Things have been challenging here since the Covid crisis began. For me, it has been incredibly important to stay vigilant and focused for my community in here. Especially with the added tension from the civil rights and police brutality protests.

May 27th to May 29th, I helped organize and execute seven separate Violence Prevention events, consisting of close to five hundred people here at our facility. It was additionally challenging because we needed to maintain sanitation and social distancing. But we pulled I off!

That is not the only challenge. When the crisis started, every single class, program, and religious service was cancelled. Anything involving an outside volunteer or nonessential worker (Gray Harbor College) ground to a halt. TEACH classes stopped. College Classes Stopped. Even Narcotics Anonymous stopped.

The question we were left with was “Were we willing to let people be denied personal change and self betterment because there wasn’t access to these things?”

Especially important were the people that were releasing this year. Because if they didn’t address some very essential things, they were very likely to continue committing crimes in our Washington community.

So Redemption rallied hard and pulled together all our facilitation teams. We didn’t become some of the facilitated classes, we became all of them. I was successful at getting five separate classes going at the same time:

Currently we are piloting a new youth outreach group called Prevention by Early Intervention. And doing a facility food drive with the same group. I have the proposals for both, if you would like to see them.

I also was successful in a Video Greetings proposal that provided for prerecorded messages to be videotaped and sent to people’s families and children during this time of separation. Dads are able to read books to their children and stay involved in their lives despite visitation being completely shut down. I have that proposal too and the acceptance letter from administration if you’d like to see it as well.

The following is an excerpt from a recent interview I did:

Things have been challenging here with the new modifications. School’s cancelled, volunteer programs are cancelled, family visits were cancelled, sports are cancelled. Anything related to positivity became obsolete and inaccessible. We were isolated in here and stagnation and chaos were soon to follow.

In crisis there is opportunity. Redemption was intentionally built to survive in hospitable times (I think you remember the Recession it was born out of in 2009, when the only things that could exist were resource resilient)

So that’s what we did. We out our hard hats on and went to work. Classes we modified, we started engaging the community. Just recently Violence prevention did over 7 separate violence prevention events with upwards to five hundred inmates, all cognizant of maintaining social distancing and honoring everyone’s health while employing healthy sanitation practices.

Starting in 2009, I was one of the five founding members who created and implemented the Redemption Project. I know prison’s been the punishment for my crime. But I think there should be more than that. I still very much have a commitment to give back to society for what I’ve taken.

Since the beginning of Redemption, I have helped build up the infrastructure for the largest program in the State. Systematically, Redemption’s progress was accomplished through the execution of a clearly focused strategy and plan. A plan that included facilitator training, mentoring new educators, and motivating future leaders within the penal community preparing the next generation to take the reins and be ready to lead WA State into the future. We didn’t anticipate a challenge as complex as the Covid crisis.

The Covid crisis really has impacted all communities. Schools are closed, the restaurant industry grinded to a halt, millions of Americans were out of work and confined to their homes. We ALL felt the crunch, including inside prison.

Were programs that were necessary going to grind to a halt as well?

Like the Italians you see on the news singing on their balconies during their countrywide lockdown, there was a active defiance to let this situation define us. The the class facilitator’s commitment shined through during the crisis

We dug down and made adjustments.

We reduced class sizes to ten people, two facilitators. To maintain social distancing. We arranged for adequate room to accommodate six feet distances. We eliminated hand shaking and hugs and replaced them with head nods or foot taps. We required everyone to wear protective masks.

Most importantly, we stuck with our commitment to change the cultures of prison.

Over the last few months we have successfully conducted and graduated the following classes:

1) Facilitator class

2) Re-entry Class

3) Skill Builders Redemption

4) Self Awareness Class

5) IMU Redemption

Redemption is a verb. It is not an abstract concept. It is the physical act of redeeming one’s self. I know my actions speak louder an my words – because talk is cheap. This is why my own and others like me’s sincerity is a key component to making these classes and this vision work.

I want to reiterate, I’m not alone in my endeavors, there are hundreds of men and staff here at Stafford creek that hold themselves to a higher standard in hopes that they can influence a positive change in the world. They’ve done this by not allowing themselves to be complacent bystanders. – And embracing the concept that true change is something we do everyday and is reflected in the choices we make.

My mom told me once, “The world is broken, and we are the solution”

No matter how bad the Covid crisis is we’re not going to let it slow us down from making a change in peoples lives!