San Quentin News WRITTEN BY INMATES – ADVANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE VOL. 2017 NO. 4 April 2017 SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA 94964 www.sanquentinnews.com POPULATION 3,750 William J. Drummond receives prestigious journalism award By Kevin D. Sawyer in February for his work as a Associate Editor journalist and academic. In a speech, Edward Was- The University of California, serman, the dean of the Gradu- Berkeley awarded Professor ate School of Journalism, cited William J. Drummond, an ad- Drummond’s work at the uni- viser to San Quentin News, the versity including a first-of-its- prestigious Leon A. Henkin Ci- kind course on race and media, tation for Distinguished Service his contribution to San Quentin News, and the relationship he established between the newspa- per and the school. “It was kind of like a life- time achievement award,” said Photo by Eddie Herena-San Quentin News Drummond, who has a 33-year history at the university. “When Justin Meskan receives his certificate from I first learned about this award, I Chris Redlitz, Beverly Parenti, and CDCR Undersecretary Ralph Diaz thought, ‘This is something I’ve been doing all my life.’” He said one of his colleagues nominated him for the award, Code.7370 Graduation Day at SQ but he was shocked about win- ning it. “When I was a working By Juan Haines the assistance of an innovative with other people, and coders, journalist I didn’t think about Senior Editor computer programming class on a team level. I also learned awards,” he said, adding that he taught at San Quentin State about responsibility, getting to taught because he wanted to in- Justin Meskan spent the last Prison. work every day and how to put spire students to do well and it seven years behind bars, but Speaking on the occasion of my life first and get away from was his way of giving back. in August he is scheduled to Code.7370’s graduation day, my old habits.” Courtesy of William Drummond get another chance at putting March 23, Meskan, 35, said, “I Leon A. Henkin Award See Drummond on Page 4 his life back on track, with learned a lot about how to work See Code.7370 on Page 9 Titans of CNC Academy offers marketable skills to prisoners Wearing a T-shirt with Titans boxer who signed a contract of CNC on its front and, in large with Top Rank Boxing. Hopes bold letters, Made in the USA for a career in the ring were on the back, Titan Gilroy says derailed when he became em- he is on a quest to ``bring jobs broiled in a nightclub brawl back to America. that landed him a 16 year prison Gilroy’s quest began by sentence, of which he served connecting with his spirituality only three years because of while sitting in solitude, in good behavior. prison. At 18, Gilroy was a talented See Titan on Page 10 Courtesy of the César Chávez Foundation Familias campesinas portan la bandera del sindicato César Chávez: símbolo del activismo y la justicia Por Marco Villa finca que perdieron durante la hacia otro lugar, donde el y Taré Beltranchuc gran depresión. A raíz de esta contratista les ofrecía el siguiente situación se unieron a otras trabajo. Como resultado de este César Estrada Chávez, familias pobres que se dirigían a continuo movimiento, Chávez trabajador agrícola mexicano- California en busca de trabajo en asistió a más de 30 escuelas americano, líder sindical y los campos. La vida campesina diferentes. Chávez Únicamente activista de derechos civiles en California se tornó muy estudió hasta el octavo grado y nació, el 31 de marzo de 1927, difícil para la familia Chávez, dejó de estudiar porque no quería en Yuma Arizona. Hijo de Juana ya que vivían en campamentos que su madre siguiera trabajando Estrada y Librado Chávez, temporales en la que compartían en la agricultura además de no Cesar Chávez creció con sus dos la vivienda con otros campesinos tener una estabilidad en una hermanos Richard y Librado y y sus familias. Debido al tipo sóla escuela. Posteriormente, sus dos hermanas Rita y Vicki, de trabajo, la familia Chávez no Chávez se incorporó al trabajo Photo by Eddie Herena-San Quentin News en una humilde casa de adobe. Su permanecía en el mismo lugar del campo. familia era dueña de una tienda por mucho tiempo. Cuando el Titan Gilroy demonstrating to de abarrotes y una pequeña trabajo terminaba, se mudaban See Chávez on Page 20 students how an edge finder works Page 2 SAN QUENTIN NEWS www.sanquentinnews.com April 2017 InsIde edItIon #91 Code.7370 Graduation 1 Business owner shares 8 William J. Drummond 1 Tehachapi gets upgrades 8 Titans of CNC Academy 1 Graduation brings media 9 César Chávez: símbolo 1Titans of CNC Academy 10–11 News Briefs 2 Arts & Entertainment 12–13 Corrections 2 Perfil de la nueva 14 Unconstitutional policing 3 Más vivir y menos 14 FDA impounds 3 La tasa de concesiÓn 14 Prisoners strikes to end 3 Parents awarded $750,000 15 Prop 57 proposed new 3 Daughters sues CDCR 15 Governor Brown pardons 4 Parolees having trouble 15 Jamie Lindsey establishes 4 Prisons testing new drug 15 California’s first Latino AG 4 Book Review 16 Over $180 billion a year 5 Asked On The Line 16 Trump’s victory means 5 GEO Group to open 16 President’s deportation policy 5 Victims of sexual abuse 17 Mayors and police chiefs 5 School using restorative 17 Father and son bond over 6 CDCR allocates more than 17 Letters to the Editor 6 DVI’s dairy production 17 Prisons trying to help fathers 6 Sports 18 Kid CAT Speaks 7 Sports 19 Inmates find opportunity 8 César Chávez lucho 20 Printing and distribution of the San Quentin News is supported solely understaffing meant the prison the state’s drug laws. The law by donations and grants from the News Briefs was often in violation of its builds on previous legislation outside community. To make a $29 million annual contract that raised trafficking thresh- donation please visit our website at: 1. Vermont — Disability with the state. The CCA lawyer olds for certain drugs, reduced sanquentinnews.com or send your Rights Vermont filed a lawsuit in explained that the inmates were mandatory sentences for certain tax-deductible check or money order to: federal court in February, alleg- not hurt that badly in the surprise drug trafficking offenses, and Friends of San Quentin News ing that some state prisons are attack and that they could have allowed departures from man- P.O. Box 494 holding inmates in segregation hidden in their cells but instead datory minimum sentences for even when it puts the inmate wanted to fight. He said the unit lower-level drug offenses. San Quentin, CA 94964 in danger. The lawsuit claims a where the inmates were housed 5. Phoenix, Ariz. — (2-16-17) Under the check memo section, please man is in solitary confinement was actually staffed by more One-time Death Row inmate write “Friends of San Quentin News” despite extensive and signifi- employees than was required turned prisoner-rights advocate Thank you for your support. cant histories of self-harming under CCA’s contract with Idaho Shujaa Graham performed Life Prisoners United in the Craft of Journalism behavior, particularly when put on the day of the attack. On Feb. After Death Row at the Her- in collaboration with students from the in segregation, reports Elizabeth 23, a federal jury found that berger Theater, Eric Newman of Murray, Burlington Free Press. CoreCivic had a longstanding The Arizona Republic reports. DRV is asking for a permanent custom of understaffing the The performance is about Gra- order that mandates appropri- prison, and the company was ham’s 11-year experience in the ate medical treatment settings deliberately indifferent to the California prison system, part whenever an inmate needs to be risk of serious harm that’s posed of which included time spent UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY separated from general popula- to inmates. However, jurors also on Death Row for a wrong- Graduate School of Journalism tion inmates. found CoreCivic doesn’t have ful murder conviction. Born in 2. Boise, Idaho — The trial to pay damages because the Louisiana, Graham grew up on in a lawsuit by former inmates inmates who sued failed to prove a plantation in the segregated against the nation’s largest the understaffing happened South of the 1950s. After mov- private prison company, in the hours before they were ing to Southern California, he CoreCivic — formerly called attacked by a prison gang. spent much of his youth in juve- We Want To Hear San Quentin News Corrections Corporation of 3. Columbus, Ohio — (SAT nile institutions and was sent to From You! Current and past copies of the San America — began in February. Press Release) Planned chang- Correctional Training Facility in Quentin News are posted online at: The lawsuit claims that CCA es to the state’s administrative Soledad upon turning 18. Gra- The San Quentin News (www.sanquentinnews.com) encourages inmates, free staff, purposely understaffed the rules include limiting solitary ham taught himself to read and (www.flickr.com/photos/ custody staff, volunteers and sanquentinnews) prison in an effort to boost confinement to 30 days for all write and studied history. He lat- others outside the institution to Permission is granted to reprint articles profits in what they dubbed a individuals with serious mental er became a leader of the Black submit articles. All submissions appearing in the San Quentin News become property of the “ghost worker” scheme, and the illness, juveniles and pregnant Prison Movement within the San Quentin News.