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Yoko Imagines Day of Forgiveness

Fri., Dec. 8, 2006 2:21 PM PST by Josh Grossberg

All she is saying, is give peace a chance.

In a full-page advertisement that runs Sunday in the New York Times and various British newspapers, Yoko Ono appeals to readers to commemorate the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's death by turning it into a day of absolution.

"Thank you for your undying love for John and also for your concern for me on this tragic anniversary," she writes in the open letter. "This year, though, on Dec. 8, while we remember John, I would also like us to focus on sending the following messages to the millions of people suffering around the world.

"To the people who have also lost loved ones without cause: Forgive us for having been unable to stop the tragedy. We pray for the wounds to heal," she says. "To the soldiers of all countries and of all centuries, who were maimed for life or who lost their lives: Forgive us for our misjudgments and what happened as a result of them."

The 73-year-old artist and musician says she knows firsthand the difficulty of her request, given her own conflicting emotions about absolving Mark David Chapman, the man who gunned down the 40-year-old rock icon on Dec. 8, 1980, in front of the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan as Ono watched in horror.

"As the widow of one who was killed by an act of violence, I don't know if I am ready yet to forgive the one who pulled the trigger," Ono adds. "I am sure all victims of violent crimes feel as I do. But healing is what is urgently needed now in the world."

Last month, the parole board at New York's Attica state prison turned down Chapman's fourth bid for freedom, believing he still poses a threat to society, a view shared by Ono. His next parole opportunity comes up in two years.

Ono concludes her missive by urging people to take responsibility and help put an end to the kind of violent society used to inflicting "physical and mental abuse" on victims, including herself.

"Let's wish strongly that one day we will be able to say that we healed ourselves, and by healing ourselves, we healed the world," she writes.

Aside from her plea for peace, Ono remains in a legal battles to protect Lennon's legacy.

Last month, she filed a $10 million lawsuit against EMI and its U.S. subsidiary, Capitol Records, in New York State Supreme Court, accusing the companies of cooking the books to cheat her out of royalties generated by Lennon's lucrative album sales.