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Long Walk to Freedom
This Saturday @ 8AM, join the “Long Walk to Freedom” and experience the virtual reality of re-entry into society issues from the perspective of an inmate in the process of being released from jail.
From the announcement:
*Richmond, Virginia is among the top 100 metropolitan areas identified by the National Corrections Reporting Program as receiving the most returning non-violent prisoners
*Over 10,000 adult men and women are released from the Richmond City Jail each year.
*The cost of recidivism to the community is approximately $30,000 per person a year – plus the loss of a productive citizen’s income.
The need for effective solutions to aid men and women in rebuilding their lives has never been more critical. The purpose of this event is to educate the greater Richmond community about the challenges facing ex-offenders – challenges that not only impact the released prisoners, but ultimately have an effect on our community as a whole.
Long Walk to Freedom participants will experience the “virtual reality” of re-entry issues from the perspective of an inmate in the process of being released from jail. As walkers exit the Richmond City Jail the challenges begin as they attempt to answer the following questions:
“¢ How and where do I eat and sleep?
“¢ How do I get a job and/or training for a job?
“¢ How do I cope with the broken relationships I left behind?
“¢ How do I recover from self-destructive habits?
“¢ How do I become part of a productive, law-abiding community?
“¢ And the question underlying all the others: Who Cares?Along the way, walkers will encounter the ‘challenges’ former inmates face and the community resource representatives or “solution providers”. Stations along the walk will represent the barriers and solutions related to inmate reentry such as housing, food ,self-esteem, emotional competency, addiction, recovery, transportation, employment, relationships and community support, which negatively impacts Richmond residents, visitors and businesses and opportunities to get involved and make a difference.
Please join the “Long Walk to Freedom”, Saturday October 6, 2007 8am – noon, at the Richmond City Jail (Oliver Hill Way) where the walk route begins.(The walk route will end at Freedom House’s Conrad Center)PARKING: Available to all at the Court Building at 1600 Oliver Hill Way across from the Richmond City Jail.
Walk schedule:
7:30 Registration
8:00 Opening Ceremonies
8:30 Speaker – Richmond City Police Chief Monroe
Walk begins
11:00 Closing CeremoniesMap and further details are posted at www.longwalktofreedom.org.
Please note that no pets, bicycles or skateboards will be permitted.
Walk Registration & Donations:
Registration donations may be designated to the solution provider of your choice. All donations are tax deductible. Boaz & Ruth, Inc., a 501 c 3 organization, is acting as fiscal agent for Long Walk to Freedom.
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE OR AT THE REGISTRATION TABLES
ALL ONLINE REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 5, 2007
Registration Donations may be made Credit Card or Paypal at:
www.longwalktofreedom.org
I’m doing the walk, anyone else?
John: Thanks for taking part in this event. I wanted to do so very badly, but had an out of town commitment. I think a large key to having a safe neighborhood, city and country is finding a way to assist those who have been incarcerated to re-enter society and have an a fair opportunity to contribute. It is very tough for someone to get out of prison and get a foot hold on achievng the American Dream. It is in all our best interests to support programs that give someone a hand up, not just a hand out. I encourage support for Boaz and Ruth, as well as OAR of Richmond. Without this opportunity, we face even larger costs to incarcerate individuals and unacceptable crime rates will be the norm. It is time to seriously address this issue in the City of Richmond, for the betterment of all of us.
I wish I had emailed you directly about this event! i had hoped many more church hill residents would participate, but i am to blame for not checking to make sure the event info. was posted after i sent it to john and some local blogs in mid-sept. My HUGE file did not get any farther than my outbox which i didn’t notice until last week – it is not fun to think my mistake may have contributed to the number of church hillians who participated in the walk.
this was the first year of the event so a huge turnout was not expected, but i was looking forward to seeing some neighbors at the event. next year i plan to actively recruit volunteers & walkers from church hill & would love to tell Martha Rollins if we have a few people willing to help out at the walk next year – i’m taking names at conmyma@dailyplanetva.org if anyone is interested(albeit prematurely) in helping out – thanks! thanks john for your help, as always! congratulations on being named ‘teacher of the month’!
I realize that I’m about to start a holy jihad, but I’m very uncomfortable with this “walk”. It appears that the thinking is that everyone in jail has only made a minor mistake and has spent every waking hour pondering how to reintegrate into normal society. Well, I’m not sure that’s the case in the majority of releases.
OK, here’s my position, yours may differ. I believe that that jails and prisons exist for the sole purpose of punishment and the separation of the law-abiding and the lawless. I believe that they should be seen as a deterent to crime, something that would make potential criminals think long and hard before they leap. But instead we have a judicial system that makes jail sentences almost comical in their length.
Look, I don’t break the law because I fear being taken away from those I love. Because I have respect for my fellow human. Because I don’t want to have to start from scratch with the stigma of jailtime hovering over me. Repeat criminals don’t have any of these thoughts. They didn’t avail themselves of the free (and many) educational and support opportunities BEFORE they commited their crimes. And they don’t care if they get caught and go to jail. It’s just a part of the game.
Now, I’m all for helping people who need help, and who will accept it. And I believe that while in jail/prison, inmates should learn skills and perform work – as long as their output and earnings return to the system that is providing this extra assistance. But the bottom line for me isn’t about what happens after they get out, it’s making sure they don’t go in. Set punishments high and stand by them. Make the thought of jail/prison so unappealing that people think thwice before commiting a crime.
OK, your mileage may vary. Your beliefs may be different. And I don’t want to tell anyone they shouldn’t try to help others in need. But there is no way that folks who would do anything to avoid prison will understand the minds of those who consider it acceptable. My belief is that we need to help them make the right decisions in the first place, and if they still fail to abide by the law, ensure that they don’t get another chance at a choice until they have paid for and understand their first one.
OK, let the slings and arrows fly…
No slings, no arrows. I can respect your views and the way you have presented them.
But I do differ in my beliefs. What if the person in jail were your son or daughter? Most people in jail are there because of drug problems. And some people really are able to sober up and change their lives.
Also, some people in jail have children and they need to support them once out. I simply cannot accept that all people in jail are bad. Human life has value.
Of course, some people in jail are completely recidivists that have no interest in rehabilitating their lives. This program is obviously not for them.
And, I think that this walk would be especially beneficial for people who do not see the situation as I do. Give it a try – you may come away with a different idea. Or not. But you have nothing to lose.