George Derrick and Leonard King From a wheelchair on the sidelines, Leonard King got to watch veteran San Quentin Warrior Allan McIntosh put up 32 points but still fall short to Imago Dei, 119-102. King got to attend the game because Inmate Disability Assistance Program worker George Derrick, who also plays for the Warriors, used part of his day off to stop by the fourth floor of the infirmary and picked him up. “George is a good per- son; he’s made getting out here really easy,” King said. “It’s a mental struggle losing something you … [Read more...] about Imago Dei routs the Warriors … but our very own G. Derrick is the star
Prison Stories
In Remembrance
Brothers George Grifall and Chris Koppe George Grifall Chris Koppe playing his guitar More than 60 men of all nationalities, races and origins gathered in San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel to celebrate the lives of George Grifall and Chris Koppe. The two well-known incarcerated men passed away in San Quentin in the month of June. “I love you, brother,” was the catchphrase for Grifall. Koppe was lovingly known as Colonel Sanders or Colonel Crispy. After the evening meal on July 18, prisoners mingled and listened to the blues, led … [Read more...] about In Remembrance
Chicago group engages storytelling to understand violence
All those in attendance assemble for a group photo after the talk When Sam Castro was three years old, he was shot in the arm outside his home on Chicago’s Northwest side. He remembers the chaos in the aftermath, how his mother and grandmother screamed when he walked over and told them what had happened. He also remembers that after the initial shock of the whole thing, nobody ever spoke to him about it again. Castro, 45, said that the incident loomed large in his childhood. Seeing violence so early in his life led him on the path to … [Read more...] about Chicago group engages storytelling to understand violence
Cultural differences affect the way peoples’ sexual orientations are treated
ACT members in a class session Acting with Compassion and Truth (ACT) is a first of its kind of prison program that explores how cultural differences affect the way people with diverse sexual orientations are treated. The group consists of LGBTQ people as well as heterosexual/cisgender people. California prison officials and a journalist came to San Quentin, on April 10, to see how ACT functions. A Hmong inmate, Lee Xiong, told a compelling story about how his culture treats gay people. He said that if a father, traditional Hmong … [Read more...] about Cultural differences affect the way peoples’ sexual orientations are treated
Florida DAs charge fentanyl dealers with murder in cases of overdose
A woman overdosed and died in jail. As a result, another faces first-degree murder charges. On Sept. 7, 2018, 24-year- old Jeniffer Patrick was riding in a car with her 49-year-old boyfriend when they were stopped by Marion County sheriff deputies, who found drugs and syringes in the car. Patrick was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail in Ocola, Fla., where she was then strip-searched and placed in a holding tank with other women. This is where she came across 22-year-old Lorraine Gardner who had been in custody since … [Read more...] about Florida DAs charge fentanyl dealers with murder in cases of overdose
An interview with former Death Row prisoner Alfred Sandoval, from Pelican Bay’s Newsletter “The Pelican”
SQ_Lethal_Injection_Room K: Thank you for sitting down with me and for agreeing to do this interview. If I remember correctly, you said you’ve been in prison for about two-thirds of your life? That... is a long time. S: Trust me, it’s been very long. From the boy’s home to death row – I came into the system in ’79. K: Has it been hard? S: No. It’s life. It’s survival. Out there, in the streets, you have to deal with everything – bills, jobs, boss, kids. In prison it’s the same. Life. It doesn’t mean it’s easy or hard. It’s just … [Read more...] about An interview with former Death Row prisoner Alfred Sandoval, from Pelican Bay’s Newsletter “The Pelican”
Bread & Roses presents tribute to honor Audrey Auld
Audrey Auld singing for Day of Peace on lower yard in SQ A parade of San Quentin musicians entertained about 100 inmates while honoring the late folksinger Audrey Auld, a favorite performer at the prison. “She opened up her heart; she brought her music. She was amazing!” guitarist Richie Morris said of Auld. “Audrey’s final performance at San Quentin was the performance of a life- time—the show to top all shows. She left exhilarated. It’s an example of the healing power of music,” said Lisa Starbird of the music organization Bread … [Read more...] about Bread & Roses presents tribute to honor Audrey Auld
Shedding reputation to step into a new role in society
KidCAT Speaks! Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series on the cost of earning a reputation in prison. Richard Solano A person can earn a bad reputation in prison for any number of reasons: being a snitch, a drop-out (former gang member), a child rapist or a homosexual. Prisoners with those reputations are often ostracized, assaulted, extorted or even murdered. On some cases, it can lead to real-world consequences. From the age of 12 to 18, 41-year-old San Quentin in- mate Richard Solano attend- ed 22 funerals … [Read more...] about Shedding reputation to step into a new role in society
Solitary: Book depicts one man’s journey through hell
Albert Woodfox spent almost 45-years in solitary confinement in Louisiana for a murder he insists he didn’t commit and has written a book detailing the horror of the isolation. He and one other prisoner were accused of murdering an Angola prison guard. Federal courts threw out two murder convictions, but he decided to plead no contest before a third trial. “By pleading nolo contendere I wouldn’t be innocent in the eyes of the law,” Woodfox told the Times-Picayune. “But I knew I was innocent.” The result: he spent 44 years and 10 … [Read more...] about Solitary: Book depicts one man’s journey through hell
CDCR agrees to legal settlement over disciplinary documents
“I spent five years to get them to dismiss the write-ups which should never have been filed in the first place” The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) agreed to pay an inmate $8,400 in a legal settlement for disciplinary and non-disciplinary documentation the inmate claimed were false and retaliatory. The settlement agreement, entered in April 2018, also required the CDCR to remove all paper and electronic copies of the documents from the inmate’s file in exchange for his dismissal of two other lawsuits. … [Read more...] about CDCR agrees to legal settlement over disciplinary documents