Golden State Institute

01/21/2016

Finally made it back to the US. These two months in Pakistan were amazing but you can't beat home. We are truly blessed in this country, and we should sometimes just take a moment, relax, and ponder on that; then, get up and show your appreciation by thanking the One responsible for it.

11/06/2015

One key to solving the problems associated with youth violence, bring back the DAD. Juvenile elephants became murderers and delinquents until they brought back father figures into the jungle. Those boys straightened up fast!!!

Abbreviated clip of a 60 Minutes story "The Delinquents" (3 minutes). Several young elephants are relocated to another park in South Africa after their paren...

11/04/2015

was picked over 500 other nonprofits to win 10 free tickets to see the sacramento kings. When you do good, good things happen. Kudos to the kings for honoring nonprofits that work with educating prisoners.

10/31/2015

just got picked by the Sacramento Kings as a "Do Good" Non-Profit organization. They have awarded us 10 tickets to the November 3rd home game in Sacramento against the Grizzlies. The work is being noticed folks. Go Kings!!!

10/28/2015

We have a fair chance now of at least getting the first interview without having the application submitted to the trash can because of one check in one box. It's amazing when you think of it that we were released from one 5 X 8 box just to have our fate and fortunes relegated to another - albeit smaller - box. Way to go NY for thinking outside the box!

Employers must be aware of the changes to the New York City Administrative Code effective October 27, 2015, which prohibits employers from asking applicants regarding their criminal histories (typically called “Ban the Box”) prior to a conditional offer of employment. Under the new law called the Fa…

10/26/2015

President Bill Clinton was dubbed "The First Black President", but this man was responsible for locking up more minorities (especially Black men) than any other president before him or since. In this video he apologizes for the laws he signed in, but - coincidentally - does it the day after President Obama visited a federal prison and vowed to overturn those same Draconian and disproportionate laws. Aside from the timing of the apology and the inherent politics therein, should he be forgiven for his actions? Does the fact that he is a Democrat change the way we look at the scenario, at mass incarceration?

The explosion of the prison system happened under Bill Clinton. according to a study by the Justice Policy Institute, it is impossible to dispute the numbers: prison population rose by 673,000, his rate of incarceration was 42 per 100,000. these numbers are more than double the federal incarceration rate at the end of President Reagan’s term (17 per 100,000) and 61 percent higher than at the end of President George Bush’s term (25 per 100,000). “Under President Bill Clinton, the number of prisoners under federal jurisdiction doubled, and grew more than it did under the previous 12-years of Republican rule,combined,” states the JPI report.

Does a well timed and eloquently articulated Mia Culpa ("my bad") make up for the lives destroyed and families broken up? Will this restore the broken bonds and broken lives; of prisoners who served over 20 years for minor offenses; of children growing up without fathers, becoming fathers and mothers themselves; of their grandchildren growing up never having a connection with their full family unit, having grandparents relegated to postcards from prisons or an occasional 15 minute phone call from prison; of young men and women having grayed in dungeons while their loved ones died and were buried, one by one, without the simple pleasure of laying eyes on or holding the hands of their offspring, their siblings, their blood, their hope, their, their future. Ahh, what i would give to have seen my father before he was buried on my 12th year of incarceration, just to have talked to him one last time, to have held his hand, to have cared for him in his last days as he cared for me in my first.

Clinton's apology will not restore any of this. But it is a lesson for us: do not be so blind as to follow the charismatic demagogue who just happens to be from your party, who the media wants you to accept. An older convict once told me, "Dog bites you the first time, it's his fault. Dog bites you the second time, it's your fault. Dog bites you the second time, you's a god-damn fool!" Let's avoid getting bit again.

At the NAACP Conference, Bill Clinton admitted that the harsh sentencing provisions in his 1994 crime bill were a harmful mistake.

10/24/2015

Don't ever give up on your human potential. I did 21 years in prison and never gave up hope. Surrounded by granite walls and despair, i wrote these words in the notorious Bastille by the Bay:
"Undoubtedly, among the most amazing sights to behold upon entering San Quentin State Prison are the randomly scattered, too high and remote to displace, wildflowers growing out of the cold, hard and otherwise desolate granite boulders that make up the seemingly impregnable perimeter walls. A casual observer may easily miss these or mistake them for something less significant, but a discerning eye, born of familiarity with such wonders, will see them for what they truly are: Life in spite of…
My story is an embodiment of that natural phenomenon; it is the aspiration of tiny seeds taking root in the most hopeless circumstances, against all odds, and endeavoring to bear fruit."

Give you all and others will come to your aid. It was a discerning eye that saw the little seedling that pushed through the granite boulders in spite of everything designed to hold it back. Though i know that it will take more discerning eyes to help it grow, though I know that it will take more helping hands to nurture those seedlings so they spawn other seedlings, i firmly believe that the overwhelming volume and force of those seedlings is not only able to cover the prison walls and grow roots strong enough to tear those walls down, but - more importantly - i believe that their sheer beauty and collective power will evoke in the casual observers a deep and profound recognition of that potential.
Let us have those discerning eyes to see it. We must have that discerning eye. We must have those helping hands.

10/23/2015

Did a presentation at Hall of Justice. Never thought it feel so good to go through a metal detector and security check point, but it did because it was for a good cause. I was called in to explain my Reformative Justice Theory and Reformative Justice Model, and the promise this holds for the future of rehabilitation. I am constantly reminded of the slow and methodical movement of the wheels of power, especially in regards to the issues of social justice, but I am - more often than not - surprised, in a pleasant way, that there are those in power who endeavor to do good and aid those who sincerely seek to explore their human potential and find meaningful ways to maximize it. I found these men and women at the Hall of Justice. Perhaps if I look some more I may find even more. Ahh, there is hope yet for us as long as good people exist in the world.

10/16/2015

Gave two speeches about criminal justice and policy at Sonoma State University in idyllic Napa. I was speaking to Professor Caitlin Henry's Criminal Justice class (one Freshman class and one Senior class) and was amazed at how little this generation of students knew about the atrocities committed by the state under the Three Strikes Law. I give credit to my friend and advocate, Caitlin, for teaching them about this and broadening their minds, but i and surprised that within such a short time, we have started to forget that tens of thousands of lives were destroyed by this cruel and racist law.

We should never allow ourselves to forget our history. This law incarcerated thousands of our own citizens for petty crimes such as stealing a slice of pizza, a loaf of bread, two AA batteries, a can of Similac, a joint of w**d (before it was legal), cheating on a DMV test, stealing video tapes, lying on the stand, instigating a fist fight (what i got life in prison for) and a whole host of other ridiculous non-violent and non-serious offenses. The men and women who fell under the yoke of this law were sentenced to spend 25 to life in prison, with almost no chance of ever getting out. Had it not been for the repeal of certain portions of this law in 2012 - 18 years after it was first enacted, 18 years after these people were sentenced - these men and women would still have been in prison. To allow ourselves to forget this is a tragedy because it will get repeated if there are none left to remind the masses that such a thing did occur. We cannot and should not forget.

So much respect and admiration for the Criminal Justice and Policy classes at Sonoma State. These students were with me from 1 in the afternoon till 9 at night. we had lively debates and invigorating question and answer periods. I don't know how much change i can accomplish on my own, but i believe that i may have changed a few minds last night. let's continue the work.

10/14/2015

"That's all folks!!" Porky Pig is officially removed from the menu in all federal prisons. Because pork and other non-halal meats were regularly offered by prison offials, most Muslim prisoners had to spend decades eating only the meat alternative, beans. We ate peanut butter (the meat alternative for breakfast and lunch) and beans (meat alternative for dinner) everyday for 17 years before the California Department of Corrections finally settled the lawsuit allowing us to receive halal meat. It is encouraging to see Obama push for similar reforms (though he did it for different readons) in the federal prisons.

Imagine that, 17 years of peanut butter and beans, day after day. We didn't know whether to be constipated from the peanut butter or bloated from the beans. But the most amazing part of this story is that the brothers who I saw making this tremendous sacrifice were all African Americans who converted to Islam. Allah blessed them with such resolve and fortification of faith that they withstood the tests for nearly two decades. Would you have been able to eat beans -and not the spicy curry kind either - for that length of time, or would it have been easier to sneak a little meat in the diet?
I remember the first time I tasted a piece of meat after all those years; ahh, the most amazing meal I ever had - even considering the fact that it was still prison grub!! I have advice for anyone who fails to recognize the bounties of Allah, please begin to recognize the bounties of Allah.

Surveys of inmates show that pork is not the enticing food it once was

10/13/2015

The Ohio University has been offering quality education to prisoners for over 40 years. Though many prisoners have benefited from this, I was the only person to finish the entire degree program while incarcerated and the first one to ever walk in commencement last year. The deans of the various colleges, impressed by these achievements and overjoyed to finally see one of their incarcerated students graduate, invited me to an exclusive luncheon. As they celebrated my individual achievements and recognized me for being the only former prison student to walk in commencement, I couldn’t help but remind them how hard it was for me to be able to get permission to come to commencement. Though I was not placed on parole or probation upon release, my lengthy prison record (21 years) and litany of serious or violent crimes resulted in me having to be cleared by their legal affairs office, which – undoubtedly – took its job seriously and added extra measures of scrutiny when reviewing my case. I was not deterred though. I wanted to go to Ohio from California and walk in commencement. There was an important reason why I had to be there to pick up the degree.
I told them that I was determined to come here and that I was actually not walking alone. They looked at me quizzically. “I come here representing hundreds of my brothers and sisters in prison who persevere in acquiring their education under the most trying of circumstances,” I told them. “When I walk up on that stand to pick up my degree, they will be with me.”
I knew that image of a former prisoner walking in commencement, something that was never supposed to happen because I had a life sentence, would empower and inspire all those whom I left behind. Those deans had never heard anything like that and actually admired the position that I took. My perception of the significance of the situation did prove to be correct when they published the below newsletter highlighting my college experience. They sent this to all the prisons. The response was such that they had to hire more staff to deal with the influx of applications from prisoners. I am proud to have been able to represent the voice of the prisoners at such a prestigious institution. Putting a human face on the cause of educating prisoners was a win-win situation for all involved. This is a noble work and we have to continue to aid those who are engaged in it.

10/12/2015

We sometimes underestimate the power of education in transforming the lives of prisoners. After 21 years in prison, it would be my post-secondary education (namely the degrees i earned through The Ohio University and Patten University) that would play a pivotal role in my eventual freedom. My initial job as a teacher at Tayba Foundation, the subsequent success I have had with establishing my own nonprofit educational center, Golden State Institute, and the other opportunities that have opened up for me are all a direct result of the education i received while incarcerated. Moreover, my inclination and ability to give back, to empower, to educate, to mentor, and to guide are also attributed that same education.

You can read more about this under the success stories tab on Ohio's website: www.ohio.edu/ecampus/print/correctional/index.htm. We have to invest in the potential of our fellow citizens behind bars. go to goldenstateinstitute.org and find out more about what we do and how we educate the incarcerated.