For the 2nd Annual A Day for Atonement, held during National Crime Victims Week on April 23, 2024 in the Protestant Chapel at California Men‘s Colony (CMC), the incarcerated population participated in an event where survivors and victims of crime shared their stories and brought awareness of their experiences to offenders.
Hosted by resident Adam Ingala-Whiting and sponsored by Project R.I.S.E (Resilience, Integrity, Strength, Endurance) and Restorative Partners, the purpose of the event was to honor victims and show offenders the tangible consequences of their criminal actions; sparking thought about how their crimes harmed those victimized and setting in motion the needed change within themselves and their communities.
The day incorporated a moment of silence for victims, poetry from David Martinez and Ralph Woo, a song performed by Adam Ingala-Whiting, David Martinez, Rex Bell, and speeches by incarcerated John Bell and Carlos Martif and free-Nora, Tanya, Mos Salas, and Israel Garcia.
Ms. Nora, the first guest speaker, shared her heart-wrenching story about losing her son to a gang shooting.
“They called my son‚ evidence,‘” she stated.
Hearts broke as she described his funeral. “They let me throw the first dirt on him,” she ended.
Keynote speaker Israel Garcia, of Uncommon Law opened up after an emotional pause with, “A week. That‘s what the nation gives to people impacted by crimes.”
He recounted the murder of a veteran, Mr. Townsend, in 1995. “Someone he knew…brutally attacked him with a razorblade,” Mr. Garcia explained, adding that the attacker was a fifteen year-old kid.
“That fifteen year-old kid was me,” he said. The entire room gasped, shocked by this statement coming from someone wearing civilian clothing.
Mo Salas, Amity Program Director at CMC, said, “The truths I‘ve come to realize are that you are valuable people,” and that, “people do monstrous things, but I‘ve never met a monster.”
“I truly believe that no one is beyond the hope of healing,” said Ms. Tanya, another victim impact guest speaker.
The event closed with Cindy Ayala, of Restorative Partners, accepting a check for $2,367.11; money raised by the incarcerated population. She stated, “A ripple effect of a loving action can be way bigger than the one that was caused by pain.”
