Lisl Auman and Hunter S. Thompson

Yesterday was warm and windy, thunderclouds threatened as they often do in Denver in May.
On the steps of the capitol, I stood with my friend Lisl Auman as she prepared to sing a song with her dad before the crowd that had gathered to honor Hunter S. Thompson and Lisl. We were joined by Hunter's lovely widow Anita who read from her new book, "The Gonzo Life". The message that she delivered was clear and necessary. "The most important word in politics, is we."

I was proud and honored to be able to stand on those steps and give my thanks to Hunter for his work in getting Lisl released from prison.

Rocky Mountain News-On May 14, 2001, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson staged a rally on the state Capitol steps to call for freedom for convicted cop killer Lisl Auman. Notables such as rocker Warren Zevon were there, too.

On Sunday - a day short of six years later - a happy-looking Auman stood on those same steps a free woman.

"Lisl would not be out and none of this would have happened without Hunter S. Thompson," said Mary Ellen Johnson of the Pendulum Foundation. "We never want to forget that."

The Pendulum Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to oppose the trend of juveniles being sentenced as adults, organized this year's rally not only to commemorate Thompson but to remember the "forgotten 45" - the 45 people sentenced as juveniles to life without parole in Colorado.

Organizers, who called for an examination of juvenile sentencing laws, released 45 red balloons - each one carrying the name of one of the "forgotten 45."

Auman, who has kept a low profile since her release from a halfway house about a year ago, sang a song by Sarah McLachlan, I Will Remember You. Her father, Don, accompanied her on guitar.

Auman, 31, dedicated the lyrics to the people she served time with in prison. Later, she said the song was also for victims' families.

Auman told the roughly 30 people gathered that she wanted to carry on Thompson's legacy of seeking justice for "those who don't have a voice."

She said she will continue to protest excessively harsh sentences. She also gave her mother flowers and a Mother's Day card, something she said she longed to do while incarcerated.

Rocky Mountain News.