Standing Up For Matt Gonzalez

It was a cold winter as most winters go, and not so different
from many that I suffered through before. San Francisco County Jail was full as usual,
with the usual suspects, awaiting the usual outcomes. I was no
different.
The problem was that I was a victim this time, and not one person
believed me. I was a three-strike candidate, and faced the ultimate prison exposure of 25 years to life.
I was at a loss of how to address this situation.
I, a black male ex-offender with a meaty record and little or no resources, neither support nor hope.



I met Matt Gonzalez that year, 1995. His name was provided by
one of his
colleagues, one of the two lawyers in the public defenders office
who
specialized in difficult cases such as three strikes. We
scheduled a
meeting/ interview, my experience being that most lawyers aren't
particularly invested in their client's innocence unless the
retainer was
large enough to warrant care. In that initial meeting, I was
struck by his
matter of fact attitude and confidence, which was contagious. We
talked of
philosophy, tradition and what was missing in how things were
done. I
thought he was a little idealistic, but he was just what I
needed. He was
just what the doctor ordered to combat this criminal justice
insensitivity
toward fundamental principles of fairness and justice. He gave
me hope. He
is a brilliant attorney with passion and purpose. He spoke for
me with this
passion, on the verge of contempt of court, believing in the
issue(s) raised
and represented. It was a difficult and complicated case, made
so by a
system used to business as usual. No, I ultimately did not win,
and later
suffered a new prison commitment from that case, but it was not
three
strikes, and it was not for an indeterminate length of time.



We kept in touch, Matt, and I. We exchanged point of views
regarding
literature, art, and poetry from my prison cell. He shared with
me artistic
works from friends and later others he thought interesting and
worthwhile.
One such artist was author Chester Hines. The exposure to
Chester Hines',
his biography, and body of work that Matt offered was water for
this seed of
change. It proved to be the beginning of a journey that still
unfolds.



I was eventually released from prison. I found a job and started
a career
working first as an employment counselor in a community based
non-profit
organization, and later with a vocational training program for
youth, and
young adults. I am currently a substance abuse counselor for the
Bay Area
Service Network, as well as Morrisania West Incorporated, in
their Youth
Outreach Recovery and Education Services Program. Supervisor
Matt Gonzalez
tapped me for a position with San Francisco's Delinquency
Prevention
Commission, representing District 5, utilizing my experience and
background
to bring new blood, and point of view to the commission. I have
been proud
to be able to speak in a number of forums offering a view that is
unique in
some ways. It is however not the only view. It represents a
view from a
person who has been challenged to overcome, prison, substance
abuse,
homelessness, poverty and the stigma associated with those
conditions. It
is also a view that Matt Gonzalez respects and does not discard,
but
embraces as a resource for knowledge and experience. It is a
worthwhile
view, from conditions that most just read about, judge and
condemn. That is
part of the problem.



Matt Gonzalez as a progressive, freethinking and compassionate
individual
makes for a different kind of politician. He is truly a
representative of
the people. His views incorporate experiences enlightened by
diversity and
challenge to business as usual. Fairness and justice has long
become a
buzzword in this city, meaning little to those who have been
denied both.
Integrity in public policy and decision-making is long overdue.
It is time
for the people, all people to rally to this great opportunity to
voice our
opposition to business as usual, backroom deal making politics.
This is our
city and we can change it. Support Matt Gonzalez for Mayor of San
Francisco.