We'Ced Youth Media reporters Stephanie Gurtel and Victor Seguin sat down with Common during his stop in Merced, Calif. on his 'Hope and Redemption Tour.'
I’ll tell you I looked my name up
recently, its something I do periodically,
to see what shows up. I found some 10+ arrests
on the initial search. I didn’t even bother with
aliases or convictions. Suffice it to say,
court records will outlive us all.
Because of his circumstance, it was impossible for him to ‘pick himself up by the bootstraps’ and be ‘successful.’
But despite his incarceration, he has always been there for me, even if we only see each other through a window or speak on the phone during visits. This tall, quiet, soft spoken, funny man is the person I most admire. His piercing blue eyes that reflect the sadness in his soul from all the trauma he endured.
My dad is my role model because he holds on to hope that we will be reunited one day. Because he is determined to love me when he was never loved. And because, even though he has been through so much, he is willing to help others.
Modern incarceration has become a privatized business due to the 13th Amendment. However, mass incarceration is just a fancy term for a modern day slave trade that produces JCPenney clothing and vanity plates for the DMV. Today’s world activists are being arrested and killed, just as people were in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. If we are to follow Trump’s perfect America, we will fall back into the hatred-filled time of the 60’s.
I understand officials have lives of their own or may have pre-scheduled events, but notifying the community of your absence would be the respectful thing to do, especially when you claim to want to be transparent with the community.
Castillo is one of several community members participating in solidarity with loved ones behind bars. Her husband, Richard Castillo, is currently being held at Merced County Jail while he fights charges of evasion. He’s been there since early 2013 and is facing life, partially due to gang enhancements which can add years and even decades to a sentence.
My uncle was incarcerated at the age of 14 and he has never come back home. A crime landed him in the prison system right after he was released from Y.A.
This is the reality of so many young people, and we are not doing enough to change this.
FRESNO– Community leaders, residents and state officials met Thursday night in West Fresno at Westside Church of God to talk about Proposition 47 and the flaws in the criminal justice system in Fresno County and across California.
Before I was even born, someone decided that my life did not matter. As it turns out, [California’s] infamous three strikes law actually originated in Fresno after some very serious crimes occurred in the area. But after it passed, people of color were mostly targeted. This is not fair, because Black lives do matter.
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