Despite a valiant effort, the San Quentin Warriors basketball fell 98-97 in overtime to the outside team Imago Dei.
The Warriors nearly pulled off another in a string of victories over the visitors until Imago Dei rallied back for a fourth quarter tie.
The San Quentin Warriors played a tense game of score for score full court basketball. The game started at a quick pace that did not let up throughout four quarters. Even though the players of Imago Dei found themselves down and surely beaten by the Warriors by 11 points late in the fourth quarter, they dug deep and rallied, hitting back to back three-pointers and came within two points.
As Imago Dei (Latin for Image of God) regained possession of the basketball with seconds left. Steve Diekman of Imago Dei was fouled and dropped in two clutch free throws that tied the game, sending it into overtime.
With the game tied at three seconds left in overtime, a Warriors player committed another crucial foul on Diekman and he came through in the clutch again, making one out of two free throws. The Warriors then heaved up a desperation shot from half court just to watch the shot fall short as Imago Dei won 98-97.
Steve Diekman finished with 31 points for Imago Dei and Delvone “Chiccen” Winfrey finished with 34 points for the Warriors.
During half time a player of Imago Dei shared a Bible scripture, John 3:16, and talked about the love of God to both teams and the crowd.
Archives for July 2011
S.Q. RUNNERS CORNER
It was a great day for running and 14 members of the San Quentin Thousand-Mile Club ran 15 laps around the baseball field for a fast three miles and showed that despite losing valuable training time while on quarantine they were still tough and fit.
Newcomer Chris Scull took off like a gazelle and led the initial lap while running at a very fast 5:00 per mile pace. Soon Chris realized that for a Three Mile Race he needed to conserve some energy and he backed off that pace.
At that time, Eddie Herena moved into first place. Eddie maintained the lead throughout the race, but Mike Villanueva made a valiant effort to catch him on the final lap. Eddie managed to hold on for an 18:55 finish with Mike just four seconds back.
Larry Ford had been running neck and neck with Mike for the first 14 laps, but could not handle Mike’s kick on the final lap and finished 25 seconds back in 19:24, a 53-second improvement over his 2010 Three Mile Race performance.
Stephen Yair Liebb ran a steady race and finished in a strong 19:50. Chris Scull slowed his pace after his speedy first lap and finished in just under a seven-minute per mile pace at 20:59. Louis Hunter was the next finisher in 21:20. His performance was 1:22 faster than he had ran in the 2010 Three Mile Race, the biggest improvement of any of the 1,000-Mile Club runners who had run in last year’s race.
Bill Pillars, Dee Whitaker, Joey Mason and Andrew Gazzeny were the next four finishers. They all ran under an 8:00 per mile pace, which was the goal that Andrew had set for himself at the start of the race.
Another newcomer, John Vaden, ran a steady race and finished in 24:26. John Neblett showed that he has been putting in consistent training miles as he held a steady pace and finished in 24:35.
Coach Alton McSween gutted out the three miles with an ugly-looking swollen big toe and ran 24:41, while Jonathan Wilson battled plantar fasciitis and sore feet, ran 25:50.
The race in April was supported by Laura Bowman, Coach Frank Ruona, community volunteers Jill Friedman and Diana Fitzpatrick, Thousand-Mile Club Chairman Steve Pascascio and Everett Spells.
1000-Mile Club Run
On a cool and overcast spring day, 12 members of the San Quentin Thousand Mile Club ran 24 one quarter mile laps around the lower yard in an effort to show their fellow inmates, guards and San Quentin Volunteers how fast they could cover six miles.
Star of the day was Eddie Herena, who went to the front on the first lap and maintained a strong pace throughout the full six miles of the race. Eddie finished in a fine 39:12 and broke the Club record of 40:55 set last year by Ronnie Goodman by one minute and 43 seconds. A spirited contest for second place developed between Stephen Yair Liebb and Larry Ford. Stephen pulled away from Larry over the last mile and a half and took second place with 41:22, one minute and 28 seconds faster than he ran last year. Larry was able to hold on and finish in 42:02, a full two minutes and 48 seconds faster than his 2010 race.
A steady stream of seven finishers crossed the finish line over a span of 3 minutes and 47 seconds as Bill Pillars, Mike Villanueva, Joey Mason, Malcolm Jones, John Vaden, John Neblett and Andrew Gazzeny ran strong to the finish. Coach Alton McSween and Louis Hunter were the final finishers with times of 56:05 and 57:30. The run was supported by Staff Sponsor Laura Bowman, Community Volunteer Jill Friedman, Coach Frank Ruona and inmates Steve Pascascio, Dee Whitaker, Ralph Ligons, Phil Goodman and Everett Spells. Participants agreed it was a great day to get out and enjoy six miles of running and camaraderie with fellow San Quentin Thousand Mile Club members.
4th of July Softball Tournament Champs
After six years of defeats, the Insider team came through with a victory over the Outsider team in this year’s Independence Day Softball Tournament at San Quentin.
The winners were coached by John “YahYa” Parratt and the Outsider team by Nghiep “Ke” Lam.
This match up was the most challenging by the Outsider team of all time since being crowned the champions. In the first game, the Insider team scored a whopping seven runs during the first inning. The Outsider team knew its defense and offense had to be much better than the Insider team. It was a catch-up game throughout the first game. The Outsider team almost pulled it off during the last couple of innings of the match, but the Insider team just would not let up with their hitting and defense. The Insider team won the first game by 22-17.
In the second game, the Outsider team pulled ahead for the first couple of innings but the Insider team took advantage of the opponents errors and anemic hitting to win, 12-7.
Coach “Yah Ya” said, “We finally out-played them. They have an excellent team.”
The S.Q. traditional softball tournaments between inmate teams are normally held during the three-day weekend holidays, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.
THE INSIDERS: Jeffrey “Silk” Evans, assistant coach; Kevin “Bilal” Chapman, Mario Ellis, Marcus “Pre-school” Crumb, Jeff Brooks, Ronald “Dalton” Martin, Kevin Carr, Paul Oliver, Chris Deragon, Matt White, Dwight “Sleepy” Kennedy, Mike “Hawk Eye” Flemming, E. Post, Frankie Brady.
THE OUTSIDERS: Nghiep “Ke” Lam, general manager; “Red” Casey, captain; Fernando Lemus, Michael Tyler, Pete Steele, James “JB” Bautista, Alton “Coach” McSween, James “Mac” McCartney, John “John John” Taylor, Anthony Starks, Tony “Tone” Manning, Joseph “Junkyard” Broadway, Louis “Sharki” Light.
Gov. Brown’s Realignment is Approved By the Legislature
On the same week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California prisons are unconstitutionally overcrowded, San Quentin and New Folsom prisons broke out in riots involving over 350 prisoners, leaving at least four hospitalized.
“As we work to carry out the court’s ruling, I will take all steps necessary to protect public safety,” said, Gov. Jerry Brown, “These offenders will be returning to our communities perhaps sooner than we’d planned.”
ELIMINATING BEDS
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Secretary, Matthew Cate issued a press release, “California’s inmate population has been reduced to levels not seen since 1995, and non-traditional beds have been eliminated by nearly 13,000. We’ve come a long way in both population reduction measures and in the quality of care given to inmates.”
State Senator Loni Hancock told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Our prison system is an expensive failure. It is a threat to both public safety and the financial well-being of California. It cost $49,000 a year to keep a person locked up in California prison – almost seven times what we spend on each child in our public schools – yet California is getting a disappointing return on our huge investment of tax dollars in corrections.”
National Public Radio’s (KALW) Rina Palta interviewed Secretary Cate regarding CDCR’s plan to comply with the landmark decision capping the prison population at 110,000.
BUDGET WOES
As California severely cut spending for public schools, social services and health programs, the new state budget provides nearly $5.6 billion in sales tax revenue and other money to pay for Gov. Brown’s “realignment” plan that keeps 40,000 felons convicted after Oct. 1 in the county jails for supervision while simultaneously reducing parole oversight for prisoners with low-level, non-serious, non-violent crimes.
“Nobody who is currently in prison right now will be released to the local community,” said Erin Sasse, chief of external affairs for CDCR.
HIRE STAFF
“The sheriffs say they have about 10,000 beds that are either vacant today or could be put into use if they had the funds to hire the staff to support those facilities…that will take up the first big portion of it,” Cate said. He also indicated that another 10,000 beds may come from fire camps and community correctional facilities.
California District Attorney Association spokesperson Scott Thorpe says a bigger worry is whether “realignment” would crowd county jails.
Thorpe said, “There are some counties who literally don’t have the beds, so they don’t have the physical facilities and the realignment doesn’t provide enough money to build jails quick[ly] enough. There are other jails that have the beds, but they don’t have the funding for the personnel so they can’t put people in some of those beds.”
“We currently are under capacity but we will be at, or over capacity in approximately 90 days after realignment goes into effect,” said San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey.
NOT ENOUGH SPACE
Imperial County jail officials reported that they do not know how many low-risk offenders will be housed locally as the state plan to reduce prison populations get underway.
“We don’t have enough bed space as it is,” Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff said.
“Pushing inmates back to overcrowded county jails guarantees that neighborhoods in Riverside County will again be threatened by criminals in the justice system needed to be locked up for years to come,” Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, said in a statement.
LAYOFFS
More than a dozen Lassen County Jail personnel will be receiving layoff notices because the state did not renew a contract with the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office to operate the Lassen Community Correction Facility run from a portion of the jail.
When asked about the future of CDCR, Cate said, “I want to take the model that we have at San Quentin where we have over a thousand visitors who are in and out of that prison all the time, providing services and try to replicate that throughout the state. It’s going to be much harder to do that in Blythe, or in some parts of the Central Valley that are rural. But nonetheless, with all these budget cuts we’ve got to open up the prisons, bring in volunteers. And I think it’s great for the culture of the prison, I think it’s great for the inmates. Inmate idleness is a huge problem. But, ultimately if you look at the other models around the country or Europe, in other parts of the world, they’re going to this open-prison model and I’d like to see more of that involvement by the communities and what we’re doing in corrections.”
Artists Beautify H-Unit
In the San Quentin Prison complex of drab gray concrete, unforgiving steel bars, and razor wire-toped fences, one building has a distinction: H-Unit’s building four is undergoing a beatification process.
Inmates sponsored by Correctional Officer J. Lee have been painting murals inside of the building for the last 66 months. It has been an evolving process that has more than 60 percent of the upper walls of the 200-man dormitory adorned with majestic prehistoric images.
MORE PEACEFUL
“The murals bring tranquility, making it more peaceful in the dorm,” says Officer Lee, who has been working in H-Unit for 14 years.
The dorm’s restroom and shower area has a 400-square-foot mural from the Jurassic period. On one side of the restroom wall are fierce-looking land dwellers, including a life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex and raptors with rows of razor sharp teeth, which seemingly jumps out at viewers. The other side of the mural is a water wonderland featuring giant sea creatures.
“A lot of people look at the murals over the restrooms and don’t even know that there are 14 hidden things,” says Lee.
The painters have hidden images that depict icons such as Jimmy Hendrix and Marylyn Monroe into the landscape.
DECORATING WALLS
The dorm’s perimeter walls, decorated with works from Dali, Escher and Octavio Campo, are a work in progress. One prisoner-artist, Charles O’Neal, has painted more than 16 of the images thus far. Another artist, Ronnie Goodman, worked alongside O’Neal before his parole.
“I am able to express what I am inside,” says O’Neal. “It gives me a sense of peace and gives us (prisoners) a better environment.”
For many of the perimeter wall paintings the artists have been referencing the book “Masters of Illusion.” These murals are comprised of small figures that together construct larger-than-life images that include Don Quixote, the Mona Lisa and many more reproductions of historical symbols.
In a place where racial tension usually flourishes, Officer Lee’s beautification program transcends racial boundaries. Lee allows anyone who is a worthy artist to take part in the mural painting.
HONOR DORM
“All of the different races painting these murals bring togetherness,” says Lee.
Officer Lee runs the dormitory as an honor dorm. To bunk in Dorm 4, prisoners have to be involved in education or one of the many self-help groups. The dorm is remarkably cleaner, quieter and with its murals aesthetically nicer than any of the other four dorms that make up H-Unit.
Ramadan Fast Begins With the New Moon in August
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holy month of fasting, began August 1st at the sighting of the new moon.
Fasting during Ramadan is obligatory for all Muslims who are able; those who are sick, young, or traveling are exempted. The fast, in which Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from the break of dawn until sunset, lasts 30 days.
“Fasting is an action to prove our sincerity to Allah (God), it’s not only about staying away from food and drink, but to guard ourselves from all things that are undesirable,” says San Quentin Imam, Quazi Kawsar Hossain. “If we can stay away from the necessities of life, this proves that we can stay away from those things that Allah has forbidden.”
Fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. In addition to refraining from food and drink during the sunlit hours of the day, Muslims are also forbidden from sex, smoking, uses of foul language or any other acts deemed impure under Islamic jurisprudence. Ramadan is a part of the year when Muslims increasingly spend time in prayer, Quranic recitation and focus on God consciousness and righteousness behavior.
Author Sheik Tajuddin B. Shutib writes in the book Essentials of Ramadan: “the wisdom behind fasting is an annual institution containing all conceivable attributes from human excellence. It is the training for the body and soul, a reward of life, encouraging the spirit of sharing and giving.”
The end of the Holy Month of Ramadan is celebrated by the feast, Eid al Fitr, where the entire world Muslim community feasts in celebration at the end of the fast.
Practitioners of the Islam faith believe that its precepts were revealed through Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him), the last of a line of prophets, which include Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The Quran, Islam’s Holy Scriptures, are said to be the word of God revealed to Mohammed over the course of 23 years. Islam is a monotheistic faith with 1.6 billion adherents (or one fifth of the global population), in about 200 countries. It is the second largest and fastest growing religion in the world, according to some estimates.
—Aly Tamboura
contributed to this story
3 Strikes Opponents Take Aim at Ballot
A coalition led by a group of Stanford University attorneys wants to put an initiative on the November 2012 ballot to reform California’s Three Strikes Law.
The group has the support of David W. Mills, a former investment banker and Stanford Law School professor. San Francisco-based political consultant Averell Smith will assist in campaigning for public support for the measure.
The group is courting key Republicans such as Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Many Californians who supported the Three Strikes Law thought they were sending serious and violent child molesters, rapists, and murderers to prison for life. However, the toughest recidivist law in the country also included non-violent petty criminals, drug addicts, and mentally unsound people.
The state auditor has concluded that incarceration costs of those now in prison under Three Strikes will total $19.2 billion. Second-strikers account for 79 percent, or about 32,400 of the 41,100 people in prison because of the law.
The Advocate newsletter said that a symposium on Three Strikes concluded the chances are poor for change through the Legislature, so reform must come by ballot initiative.
The symposium entitled, “The Future of California’s Three Strike Law: Reform, Repeal or the Status Quo?” was a two-day event that included the history of the law, its impact on prison overcrowding, what the data shows about its effect on public safety, and even why the law should be retained.
Speakers responded to public criticism about the law’s economic impact, its intended purpose, and its actual impact on California. Speakers included George Gascon, San Francisco district attorney; Steve Cooley, Los Angeles district attorney; Erwin Chemerinsky, the attorney who argued the unconstitutionality of Three Strikes before the U.S. Supreme Court, Jeanne Woodford, former San Quentin warden and former chief of California prisons, and Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Since the law’s passage, Families to Amend California’s Three-Strikes (FACTS) has been trying to change it so that it only applies to violent felons. FACTS reports that nearly 75 percent of second-strikers and half of third-strikers are for non-violent offenses. FACTS specifically campaigns for the following changes in Three Strikes:
1. The law should not apply to crimes committed before its enactment in 1994.
2. The law should not count multiple counts during a single act as multiple strikes.
3. The law should include a “wash-out” period such that convictions older than 10 years do not count as strikes.
4. Burglary of unoccupied dwellings should not count as “serious or violent” strikes.
5. The law should not apply to offenses committed by juveniles.
Ex- S.Q. Prisoner Wins Immigration Case
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that Xiao Fei “Eddy” Zheng’s value to the community through his work with at-risk youth must be considered in immigration proceedings.
UNUSUAL FACTORS
The court described Mr. Zheng’s case as “unusual in that (he) was convicted at the age of 16 of very serious crimes, served 19 years in prison followed by immigration detention, yet demonstrated, beyond his own rehabilitation, a genuine desire and commitment to prevent youth from following in his criminal footsteps.”
In 1986, Zheng pled guilty to kidnapping, robbery and firearm violations. His “substantial service to the community” led to a grant of parole by the California Board of Prison Terms. Zheng continued to work with at-risk youth in the San Francisco Bay Areas while fighting deportation to China, where he was born.
The 9th Circuit reviewed an order of the Board of Immigration Appeals that had denied Zheng’s request for a waiver of deportation. The Bureau of Immigration Appeals had failed to consider Zheng’s value and service to the community.
The 9th Circuit summarized Zheng’s achievements during his 19 years of incarceration, which included several years at San Quentin State Prison. “[Zheng] learned English, obtained his GED, earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts, co-facilitated a course entitled ‘Alternatives to violence,’ and developed a curriculum targeting at-risk immigrant teenagers, currently being used by community service providers in Northern California, and developed a business plan for a non-profit agency.”
Following his release on parole in 2005, Zheng continued to work in the immigrant and youth community of Northern California.
The 9th Circuit held that the Bureau of Immigration Appeals had failed to consider Zheng’s work with youth and his value to the community. Among the community leaders who wrote letters to the immigration court describing Zheng’s work were the Rev. Norman Fong, program director of Chinatown Community Development Center, and Jane Kim, youth program director.
SETS PRECEDENT
The 9th Circuit’s decision was published May 6, 2011 and can be applied to others who are fighting deportation. Zheng’s case will now return to the Bureau of Immigration Appeals for a new decision. Zheng expects that the Bureau of Immigration Appeals will order a new hearing before the Immigration Court.
The case is Xiao Fe Zheng v. Eric H. Holder Jr., Attorney General [No. 06-75258]
Making a Difference
I recently visited the North Block Health Clinic, to seek medical service for a chronic health problem that has plagued me for years. I sat in the uncomfortable, but well-lit, 8’x8’ holding cage, waiting my turn to be seen by the nurse.
As I waited, I began to contemplate what inspired some people to pursue their career as healthcare providers, especially those that work within the criminal justice system and prisons.
With the reported shortage of qualified nurses and physicians, finding employment anywhere else, besides a prison, would seem to be the least of their concern. So, what motivates them has to be something more than money. I decided to ask, if the opportunity presented itself.
When my turn came, my name was called and a short, stern-faced cherubic woman, courteously referred to as “Nurse Bev” or “Sister Bev,” escorted me into the nurse’s office.
When you enter Nurse Bev’s office, the soft strains of gospel music play just above the realm of conscious awareness. The first thing you notice about her is her soothing West Indian accent that reminds you of your grandmother or a wise aunt. She is no nonsense — take care of business straight shooter. But, like the soothing atmosphere of her office, Nurse Bev exudes an under-current of compassion that quickly bubbles up to the surface, as she interviews you to ascertain your medical issues.
I took a deep breath and braved the deep waters to sincerely ask Nurse Bev why she chose to work for the CDCR, especially with all the other employment opportunities available to her. She looked at me with a serious expression and placed a piece of paper on her desk. She then drew three interconnecting circles on the paper. In literature it is a device, which name eludes me, that’s used to show overlapping events that relate to each other.
In the first circle, she wrote the word “nurse”, in the last she wrote “community”, and in the center circle, she wrote the word “patient”. Using her pencil, in the same way a professor would a pointer, she said in her soft, Caribbean accent, “This is the model I live by,” she began. “The nurse and the community come together to heal the patient. It doesn’t matter what the status of the patient is. What is important is the process of healing. It does not matter to me who I am treating, whether someone is the highest of the high or the lowest of the low; I give them the same level of care I would give someone in my own family.”
It is easy to witness that Nurse Bev is a very spiritual person with a deep sense and abiding love for the Lord, Jesus Christ. As she asks her patient to detail their medical complaints, her speech is laced with gospel references and hosannas of praise. “I ask God to protect me from the bad people,” she said. “And not all the bad people are behind walls.” After a brief pause, she continued. “I also ask the Lord to protect me from you, and I ask Him to protect you from me,” she says with a laugh. Sobering quickly, she solemnly finishes, “But most importantly, I ask Him to protect me from me.” Anyone speaking to Nurse Bev knows she isn’t making any malevolent inferences. It is a prayer.
“This is not the first prison I’ve worked at. But this is the best job I’ve ever had.”
Then she quickly finished taking my vitals and getting the pertinent information she needed to recommend the treatment to follow. She dropped one more bomb just before I walked out the door.
“I’m also involved in prison ministry work,” she revealed. “But, I do this job because I love it. I do it because I care.”
Amen, Sister Bev, we’re fortunate and blessed to have someone here that does…