Ear Hustle

San Quentin music reaches New York City

September 18, 2018 by Rahsaan Thomas

Mark Kenney, Dwight Krizman, Richie Morris and Chris Koppe

If you go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City in the spring of 2019, don’t be surprised to hear music created by musicians incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.
“I’m in a 6×9 cell and my voice is going to New York—that’s God,” said singer Mike Adams, who has been in prison 19 years.
The 51-year-old’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” was chosen by representatives of the museum to be used in a performance that blends ballet, opera, spiritual songs, and art history.
The concept, “From the Spirits,” is the brainchild of accomplished ballet dancer Silas Farley and Met General Manager of Live Arts Limor Tomer.
Tomer, an ex-radio producer, was inspired to include San Quentin artists after listening to the hit podcast Ear Hustle produced inside the prison.
Farley, his wife Cassia, Tomer and Met Director of Education Programs Sandra Jackson-Dumont arrived in San Quentin on June 11 to hear several artists audition, in what was more of a jam session than a competition.

Calvin Johnson

On July 25, Pat Mesiti-Miller, Outside Producer for Ear Hustle, delivered the news that the Met chose music by rapper Calvin Johnson, singer AJ Gonzales, harmonica player Gary Harrell, band Quentin Blue, bass-guitarist Charlie Spencer, rapper Lemar “Maverick” Harrison and Adams at a recording session for the project.
Adams fought back tears when he heard the news.
“I needed to hear that,” Adams said. “It’s hard sometimes to go through so much as a man of faith. Faith is based on spirit. You don’t always get that up in here.”
Johnson, a 25-year-old Oakland native who grew up in foster care and group homes, writes rap music based on his Christian faith. He performed his song “Blinded by the Light” by banging the beat out on a table with a pencil and it got him chosen.
“I feel like David beating Goliath,” Johnson said. “All I had was a pencil, table and the word of God.”
He became a Christian when, during his third month in jail on a six-year sentence, his bunkie told him to read Proverbs in the Bible.
“I read Proverbs in tears,” Johnson said. “It felt like the parent I never had. I’ve been getting fathered by God ever since my incarceration.”

A.J. Gonzales

Gonzales, a 38-year-old Filipino from Vallejo, started singing in school choirs rather than in church. While working at the firehouse at San Quentin, he heard a poem called “Reflections” by fellow incarcerated firefighter Bradley Vangroeningen. Gonzales turned the poem into a song and performed it for the Met reps.
“We didn’t try to make a hit song, we just tried to express our faith,” Gonzales said. “It’s just a blessing that somebody can hear our song outside these walls.”
Harrell, who is 63 years old, has been incarcerated 42 years on a 7-to-life sentence. For decades, he was doing the same type of stuff that landed him in prison until about eight years ago. Now serious about his Christian faith, he was baptized last Easter.
Accompanied by former Club Nuevo member Jeffery Atkins, Harrell recorded a new rendition of the soulful harmonica playing that impressed the Met reps at recording session.

Jeffery Atkins and Gary Harrell

“It’s an honor and privilege to be associated with honorable people,” Harrell said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.”
Quentin Blue was chosen for “The Gathering Song.” The band is made up of four guys over fifty-five: Richie Morris, 57, Dwight Krizman, 63, Chris Koppe, 61 and Mark Kenny, 56.
Kenny and Koppe just joined the group, replacing Charlie Spencer, who paroled.

Mike Adams

“I’m absolutely humbled by it,” Kenny said. “God opens doors for us. Sit in the middle of his will and things happen for us.”
Le’mar “Maverick” Harrison, is a Christian who raps. He and Spencer paroled before the announcement that the Met wants to use their music. Johnson and Gonzales are scheduled to parole in a few months.
Mesiti-Miller plans to mix down the artists’ music and get it to the Met team.
“Everybody who has participated has been tremendously talented,” Mesiti-Miller said. “It’s an honor to record their voices and songs. It’s great to get these songs out. And the idea that it’s going to reach so many people—I feel all the songs are worthy of that.”

Artistic Ensemble Showcases Its Talents

Grammy Winner LeCrae Moore’s inspirational message

NY’s Metropolitan Museum of Art comes to SQ

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise

Grammy Winner LeCrae Moore’s inspirational message

September 16, 2018 by Rahsaan Thomas

LeCrae performing in the Protestant Chapel

Two-time Grammy-winning rapper LeCrae Moore used a hip-hop performance at San Quentin State Prison on July 24 to deliver inspirational messages and show his Christian faith in action.
“On a personal level, I’m here because I have family behind prison walls: my father, my uncle,” LeCrae said.“I’m attracted to being around people I feel like society has thrown away. People have value, souls have value. Coming here is saying my father and uncle matter.”
During the show, LeCrae used a five-dollar bill to illustrate value.
“You see this five-dollar bill?” LeCrae asked the standing-room-only audience in Protestant Chapel. “I crumpled it up, what’s it worth now? Still five dollars.”
LeCrae rubbed the bill along his lower body, spit on it, dropped it on the ground, and stomped it. Then he told the crumpled bill it was worthless and would never be anything.
“What’s it worth now?”
“Nothing,” someone in the audience yelled.
Correcting that person’s mistake, LeCrae responded, “If I unfold it and take it to the store, it still spends. No matter what happened to it, it never lost its value—you matter, you have purpose. It doesn’t matter what was said or done. If we use $100 bills as wallpaper, we’re wasting it. We didn’t use it for the value and purpose it was meant for.”

Grammy-winning rapper LeCrae giving the crowd what they didn’t expect to hear or see

Incarcerated men in the audience openly sobbed as LeCrae’s metaphor sank in.
“I saw three people cry when LeCrae talked about your worth,” Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie said. “He was like a modern-day Socrates.”
LeCrae is a rapper who is a Christian. He has won Grammies for Best Rap Song in 2013 and Best Gospel Album in 2014. He also received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian music. He sold over three million records, with several albums and mix tapes, including his latest, Let the Trap Say Amen.
LeCrae has performed at other correctional facilities including Riker’s Island, Angola, and the Los Angeles County jail. It was the 6-foot-5 rapper’s first time at San Quentin.
“I thought I would have to wait until I got out and go to a concert to meet him but he’s here,” said Jamai Johnson, who owns 10 LeCrae albums and mix tapes. “Moments like this allow you to see, feel and know exactly how much you mean to God and how much love he has for the entire planet.”
Send Musicians to Prison, an organization founded by Nathan Lee, brought LeCrae in with the help of a retired Warden Duffy, formerly with the NYC Department of Corrections, and San Quentin Public Information Officer Sam Robinson.
San Quentin’s own Graced Out Youth Ministries member Ferrari Moody hosted the event, which opened with a prayer and rap performance by Harry “ATL” Smith.
Smith, one of the key players on the San Quentin Warriors team, stated before rapping: “Let’s give it up for Jesus. It ain’t about me. It ain’t about LeCrae. It’s about Jesus Christ.”

Two-time Grammy-winning rap- per LeCrae Moore used a hip-hop performance at San Quentin State Prison on July 24 to deliver inspi- rational messages and show his Christian faith in action.

LeCrae took the stage next, giving context before performing a nine-song set including a premiere performance of “Shine a Light on Me” and three songs from his newest album.
During “Shine a Light on Me,” he rapped, “…introduced me to Jay Z, never (see) my dad but I met the music that raised me.”
Before rapping, “Count Up My Blessing,” he told a short story about meeting a man at Angola who said he was blessed, despite serving a life term, because his mother loved him, he woke up and when he died, he would be with the Lord.
“And I’m complaining about being in traffic,” LeCrae said.
Before performing “Ain’t Talking About Nothing,” he used the story of David and Goliath to explain why he uses music the way he does.
“I grew up on Little Wayne, Snoop, Tupac,” LeCrae said. “Then God showed me something. David went to the King and said, ‘I’m going to fight Goliath.’
“The King wanted David to put on armor. David replied, ‘This don’t fit me. Give me a sling and let me fight the way I know how.’ I don’t do hymns or traditional gospel music but give me a beat and rhythms.”
For an intro to his song, “Plugged In,” LeCrae talked about how you can buy six gold chains or buy a barbershop that expands to six chains.
“Let the Trapped Say Amen,” went on about the less glamorous side of the drug game that most drug dealers don’t warn you about.
Before “Praying for You, Man,” LeCrae said, “Our purpose really ain’t about us. It ain’t really about you. It ain’t about me. You might be here to inspire a whole new generation. I’m listening to a podcast from San Quentin and I’m being inspired. Don’t ever feel like your purpose was snatched from you. Your freedom is right here. Pray for the things he has preplanned.”
On his intro to “All Things Work Together,” LeCrae rapped, “The Master artist makes you a masterpiece, regardless.”
LeCrae advised the audience to use their time to figure out who they need to be.
“My man learned how to cook in prison,” LeCrae said. “Even if you have a life sentence, y’all already proved it. You ain’t got to be out there to make an impact.”
The night ended after the concert with an impromptu rap cycle kicked off by Abercrombie playing his guitar and rapping his song “Identity.”
Antwan “Banks” Williams, the “Ear Hustle” sound designer and a talented artist, added a verse.
“Handpicked I can endure the conditions, because this might be the only way I acquire God’s wisdom,” Williams rapped.
A small crowd of mostly rappers joined in on the chorus, “yeah, yeah, yeah,” to Abercrombie’s second song, “Can’t Hold Me Back,” which turned into a free-for-all.
First Tevin “Cutty” Fournette, Abercrombie’s older brother, joined in.
Then Calvin Johnson added a verse followed by Kenneth “HQ” Hawkins, who rapped, “I been converted since my King was murdered; only God can judge me, have you heard the verdict?”
LeCrae bobbed his head and smiled as the rappers gave him a show.
The Grammy-winning rapper left the church humming, “yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I’m fortunate and grateful to be here,” LeCrae said. “If I inspired one person, I did my job. I leave more inspired by the folks in here using whatever they got to do incredible things.”

At-Risk Youths Visit San Quentin

Using poetry to build bridges

Art Prison Program

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise

NY’s Metropolitan Museum of Art comes to SQ

August 8, 2018 by Rahsaan Thomas

Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie with his guitar

Representatives from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, seeking music for a ballet production, traveled cross-country to hear from incarcerated artists.

“Ear Hustle — that’s where I learned about the excellent talent and music people are making inside of prison,” said Limor Tomer, the general manager of live arts at the Met.

Ear Hustle, recorded inside San Quentin, tells the stories of people inside. Incarcerated person Earlonne Woods co-hosts the show with Professor Nigel Poor. Multi-talent artists Antwan “Banks” Williams and David Jassy, a music producer and rapper from Sweden, do the sound design.

“I think it’s big to even be in a conversation where Ear Hustle is contributing to the Met,” Woods commented. Then he smiled and added, “It goes to show how Ear Hustle can open you up to things you never thought of. To hear them talk about 5,000 years of history makes me want to go see the show if I get out — right after watching ‘Ocean’s 8’.”

Darius Sommons performing from his book

Tomer heard an Ear Hustle episode called “Audio Extras.” A band called Quentin Blue preformed “Dirty Water” while Williams, along with Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie and AJ Gonzales, did a rendition of “Jingle Bells Rock” with their own twist, including the sound of a guard’s keys. That episode and music from a few others sparked the idea that guys inside should do renditions of spirituals for the production From the Spirits.

From the Spirits involves ballet, opera, spiritual music and historic art. Accomplished New York City Ballet dancer Silas Farley performs classical ballet with his wife and muse Cassia and others to the sound of opera on the museum floor.

Farley is a tall Black man from North Carolina who fell in love with ballet when he was six years old. At 14, he earned a scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York City. Straight out of high school, he became a professional ballet dancer, where he met his wife, an Austin, Texas, native. Now, at 24, he’s the youngest and only Black faculty member at the School of American Ballet.

“If his wife is a ballerina, does that make Silas a ballerino?” joked Woods.

Cassia, 26, came out of retirement to dance with her husband and other dancers on marble and stone floors in three sections of the museum — Ancient Middle Eastern Art, the Asia Wing and the American Sculptures Court.

“if y’all think I did it…just give me a lawyer, dawg, ‘cause this is not what’s up.” Warren Demesme said during police questioning. The Louisiana Supreme Court held that this reference was too ambiguous to count as a request for counsel. REASON Magazine, January 2018

In a show slotted for March 2019, opera soprano Kelly Griffin and tenor Robert May are scheduled to sing spirituals like “He’s Gotthe Whole World in his Hands.”

“Both have unique gifts of making unexpected connections,” Cassia said about her husband and Tomer.

Tomer first worked as a producer for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She also worked for New York public radio station WNYC as the executive director of music. She started the radio show “Q2,” now called “New Sounds.”

She challenged Silas to incorporate music from guys at San Quentin into the piece. He accepted the task and held off choosing the last five songs until hearing the men at San Quentin.

“We thought spiritual songs would resonate with making new forms of art and the conditions here. I’m determined to know more about these artists and bring their talent to more people like the podcast,” Tomer said. “I contacted Nigel through her address, and she got back to me.”

Poor, who set out with Ear Hustle to show that incarcerated people can work as colleagues with people in the community, responded, “Why do renditions? We have all these incredible musicians who can write new music for the piece.”

Quincy Peoples performing spoken word

On June 11, Tomer, the Farleys and Met director of education programs Sandra Jackson-Dumont sat in the SQ media center and listened to artists perform for a chance to help create what Silas calls a “dialogue across time, space and art.”

The auditions turned into a Fame-like atmosphere. Instead of competing for the five spots, the artist joined in one another’s performances.

Gary Harrell played an instrumental harmonica solo that turned into an impromptu collaboration. Singers Richie Morris and Mike Adams added vocals. Charlie Spencer played the guitar and Gino Sevacos used his guitar as a drum. The audience, made up of the rest of 12 acts, clapped.

Morris later performed as part of the band Quentin Blue along with Spencer. Additionally, Spencer did a solo song. Adams sang a duet with Joey Mason, and later performed a solo rendition of “How Great Is Our God” with the help of the other artists adding music.

Before singing his solo piece “Reflections,” Gonzales sang a rhythm and blues chorus to Lemer “Maverick” Harrison’s rap, “Oh Lord,” that had the small crowd chanting along.

“I feel really privileged and blessed to be heard by people who want to use our material,” Gonzales said. “I’d love to tell my loved one my song is being used.”

The men trying out included spoken word artists Darius Sommons and Quincy Peoples.

“Banks (Williams) invited me,” Sommons said. “It’s inspirational, exciting, humbling — I never thought this would be happening for me. It makes all the trials and tribulations worth it.”

Williams gave a standout performance with his original rap song “Designed by God,” a song about being happy and content with who and where you are because God made you for a purpose.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, unique in itself because it gives value to those often seen as unvalued and who often feel that way about themselves from being in prison so long,” Williams said. “I performed ‘Designed by God’ because I’m a firm believer that we are where we’re supposed to be. I wanted to show Silas that I was worthy of any kind of greatness people would tell you you don’t deserve because you’re in prison.”

The Met people, who sang along with many of the performances, left with notes on all the artists and tough choices to make.

“Isn’t so much as a podcast — it’s a minor miracle,” Poor said. “I’m so impressed and really proud people want to work with guys inside as equal collaborators. It made me wish we could do more things like that.”

Game theory and the digital cloud

http://sanquentinnews.com/chan-zuckerberg-initiative-aids-programs/

Right to Police Transparency

Ear Hustle wraps up first season with over six million downloads

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) aids programs

July 25, 2018 by Kevin Sawyer

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) will provide grant funding to the Prison University Project (PUP) and Ear Hustle, an award-winning podcast. Both organizations are based at San Quentin State Prison.

PUP offers more than 350 inmates the opportunity to earn their Associate of Arts degree inside prison. Ear Hustle allows inmates to share their stories about what it’s like to live in prison on a daily basis.

“We are thrilled to support Ear Hustle’s efforts to connect with more listeners, and the Prison University Project’s plan to create new educational opportunities for people in San Quentin,” said Ana Zamora, criminal justice manager at CZI.

“These programs are breaking new ground by helping incarcerated people tell their own stories and make positive change in their own lives and in the world.”

In a statement, CZI said PUP “has been the site of a unique and unprecedented educational enterprise, providing excellent higher education to people at San Quentin,” and it acknowledged how the college program “supports increased access to higher education for incarcerated people across California.”

“The Prison University Project works to transform the U.S. criminal justice system by empowering incarcerated individuals to become leaders and change agents,” said Jody Lewen, executive director of PUP. The college program works “to break down harmful biases that dehumanize the image of incarcerated people in the public imagination.”

“According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company.

“The state typically spends $71,000 a year to house an inmate. It costs about $5,000 total to help put one [incarcerated] student through community college”, reports Fast Company.

“The grant came in at an unbelievable time,” said Nigel Poor, co-host of Ear Hustle. “We didn’t have a big plan when we started. That’s only sustainable up to a point.”

Inmate and Ear Hustle co-host Earlonne Woods said the high-profile grant will show that their work is important. “Ear Hustle has to rely on grants,” he said. “I’m appreciative of CZI in assisting us in our struggles for funding.”

Jody Lewen at the 2018 PUP graduation

In October 2015, Dr. Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg and husband, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, toured San Quentin to get a first-hand look at the programs inside the prison and to talk to inmates.

Aly Tamboura, who paroled from San Quentin in 2016, received his AA degree from PUP and learned computer coding in the Code.7370 program. He now works for CZI as its technology & program delivery manager and was instrumental in the grant funding going to PUP and Ear Hustle.

Poor, who is a tenured professor at California State University Sacramento, taught History of Photography at PUP in 2012 when she first met Tamboura, who was then an inmate-student. “He was a really good student,” she said. “He was really serious.”

After Tamboura paroled, he remained interested in the criminal justice system. While working for CZI, he proposed the idea of grant funding to organizations doing work to improve the criminal justice system.

Poor said she saw Tamboura at a Human Rights Watch conference, and then at a PUP brainstorming conference. Later, he escorted her into the CZI conference room in Palo Alto, California, to discuss a grant for Ear Hustle.

“It was wild,” Poor said. “It’s so uplifting that someone who was incarcerated is now responsible for funding Ear Hustle. If I hadn’t been teaching at PUP, I would’ve never made the connection.”

“A lot of people get out of prison and say what they’re going to do,” Woods said. He said Tamboura didn’t say he would do anything. “But he did. I’m just appreciative of a guy who looked back.”

“CZI’s generosity will allow us to grow in beautiful ways,” Woods said. “We usually hear about the great criminal justice reform work that groups like CZI do and only dream that this sequestered population could directly benefit … well, that dream has become a reality.”

Poor said she believes CZI wants to give voice to people who are voiceless. Through Ear Hustle, stories told by those living in prison are produced inside San Quentin and broadcast to the world with more than 12 million downloads.

In 2016, Ear Hustle won Radiotopia’s Podquest when it was chosen from more than 1,500 contestants from around the world, and it has been in the number one spot on Apple Podcasts.

The Prison University Project delivers the opportunity to the incarcerated to benefit from education in the liberal arts and to use their learning, talents and life experiences to make important academic and collective contributions. It provides training and mentorship to emerging educational programs that provide higher education in California and nationally.

In recognition of its impact and for providing education opportunities to the incarcerated, PUP was awarded the 2015 National Humanities Medal by President Obama.

At its 2018 graduation, Lewen said, “There are people out there that care about the things we care about.”

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a philanthropic organization that is working to build a future for everyone. It uses traditional grant making, advocacy, storytelling, impact investing and engineering to help drive change at scale. Its criminal justice reform program focuses on power building in communities traditionally excluded from policy making and agenda-setting in criminal justice.

PPI’s “Correctional Control: Incarceration and Supervision by State” is the first report to aggregate data on all types of correctional control nationwide.
https://sanquentinnews.com/san-quentin-podcast-wins-international-contest/
http://sanquentinnews.com/100th-edition-celebration-recognizes-san-quentin-news-community/

Prison University Project wins ethics debate

CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle

8th Day of Peace celebration held on SQ’s Lower Yard

July 24, 2018 by Haines and Payne

First Place chalk artist winner, Erik Rives

Chaplain Mardi Ralph Jackson speaking to the crowd

After nine days of quarantine, San Quentin celebrated its eighth Day of Peace on May 19. Live bands on a makeshift stage played classic rock, reggae and rhythm & blues to entertain hundreds of inmates as they mingled with dozens of community members and prison staffers. Several artists drew their interpretations of peace in a sidewalk art contest.

“This day is beautiful. It’s amazing. The band is good. The music is good. Smiling, everyone can get together and live in peace,” said Pat Mesiti-Miller, an outside sound-designer for the podcast Ear Hustle. “It’s amazing that this can happen in a prison — having positive energy in a place like this is important.”

After a race riot on San Quentin’s Lower Yard in 2006, a group of men, many serving life sentences, came together with the goal of stemming violence inside the prison. The administration supported the anti-violence message and approved the Day of Peace committee.

“It’s a powerful gathering with a group of people that have a deep understanding of peacemaking processes rather than just a punitive system and responding to harm,” said Danica Rodarmel, who works with San Quentin’s Restorative Justice.

Tables were set up on the prison’s Lower Yard promoting the various self-help groups available for the incarcerated men.

Rev. Bill Englehart sat at a table for The Work. He passed out leaflets describing what The Work has to offer: Participants have the opportunity to learn specific skills such as reflective listening, cooperation, conflict resolution, accountability, tolerance, forgiveness and facilitation skills. Englehart co-facilitates the group with Lisa Starbird.

Music band performing on Day of Peace

People waiting in line to receive their Walkenhorst’s bag of goodies

“It’s really authentic sharing in a confidential setting where the men could share their challenges and victories. The environment is multi-ethnic, spiritual and racial,” said Englehart. “The men in this group are dedicated to understanding themselves, being authentic in a way that is reflective of what you would find in a monastery.”

Oakland native Harry Black, 20, arrived at San Quentin two months ago. He’s scheduled for release this October.

Black, surveying the multiple self-help stations, said that it was the first time he’d seen an event like Day of Peace.

Items donated by Walkenhorst ‘s for the Day of Peace

“This shows a better side of the pen,” Black said. “It shows when I get out, I can further my education or get a job.”

Gregory “White Eagle” Coates

Black said the atmosphere made him feel like a human being.

While standing in the crowd, Deyanco Blavin, a 25-year-old personal trainer, said he has mixed emotions.

It was Blavin’s first time stepping inside a prison.

He compared the yard to a plantation and said, “I feel anger and sadness. I see myself. I want to help. I would offer love and support. I would make this more of a community.”

Dmari Pierceson, previously incarcerated at Duel Vocational Institution (DVI), said Day of Peace wouldn’t happen there because “at DVI people don’t care,” he added, “If they had more activities and programs, it may be possible.”

Volunteers exchanging views on the self-help programs offered at SQ

Pierceson looked around the yard and commented on people from different ethnic groups and areas of California “getting along.”

Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie rapping at SQ’s Day of Peace

Jeremiah Lee Sr. said he thought a Day of Peace could have taken place in San Joaquin County Jail, but wondered, “Who’s willing to take that first step?” He added, “A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

Ronnie Young, 49, arrived at San Quentin last March.

“When I first got, here, I was amazed by all the free staff and programs,” Young said.

Young walked the yard, handing out roses. For the past 18 years, he’s made roses out of soap bars. He tints and shades them with colored pencils.

“I got into Alliance for Change, Men Creating Peace and Narcotics Anonymous. With all the programs offered by CDCR, there’s an avenue for change,” Young said. “I’ve never seen anything like this ever, in my 23 years of being locked up.”

“According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company.

“The state typically spends $71,000 a year to house an inmate. It costs about $5,000 total to help put one [incarcerated] student through community college”, reports Fast Company.

Walkenhorst’s Natalie Tovar showed up for a fifth time at the Day of Peace.

Gathering crowd enjoying music at the Day of Peace

“I feel like I have a connection with the people from sponsoring and encouraging the programs behind the walls,” Tovar said.

Alex Ross, 52, has been in prison 24 years. He said California Men’s Colony doesn’t have programs like SQ. At SQ he’s completed Criminal Gangs Anonymous, Restorative Justice, Anger management, Project LA and is enrolled in the Prison University Project.

“These groups help me to realize how distorted my thinking was growing up — that violence was the norm and how misguided I was,” Ross said.

Hector Heredia

Art Photos:

There was a sidewalk chalk art contest judged by Arts in Corrections instructor Patrick Mahoney.

First Place: #8 by Erik Rives

“You can tell how peaceful a person is by their eyes,” Rives said. “It’s the window to the soul—eyes inspire us deeply, especially when you look into a loved one’s eyes.”

Second: #7 by Al S. Bradshaw

Third: #11 by Jimmy Vue

Honorable mention #40 by Robert Russell

Duly noted #3 by Ross Tiner

Tiner, 33, hails from Yuba City. He’s been at San Quentin one week.

“It’s a peaceful drawing that came straight out of my heart,” Tiner said. “We don’t have to hate. The simplest gestures on Earth can be done to give hope to people who are lost.”

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

California’s early release programs ACP

http://sanquentinnews.com/san-quentin-comes-together-to-celebrate-day-of-peace-2017/

Hip-Hop Artists Locked Out For Second Time at S.Q.’s Day of Peace Event

CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle

July 1, 2018 by Juan Haines

As part of a 1961 class project, a Stanford student named Ted Koppel, age 21, went inside San Quentin to study the U.S. criminal justice system. And 57 years later, he came back, this time as a correspondent with CBS Sunday Morning.

“It’s that we incarcerate more people than any other nation,” Koppel said referring to the high incarceration rate in the United States (700 prisoners per 100,000 population). He added, “That seems to be contradictory to who we are as a nation.

The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population. However, 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated people are locked away in American prisons and jails.

When Koppel returned to Stanford last December,, a CBS Sunday Morning producer, knew Koppel was interested in doing a story about California.

“I’ve listened to almost all of the Ear Hustle podcasts,” Stephens said, referring to the San Quentin audio project featuring Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor. Koppel, who won acclaim as the anchor of the ABC News program Nightline, thought they would make good subjects

Woods and Poor, now in their second season of podcasting, talk about commonplace topics in incarceration, such as the consequences of gang life, dying in prison and selecting a cellmate.

“I suggested doing the story and Ted liked it,” Stephens said. “What makes this news is that it’s a podcast coming from a prison, coupled with it (becoming) a success in the podcasting world.

“I don’t think most Americans are aware that there is a newsroom, podcasting, radio, and TV coming from a prison. It is our job to take America to places that they can’t go, while their money is going into them.”

Koppel is no stranger to going inside prisons. In 1998, spent the night in solitary confinement in a high security prison near, Huntsville, Tex. “There was a lot of screaming and yelling that night, and I saw a lot of ‘fishing,’” Koppel said

The newsman was referring to the practice of toss-sliding a weighted string from under a cell door to land, many yards away, under another inmate’s cell door. If missed, the string is drawn back and shot out again. Once the connection is made, supplies such as food, coffee, or reading material can be shared between inmates. Correctional officers sometimes ignore fishing.

“As reporters we never become as knowledgeable as the people we cover,” he said. “But sometimes spending a few hours in the same circumstances, we can develop some insights we might not have had before,” Koppel told the New York Daily News about that night.

On the day of his visit to San Quentin, the veteran reporter, 78, who anchored more than 1,000 Nightline shows, walked around the prison yard and the cellblocks interviewing inmates about their experiences. He heard accounts of what it’s like to spend nearly two decades in the Security Housing Unit (SHU), what it’s like to be incarcerated more than 40 years or to face a 209-year sentence. Inmates told him about race relations, respect, and the unwritten code of the yard

“There are not are a lot of prison stories in mainstream media. But, when they are covered, they’re usually negative. It’s more complicated than that,” Stephens said. “Ted has a long history of covering criminal justice policies.”

Koppel dropped in on prisoners rehearsing Shakespeare’s King Lear.

“I don’t think most of America is aware that there is a newspaper, podcasting, radio, and filming coming from a prison”

The actors asked Koppel if he’d like to read a line.

Smiling, he accepted.

In the scene, one of the inmates ordered Koppel to deliver a message. Koppel took the order and read, “I’ll do it, my Lord.”

Afterward, Koppel took a bow that was met with applause. He sat among the inmates and watched a demonstration of the principles found in drama therapy, as director Leslie Currier asked the men questions about the play, themselves, and the characters they portrayed.

Producer Louis A. Scott, a prisoner, interviewed Koppel for San Quentin Radio.

Koppel’s career began at 23 when he was asked to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

As to why he chose to become a journalist, he cites the memory of himself as a three-year-old listening to World War II broadcasts of Edward R. Morrow, the legendary CBS correspondent who covered the war from London.

Koppel’s career includes marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., spending a year as a war correspondent in Vietnam, and covering the Watts riots in 1965.

Koppel said he recalls standing next to the “mule driven carriage,” that carried the coffin of Dr. King, murdered in Memphis in 1968. Later Koppel saw a photo with about 300 people surrounding the carriage. His was the only white face in the crowd.

San Quentin Radio producer Scott said, “What impressed me the most about Ted is the fact that he marched from Selma to Montgomery with MLK. He marched because he believes in equality and still shares those same views of equality today.”

www.earhustlesq.com

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise

—Juan Haines

https://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

Pregnant prisoners shackled

8th Day of Peace celebration held on SQ’s Lower Yard

San Quentin News Launches Wall City Magazine

June 5, 2018 by Wayne Boatwright

San Quentin, California – May 21, 2018 – The premiere issue of Wall City, a magazine that reflects the curiosity, intellect, dedication and professionalism of the men working as journalists inside San Quentin, will be released on May 29, the editors of San Quentin News announced.

Copies of Wall City will be distributed to the libraries and administrators of every California prison. Members of the public can access a free digital version or order print copies via MagCloud . A link will be published at sanquentinnews.com for easy access. Distribution of subsequent issues will be determined after an evaluation of the response to the first issue.

The quarterly 32-page magazine will give the audience, both inside and outside the walls of prison, direct access to issues that shape the experience of incarcerated individuals and impact what happens when they return to their communities.

Wall City’s first cover story profiles five men who were released from the secure housing unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay into the general population at San Quentin. It gives readers a glimpse into the effects of long-term isolation, as these men experienced.

“According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company.

“The state typically spends $71,000 a year to house an inmate. It costs about $5,000 total to help put one [incarcerated] student through community college”, reports Fast Company.

“I felt Pelican Bay SHU was the last stop, I felt there was no return to civilized life,” says Guss “Lumumba” Edwards, in the article. “Now I know there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not an oncoming train.”

Other articles include reports on innovative anti-violence and environmental programs at San Quentin, legal and health updates, and a financial literacy column by San Quentin inmate and financial educator Curtis Carroll, better known by his nickname, “Wall Street.” The magazine also includes selected poetry, a crossword puzzle and photography.

“We want to put a human face on returning citizens to help eliminate the prejudice they typically encounter,” says Juan Haines, senior editor of San Quentin News and Wall City. “We want the magazine to help inform the public that being receptive to rehabilitated returning citizens serves their community’s interests.”

The human interest stories are designed to inspire incarcerated men and women and to inform people outside the walls about the avenues for change, with the hope that more incarcerated people will seek similar opportunities, adds Haines.

“The long-awaited and highly anticipated Wall City magazine is yet another example of the amazing work coming out of San Quentin State Prison,” said Nigel Poor, co-creator, co-producer and co-host of the award-winning podcast, Ear Hustle. “It’s essential reading for anyone who cares about getting a well-rounded education on life behind bars. And, of course, like the San Quentin News, the stories are brought to you by those who live it. This is your opportunity to learn more about the rehabilitative efforts and unique perspectives as well as the creativity that happens inside California’s oldest prison.”

The quarterly magazine will focus on criminal justice policies, public safety, and prison reform, featuring stories related to incarceration, rehabilitation, and reentry. “It is this direct access to the truth about whom we as a society have incarcerated, and who they have become behind the walls, that will enable people to recognize and support positive engagement with the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated as we consider effective sentencing and parole policies, for the public good,” said Nancy Mullane, co-founder of the podcast, Life of the Law and a co-sponsor of the Society of Professional Journalists chapter at San Quentin.

When someone leaves prison and returns to the community, he or she encounters a negative social climate. Wall City puts a human face on returning citizens and demonstrates that being receptive to these men and women serves the community’s interests.

“The public rarely gets a glimpse inside a prison, and the magazine gives them a stereotype-shattering peek behind the walls. There are thousands of stories that need to be told, and incarcerated journalists are the only ones who can properly tell those stories,” said Michael Bott, co-sponsor of the San Quentin SPJ chapter.

More information about the magazine can be found at sanquentinnews.com.

Wall City – from the editors of San Quentin News

Produced by inmate-journalists at San Quentin State Prison in California, Wall City magazine provides people, both inside and outside the walls direct access to the curiosity, intellect, dedication, and professionalism of the men inside. Wall City will focus on criminal justice policies, public…

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

Ear Hustle wraps up first season with over six million downloads

December 11, 2017 by Rahsaan Thomas

Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor and Antwan Williams on the Lower Yard

The hit podcast Ear Hustle, launched from inside a prison, started its first season with the goal of starting a dialogue about incarceration and humanizing people inside. With 6,268,176 downloads, it has achieved more than it ever dreamed.

“I thought people would be interested, but I didn’t think it would be so big,” said co-host Professor Nigel Poor. “I see the emails, Twitter, Instagram and I still don’t understand what it means. People tell me it’s huge; it’s changing people’s minds.”

Ear Hustle features stories told by incarcerated people, often revealing the universal nature of life, no matter where you live. The show is co-hosted by Earlonne Woods. Antwan “Banks” Williams acts as the sound designer, both serving prison time at San Quentin.

“I’m proud of the listeners for not having a judgmental ear,” Williams said. “We had people in politics, wardens of other institutions, and people at schools commend us. I’m proud because being incarcerated, people normally throw a wall up.”

Dozens of media outlets covered the rise of Ear Hustle without an indictment of its subjects or creators including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vogue, NBC’s The Today Show, NBC News, USA Today, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone.

After winning a podcast contest hosted by Radiotopia, Ear Hustle had to produce 10 episodes from behind the walls of San Quentin State Prison.

“I’m proud that Lt. Sam Robinson (Public Information Officer) allowed it to happen,” Woods said. “I’m also proud of the fact that Julie Shapiro (Radiotopia executive producer) and the Radiotopia staff had the vision to choose us.”

Poor said, “I am really most proud of how it is bringing people together. Proud of the hard work, hitting problems and not giving up and keeping in mind that the product is bigger than us, and we have a responsibility to put out really good stories.

“I have a lot of gratitude to the San Quentin community from the administration to the guys in stories and the guys who listen. I think it’s really great. I’m pretty sure this couldn’t happen at any other prison.”

The podcast took off from the first episode, hitting number one in Canada, then hitting number one on iTunes after the Today Show featured them. Yet its inventors don’t feel the magnitude of their success.

“I’m still in here,” Williams said. “We haven’t seen the response on the internet; we haven’t heard the chatter.”

Woods added, “Most of what we see (social media responses) is what Nigel brings in. When tours come through and there’s a variety of different people and they have heard of Ear Hustle, I think that’s when you get a window to what it’s really like—that people really received it.”

Nigel spoke of a listening event in Toronto she attended on behalf of Ear Hustle. Woods and Williams couldn’t be there, so they showed video clips of the two before a packed audience, who clapped for about 30 seconds.

“What an amazing experience being in a theater packed with people listening to Ear Hustle. Who would have thought that would have come out of a prison?” Nigel said.

Ironically, their biggest challenge was not having enough of something prisons usually provide plenty of—time.

Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor interviewing Perry Simpson for an episode of Ear Hustle.

Woods, who normally runs laps a few times a week, said he gained 20 pounds because there was no time for anything but Ear Hustle.

“We’re always completing a story. We do edits, sound design, listening sessions, change things around,” Woods said.

He added that the story is never completed until Poor takes the approved story outside of the prison and beyond his second thoughts.

For Williams, their biggest challenge was, “trusting each other because we all have different views at times, trusting that our vision is the same. We’re all trying to get to the same place, not letting our egos and desires get in the way of something so successful.”

Ear Hustle turned Poor’s volunteer work at San Quentin into a full-time job. In addition to co-hosting and editing inside, Poor runs the social media pages on the outside. She has taken a one-year sabbatical from teaching photography at California State University, Sacramento.

“My biggest challenge is trying to find balance in my life because everything I do is Ear Hustle,” Poor said. “The only time I’m not working on Ear Hustle is when I’m sleeping or at the gym. Thank God I have an understanding husband.”

So far, Poor doesn’t miss teaching. “I don’t have time to miss anything except my husband,” Poor said.

Looking back over the season, each has their favorite episode except Poor, who loves all of them.

Two episodes stand out to Woods: “Misguided Loyalty” and “Left Behind.”

“Those are my favorites based on what they both represented,” Woods said. “Misguided Loyalty hopefully will steer youngsters away from gangs. Left Behind shined the light on a lot of guys caught up by the three-strikes law. It’s Curtis’ (the main character) plea bargains and tribulations of being locked up.”

Williams said, “Boom Boom Room” (about family visiting) probably is my favorite because I’m really close to Mav, and I know his wife and son personally. To give people an opportunity to know him like I know him … ‘rawfully’ honest and vulnerable about his situation, is always a good thing.”

Ear Hustle earned eight-episodes for the fall and spring seasons for next year.

Woods and Poor expect the next seasons to be better based on the experience gained working together as professional colleagues.

“We had 10 episodes to understand the process,” Woods said. “So our next eight episodes will be way, way profound. I want to have college courses teach Ear Hustle, dissect Ear Hustle and make somebody do a thesis.”

“We didn’t know how to do this when we started; we learned as we went along,” Poor said. “And we need all three of us to make this happen.”

Williams doesn’t feel pressured to repeat last year’s success.

“It’s not about repeating anything,” Williams said. “What we wanted to do was start something, start a dialogue and spark change. It’s about opening a lane for other things to happen. It’s about creating a space and a time where change needs to exist in everybody’s mind. If next season is successful or not, I think we will be OK. We’re still human; life goes on after the judge slams the gavel.”

To listen in on Ear Hustle, go to: www.earhustlesq.com or follow them on Twitter and Instagram: @earhustlesq.

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/
https://sanquentinnews.com/game-theory/

Counselors recognized at 11th Annual Recovery Day

November 7, 2017 by Marcus Henderson

Kristin Lobos, Dr. Davida Coady, Michael Kirkpatrick and Tith Ton talking about recovery

Seven San Quentin inmates have completed a three-year intensive program qualifying them as addiction recovery counselors.

They were recognized at the 11^th Annual Addiction Recovery Day, along with representatives of Peet’s Coffee and Tea, financial supporters.

The program required 2,240 hours of counseling training to meet the educational and experience criteria for professional certification. The graduates were: John Bergeron, Gregory “White Eagle” Coates, John Lam, Edward Scott, Nou Thao, Martin Walters and Quinton Walker.

Peet’s Coffee was recognized for the generosity of its employees, who donated a portion of their Christmas tips to support the ARC program.

The total drug-overdose deaths was 64,070 in the 12 months through January 2017.” The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2017 wsj.com/usnews

“Opioids, such as fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone and hydrocodone, killed more than 34,500 people in 2016.”The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2017 wsj.com/usnews

Recovery saved my life,” said Walters, who added that he has been sober for nine years. “It was a journey. I have been in many dark dungeons in these state prisons. But I found love for myself and the tools to stay sober, and now I’m certified to continue to help others.”

The local Peet’s staff shared Walters’ desire to give back to those harmed by addiction. Peet’s district manager, Rick Ramirez, and outlet store manager, Mallory Olmstead, came to the event on Sept. 23 and spoke about how their family members’ struggles with addiction prompted them to advocate for donating to the ARC program.

“Recovery saved my life”

“We are proud to help,” Olmstead said. “You can see the impact it is having, and we will take that back to our stores. I had family suffer from addiction and didn’t get help they needed, and to see the drive of these men makes you want to move forward.”

Ramirez added, “My father was an addict and died. I grew up around a lot of guns, violence and alcoholism as a child, and it was very scary. I’m just glad I made some good choices and had an uncle that was a good example.

“Coming here makes you appreciate what you have,” he continued. “What these men have shown is that if you open up yourself, you can have an impact. They have taught me to start thinking the same.”

The small crowd of visitors and the incarcerated were treated to the smooth sounds of the San Quentin Music Program, which was sponsored by prison staff member Raphaele Casale. San Quentin’s house bands received thunderous applause for several original songs, and visiting comedian Mark Lundholm, a former prisoner himself, had heads rolling back with laughter.

Mark Lundholm performing his stand-up routine

“I mow the warden’s lawn so I can do whatever I want here,” said Lundholm. “You can always tell who the new inmates are because they are the ones always moving around. The hard-chiseled ones have been around a while because they just stand there. That’s how you spot the new COs (correctional officers) too, they always moving around, while the older ones are just waiting around for retirement.”

Lundholm heckled a few inmates and staff and joked about his time in prison and his own struggles with addiction. But he got serious with the crowd when he shared how his father molested him.

“My father taught me how to use my words because I had to protect my brothers,” Lundholm said. “I learned to use comedy to defend myself. I also learned you must forgive the perp because, if you don’t, you will become one of them.”

Lundholm encouraged the men in blue: “Don’t wait for someone to tell you that you are great. You have to tell yourself that now; when I was in prison I told myself that and look where I’m at in my life.”

Dr. Davida Coady, ARC volunteer instructor, called each graduate to the podium to receive his diploma, and each gave a short speech.

“It’s about somebody believing in you, and that’s what we give our clients (other prisoners),” said certificate-earner Thao. “A lot of people in San Quentin suffer from low self-esteem but won’t admit it. That’s why we try to build courage and self-worth in our clients, because living in a false reality can keep you in a world of drugs and alcohol.”

Thao stressed the importance of knowing the difference between having a Relapse Prevention “Plan” and a Relapse Prevention “Program.”

“A program is about communicating your needs and wants that helps you get through your impulse behavior,” Thao said, “while a plan is just something you have on paper.”

Visitor Daniel Petersen of the Support 4 Recovery organization shared how the dyslexia he suffered from as a kid led to addiction.

“I felt ashamed, alienated and different,” Petersen said. “And at school I would start fights so I wouldn’t be exposed. Then I got introduced to drugs. I got praised for my high tolerance for drugs and my ability to score drugs. I went from snorting, to smoking, to shooting dope.

Daniel Petersen of Support 4 Recovery speakingis

“I had a friend murdered while he was stealing car radios, and I had a close friend die from an overdose,” he continued. “I was sitting in a dope house and started to cry. I knew I needed to change. I checked into New Bridge Foundation and began my delicate road to recovery. Once you place recovery first, everything else will fall in place.”

Petersen said he just celebrated 19 years of sobriety in June.

Kristin Lobos, from Support 4 Recovery, spoke about having a teenage daughter who went through an addiction and is now five years clean and has an 18-month-old baby.

“I just live in a space of just loving her,” Lobos said. “You just have to build a system of doors of recovery they can walk through. But they have to have the courage to walk through them.

“That’s why I like coming to these graduations, because a lot of people don’t understand the rewards of having a family member in the recovery process. It’s a healing journey and not just a dark scary place. It’s about walking that path with your loved one, and I’m walking mine with my daughter,” she added.

The event ended with a pledge to maintain sobriety and to continue to help others.

“This is our community,” said Walker, another certificate earner. “It’s necessary for us to step forward and begin to help and heal each other. I’m thankful for being a part of this team of counselors. We know what it’s like to feel hopeless, so we are here today to say there is hope.”

A special thanks went out to the ARC volunteers and sponsors Dr. Davida Coady, Tom Gorham, Ric Baez, Tom Aswald, Kiki Kessler, Martina Spilman, Judy Bassen and the San Quentin administration.

SQ inmates’ victory lures biggies of podcasting

March 26, 2017 by Rahsaan Thomas

The CEO of a major podcasting network, along with other executives, took an eventful trip from the East Coast to meet with the incarcerated men who defeated more than 1,500 entries from 53 countries in a storytelling contest.

PRX CEO Kerri Hoffman and Radiotopia Executive Producer Julie Shapiro entered San Quentin State Prison for the first time and met Earlonne Woods and Antwan “Banks” Williams. Previously, the executives had only met Nigel Poor, the co-host and producer of the show Ear Hustle. Poor represents the trio beyond the prison walls.

Kerri Hoffman, Nigel Poor, Antwan “Banks” Williams, Julie Sharpiro, Curtis Fox and Earlonne Woods

“It’s great to meet these guys in person after communicating through Nigel,” Shapiro said. “I’m so excited about the project. Ear Hustle is gonna be huge.”

Ear Hustle is scheduled to air on Radiotopia, an online radio network, in May. The executives believe it can break barriers.

“From a network point of view we want to attract more listeners,” Shapiro said. “And there’s a creative itch we are scratching, empowering these three to tell stories in the long form about life inside usually told by statistics. The impact it can have … It questions our own presumptions about who’s in prison. Who are the people behind the criminal? It helps us think about the inmates as people who have opinions and emotions.”

“The state typically spends $71,000 a year to house an inmate. It costs about $5,000 total to help put one [incarcerated] student through community college”, reports Fast Company.

Shapiro said listeners’ response was overwhelmingly positive except for a little pushback about why a White woman’s voice was part of telling incarcerated men’s stories.

“They had such a crystal clear concept of why Nigel is crucial to creating that dialogue,” Shapiro said, referring to Woods and Williams.

Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor and Antwan Williams on the Lower Yard

“Her race doesn’t matter,” Woods said. “She’s a very talented woman.”

Williams added, “Regardless of what race you are — White, Black, Hispanic, Asian — if you’re a woman and you choose to come in here, you deserve all the respect you have coming.”

They agreed that Poor gives them a unique kind of credibility with the outside world, and working with her proves that incarcerated people and free people can work together as colleagues.

Shapiro said Ear Hustle stood out from the other 1,537 entries in the Radiotopia-hosted international contest for a spot on the PRX network.

“We had entries about everything under the sun. The Ear Hustle clip took us by our ears,” Shapiro said. “We were hearing from a world we have no access to. The artfulness of it let us know they were doing something brand-new.”

Woods added, “She had the audacity to give us a chance. She’s a down-to-earth person who is really thoughtful.”

Shapiro described the ordeal it took to reach San Quentin. She said her flight was delayed; her BART train hit a tree, and she jumped into an Uber with strangers in order to visit the prison’s media center and see where Ear Hustle will be created.

“I feel extremely privileged that they made the trip,” Williams said. “Their flight was probably longer than their time with us. People in the business world don’t have to fly to go visit some incarcerated people. I believe they did it because they see us as people.”

Radiotopia works with producers, handles the business and marketing end for podcasts while the ’casters concentrate on making great stories, Shapiro said.

Working with Radiotopia has exposed Woods and Williams to more colleagues in their field, such as Consulting Producer Curtis Fox (Fox Productions).

“I listen to all the work that they’ve done, and I’ve already helped rewrite the scripts,” Fox said. “They are largely self-taught, and they’ve done an amazing job. My role is to coach and bring them to a higher level.”

Ear Hustle’s intro piece can be heard at letsearhustle.com. Look for Ear Hustle in May or at http://www.Radiotopia.fm/

https://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/
https://sanquentinnews.com/game-theory/
http://sanquentinnews.com/chan-zuckerberg-initiative-aids-programs/

Restorative Justice’s role in the #metoo movement