With news of Molly Ivins' death joining the relentless barrage of information pummelling our brains, there's a good chance that the passing of Robert Neal Walker of New Orleans may go unnoticed on these pages. That would not be proper.
Say hello and farewell to a great man.
A native of Kentucky, Neal moved to New Orleans in 1991. Like so many who've made the city their home, he had a deep love for the life, culture and people here. Unlike many, though, he repaid New Orleans' generosity tenfold.
Director of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center in New Orleans, he worked with groups like Amnesty International and the Innocence Project to reform Louisiana's prisons, free the unjustly incarcerated and curb America's appetite for state-sponsored killing.
Dkos readers may remember him from Amy Goodman's Sep. 28, 2005 program, on which he advocated for prisoners abandoned in Orleans Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina, then shipped to other facilities around the state, regardless of their status. Many of these prisoners were awaiting trials on misdemeanor charges.
Anderson Cooper also noted Neal's work for Katrina prisoners in a report last March.
While Neal was best-known publicly for his tireless efforts to reform the justice system, friends and acquaintences knew him as an open, friendly fun-loving Orleanian, a man who shared in the joys, sorrows and hopes of the city.
Neal passed away on Jan. 21st. His family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center. Donations will be added to the Center's client welfare fund to improve the lives of the people Neal worked to save.