This will
be quick and straightforward. I will write more about it later. I just got some of the best news in my
life. My aunt Dolores called me and then she put my cousin Johnny on the phone,
which confused me. Johnny…. Does she have her phone in the prison? He’s in prison… He said, “Lucy?” I said, “Johnny?!”
He said, “I’m out!” And he started to
give me all the details of how it happened.
Apparently
that prop 36 that the voters passed last year by almost 70 percent to 30
percent, saying that the Three Strikes law, in effect since 1994, had to be
changed, that the third strike couldn't be for a nonviolent or petty crime – well, it actually did something. It actually did something. A lawyer had him fill out some
paperwork last year and he didn't think much more of it. The lawyer said he had
a big stack of paperwork to make his way through. Time passed.
Suddenly,
my aunt Dolores got the word that he might be getting out. And he got the word.
He said he was scared to get his hopes up. She drove over to her sister Rosie’s
on the allotted morning at 5 am, sat out with her drinking some coffee, then
headed over to the prison and waited until she could talk to someone at the
gate at 7:30. They checked the roster. Yep, he was listed. Come back at 8:30,
they said. Then somebody did something and they were all on lockdown. She
waited out there with the other people waiting for their loved ones to come
out. A lot of those people waiting were mothers, she said.
At one in
the afternoon, Johnny came walking out of that prison after 17 years.
Since
then, it’s been a crazy whirlwind. Everyone’s been having barbecues, taking him
out to eat, buying him clothes… He said everything looks so different.
I just can’t
stop laughing and crying and smiling. I ran through the house shouting out the glorious great news to my kids! I can’t wait to get out to California to
see him and celebrate, to sit somewhere and drink coffee and just talk for
hours.
I’m so
glad my aunt Dolores got to have her son come home. Oh, did they both deserve this.
I remember reading the props, I'm one of those weird people that will read the whole booklet. I remember discussing this prop with my partner and saying, "You know this whole 3 strikes your out is a really fawled law" It makes no sense to have someone what may have a drug addiction, imprisoned for life if they make 3 unrelated mistakes" Why in the world would you imprison a person with an illness? I thought about her son who is a very good hearted person a wonderful Dad that happens to have a drug problem. I thought of my own brother, who was a wonder man himself. He got caught up with drugs while trying to deal with his own childhood abuses. Should he be punished if he's trying to escape his nighmares? Nightmare that were thrust upon him while a child? Absolutley not!Addiction is an illness just like cancer is. When will people start to realize this? When I heard of Johnny getting out I was very happy. I pray he will get a chance to live a "normal" life. MM
ReplyDeleteThanks, MM. Yeah, I was one of those people, too, when I lived in California!! I used to read through all the booklet! I am so glad that 3 Strikes law got altered. It has stolen so many years from people. Thanks for being one of those who helped vote for it to change.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with all that you say here. So much harshness is too often brought down on the heads of those who have already struggled with various kinds of abuse and pain. And then those of us who care for them try to do what we can.