The author

Read the following excerpt lifted from a letter I received not long ago. 

After you've read it, I'll reveal who wrote it.

The day is all about reading and writing for me here.  That's the things that change in my day:  what I'm doing with my time. Otherwise, the system offers nothing but a routine subsistence of nothingness that grinds one's soul down also to nothingness.  It is beneficial thus to find some reliance also to nothingness.  It is beneficial thus to find some reliance on your mind, your spirit--the Lord--and discover some meaning and purpose for your life.  And there invest your energies, and in so doing you don't spend energy--you cultivate it and it will sustain you when even all that is left is death.  I don't fear death (so much!) but the "death" I do GREATLY fear is a life devoid of purpose, meaning and intention:  I fear waking up and having nowhere to go, to strive toward--no dreams.  I think this is something I have discovered here to generate on my own:  my meaning, my dreams. . .because here these things aren't given.  Peace. . . .

This thoughtful letter came from the hand of a 33-year-old young man who makes his home on death row in a Texas prison.  He has done so for the last 14 years. 

He has become my friend.

Attacking the failure of our prison policies

Recently, my good friend and former CitySquare team member, Jeremy Gregg spoke at the TEDXSMU 2012 Conference on the moral challenge of prison policy in the United States and in Texas.  Jeremy works with the very effective Prison Entrepreneurial Program.

Powerful words from a visionary leader in our community.

Check it out!

PEP: Great Stuff!

Jeremy Gregg, a former team member at CitySquare, now works with Prison Entrepreneurship Program.  Watch the video below of this amazing venture!

Disparity

Black Americans Given 60% Longer Sentences than White Americans for Same Crimes submitted by Amanda Lang

A new academic study of 58,000 federal criminal cases has found significant disparities in sentencing for blacks and whites arrested for the same crimes. The research led to the conclusion that African-Americans' jail time was almost 60% longer than white sentences... The report concludes that sentence disparities 'can be almost completely explained by three factors: the original arrest offense, the defendant's criminal history, and the prosecutor's initial choice of charges.'

Read the entire report here.

Prison and fathers

Working in inner city Dallas has made me very aware of the impact of prisons on neighborhoods and families. We spend far too much on locking people up, when we should be directing our resources at preparing people for life.

My good friend, Rev. George King sent me this clip created out of the experience of one young man.

Black in America

If you haven't seen the current CNN special, "Black in America" with Soledad O'Brien, in my opinion you definitely should.

Click on the title line above to tour the website.

Once you've seen it or if you have already seen it, I'd love your feedback.

It rings true, very true with much of what we experience day-to-day in inner city Dallas.

For reflections on the series visit the blog of my partner, Gerald Britt (http://www.changethewind.org/).

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