Nobody needs to tell Alisha Coleman what jail is all about. She has been there and knows what it’s like from the inside. She spent time in the San Francisco County Jail in 2012. It was there that she was introduced to the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) through the FiredUp! Group. Since her release, Coleman has been lending her voice and protest for change to California’s criminal justice system. She participated in this year’s “No New Jail Summit” in San Francisco and the national “Mama’s Day Bailout” project. Coleman … [Read more...] about Alisha Coleman: Change Agent
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Day of Peace at DVI
On a warm day in August, more than 200 inmates at Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) focused their efforts on self improvement and rehabilitation by attending the Day of Peace. Organized by the Peacemakers’ Alliance Program, the event was meant as a way to shine a light on rehabilitative options for those inmates who aren’t currently engaged in such activities. More than 50 self-help groups hosted information tables and took onsite enrollment for their programs. Thanks to the generous donations of vendors and volunteers, every inmate … [Read more...] about Day of Peace at DVI
Skyping with SQ’s Last Mile and DJJ
Thanks to San Quentin’s first-ever Skype computer conference call to be allowed between California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prisoners and youth in the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), California officials think they’ve opened a door to exchanging valuable instruction between inmates at different institutions. The July face-to-digital-face electronic encounter was a part of an Adult Youth Offender Mentorship pilot program. The partnership was formed between the Last Mile and DJJ. Prisoners of the San Quentin’s Last … [Read more...] about Skyping with SQ’s Last Mile and DJJ
San Quentin music reaches New York City
If you go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City in the spring of 2019, don’t be surprised to hear music created by musicians incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. “I’m in a 6x9 cell and my voice is going to New York—that’s God,” said singer Mike Adams, who has been in prison 19 years. The 51-year-old’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” was chosen by representatives of the museum to be used in a performance that blends ballet, opera, spiritual songs, and art history. The concept, “From the Spirits,” is the … [Read more...] about San Quentin music reaches New York City
Center Point graduates 100 San Quentin men
Packing the house in recognition of their achievements San Quentin’s Garden Chapel was filled to near-capacity, with almost 400 seats occupied during Center Point’s annual graduation ceremony. One hundred men received recognition for their participation and successful completion of a Center Point program. “This program has helped me see addiction in a new light,” said Troy Dunmore, a graduate of the Substance Use Disorder Treatment class. “I understand now that I used drugs to cope with the pain of reality.” According to … [Read more...] about Center Point graduates 100 San Quentin men
Native American women breaking cycles
Native American women prisoners in Oregon are finding support from a dedicated and determined advocate helping them rebuild their lives and spirituality. “Women are the backbone of our nation and if we don’t take care of them or help them to heal, it continues that cycle of poverty, incarceration, trauma and addiction,” Trish Jordan, executive director of Red Lodge Transition Center for Women, told the San Quentin News. In Oregon, Native women are 7 to 8 percent of the state prison population and men are 4 to 5 percent of the state prison … [Read more...] about Native American women breaking cycles
SQ artists raise money for the fight against cancer
Artists incarcerated at San Quentin used their talent to raise money for cancer research at Cords Gallery during a First Friday art walk in Oakland. “I’ve been so inspired by the work of men inside who want to give back to their community and give back in creative ways, to not just support each other inside but to make an impact on the lives of folks in the greater community outside,” said Samantha Feld, a member of the San Quentin Compassionate Accountability Responsibly Expressed through Service (SQ CARES) committee that organized the … [Read more...] about SQ artists raise money for the fight against cancer
Butterscotch comes back to perform for TLM
A crowd of incarcerated men cheered like it was their parole day when Antoinette “Butterscotch” Clinton took the stage at San Quentin State Prison June 14. This time, she returned with Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Leslie. The musical genius turned a prison chapel into a concert, a reunion and a pre-graduation celebration for computer coding and construction apprentice trainees. The music festival featured spoken word artist and returning citizen Jason “JC” Cavitt, Swedish Grammy-nominated rapper and producer David Jassy, and Eric “Maserati … [Read more...] about Butterscotch comes back to perform for TLM
Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard
Maxx Cabello Jr.’s guitar wizardry entertained San Quentin’s Lower Yard June 23, as the visiting blues musician and singer debuted his new “Tattoos and Blues” album. The performer has traveled the world and opened for musical legends like B.B. King and Earth, Wind and Fire. Cabello’s magnetic notes cut through San Quentin’s hyperactive weekend activities ― the usual outdoor workouts and basketball games. The energetic music drew small groups of prisoners to Cabello on the stage, as though he were the Pied Piper. “I hope I have inspired … [Read more...] about Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard
San Quentin News World Travels
SAN QUENTIN NEWS WORLD TRAVELS Various supporters with the SQ News in exotic locales....fromDisneyland, California to the real Matterhorn. Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, reading the San Quentin News “Police departments in 13 of the 25 largest U.S. cities did not post their (operating and use-of-force) procedures online.” “The Opaque Blue Line” by C.J. Ciaramella in Reason magazine May 2017 "It's so much more comfortable to fear the unknown, the stranger, but that doesn't fit the facts. Depending on the age of the … [Read more...] about San Quentin News World Travels