San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Many top American companies were founded by immigrants

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About 45% of America’s top companies were founded by immigrants or their children. These firms brought in $6.1 trillion in revenues in the fiscal year 2018, according to a recent report.

This figure put into context is larger than the GDP of Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, reports the New American Economy Research Fund.

These companies are strong drivers of both the American economy and the global economy. Employing 13.5 million workers, a population, if ranked as a state, would be America’s fifth largest, the July 22 report says.

The report, called the New American Fortune 500, revealed that 223 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Of those companies, 101 were founded directly by people born outside of America. Children of im- migrants founded 122 of the 500.

New York leads the nation with 35 firms founded by immigrants. California was second with 29, followed by Illinois with 21, Texas with 18, Virginia with 12, Florida and New Jersey with 10 each.

These companies play a significant part in the states economies. New York reported 56.3% of GDP was brought in by these firms. In Illinois the percentage was 70.3% of GDP.

The New American Fortune 500 reported 3.2 million immigrants own and operate businesses.

Digital Divide Explained

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Which game do your prefer, SCRABBLE or SUDOKU?

One works like the world you know. One operates like the digital cloud. The digital cloud is just another way of describing content that is stored in databases and accessible on the internet. The cloud changes how we use digital content and interact with each other.

More than a third of millennial say that if a man compliments a woman’s looks it is harassment, according to a recent survey by The Economist/YouGov reports The New York Times 1-17-18.

These two games function quite differently and demonstrate rival methods of organization. SCRABBLE uses wooden tiles with letters for players to spell words, beginning at the center of the board, placing new tiles alongside those already on the board. 

FATE v. WISDOM

SUDOKU uses an 81-space square grid divided into nine boxes each containing nine spaces. Some of the spaces contain numbers and with these given numbers, a player must fill in the empty spaces. Each box, column and row must contain the numbers 1-9, just as the whole game must have nine of each number. 

In SCRABBLE, players must wait their turn and keep score. SCRABBLE usually has two to four players.

In SUDOKU, players can begin anywhere and go anywhere in the game. They don’t have to follow any particular order. The sequence matters less and less. While usually played alone, SUDOKU could have any number of players all playing at the same time.

The digital cloud works like SUDOKU — entirely non-sequentially.

Cloud-based music streaming services like SPOTIFY or APPLE MUSIC give users access to vast libraries of songs, on demand, without waiting for a radio station to play them. No one waits for CDs to come by mail these days. 

If you want to listen to Beyoncé, just go to a cloud-based service. Like SUDOKU, you can start anywhere and decide to listen to all her music (whole game), her individual albums (rows) or only her number one songs (columns). In the digital cloud, the choices are yours.

“if y’all think I did it…just give me a lawyer, dawg, ‘cause this is not what’s up.”  Warren Demesme said during police questioning.  The Louisiana Supreme Court held that this reference was too ambiguous to count as a request for counsel.  REASON Magazine, January 2018

Movies and shows work like that, too. Users of streaming services stored in the cloud, like NETFLIX or HBO GO, can just select a show and start to watch it. They can even binge-watch a whole season. You don’t have to wait for a week or even watch the shows in order, like with broadcast TV.

If you want to prepare for life in the digital world, then play SUDOKU.

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

Queeny King performs at SQ

San Francisco Opera debuts at San Quentin

Some incarcerated support Kaepernick

450 Former Military Warriors Honored on Veteran’s Day

RISK LITERACY: WOODBLOCK FORTUNA & SAPIENTIA

Game theory and the digital cloud

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The internet is everyone’s addiction. From kids to grandparents, they use it to do just about anything. The internet allows you to access the digital world. With a smartphone, you can send a video to China and receive a tweet from the President of the United States.

President Trump


FATE v. WISDOM

This digital world can seem overwhelming to the incarcerated. We have to wait for CDs to come out or TV shows to air at a specific time.

Here is a way to prepare for both reentry to normal life and introduction to this new digital world of the internet-based cloud: Play games. Scrabble and Sudoku, two of the most popular games played on prison yards, can prepare you for the digital world.   

Scrabble is played by two to four people and uses wooden squares of the alphabet to spell words and score points. Each letter is assigned a specific score.

Sudoku is a puzzle consisting of a square grid subdivided into nine boxes, each with nine squares. Some of the squares contain numbers, and the object is to fill in the remaining squares so that every row, column and box has numbers one to nine. Each number can only be used once per any row, column or box.

In the past, life has tended to function like Scrabble – uniform, continuous and sequential. The game requires a player to begin at the center, place new tiles alongside those that are already on the board, and wait their turn to play.

Much of today’s world operates like Sudoku. You can begin anywhere and focus on what you want. 

Digital technology allows you to look at any content in several ways at once, just as Sudoku allows you to consider a number as part of a row, column or box. You can fill any square in any order — the whole puzzle is available at once, like a digital cloud.

This digital cloud is just another way of describing content that is stored and accessible on the Internet. The cloud makes it possible to binge watch an entire season at once or view an old episode of The Vampire Diaries, Sleepy Hollow or The Simpsons. It allows people to download and watch shows like Game of Thrones or EMPIRE at their convenience or stream and watch them live.

With digital music, you can create playlists of your favorite songs and listen to them in any order instead of needing to buy an album. By subscribing to a music service like Spotify or Apple Music, you have access to their vast music catalogs. 

If you want to listen to Beyoncé or U2 music, just access the cloud. Like Sudoku, you can start anywhere. You can search for all their songs (the big square), a particular album (a series of rows) or each of their number one songs (a series of columns). In the digital cloud, the choice is yours.

The old-school technologies are still available. You can still listen to the radio or buy a CD. But most people now access content on their smartphone, tablet or computer. Fewer people are buying the actual physical products. Many successful technology companies, including Pandora, YouTube and Amazon, rely on this behavior. Problems are solved and work is done in the digital cloud.

If you want to prepare for release, train your mind to live in the digital world. Play Sudoku.     

Importance of good character and integrity in prison

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Tablets benefit the incarcerated

RISK LITERACY: WOODBLOCK FORTUNA & SAPIENTIA


Boatwright

Women’s History Month prompts answers to ‘Who’s the greatest?’

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Among other celebrations and observations, March is Women’s History Month. In honor of women, “Asked On The Line” approached mainliners and inquired, “Who do you think is the greatest woman in history? Name a woman you know whom you admire and respect.”

M. Jones: “I think the greatest woman in history is Harriet Tubman because she helped blacks get to freedom. A woman I admire is Ethel Waters. She was a great singer in jazz and blues.”

M. Benito: “My mother, Socorro, is the greatest woman in my life, and I admire her because she is wonderful, gave me life, and taught me to walk.”

V. Nguyen: “I think that the greatest woman in history is Queen Isabella.

A woman I admire is my mom because she raised my five brothers and me on her own after 1975, when South Vietnam fell to the Communist regime, and my father was sent to a prison camp.”

F. Pedro: “The greatest woman in history was Mariana Grajales. She helped gain independence for all the Cuban people.

A woman I admire is Valentina Teleskova. She was the first woman to go into outer space.”

Y. Jose: “My mom is the greatest woman in history. She took care of all six of her children. After mom is my grandmother.

A woman I admire and respect is Eleanor Roosevelt.”

M. Luna-Saldana: “The greatest woman in history is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is the greatest example of humility, tenderness and love.

I admire my mother, Guadalupe Saldana. She gave me life, tenderness and love.”

L. Jesus: “My mom is the greatest woman in history and is a woman I admire and respect.”

T. Alberto: “The greatest woman in history is Queen Elizabeth of England. A woman I admire is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”

R. Wimbert: “The greatest woman in history and a woman I admire and respect is my mom.”

M. Ronald: “The greatest woman in history, and a woman I admire, is my mother. She raised my brother and me and taught us about life.”

V. Joseph: “The greatest woman in history and a woman I admire is a famous Mexican singer, Lola Beltran. For me, she was the greatest female singer in the world, was very beautiful, and was known to have a good sense of humor.”

H. Bridges: “I think the greatest woman in history is my mom. She has taught me about life, about being a man, about choosing the right way to live. She is the greatest and most beautiful woman I know and she loves Jesus. I also admire my sister and my wife. Both are like my mom.”

A. Antonio: “The greatest woman in history is Niurka. She is a very famous and talented dancer and a successful actress.

The woman I admire the most is my mother, Teresa, because she shows people love and compassion.”

Z. Richard: “The greatest woman in history, for me, is my mother.

A woman I respect and admire is my wife.”

Exciting experiences for the palate

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A popular social activity on Valentine’s Day is the romantic dinner. Introducing our palates to new and exotic foods can be fun and make a lasting impression. For many, fast food or being cheap is not an option — especially if it’s a first date. Many individuals brush up on a foreign language to impress their dates as they order at a fancy, exotic restaurant. Others may opt to cook an exotic dish for their dates at home and serve it by candlelight.

“Asked On The Line” asked some of the men on the mainline, “If you could try, or learn to cook, a new type of food that you have not tried before, what would it be? If you could learn a foreign language, what would it be?”

N. Andino: “I would like to try food from India but would like to learn to speak Chinese.”

B. Muro: “I would like to try eating a big, freshly caught fish cooked on hot coals and served with a shrimp cocktail. I would also like to learn to speak Portuguese because I like Brazilian women.”

G. Pureco: “I would really like to try any Korean dish made with dog meat and I would like to learn to speak Italian.”

M. Jones: “I would like to try ‘real’ fried chicken again because I haven’t had real fried chicken in 35 years. It has to be cooked crisp and golden with salt and pepper. I would also like to learn to speak British English like people speak in Great Britain.”

V. Nguyen: “I would like to try Japanese food like sushi and tempura and I would like to learn to speak Japanese, too.”

M. Angulo: “I would like to try real, homemade menudo and I would like to learn to speak French.”

M. Morales: “I would like to try deer meat and learn to speak Chinese.”

M. Benitez: “I would like to try seafood, all types of seafood, and I would like to learn to speak a language called Mien.”

A. Torres: “I would like to try a New York steak with a baked potato and garlic bread. I would like to learn to speak French.or Italian.”

P. Feliciano: “I would like to try real Italian food and learn to speak Italian or French.”

M. Saldana: “I would like to try food from any other country except the USA and learn to speak German.”

R. Malo: “I would like to try real, authentic Mexican food and learn to speak Spanish.”

M. Lopez: “I would like to try any new dish that has ‘camarones’ and I would be interested in learning how to speak Chinese.”

M. Velazquez: “I would like to try cooking white rice, sausages with jelly or jam together. Also, I would like to learn to speak French.

SQ inmates surveyed about Trump’s election

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In a sample survey taken from San Quentin inmates, more than half think a Donald Trump presidency has the potential to make America worse, while about 20 percent think things would be better under a Trump presidency.

About a third of the respondents said that a Trump presidency poses a direct threat to their future.

Almost 40 percent of respondents said their job opportunities outside of prisons were in jeopardy.

Close to 43 percent think policies toward immigrants and immigrant communities are under threat.

Slightly more than 41 percent said policies toward undocumented immigrants and undocumented immigrant communities are under threat.

Approximately 57 percent said the rights of minorities are under threat.

About a third think the rights of women are under threat.

Close to half said sentencing laws would get tougher.

Slightly more than 62 percent believe policing practices would get tougher.

The survey showed that 68 percent of the respondents were very supportive of the passage of Proposition 57 last November.

Proposition 57 gives the secretary of corrections, Scott Kernan, the ability to modify the sentences of some inmates who qualify as non-violent and allows him to give good-time credits to any inmate he sees fit. The new law also took away the district attorney’s ability to decide when to send juvenile offenders to adult courts and gave that determination to judges.

In the November elections, California voters not only decided to keep the death penalty on the books, but also approved speeding up executions by shortening the appeals process. The survey also wanted to know how inmates feel about those changes.

Nearly 61 percent of the respondents to the survey did not support speeding up the death penalty, while about 15 percent were very supportive.

–Juan Haines

‘My mother’ and ‘the Pope’ top list of best persons to visit

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A visit from family or friend is the most valued and anticipated occurrence in San Quentin. According to prison regulations, it is recognized as “a means of increasing safety in prisons, maintaining family and community connections, and preparing inmates for successful release and rehabilitation.”

“Asked on the Line” asked the men in blue, “If the warden would give you a pass to go anywhere to visit anyone for one day, where would you go? Who would you visit?”

M. Stewart: “I would visit my mother in Pomona. She has been living in that city for 40 years. She is my pride and joy.”

R. Malo: “I would like to go to the Vatican and visit Pope Francis.”

M. Morales: “I would visit my brother, Chino, who lives in San Bernardino.”

B. Muro: “I would go and visit my children, then my mom, and then my sisters.”

M. Jones: “I would go to the East Coast to visit friends, and I would go to New York to visit my long lost sister-in-law, Glenda.”

R. Zeigler: “I would first visit my wife and my mother-in-law, then my brothers, nieces and nephews, and finally, close friends.”

V. Nguyen: “I would visit my family in San Jose.”

M. Benitez: “I would go to Mexico to visit my father’s grave site.

M. Saldana: “I would like to go to a family reunion to visit with all of my brothers and sisters.”

C. Moreno: “I would visit Mr. Sanchez, in person, and let him know that I am sorry for what I have done to him and his family.”

P. Feliciano: “I would visit my son, daughter and grandchildren in New Mexico.”

N. Burn: “I would visit my brother Vincent.”

N. Andino: “I would go back to my country, Colombia, and visit my mother’s grave.”

A. Angulo: “I would visit all of my family who live in California.”

H. Bridges: “I would visit my wife in Pomona.”

J. Smith: “I would go visit my mother’s grave in Mississippi.”

A. Torres: “I would visit my family in Sacramento, especially my children.”

J. Ybarra: “I would visit my brother in Bakersfield.”

Finding Solutions for Community Tragedies

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Young Black women touring San Quentin questioned a group of prisoners with tears in her eyes. “Aren’t you guys mad at what’s going on out there between the police and communities?”
I dropped my head in humiliation because I had no answer. I was speechless. I stood staring at the ground; I could feel the hurt and pain I’ve experienced at the hands of police officers.

Richard “Bonaru” Richardson

Richard “Bonaru” Richardson


Race in America is a difficult subject to write about because it is personal, painful and emotionally challenging, but recently I realized my need to grapple with the ways in which race and violence have affected my life and my country.
I began my criminal record at age 10 and, when I turned 15, while fleeing from a stolen car, I was chased down by a police dog and mauled until I was unconscious. I woke up cuffed in the back of a police car, bleeding, in excruciating pain, and unable to walk. This encounter formed my negative feelings toward police officers. My punishment was out of proportion to my offense.
The racial injustice in America is as old as it is repetitive. However, today, violence against minorities—especially by police—is often captured on video owing to the proliferation of mobile devices. In turn, media show this violence on endless loops for mass consumption.
Minorities, however, have never needed video evidence to understand what happens when we encounter the police. Historically, Blacks, Mexicans, and Asians to a lesser degree, have had disproportionately more contact with law enforcement than the rest of society.
The criminal justice system in America is overly punitive toward minorities and creates division which divides our nation and produces an “us-against-them” mentality.
So when the racial tensions surrounding policing in America are exposed in the media daily, many prisoners, including me, voice our opinions.
“The police were created to track runaway and freed slaves, so how can a Black man in America trust them?” asked one man on San Quentin’s prison yard. Another prisoner advocated for more violence against officers, but later changed his mind.
One thing everyone eventually agreed on is police officers need to stop shooting first and asking questions afterward.
I envisioned myself as one of those Black men lying dead on the streets, killed by the very people who were entrusted with our safety. I picture myself as Tamir Rice or Tyisha Miller. Many of us minorities fit the description of Andy Lopez, Paul O’Neal or one of the ever-growing lists of people who have been victimized by police.
But I see hope when I watch officers like Nakia Jones of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris, who understand the problems of race and injustice in America. I applaud them for standing up and speaking openly about the complications of race relations in policing.
I think about those dedicated police officers who travel all the way to San Quentin from Los Angeles with a group of juveniles and introduce them to the men of the SQUIRES (San Quentin Utilization of Inmate Resources and Studies) program. These officers take time out of their lives to help divert children of all races from making bad decisions
I also reflect on the death of Dallas Police Sgt. Michael Smith, who dedicated his life to community programs to stop violence. How would I feel if he was my brother and I had to witness him shot dead on the streets of Dallas?
The names of people like Andy Garcia, Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd and Philando Castile should be mentioned in the same sentence as peace officers Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Lorne Ahrens, and Michael Krol, because in the end, a victim is a victim and all of the lives stolen by violence are equal in value.
As long as some lives are held as more valuable than others there will be no end to the violence. Solutions to the disgusting plague of murder that infects our nation can only be found when every citizen, civilian and law enforcement officer holds all life as sacred.
As one prisoner said, “We cannot kill our way to a solution.”

‘VPASS’: Convenient or Complicated?

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‘The ritual of setting up visits so far has been a nightmare’
My friend just got into San Quentin, and the ritual of setting up visits so far has been a nightmare. I got the VPASS immediately, but then to make appointments could be deemed nearly impossible. He is in non-contact status, which appears to be a separate system from the online system in VPASS but there is no info given there either as to what to do.
Finally after being cleared for two months by VPASS, I came across the number to call, (415) 455-5022, and made my first appointment … When trying to make another one for the next week, I called early Sunday and was put on hold for just over an hour when I gave up. Every minute I got the message “All officers are busy taking calls for visiting. Please stay on the line …”
I finally called the general number again (415) 454-1460 and was told that they were having a problem with that line again, and that after 11 a.m. the line was closed and there was no way to make one for next week.
Really now, we have to be able to do better than that. You say out of one side of the mouth that visiting is important to inmates, but then –
Duke Holtz, commented on the San Quentin News Feedback page.

Remembering Dr. King, Ferguson and Moving Forward

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Thanks to a positive decision in Sacramento, this is my final article while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Subsequent articles will be from me on parole. Because of the length of this article and the limited space available, the second part will appear in the February edition (Black History Month). My son, Larry Jr., will contribute an article for the March column.
“[Racism] is something that is deeply rooted in our society; it’s deeply rooted in our history.” –Barack Obama
In light of the righteous outrage surrounding successive grand jury decisions not to indict police officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo for the killings of two unarmed black men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, I would be remiss in my responsibilities if I didn’t offer an OG’s perspective on these latest miscarriages of justice.
In the aftermath of Ferguson, let us turn our respectful gaze on the life and struggle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was coming of age at the height of Dr. King’s influence, during the time when his dynamic speeches and powerful leadership were constantly in the news, a time when he met with presidents and led marches of thousands. I was 15 years old when he made his electrifying “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In this thrilling speech, what is most quoted and remembered is King’s impassioned articulation of a vision of a “post-racial” world of harmony and economic justice, where a man is judged “not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.”
King’s “Dream” gives form to hope in a description of human society in which equality and human dignity prevail. His powerful words come from a deep conviction, the same passionate conviction that says all lives matter, and that a free, egalitarian and just society is possible. The hope of that vision reverberates today, and continues to have the capacity to inspire and empower.

“We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force”

However, there are a whole lot of words King speaks before he gets to that utopian dream. He lays out for America the challenges and urgency of the issues at hand, and just why such a dream is so desperately needed. King also taught that there can be no racial reconciliation in this country without the requirements of justice or struggle.
Listen to the prescient words King uttered to the marchers nearly 52 years ago:
“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
“It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of (Black’s) legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that (Blacks) needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the (African American) is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
“But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
“The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the (Black) community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
“We cannot walk alone.
“And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
“We cannot turn back.
“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’ We can never be satisfied as long as the (African American) is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality…”
Could this speech be any more pertinent to the issues facing us today, as a movement grows against that self-same racism and police brutality King spoke of a half-century ago? King is remembered for his nonviolence (sometimes scornfully by those who take the view that violence is necessary for social change) and for his Dream, but is he remembered enough for his impassioned plea that “This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.” That “there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the (African American) is granted his citizenship rights.” And the very first violation of those rights Martin Luther King, Jr. names in his famous speech: police brutality.
I’m sure that many of you reading this will agree with King that we must march ahead, that we must not rest until we have reached the goal. But that raises the question: what does marching ahead entail? What work can we put ourselves to that will be most effective in moving forward?
In another, lesser-known speech given in Michigan five years after his Dream speech and just a month before he was murdered, King discussed this. In next month’s (Black History Month) column, we’ll remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to say about moving forward.
END OF PART #1

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