913-675-7166
Commissioner Griff Martin griff.martin@firstcity.mo
Commissioner Edd Hingula edd.hingula@firstcity.mo 913-775-0635
Commissioner Jermaine Wilson jwilson@firstcity.mo 913-617-3667
Show up and testify at Leavenworth City Hall at 6:00 PM on April 7th, May 13th, & May 27th
Free Kevin Bromwell #
Update: Governor Parson reviewed Kevin Bromwell’s petition for clemency and it was denied. Kevin’s best chance is a Geriatric Offender Release Bill. Ex-Offenders over the age of 60 have less than a 1% recidivism rate.
Returning geriatric prisoners who have served over 30 years both ensures strong justice for victims and saves tax dollars by reserving prison cells and their tremendous expense for only those who need them. Geriatric prisoners have high medical costs and with an aging prison population they are increasingly becoming nursing homes.
Senator Washington has pre-filed SB 438. Missouri residents please reach out to your Representative and Senator and encourage them to also sponsor SB 438.
For a little more than a year I have been working to help free Kevin Bromwell. Kevin has served 32 years for a crime I do not believe he committed. Below is the content of a letter I wrote to Missouri Governor Mike Parson. The letter explains my long history with the Bromwell family and why I believe Kevin should have his sentence commuted. At the bottom of this post I will include the Governor’s office contact information. Kevin’s request for clemency has gone unresponded for over five years. My repeated communications with the Governor’s office have been ignored. We will need a groundswell of support to give Kevin’s clemency request a fair hearing. I will also include Kevin’s address in case anyone cares to write him. He is bored shitless and could use more outside contact. If you could share this information widely in any format I would appreciate it. I know Kevin would as well.
December 2, 2019
Dear Governor Parson or his designee,
I am writing in support of a clemency request for a commutation of sentence for Mr. Kevin Bromwell #181047. Mr. Bromwell’s brother Reese is a constituent of mine who requested my assistance in advocating for his brother’s release. Kevin has served 32 years of 3 consecutive 30-year sentences for second degree homicide, burglary and arson. Irregularities in the case, the number of years already served and the pressing need of his family for his speedy release compel me to make this urgent request.
I have known Reese Bromwell for many years. I spent a 10-year career with Phoenix Programs, Columbia’s premier substance use disorder treatment center as a counselor, manager and ultimately executive director. Reese is a person in long term recovery from alcohol and because of my position shared details of his growing up with child abuse and neglect in an unstable family in inner-city St. Louis. Reese and most of his siblings had abused drugs and alcohol and had ongoing legal trouble. Reese got into recovery at Phoenix and had a desire to return and tell his story.
I further learned about Reese’s family and his character when Reese’s sister Tina was released from prison. Tina’s home plan brought her to live with Reese and he was a great support to Tina as she had adjustment issues from long term incarceration and trauma recovery. She found employment and worked for several years with stability until becoming disabled.
My relationship with the Bromwell’s deepened when another brother Donnie broke his neck in an accident could not care for himself and was trapped in a nursing home. I worked with the family to secure disabled housing so the three adult siblings could live together and support one another. I helped Donnie come to terms with becoming a quadriplegic and the family provided his home care. I came to admire this family who had come through so much adversity with a fierce desire to take care of each other and be successful.
After Donnie passed away of natural causes Reese told me about his brother Kevin and requested my assistance. I agreed to look into the situation and see if there was anything I could do. I spoke to Kevin by phone and made a trip to Licking Missouri to visit Kevin in the South Central Correctional Center.
I heard Kevin’s story and it had the ring of truth. I am a Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional through the Missouri Credentialing Board and have long experience with criminal justice involved individuals. I administered Phoenix Programs primary re-entry programming for many years and have worked with countless offenders and ex-offenders. Kevin struck me as sincere and his story plausible. I do not believe that Kevin poses a threat to society.
I have reviewed affidavits and records that are part of the clemency petition. I have been corresponding with Kevin and speaking with him regularly on the phone. I have come to know another sibling Pastor Larry Booth. Pastor Booth is also convinced of his brother’s innocence and has confirmed the facts of the matter as told to me by Kevin. A brief summary of the facts are as follows:
On May 16th, 1988 a terrible crime occurred. A woman was murdered, and her apartment set ablaze during a burglary. Later that night Kevin Bromwell was arrested on an unrelated charge. Kevin had been heavily drinking in the company of numerous witnesses. Three participants in the crime were arrested and they identified Kevin as the murderer, two of them testifying in his trial. All received minimal sentences and served less than five years.
Kevin has maintained his innocence for the 32 years he has served after being convicted and sentenced for 30 years to be served consecutively for Second-Degree Murder, First-Degree Burglary and First-Degree Arson. Kevin Bromwell (#181047) who is now 60 will not be eligible for parole for another 62 years.
Kevin’s attorney refused to call exculpatory witnesses and conceded his presence at the crime scene against Kevin’s expressed wishes. She did not challenge the serious issues with evidence tampering and police brutality. Kevin lost his appeal regarding ineffective assistance of trial counsel when his attorney at the time presented no evidence. Kevin has been filing habeas corpus petitions pro se which have all been dismissed without prejudice.
We are requesting a close examination of Kevin Bromwell’s clemency petition to the governor. He filed an Amended Application for Executive Clemency on 2/25/2018. He has a brother and a sister who are in poor health who requested assistance so that they might spend some time with their brother outside of prison. Kevin has made the best use of his time possible and has completed self-improvement classes and works hard on the prison garden.
There are six key facts that demonstrate there is not reasonable confidence in Kevin Bromwell’s conviction:
- A new witness proves Kevin Bromwell is innocent. The enclosed affidavit of Lewis Watkins, who as a boy witnessed the crime, swears that Kevin was not there. This affidavit is new evidence.
- Kevin’s clothing was taken by police back to the crime scene. When initially arrested, no blood of any consequence was noted on his clothing except a small amount on his right shoe from a fight earlier in the day. Subsequently the clothing was taken back to the crime scene by the police and then later when trial counsel examined the clothing it was covered in blood.
- Kevin had no stolen items on his person when arrested. As substantiated by police reports, there were no stolen items on Kevin’s person on the first police report when he was arrested. However, subsequent police reports mention stolen items that were on his person when arrested. The items mysteriously appear as part of the State’s case.
- Kevin was in no shape to commit the crime. Kevin had received an SSI check that day and had no need to commit burglary. As many witnesses will testify, Kevin was so intoxicated that night that he was staggering drunk and could barely walk much less commit a crime.
- The victim’s door was not kicked in as testified by witnesses against Kevin. Two of the individuals involved in the crime knew the victim and Kevin did not. The Fire Marshall’s report stated the door was in the unlocked position and not kicked in.
- Kevin had an alibi which trial counsel refused to use. Trial counsel’s strategy was to admit guilt and go for a conviction on a lesser charge then first-degree murder. Kevin wanted to maintain his innocence and go for a not guilty verdict at his trial. Trial counsel refused to do so.
Kevin has been filing appeals and habeas corpus petitions pro se. He has exhausted his appeals and his habeas corpus petitions have thus far been rejected without prejudice. There is no evidence they have been given serious consideration.
A commutation of sentence would be most appropriate because it would allow a quick unification of the family. Both Reese and Tina Bromwell have COPD. Reese has been off work for weeks and Tina is disabled. The siblings would serve as both recovery supports for Kevin and could use his assistance. I would pledge my own efforts to support Kevin Bromwell’s transition to the community. I would provide case management support to link him with needed services and assist him in finding full time employment.
With all of the time that has passed since this crime has been committed we may never know definitively what happened that night and who was involved. We do know that Kevin Bromwell has served 32 years for the crime while the other participants were given probation. By running the three-year sentences concurrently an acknowledgement of the trial irregularities can be acknowledged without a risk to public safety. Kevin has strong family and community supports. Please consider this modest request to help a family that has survived much hardship by pulling together and taking care of each other.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Trapp, MA, CCDP
Second Ward City Council Member, City of Columbia
Principal, AAAAChange, LLC (4-A-Change)
Here is a link to the Governor’s office for respectful requests for Kevin’s clemency petition to be granted, or at least considered thoughtfully with an examination of the evidence. https://governor.mo.gov/contact-us
His contact info is:
Office of Governor Michael L. Parson
P.O. Box 720
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3222
Fax: (573) 751-1495
To write Kevin:
Kevin Bromwell #181047
3D-266
South Central Correctional Center
255 West Highway 32
Licking, MO 65542
Multiconstruct 
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