Chowchilla, Valley State Prison for Women - Pacific Islander and Native American event.

We often forget that this Nation loves to incarcerated folks. One has just to study the Three Strikes Law to understand the stupidity of this one law that has landed thousands of constituents in jail for petty offenses after having one major strike against the constituent. The other two strikes can be added to suit Law Enforcement and the many tricks found in the hat.

The Three Strikes law has landed thousands of women in prison all over California. Chowchilla, Valley State Prison for Women is large and at the moment holds over 3000 inmates. Built in the year 1990 in a short span of 19 years it is known at one of the world's largest facilities holding as I said over 3000 women. Many of the women are there for life sentences.

In past years there have been investigations done on Chowchilla linked to various issues and some of these have received some publicity:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/central-california-womens-facility-prison-chowchilla

Rudy Corpus who is the founder of United Playaz, a well know organization that does good work among the youth in San Francisco has taken the added duty to visit our inmates both men and women from time to time. From time to time I join him but sincerely speaking these trips to the incarcerated facilities take a heavy toll and adversely impact me. I do not like what I see and I know what I am talking about having qualified Law Enforcement operational experience.

In the past I have visited many local, state, and federal men prisons. I have visited some women prisons, but this was my first time visiting Chowchilla, Valley State Prison for Women. It is very unassuming from the outside, does have some green lawns and air conditioning considering the Valley is very, very hot. Chowchilla is not far from Yosemite National Park.

Our purpose was to visit the women who were celebrating the occasion of belonging to the Pacific Islander and Native American cultural organizations. A group that has tried to foster good relations between the two cultural groups. Some years ago a riot broke out between the two groups but both groups have now developed a healthy relationship and yesterday's event held on September 3, 2009 was sound evidence, that that healing has begun and is a fact of life at Chowchilla, California some 160 miles from San Francisco.

I had the opportunity to meet many of the women inmates - some, that were Native Americans and others that were Polynesians. We had about 120 inmates and correctional officers in the auditorium. When we arrived the Native Americans were already preforming the circle ritual of drum beating and shortly we witnessed a couple of dances to the sound of the beat of the drums.

From time to time the inmates would gather in middle of the auditorium and dance to the beat of the drums.

At some point Rudy Corpus was invited to speak and Rudy does have the ability to express himself, understanding fully what it means to be incarcerated. Rudy spent some time in jail and this facilitates a keen sense of saying and expressing oneself to put the inmates at ease.

Three of us joined Rudy of this two women and myself. After Rudy spoke a Tongan woman recited some poems that were much appreciated by the inmates. I followed having had a good relationship with both the Native Americans and the Polynesians. Followed by another woman from San Francisco that does social work with youth and visits the prisons.

Rudy then took charge and being in the music field as well - belted out some somber music where all the inmates were invited to get down. I was sitting and watching and was approached by a couple of nice looking women to take the floor. I did not take the offer to show off by dancing skills, but did have a nice time observing and talking to those during the intervals that wanted my address to seek redress on issues linked to the Three Strikes Law, Parole Hearings, injustices of all sorts, legal help, outreach to their families, and so on and so forth.

It also gave me an opportunity to listen to some of the women inmates intently and there some horrific cases that need deep investigation and reopening or their cases. Not all the women in Chowchilla are there for committing crimes - many are there because someone implicated them and they had no one to defend themselves when they were implicated.

In general it a pity when one sees the Native Americans especially incarcerated in their own land that was stolen. Chowchailla prison is built on Native American land and on burial grounds that have been desecrated by the State Government. But, really do you think anyone gives a rat' ass about this fact?

The Polynesians are a tight community and it is unheard of in Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti to find so many women and many of them good looking and young - incarcerated, because of situations brought about from lack of opportunities. Many of them living in Public Housing and poorer neighborhoods where men mostly put many of these women in situations to be accomplices in committing crimes - while taking the easy way out.

One woman I met had not committed a crime in her life. Her only first crime was booking a hotel room in her name for a man she thought loved her. He turned out to be a pathetic loser, killed a woman in the hotel room and because the woman had rented the room on her name - she was taken to jail and the rest in history. Her family has left the United States and this one woman has no relatives to support her. And there are many other true facts linked to real lives that are paying dearly because they mostly had very bad relationships with mostly very bad and some very evil men.

Many groups do visit Chowchilla and I do hope I too can visit Chowchilla with a renewed sense of hope and good will. This time around my heart was pained to hear so much in so short a time and most of it so painful. Women of color will not confide to those Correction Officers both men and women that treat the inmates as if they were just a number or statistic:

http://topix.com/wire/prisons/valley-state-prison-for-women

It is high time thousands of Polynesians and Native Americans on the outside take on the cause of their sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, relatives and friends behind the wall. We must visit our California Legislators - Leland Yee, Fiona Ma, Mark Leno, Tom Ammiano and the other legislatiors and support existing legislation that few know about that seeks to ratify the Three Strikes law that has burdened the tax payer and what is more hurt the innocent constituent.

This law was financed by a former "thug" and "developer" from Southern California, to mostly keep people of color from living in so called neighborhoods where the filthy rich live. Never mind how they got their money - using the most evil ploys and machinations.

Recently when the same author tried to pass a law to incarcerate youth many as young as 14 years - we the people, shot the initiative and nipped it in the bud. So, it is not as if we cannot achieve something - as and when the need arises and when we put our heart into it.

It is time we build a bridge between those behind the wall and those outside the wall. As tax payers we should not be wasting over $40,000 per inmate when this money is not put to good use. The time has come to reduce the population in our prison facilities that is a trillion dollar business that does not rehabilitate but lines the pockets of those that conduct nefarious activities many of them documented by those that purport to upheld the law.

Here is San Francisco we have been asleep at the wheel and permitted our so called Justice System to work against the people and foster the Prison Industrial Greed. Few of us have the guts to challenge Law Enforcement, the Court System, the Legislators. The reason is simple - when you are ignorant and pretend to be arrogant and are not educated on issues - you are but a fool. An empty vessel making a lot of noise.

In the interim our sisters and brothers many of them innocent are suffering. Parole Boards act like dictators and do not feel that many a human being should be given a second chance. For sure what I have seen with my eyes and heard with my ears, is a far cry that once someone enters the confines of the prison - they are there for NO rehabilitation - no way.

I know of one Native American woman who is in a holding cell with no light and is given just one hour a day to see the light. If it rains she is held in the hole. She has been there in Chowchilla for the last 9 years. If this is not cruel and unjust punishment - I ask what is?

I known of one Polynesian woman that told me her story. Recently, when she was due to be released her release date was pushed back - because some one in the system did not like her attitude. She paid her dues and should be released. If some idiot correction officer feels his or her ego has been hurt because the woman is holding her ground and will not give in to the whims and fancy of the correctional officers - to hell with him or her.

Some years ago an investigation conducted at Chowchilla revealed a very high incident of sexual assaults. Some women inmates are preyed on by the correction officers at the facility. Others are preyed on by the inmates that have rank and control a number of other women like a harem of sorts.

Pussyfooting at Chowchilla must stop but that cannot happen unless those outside put their best foot forward.

Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy

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http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/VISITORS/Facilities/VSPW.html