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OP-ED: Taxpayers need to know what is happening in our Prisons

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By Richard Johnson, Folsom State Prison

I truly believe that the opportunity to present my views in the Post News Group allows me to bring a much needed fresh look into the prison system and why it’s failing. I hope I can add to the dialogue of what his system is supposed to be.

<p>I intend for my columns to be an outlet for the truths that are being denied to the public.

By working in conjunction with the Post, The San Quentin News and other media outlets it can be a teaching moment to shed light on the despicable state of affairs of the men and women of every race who have unattended issues.

By bringing attention to the plight of the helpless prisoners entombed in this dysfunctional system, that intensifies their mental and physical troubles, we can help the public understand the need for some changes.

I want the Post to be on the right side of history, not only leading the charge with quality information, but also with real practical solutions. Instead of meaningless inquiries that generate ineffective and ridiculous answers, we need plans that can aid the men and women in prison.

This isn’t to imply that other concerned outlets that bring light to the prisoners haven’t been helpful in the past. On the contrary, the more attention that’s focused on the Prison Industry Complex, the less that Complex will be able to ignore the truth. We need the eyes of the community to watch their every move.

It’s through communication that we will be able to bring the walls of deceit, corruption and abuse down.

It is indefensible what is happening to those loved ones trapped in prison. Unless change and/or rectification are brought to the horrors that are the heartbeat of prison life, the probability of prisoners returning to the community in a disturbed state will be very likely.

We need the media to convey forward progressive thinking to the prisoners and to the constituents whose tax dollars pay for the functioning operations of these maligned institutions.

My column can be a megaphone that speaks loud and clear for the incarcerated who are being denied a medium to express their concerns to the public. The gravity of the neglect is too immense and heinous to allow it to go unchecked and unaddressed. To do or say nothing would essentially be condoning the actions of the destructive prison policies.

The signal needs to be sent that the gig is up and change is a must. Prisons have moved from criminal punishment to persecution, and until this is made obvious to the public, it will continue. We need helpful, practical information about the need for education and true rehabilitation. I also thank the ministers and community leaders who are using my columns to teach against violence.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 11 – 17, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of December 4 – 10, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 4 – 10, 2024, 2024

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COMMENTARY: PEN Oakland Entices: When the News is Bad, Try Poetry

Strongman politics is not for the weak. Here in the U.S., Donald Trump is testing how strongman politics could work in the world’s model democracy.

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By Emil Guillermo

As the world falls apart, you need more poetry in your life.

I was convinced on Tuesday when a weak and unpopular president of South Korea — a free nation U.S. ally — tried to save himself by declaring martial law.

Was it a stunt? Maybe. But indicative of the South Korean president’s weakness, almost immediately, the parliament there voted down his declaration.

The takeaway: in politics, nothing quite works like it used to.

Strongman politics is not for the weak. Here in the U.S., Donald Trump is testing how strongman politics could work in the world’s model democracy.

Right now, we need more than a prayer.

NEWS ANTIDOTE? LITERATURE

As we prepare for another Trump administration, my advice: Take a deep breath, and read more poetry, essays and novels.

From “Poetry, Essays and Novels,” the acronym PEN is derived.

Which ones to read?

Register (tickets are limited) to join Tennessee Reed and myself as we host PEN OAKLAND’s award ceremony this Saturday on Zoom, in association with the Oakland Public Library.

Find out about what’s worth a read from local artists and writers like Cheryl Fabio, Jack Foley, Maw Shein Win, and Lucille Lang Day.

Hear from award winning writers like Henry Threadgill, Brent Hayes Edwards and Airea D. Matthews.

PEN Oakland is the local branch of the national PEN. Co-founded by the renowned Oakland writer, playwright, poet and novelist Ishmael Reed, Oakland PEN is special because it is a leader in fighting to include multicultural voices.

Reed is still writing. So is his wife Carla Blank, whose title essay in the new book, “A  Jew in  Ramallah, And Other Essays, (Baraka Books), provides an artist’s perspective on the conflict in Gaza.

Of all Reed’s work, it’s his poetry that I’ve found the most musical and inspiring.

It’s made me start writing and enjoying poetry more intentionally. This year, I was named poet laureate of my small San Joaquin rural town.

Now as a member of Oakland PEN, I can say, yes, I have written poetry and essays, but not a novel. One man shows I’ve written, so I have my own sub-group. My acronym: Oakland PEOMS.

Reed’s most recent book of poetry, “Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues, Poems 2007-2020” is one of my favorites. One poem especially captures the emerging xenophobia of the day. I offer you the first stanza of “The Banishment.”

We don’t want you here
Your crops grow better than ours
We don’t want you here
You’re not one of our kind
We’ll drive you out
As thou you were never here
Your names, family, and history
We’ll make them all disappear.

There’s more. But that stanza captures the anxiety many of us feel from the threat of mass deportations. The poem was written more than four years ago during the first Trump administration.

We’ve lived through all this before. And survived.

The news sometimes lulls us into acquiescence, but poetry strikes at the heart and forces us to see and feel more clearly.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. Join him at www.patreon.com/emilamok

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