For decades, time remains unchanged By Jose Camacho San Quentin’s Lower Yard gym has a three and a half square foot clock atop it. However, since 1982, it has been frozen at 5:44. Nobody knows if it stopped ticking at dawn or dusk. “The yard clock is frozen in time—not reflecting the spirit of San Quentin’s population,” said prisoner Rudy Morales. “Collectively, we need to help that clock breathe life into its brass lungs.” The San Quentin administration says getting the clock fixed comes down to a money issue and suggested if prisoners … [Read more...] about Time in San Quentin Remains Frozen
Space Shuttle’s Last Flight Soars Over the Institution
By Jose Camacho On the morning of Sept. 21, the Endeavor space shuttle flew over the state prison mounted atop a Boeing 747 with an escort by an F-16 fighter jet, surprising about 500 inmates on San Quentin’s Lower Yard. “It was flying so low, it felt like I could reach up and touch it,” said inmate Frankie Smith. The unexpected event took place while inmates played sports or walked counter-clockwise on the outer edges of the yard, on what was supposed to be an ordinary Friday morning in prison. As the aircrafts approached, the … [Read more...] about Space Shuttle’s Last Flight Soars Over the Institution
Boxing Interest Up
By Jose Camacho Expansion of the San Quentin boxing program is being boosted with the help of an experienced boxer who is also a correctional officer. Correctional Officer M. Polk said he is willing to assist San Quentin inmates with the finer points of boxing, giving them not just boxing skills, but also a sense of direction and discipline. The program will use the existing equipment already in place on the Lower Yard. At San Quentin, there’s been a heightened interest in sports, including boxing, since the conversion of West Block … [Read more...] about Boxing Interest Up