There is always a story in SQN that allows me to reflect and empathize with other inmates concerning their life of incarceration The May 2018 issue provides a wonderful account of the hardships elderly inmates face concerning health and family when approaching BPH. This is a very real and heart-wrenching issue that affects those who have surpassed years of obstacles to garner the opportunity of physical freedom, when for the majority of them, there isn’t much left when they’re granted release. It’s important to share the sentiment to the … [Read more...] about LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters
Dear Kid CAT,
During the past couple of months I have spoken to several facility sponsors concerning the Kid CAT Childhood development program and support group. As of today there are a couple of sponsors willing to support me toward proposing a Kid CAT branch here in California Institution in Tehachapi. This has taken me time because of the programs pending approval by our Community Resource Manager (CRM). Once I look over the curriculum and facilitator’s manual, I will prepare the proposal directed to our CRM. On behalf of the community here in … [Read more...] about Dear Kid CAT,
Letter to Editor
The Antidote for Oakland City leaders instead of more police of the streets, you need o get on education reform. Job creation, Economic Development and Restorative programs. The Ghettos are entitled to better set of options and if so, whose responsibility is it to provide them? Why is it so much violence in the streets? These youths don’t see any hope, don’t have faith in the Lord. They fell like lost souls. These kids see their fathers getting locked-up, brothers die from gun violence, sister in prostitution, their young bodies, and their … [Read more...] about Letter to Editor
Letters to the Editor
Being incarcerated offers an unusual gift for those who find themselves behind bars: time. There is an abundance of it! Modern American life is hectic. There simply isn’t time to do everything. There are demands on our time from work, family and community. When you are serving time, you receive the gift of time. When you are incarcerated, there’s no social media. You can’t put off a task to check Twitter or Facebook. There are no cell phones for our bosses to call us on the weekend. The distractions of the 21st century evaporate behind prison … [Read more...] about Letters to the Editor
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It’s five days after my total hip replacement, and Sonoma Valley Hospital is trying to send me back to San Quentin. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space on the fourth floor for me in the prison hospital. Dr. Brown told me that I would be going to California Health Care Facility (CHCF) in Stockton. Now I’m thinking, “What in the hell did I get myself into?” Because, I still remember the bad publicity the prison was receiving once it opened in 2014. The news stations reported bed bugs, roaches and rats. They also reported that the prison … [Read more...] about LETTER TO THE EDITOR
MY LOVE AND ONLY
To my loving wife Renee; When I say I love you more, I don’t mean I love you more than you love me. I mean I love you more than the bad days ahead of us. I love you more than any fight we will ever have. I love you more than the distance between us. I love you more than any obstacle that could try and come between us. I love you the most! Romeo and Renee Bacos … [Read more...] about MY LOVE AND ONLY
Kid CAT Speaks
Dear Kid CAT, I have been in prison going on 15 years, and I’ve tried to change my life for the best. I was 16 years old when I was alleged to be a part of a violent cocaine racketeering enterprise and was charged and convicted of murder and aiding and abetting under the RICO act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) and was sentenced to life in federal prison. Despite the fact that I was a juvenile and incarcerated at a young age, I basically grew up to become a man behind these walls. I have obtained my GED, participated in a … [Read more...] about Kid CAT Speaks
Letters to the Editor
Dear SQ News, Greetings to each of you, I am an old ex-resident of the S.Q., haven’t been there since 1990, the beginning of the change over from Level IV, to Level II. Several of my old friends are still there I see in your paper, it’s great to see that they are still going strong and moving with positivity. My name is R. Ross, and I am the founder and coordinator for the LWOP Activity Group here at CSP-Solano. I have noticed in your paper that it appears that people all over the world are reading it which is great, SQ has come a long ways … [Read more...] about Letters to the Editor
Kid CAT Speaks
Dear Kid CAT, I am a juvenile offender and lifer. I was 16 when I was arrested for murder in 2003. I am very hopeful about the new youth laws sweeping across the U.S. I am hoping that any changes to Prop. 57 will be retroactive. I can honestly say that I am totally different today than I was even three months after turning 16. I did not realize the severity of the situation or the way death affects so many lives. I was a brat as a teenager and had no idea this was the path that I was taking…until I participated in a murder and received life … [Read more...] about Kid CAT Speaks
Letters to the Editor
Christopher Geier passed away on Aug. 30. He was one of those rare people in the world who was able to lighten any situation for others in it. He thought first of his friends, and tried to make their time here better. Sure, he had his faults in life. The stress of being on Death Row, and of everything that comes along with that, got to him like it does every inmate, but when you saw him care for elderly inmates, or try to help a fellow veteran, you saw his true character. He faced many health concerns, most stemming from injuries sustained … [Read more...] about Letters to the Editor