Archives for April 2014

There was standing room only in a packed room full of venture capitalists, business leaders, public safety officials, prison administrators, and community members, as San Quentin inmates took part in their own version of Shark Tank.
On March 14, The Last Mile (TLM) finished its third round, teaching inmates how to create a business plan they can put into practice once they return to their communities. “We boast a 100 percent employment record,” said TLM co-founder Chris Redlitz.
With its catch phrase, “Paving the Road to Success,” 10 graduates of the six-month program pitched their ideas to an audience, including San Quentin Warden Kevin Chappell and head of the state’s prisons, Jeff Beard.
“There are people out there that don’t believe that programs like this can change a prisoner’s life but they can,” said founding member Kenyatta Leal. “The Last Mile taught me how to change my thoughts and my life. These lessons proved to be valuable to me as I transitioned to society.”
TLM cofounder Beverly Parenti said, “Initially, I set out to help Chris realize his dream of creating a technology accelerator inside San Quentin. That’s what we did in the free world,” adding, “When I think about growth of the men of this past session in terms of their knowledge and confidence, I swell with pride. Their dedication and hard work was evident in the quality of their presentations at Demo Day.”
More than 50 business professionals gave assistance to the graduating class as mentors.
“I get hope from working with all the guys,” said mentor Andrew Kaplan, a representative from Linked In. “Their hunger to learn to succeed, their energy makes me try harder. I leave here every time with a renewed strength.”
“I’m a mentor,” said Dominic Whittles, CEO of an advertising company. “I got involved to help the guys of The Last Mile. But I walked away being helped more than helping. I ended up being the benefactor.”
Keynote speaker MC Hammer said, “While Chris knows me in the tech world, you guys know me from growing up. You know I could have easily been sitting right there with you,” he told the crowd. “Don’t even look back. Press forward. We are not hindered by our past. The past is the past. This program is really about life. Don’t just buy into the business. It’s about the people. You’ve got a great opportunity, not just the business, but the program itself.”
“Prison life always promotes negativity,” Hammer went on to say, “Don’t let that perspective get to you. Seek the light, let people see you through The Last Mile. The Last Mile is a tough mile. When you run it, the last mile of this prison–don’t let them see you sweat.”
“These guys are motivated to learn,” said William Fisher of Cisco. “This is all about realizing your ideas.”
Before the participants pitched their ideas Redlitz said, “This is the first time a lot of these guys are presenting to a large crowd.”
First up was Aly Tamboura. He said after the San Bruno gas line explosion, and the 90 minutes it took to turn off the gas, he thought if the authorities had better access to the underground pipelines, there would have been less property damage, but moreover, lives could have been saved. His company, VeriSight, would “harvest” information about underground utilities and digitize them for instant access. His slogan, “Do it safe. Do it Right. Do it using VeriSight.”
Al Amin McAdoo said on September 8, 2012, his daughter became a victim of a drive-by shooting. McAdoo told the audience about the crime that landed him in prison—he partook in a drive-by shooting where the victim of his crime was mistaken for someone else. “I recognized the damage I caused our community,” he said. “That’s why I created Public Outcry, a company devoted to curtail violence. Our apparel will unite communities under the banner of peace.” McAdoo said parts of the proceeds from Public Outcry would be donated to Raw Talent.
Jerome Boone created the firm Boone Appetite his slogan: “Where great food and experience meet.” Boone Appetite is an online delivery service that brings all the ingredients for a “first-class” meal right to your doorstep. The packet includes accessories, such as music, movies, and fine wine. “All you have to do is cook it,” Boone said.
Raymond Ho’s company, Gimme, is geared for people who see things they like and want to buy it. But they don’t know how to get it. The concept is simple, he said. “If you see someone wearing something you like, take your phone and take a picture of it,” Ho said. The photo gets uploaded to his App, which is a search engine, and gives the person information on how to get it. “See it. Snap it. gimme it,” Ho told the audience.
Damon L. Cooke wants to supply services to seniors with dignity. Active Alternatives combine the Eastern proactive of honoring elders with Western technology. “We will reconnect our seniors with the world we live in,” he said. “Active Alternatives will reduce the social isolation prevalent today seniors suffer from.”
“Wow, there’s a lot of people here,” Tim Thompson said lightening the atmosphere. His idea, 4-Real Ballers, came after examining his own mistakes in life. He said he wanted to find an “alternative system to link athletes with coaches,” as he joked, “I got flagged for unnecessary stupidity and benched for 18 years. Our goal is to create scholarship opportunities for youngsters who otherwise may not exist.” The idea uses YouTube to post athletic feats on 4-Real Baller’s website. “Become a Baller Nation Scout,” Thompson encouraged the audience. He said with the more than 5 billion monthly users of YouTube, by getting a video to go viral would generate proceeds for the scholarship fund.
Phoeun You, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide, said Universal Healing has a three-fold objective: to employed veterans to defuse unexploded land mines in war-torn areas of the world; to provide land mine technologies; and to collaborate with other humanitarian organizations. “Today, more than 10 percent of our heroes are unemployed,” You said. “Universal Healing finds and deactivates unexploded bombs.”
Joe Demerson, creator of Canine Connections said to think of his company as the eHarmony of dog adoption. He said Canine Connections would link to shelters and create profiles to help find families for dogs in need. The website would have a variety of support services for the owners, such as dog walking, obedience training and grooming.
KnottyBird is the idea of Trevor Bird. KnottyBird is an action tracker that measures air speed, vertical height, banks and rotation to score snowboard runs. Bird said the App would allow users to link up and compete against each other. He said part of the proceeds from KnottyBird would be donated to the Sierra Club.
Harry Hemphill said he wanted to create opportunities for ex-offenders. His staffing and training company called Catapult seeks to “bridge the gap between software developers and qualified applicants.”
“The public perception of what happens in prison comes from television,” said Rahim Fazal, an employee of Oracle. “I’m humbled. I am so inspired. My eyes are so open. My mind is so open. The Last Mile business pitches are some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ve always wanted to interview inmates,” said writer Nicole Baptista. “I feel like we all share a similar existence and struggles. I find it very intriguing to be around people who are not perfect. I feel like everyone I spoke to today was not only intelligent but extremely compassionate.”
“After each session, we assess the effectiveness of the experience for the men, volunteers, greater business community and inside S.Q.,” Parenti said. “Today, we share the responsibilities of running TLM so that we can scale the program and reach more men (and hopefully someday soon, women).”
There were more than 150 inmates in the audience. Inmate Quadree Birch said, “When I was sitting in there, I was inspired. With all the business education, it will help anyone succeed.”
In an effort to expand the program, TLM made its way to Los Angeles County Jail last October.
The program implemented at the Twin Towers facility is led by rapper Ross Rowe. The first class is scheduled to graduate this May. “I’m really impressed with how far his men have come in such a short period of time,” Ross said.
The class started with 15 men. Some of the men were released under Realignment, and others through time cuts. With six men ready to graduate, Rowe says he’s really proud of the men.
The Last Mile “is not so much about the business project, as it is the process of organizing to achieve a goal,” Rowe said.
Rowe has good reason to be interested in inmates and their future. At 17, he did a three-year stint in a Michigan prison. “All the education programs were eliminated and we had no way to improve ourselves,” he said about programs in Michigan prisons.
He said he always wanted to be a part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. “I’ve been looking for a way to assist incarcerated men since getting out.” Now 36, Rowe said he realizes one of the most important elements of success, is learning to focus on the goal, and then organize to achieve the goal.
The Redlitz/Parenti team is now focusing on getting TLM inside Santa Cruz County Jail.
Kristie Clemens, program coordinator for Santa Cruz County Jail, said when she heard about TLM she contacted Redlitz for more information. Clemens said one-third of the county’s Realignment funding went to building a 64-bed dormitory/educational space for minimum-custody inmates. The plan to fund the TLM project is to obtain a $750,000 federal grant through The Second Chance Act. “Only 10 grants are going to be given,” Clemens said. “We hope to be in the running for one of them with the TLM team’s support.”
To close out Demo Day, Spoken Word poets James “JC” Cavitt, and Keith Wroten electrified the crowd with Purpose.
Cavitt said Purpose gives recognition to the trials, tribulations and success of all TLM graduates.
“The purpose of The Last Mile is more than just having a blueprint towards realizing your dreams, it is lifelong membership of being a part of something greater, which is a family,” Wroten said. “It’s learning from your struggles, and being gracious in your victories.”
–Kevin D. Sawyer, JulianGlenn Padgett, Ted Swain, Kris Himmelberger, and Rahsaan Thomas contributed to this article.

Santa Clara County District Attorney, Jeff Rosen paid a visit to San Quentin on Feb. 28 to discuss crime punishment, rehabilitation, and reentry with about two dozen inmates.
“It’s not very often that I’m in a room with a lot of guys who’ve committed serious crimes,” Rosen said to the room full of convicted murderers, robbers, and three-strikers.
Rosen took part in the fourth San Quentin News Forum, the second where a Bay Area district attorney ventured inside San Quentin to discuss criminal justice policy with inmates.
“I agree that a lot of people don’t know what happens in prison, and I’m one of them,” Rosen said. “I didn’t give much thought to what happens to defendants after they are convicted.”
“Most people don’t think about what goes on behind prison walls,” added forum participant and criminal defense attorney Dan Barton. Barton said he has known Rosen for a long time and complimented him for implementing “best practices,” in areas of criminal justice.
Editor-in-Chief Arnulfo Garcia said the news forums exist so that prisoners and public safety officials could interact and exchange ideas about some of the toughest problems related to incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry.
The meeting began with the inmates introducing themselves to Rosen, Webby and Barton by stating their crime, sentence, and county in which they were convicted.
Rosen told the inmates, “I’m here because Dan gave me a copy of the paper. I was quite struck at the quality of it.”
Rosen invited the inmates to give their opinion on what prison programs are most effective for rehabilitating offenders.
“Some of the programs that have helped me are Criminal and Gang Members Anonymous; they show you the culture of what appeals to us in that cycle of violence,” said Miguel Quezada, 32. Quezada is in his 16th year of a 45 year-to-life sentence for second-degree murder.
“It’s a community thing, and at this end we receive programs, but it has to start at the beginning,” Quezada said. “It took me about 15 years to get to San Quentin and get involved in these programs. Education is also important in prison. We have Patten University here and a few others. But, I think there’s a gap for inmates who want to gain a higher education.”
Jorge Heredia, 39, sentenced to 13 years, plus life for first-degree attempted murder talked about several programs he’s taken. Heredia enrolled in PUP. He is also involved in Victims Offender Education Group, San Quentin Inmate Resources Education Studies, Guiding Rage Into Power, and The Last Mile, a program that teaches inmates how to turn socially responsible ideas into a business model. “We’re all trying to find ways to give back. These programs help me,” said Heredia who has been incarcerated for 16 years.
“For me No More Tears and the community-based group Healing Circle gave me the opportunity to meet Paulette Brown,” said Samuel Hearnes, 36, of Fresno County. “She told the story of her son and his murder. She did this and broke down in tears. When I saw that, it helped me take accountability for what I had done. Many of us look beyond the prison system because we want to help. The community is as much ours as it is yours.” Hearnes was convicted of second-degree murder in 1997.
“The groups help you understand responsibility and accept your role,” said Vaughn Miles, 40, chairman of The Richmond Project. The Richmond Project was created to help stop the cycle of violence and incarceration by re-connecting to youth. Inmates from the city of Richmond make up the self-help group.
“What makes it easy is that you see fellow inmates doing positive things. Many times, inmates see other inmates who used to be involved in a negative lifestyle change into someone living a positive lifestyle—witnessing the results of change is very powerful.” In 1995, Miles was convicted of first-degree murder in Alameda County.
“These programs teach us that we can and should take responsibility,” said David Basile, who has recently been found suitable for parole after serving more than 30 years behind bars for murder. “I was a racist. I only realized the magnitude of my faulty belief system after taking American Government offered by Patten University. During that class, I noticed how I had limited myself through buying into lies and misrepresentations about my fellow man. It was then when I began to develop tremendous empathy for the black man’s plight and the shame I had to deal with for my previous actions and behavior toward the black man.” Basile is schedule to be released sometime in May.
“I’m not sure how long race has been an issue,” said Walter Spraeka, 54. In 1995, Spraeka was convicted of residential burglary and is serving a sentence of 37 years to life under the Three-Strike Law.
“But it’s taken many decades to get where we are today. It’s (race) a real sensitive issue with the prison system because it deals with all sorts of dynamics.”
“It’s more relaxed in San Quentin,” said Emile DeWeaver, 34, of Alameda County. “But the race issue still exists here.” DeWeaver is serving a sentence of 67 years to life for murder. He has been imprisoned since 1998.
“I like that you talk about people who want to give back to the community,” Rosen told the inmates.
Rosen said that after working in the D.A.’s office for 15 years, he became dissatisfied with how it was operating. He said the office lost some of its credibility and accountability when his predecessors ended the Innocence Project.
He decided to seek office, campaigning to bring credibility and accountability back to the district attorney’s office.
In addition, he said he also wants to make minor changes in the Three Strikes Law. “I met with the folks from Stanford and listened to them. The changes they proposed were pretty reasonable,” he said, adding, “If a person commits the same crime, they should receive the same time. One of the things important in the criminal justice system is to have consistency. These laws affect you all. I don’t believe in throwing lives away,” he told the inmates.
He was elected to office in 2010.
Rosen then created the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU). He said the CIU examines practices in the D.A.’s office and police departments with the intent to “vigorously pursue justice.”
Regarding Santa Clara County reentry services, Rosen said, “I’m lucky I work in a county that devotes resources to reentry,” adding, “We have a resource re-entry center. It’s about 500 yards from the district attorney’s office. It’s a one-stop place for classes, training and how to get medical services.”
Aly Tamboura, who is coming to the end of his sentence, said he wanted to give back to his community by talking to people about taking the right path in life.
“On the one hand, I think it’s helpful for you to talk with high school students. On the other hand, I want to be careful that we don’t glorify things,” Rosen told Tamboura. “I think a better audience for you might be other inmates or kids who are already going down that path, perhaps juveniles. I believe in second chances and change.”
Sean Webby, Rosen’s Public Communications Officer, once a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and The Gazette in New York City, said, “I’m proud to be a journalist,” then turning to San Quentin News reporters, “I’m proud to be sitting here amongst you. We’re a brotherhood. You get into journalism to get to the truth.”
Rosen grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from University of California, Los Angeles.
He said criminal law interested him the most, and he wanted to help victims of crime, which drew him to the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office in 1995.