Originally published on the CGS blog on March 26, 2014.
He was always there at every activist meeting. A quiet, rather quirky, guy who rarely spoke, but was eager to assist with hooking up the projector or making sure the microphones didn’t squeal. He cared about using institutions to oversee the path to a peaceful, clean and just world. He believed in good government, and in the end, justice was delivered to him.
Our Milwaukee friend Peter Holzberger was murdered recently and our worlds turned around.
Two young men had found Peter working in his back yard, broke his neck, hog-tied him with bungee cords and carried his body to his basement where they hid him with boxes and clothes. Then they robbed his house, coming back several times over the next week to load up their blue van. They even bought items with his debit card on his computer, which ultimately led in their discovery.
Last week I was fascinated as I watched the court system unfold. Every step tried to guarantee an honest and true quest for fairness and truth. The two who were accused saw that they were getting a fair shake and did not rebel. And in the end, a jury of strangers gave Peter justice and the rest of our community safety (two life sentences). My eyes welled up with gratitude and pride as the anonymous twelve walked out, having done their duty to society.
A nation ruled by law and justice worked in Milwaukee this time, just as it is working in its first stages with the International Criminal Court. Having society see that its institutions are viable is something we need to keep highlighting if we want to promote the dream of using them to create a better world.
Peter fought for that dream. His spirit and example will love on with us in the Global Solutions community.
Peter Holzberger (March 12, 1948 – November 5, 2013)
