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.
