The city of Richmond has America talking. How do working class communities become virtual war zones for their citizens, places where violent assault and murders are commonplace? Data shows that more people have lost their lives in urban communities then in most wars fought abroad by American soldiers.
Recently a teenage girl was brutally attacked and repeatedly raped for two hours by a group of teenage boys. Onlookers stood and watched, some in fear and some in amazement. Arrests where made and a variety of charges could cause the accused to face life sentences in California prisons. The people of Richmond , young and old, have come out in large numbers to speak out against the state of their community, holding candlelight vigils, town hall meetings and other community gatherings.
The San Quentin News wanted to know how some of the men from Richmond were affected by the recent events. Here are the words of four men who are part of the Richmond Project at San Quentin, Kevin T. Y. Deming, James Houston, Vaught Miles and Nate Collins. They were asked what came up for them when they found out about the incident. Did any of them have sons, daughters, nieces and nephews and, if so, had they spoken to them about this incident?
“My first thought,” said Deming, “was how it made me feel. I started thinking about my daughter, sisters and mom. The question is tough, because it took me back to that very school and it connected me back to that community. I used to go to Richmond High.”
Deming said it made him really think of how he used to be. “I don’t mean the same crime that happened to her, but I was no saint either.”
Said Houston:“The Richmond Project was created to show the community how men from Richmond could come together from all sides. That we could change the way we think. We came together to make our communities safer. The more we came together the more we started growing in a positive way. We began thinking more about who we are as men.”
Deming said the group’s purpose is “ To help men educate others before they get to this point in their lives. I believe the youth will respect men that already went through it. Most of the youngsters today deal with the past, they look up to the older homeboys and when they’re gone, they step into their shoes only to wind up like the older homeboys, because everything they learned was from men now serving life sentences. We want to change that and that’s why we come together.”
‘MY LITTLE SISTER’
What does it feel like to see your city on the national stage for such a disturbing crime? Collins replied, “I got a little sister 11 years old and she’s handicapped and can’t talk. I thought what if that was my little sister? These kids don’t know what they’re in for. It’s so unfortunate for both sides. This is a terrible situation.”
Miles said he felt anger and sympathy for the little girl. “I have a 15-year-old daughter and this really made me think.” Had he spoken to his daughter yet about the situation? He said no, but he will when she comes to see him again.
“I wrote a letter to my son,” said Houston, “I wanted to listen to him and what he had to say. We have to listen to our kids and hear their conscience. I know a lot of those kids looked up to some of those guys. I think about a lot of mistakes I did to fit in with the crowd when I was young.”
What type of support from the community, if any, had these men received?
Houston: “We have had people come in to talk to us and dialogue with us about doing things, but the resources have not equaled the conversations. We have real men in here trying to make changes. It’s one thing to come in and have a good talk with us, and make us feel encouraged, but when they leave, so does the support.”
‘YOU HAVE TO LISTEN’
When these men speak to their kids, what do they say about the violence in their community?
Deming: “You got to get back and listen to the kids more, not just hear their voices, but really listen to them. We have to stop what’s been going on, because it doesn’t seem like anybody else wants to help.”
During their weekly meetings does it come up why violence and crime are attractive to the Richmond youth?
Miles: “A lot of people complain about having to go back to that lifestyle. Some will say, ‘I can’t go back to work because these people are looking for me. There are no resources out there for us, so what do we do? We go back to the only thing we know: live in the streets.’”
Houston: “To me it’s amazing that one of the biggest thing I see is fear in these young men. They would rather go out and work the streets because they don’t know anything else. We need to set goals for these kids who suffer the most from low self-esteem. To really start investing in these kids. It’s difficult to go back out because a lot of people go back to the streets and don’t know how to be a responsible man.. And lot of it is social conditioning.”
