Parish
Ruiz Gone to Hell
RECEIVED Tue., Nov. 29, 2005
Dear Editor,
If David Ruiz hadn't been the lead plaintiff in the controversial lawsuit that led (now Senior) District Judge William Wayne Justice to drag Texas prisons kicking and screaming from the 16th to the 20th century, he might have been better known as a habitual felon whose hobbies included using deadly weapons to separate noncriminals from their money and property [“Prisoners' Rights Crusader Ruiz Dies,” News, Nov. 25]. While his influence on making the Texas prison system less inhumane cannot be doubted, it's only fair to his victims that his entire legacy be remembered. No lawsuit is going to improve his current living conditions.
If David Ruiz hadn't been the lead plaintiff in the controversial lawsuit that led (now Senior) District Judge William Wayne Justice to drag Texas prisons kicking and screaming from the 16th to the 20th century, he might have been better known as a habitual felon whose hobbies included using deadly weapons to separate noncriminals from their money and property [“Prisoners' Rights Crusader Ruiz Dies,” News, Nov. 25]. While his influence on making the Texas prison system less inhumane cannot be doubted, it's only fair to his victims that his entire legacy be remembered. No lawsuit is going to improve his current living conditions.
Michael Simpson
