California must introduce radical changes to prison isolation

10 February 2014

Prisoners in isolation spend at least 22 and a half hours a day in cells measuring fewer than eight square metres.

© Rina Palta/KALW

The authorities in California must introduce radical changes to the cruel conditions of the state’s solitary confinement units, said Amnesty International.

Tomorrow, 11 February, a representative of the human rights organization will give an oral submission before the California Assembly Public Safety Committee. It is currently considering a series of reforms to its Security Housing Units (SHUs), proposed by the the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Inmates go from lock-up to startups

North of Silicon Valley on a rocky promontory overlooking San Francisco Bay stands California’s oldest prison. San Quentin inmates are cut off from the innovation the nearby high-tech industry produces. They are not permitted on the Internet, and most have never touched a smartphone or a tablet. But two technology veterans — Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti — are bringing the promise of Silicon Valley to San Quentin State Prison by creating a high-tech incubator here called the Last Mile. Its mission is to teach inmates about technology so they can forge new lives when they are released from prison. Over the course of six months, inmates are put through a business boot camp. They brainstorm a startup, develop a business plan and boil down their pitch to five minutes. On “Demo Day,” each inmate presents his idea to dozens of Silicon Valley investors and executives who crowd the prison chapel. The inmates can’t actually start these companies from prison, but they are introduced to a world that would otherwise be closed to them. When paroled, Last Mile graduates are given paid internships at tech startups. Five graduates of the San Quentin program are working in high tech. The program has been so successful that last month it expanded to the downtown Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility, where 15 inmates are taking part. Tom Serres, founder and chief executive of Rally.org, a crowdfunding startup for political, social and charitable causes in San Francisco, said he had doubts about hiring a felon. But those quickly vanished after meeting Heracio “Ray” Harts, he said. Harts, 40, was released in April after he served 8½ years for manslaughter. “This is a real opportunity to help somebody who most definitely deserves the opportunity to be a contributing member of society,” Serres said. Last February, Harts stood at the prison chapel lectern — dressed in a prison-issued blue shirt and dark sweat pants with the word “prisoner” stamped on the leg and his hair in braids — pitching his idea to combat obesity in low-income communities by turning empty lots into community gardens and abandoned buildings into fitness facilities. A mobile app would help people track their fitness progress. Today Harts has earned a spot at Rally.org as a full-time employee. Harts helps the Robert Redford Foundation, the Maker Education Initiative and the Delta Sigma Phi national fraternity with their campaigns on the website. And he’s talking to Pittsburg, Calif., officials about starting a health and fitness program in his former hometown. “I feel like I belong here,” said Harts, sitting in a brick-and-glass walled conference room at Rally.org, in a North Face fleece jacket, his hair neatly buzzed. “I’m an entrepreneur. I work in tech. This is my evolution.” Like many who live in wealthy Marin County, husband and wife Redlitz and Parenti often drove past San Quentin but had never set foot inside. Then in 2011, a friend asked Redlitz, a 57-year-old entrepreneur and investor who runs the KickLabs accelerator program in San Francisco, to give a 30-minute talk on entrepreneurship at San Quentin. He was apprehensive but decided to go. For two hours Redlitz fielded questions from inmates who he says impressed him with their passion, drive and smarts. “These were people who have taken responsibility for what they have done and are trying to carve a path back to society,” Redlitz said. California has one of the largest prison populations in the United States, second only to Texas, and one of the highest rates of recidivism. Within three years nearly 2 out of 3 ex-convicts commit another crime and end up back in prison. Yet the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spends just 4.3% of its nearly $9-billion budget on rehabilitation. “Those numbers really hit me,” Redlitz said. “Putting my professional investor hat on, that’s a really bad investment for taxpayers.” So Redlitz and Parenti persuaded prison officials to let them experiment with a new model for rehabilitation that combines job training, confidence building and a bridge to the technology industry. With California facing a deadline to ease overcrowding by reducing its prison population, more prisoners are serving longer sentences in county jails. “The goal is to offer The Last Mile in all of the L.A. County Jail facilities,” Redlitz said. This spring, Redlitz and Parenti plan to launch the program inside several more prisons in California and one in Michigan. “There is not a lot being offered in prison to help people build a better life,” said Caleb Hunter, 35, a former San Quentin inmate and college graduate who used to work in high tech. “The Last Mile is absolutely life changing.” Last Mile participants are assigned books on entrepreneurship; they meet with some of the authors. They learn about the latest technology trends and how to use social media. They write down their thoughts on paper and volunteers post them on Twitter, in blog posts and on question-and-answer website Quora. High-profile members of the tech community serve as mentors. Rapper and entrepreneur MC Hammer regularly goes to San Quentin to talk to inmates about how to rebrand themselves. The startup ideas that inmates come up with are rooted in their life experiences. Tommy Winfrey, in prison for second-degree murder, is a 35-year-old self-taught artist who paints southwestern landscapes. His proposed startup, Art Felt Creations, would help prison artists sell their work to the public and fund art programs in schools. “The next Van Gogh or Picasso could be residing behind these very walls,” he said. Larry Histon, 65, who had a successful career in high tech before going to prison and is serving 29 years to life for first-degree murder, says his startup, TechSage, could reduce recidivism and keep jobs in the U.S. by training ex-convicts as mobile app developers. He says his idea could also help him get back into the industry. Even before taking part in the Last Mile, Harts was determined to make a better life for his wife and three children. That meant breaking the cycle of crime and incarceration that has trapped family members. Harts grew up in Pittsburg, where he began smoking pot before he was a teenager. He dealt drugs and carried a gun for protection. His younger brother and two cousins were shot and killed. After he lost a well-paying job at a refinery, his life began a downward spiral that hit rock bottom when he killed a man in 2004. In prison, Harts studied business books and magazines. He earned a college degree. He packaged test tubes for a medical supply company. But he said his real break was the one he got through the Last Mile. At Rally.org he has showered with high-tech perks such as free gourmet lunches and yoga classes. But for Harts, it’s all about getting “a hands-on MBA.”

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18 LA sheriff's deputies face federal charges

By TAMI ABDOLLAH and GREG RISLING Associated Press

POSTED:   12/09/2013 11:04:26 AM PST

UPDATED:   12/09/2013 07:38:27 PM PST

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Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca takes questions from the media after the... ((AP Photo/Nick Ut))

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LOS ANGELES—Federal officials said 18 current and former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies saw themselves as being "above the law" when they engaged in crimes that included beating inmates and jail visitors, falsifying reports, and trying to obstruct an FBI probe of the nation's largest jail system.

The investigation into corruption and civil rights abuses led to the arrests Monday of 16 of the 18 defendants. At least two no longer work for the department.

"These incidents did not take place in a vacuum. In fact, they demonstrated behavior that had become institutionalized," said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. "The pattern of activity alleged in the obstruction of justice case shows how some members of the Sheriff's Department considered themselves to be above the law."

The 16 who were arrested appeared in court later Monday. Thirteen pleaded not guilty, and three did not enter pleas.

Flanked by some of his top command staff, Sheriff Lee Baca told reporters Monday he was troubled by the charges and called it a sad day for his department. He said the department would continue to cooperate with the FBI and that deputies who have been charged would be relieved of duty and have their pay suspended.

The Sheriff's Department oversees a jail system with more than 18,700 inmates and has a history of abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s.

Among allegations in a criminal complaint and four grand jury indictments unsealed Monday:

— Deputies unlawfully detained and used force on visitors to Men's Central Jail, included detaining and handcuffing the Austrian consul general in one instance, and in another, grabbing a man by the neck, forcing his head into a refrigerator, throwing him to the floor and pepper spraying his eyes.

— Deputies falsified reports to make arrests seem lawful or in one case, struck, kicked and pepper sprayed an inmate and made false reports to have the inmate charged with and prosecuted for assaulting deputies.

— Deputies tried to thwart the investigation by unsuccessfully seeking a court order to get the FBI to provide documents and attempted to intimidate a lead FBI agent by falsely saying they were going to seek a warrant for her arrest.

Those charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice include two lieutenants, one of whom oversaw the department's safe jails program and another who investigated allegations of crimes committed by sheriff's personnel.

They're accused along with two sergeants and three deputies with trying to prevent the FBI from contacting an informant by falsifying records to appear that he had been released when he had been moved to different cells under false names.

Birotte wouldn't say whether the lieutenant and two sergeants involved in the obstruction of justice probe were directed by their superiors. He declined to say if the alleged abuse was fostered by the department's top brass.

Others charged in the documents unsealed Monday are a deputy accused of possessing an assault weapon that was illegally modified, and three deputies—all brothers—accused of a $350,000 mortgage fraud scheme.

Baca, who has been sheriff since 1998, is facing his toughest race yet for re-election in 2014. Baca has acknowledged mistakes but also defended his department and distanced himself personally from allegations.

The sheriff said he has made improvements including creating a database to track inmate complaints. He has also hired a new head of custody and rearranged his command staff.

On Monday, Baca said he would accept the outcome of the FBI investigation, but strongly denied criticisms that abuse was rampant.

"You haven't seen me retire from the job," he said. "You haven't seen me blame somebody else besides me for whatever the challenges are."

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Sheriff's Department in 2012 claiming the sheriff and his top commanders had condoned violence against inmates. The organization released a report documenting more than 70 cases of misconduct by deputies.

The Citizens' Commission on Jail Violence, in its 2012 report, said deputies used force against inmates even "when there was no threat at all," and referred to "a culture of aggression among some deputies in the jails."

A federal jury in October found Baca personally liable for $100,000 for failing to stop inmate abuse by deputies in Men's Central Jail in a case brought by a man who said he was severely beaten while awaiting trial.

In June, a two-year Justice Department investigation found deputies discriminated against blacks and Latinos by making unconstitutional stops, searches, seizures and using excessive force in the Antelope Valley.

Baca disputed the findings but said he had instituted reforms.

———

Associated Press writer Robert Jablon contributed to this report.

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Two Women Suspected of Sneaking Drugs to CMC Inmates

Two Women Suspected of Sneaking Drugs to CMC Inmates

Posted: Oct 03, 2013 9:32 PM PDTUpdated: Oct 03, 2013 9:32 PM PDT

By Rachael Laine, Reporter - email

KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

 

 

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.- Two women accused of sneaking drugs into the California Men's Colony this past weekend have already been released. 

"What it appears is their intent were to introduce the drugs, give them to the inmate they were visiting, and usually from there the inmate distributes it for a large profit," said Lieutenant Frank Perez, California Men's Colony.

Authorities say Barbara Sabbath, 66, and Nandi Tate, 22, were separately visiting inmates at the prison Saturday when they were caught allegedly bringing in methamphetamine and marijuana. CMC officials won't release the details on how the drugs were smuggled, but according to a report from the Justice Department drugs have been passed to inmates through soda bottles, babies' diapers, clothing and even kisses.

"Prison value of drugs is approximately 10 times of that of street value, so a small amount of drugs in prison goes a long way in prison," said Perez.

Lieutenant Frank Perez says he is not authorized to release which woman brought in which drug, or how much, but he says prior to their visits, two separate search warrants were issued after they were tipped off.

"We cumulate information in a whole bunch of different ways. Whether it be through confidential information, intercepted phone calls that the inmates make on the public telephones, or intercepted mail," he said.

Both women were not able to get very far and were arrested in the visiting area. In all cases anyone visiting CMC, must pass through a metal detector.

"Staff do a basic overview of their clothing to make sure its appropriate. Our staff is trained on smells, sights, anything that seems unusual, people's behaviors, mannerisms," explained Perez.

Both suspects are facing a number of charges including bringing a controlled substance into prison.

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9th Circuit says California fails to protect disabled inmates from The Los Angeles Times

By Maura Dolan October 4, 2013, 12:10 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO --

A federal appeals court rebuked California officials Friday for refusing to protect disabled parolees the state has shifted to county jails. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9thCircuit Court of Appeals said disabled inmates have been engaged in “a seemingly never-ending struggle” with state officials to obtain wheelchairs, sign-language interpreters, accessible beds and toilets, tapping canes for the blind and other accommodations.

High court won't delay release of Calif. inmates

By PAUL ELIAS Associated Press

POSTED:   08/02/2013 11:44:43 AM PDT | UPDATED:   ABOUT 8 HOURS AGO

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FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2006 file photo, Inmates are housed in... ((AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File))

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SAN FRANCISCO—The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the early release of nearly 10,000 California inmates by year's end despite warnings by Gov. Jerry Brown and other state officials that a public safety crisis looms if they're forced to open the prison gates.

A majority of justices refused an emergency request by the governor to halt a lower court's directive for the early release of the prisoners to ease severe overcrowding at California's 33 adult prisons.

The decision was met with concern by law enforcement officials in the state.

With One Prisoner Dead, Will California Listen to the Hunger Strikers?

The death of Billy “Guero” Sell will not be the last, warn advocates for prisoners refusing to eat or work.

A petition protesting against indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons sits in the State Capitol in Sacramento, California July 30, 2013. (Reuters/Max Whittaker)
 
On July 22, 32-year-old Billy “Guero” Sell was found dead in his cell at Corcoran State Prison, in California, the first apparent casualty of a widespread hunger strike organized by state prisoners. Sell’s fellow prisoners reported to outside advocates that he had been asking for medical attention since July 15 or 16. He died four days later.Officials at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) originally disputed Sell’s involvement in the hunger strike, investigating his death as an apparent suicide. Corcoran staff found Sell unresponsive in his cell during their half-hour welfare checks of SHU prisoners. Sell was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In-Person Visits Fade as Jails Set Up Video Units for Inmates and Families

WASHINGTON — Shatterproof glass used to separate inmates at the District of Columbia jail from the visitors sitting across from them. Now, they sit in separate buildings, at computers equipped with Web cameras.

The District of Columbia made the switch on July 25 to video visitation, a growing trend in the corrections field. To proponents, the video systems provide a more convenient, safer, thriftier alternative to in-person visits. Some jurisdictions even make money, by charging for the video visits. Critics, including prisoner advocates and corrections officers concerned with how prisoners fare once they are released, fear that the video visits allow less meaningful contact with family and could hurt inmates’ morale.

Little recourse for attorney barred from visiting California prisoners during hunger strike

Four California prisoners required medical treatment and a fifth was referred to a physician on the 11th day of a hunger strike to protest the long-term isolation of inmates, health care officials said Thursday.

About 30,000 inmates initially joined the protest, but the number has fallen to fewer than 1,500. That could be the result of a tougher approach being taken by the state since the last hunger strike two years ago.

Officials won’t divulge the location of strike leaders who have been relocated. They have confiscated food from the cells of some inmates who say they are striking and refuse to eat prison meals but still have purchase foods from the canteen. 

California Is Facing More Woes in Prisons

LOS ANGELES — Just six months after declaring “the prison crisis is over in California,” Gov. Jerry Brown is facing dire predictions about the future of the state’s prison system, one of the largest in the nation.

A widespread inmate hunger strike in protest of California’s policy of solitary confinement was approaching its second week on Sunday. The federal courts have demanded the release of nearly 10,000 inmates and the transfer of 2,600 others who are at risk of contracting a deadly disease in the state’s overcrowded prisons.

California Inmates Sue State After Contracting Valley Fever

Monday, July 15, 2013 Last week, inmates and former inmates at two California prisons who contracted valley fever while incarcerated filed a lawsuit against the state, AP/U-T San Diego reports (Thompson, AP/U-T San Diego, 7/12). About Valley Fever Researchers estimate that each year more than 150,000 people nationwide contract an airborne fungus known as valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis. The cocci fungus is commonly found in soil in much of the Southwestern U.S., and is especially common in California's Central Valley. People can contract valley fever by breathing in cocci fungal spores (California Healthline, 7/3). The fungus typically causes mild to severe influenza-like symptoms. However, the infection also can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body and cause symptoms such as skin abscesses, blindness and death (AP/U-T San Diego, 7/12). Details of Current Outbreak In early May, CDC began investigating the deaths of more than three dozen California inmates who had contracted the fungus at Avenal and Pleasant Valley state prisons in San Joaquin Valley. The investigation was launched after federal receiver J. Clark Kelso -- who is charged with monitoring the state's prison health care system -- ordered the relocation of about 3,200 high-risk inmates from the two prisons. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson ordered California to move 2,600 inmates at risk of contracting valley fever out of the two prisons. The order gave the state seven days to begin the transfers and 90 days to complete the task. In addition, Henderson said no new inmates who are considered at risk of contracting the fungus should be sent to either prison (California Healthline, 7/3). Jeffrey Callison -- a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation -- said the state currently is working to comply with Henderson's order. Details of the Lawsuit The lawsuit is seeking payment for lifetime medical care -- including medications that can cost as much as $2,000 monthly -- for inmates and former inmates who contracted valley fever in California prisons since July 2009. The current state policy is to provide a 30-day supply of the drugs upon parole for severely affected inmates. Individuals represented in the lawsuit include black, elderly and medically at-risk inmates and former inmates at the Avenal and Pleasant Valley prisons. Ian Wallach -- an attorney representing the inmates -- said the prison system did not adequately protect them from the fungus, which he called "a life sentence that no judge had ordered." Attorneys are seeking class-action status for the case. Wallach said his firm already has been contacted by more than 500 current and former prisoners regarding valley fever (AP/U-T San Diego, 7/12).

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Justice For Whoever Wants It

Can we honestly say we live in a free country? Though there are many opportunities available today from starting your own business, to becoming a franchise owner, or working for an employer; we all have the opportunity to seek justice when we experience injustices. Attempting to live in harmony in a society without hypocrisy almost seems unattainable. Why is it that we get mistreated knowingly; then have to fight for what we know is right? Ethical laws are in place, yet the average person gets used and abused and have to go through ethics committees to seek help when he or she has been wronged. The culprit of the problem is human behavior. Until there is a change of behavior in individuals hearts and minds, then the world will remain as cold as ice to the degree of being burned by it.

In the gospel of Luke Jesus tells a story of a widow who experienced mistreatment from many adversaries' yet she persistently wearied a judge who did not fear God or have regard for men. As He told the story of the widow, her consistently troubling the judge to get her justice is what made the difference and eventually brought change to her life. Luke 18:1-8. The widow continually troubled the judge, until she received justice from those troubling her. Justice is part of God's character and taking a stand to do what we know is right; executing fairness to help ourselves and one another. For those of us who are strong in the faith, we are to help our brothers or sisters who have been wronged by others and are facing particular challenges in their lives.

We are to hold up others who are weak in their faith, this is part of our Christian responsibilities. Many people suffer loss and have experienced the effects of injustice. Murderers go free after killing someone, or a murderer has never been found for their misdeeds, a drunk driver kills a loved one; but has not been convicted of vehicle homicide, being accused of a crime you did not commit; yet was incarcerated for an extended period of time, being brutally beaten by law enforcement, human trafficking, and many other wrongs. Unfortunately, injustices are rampant and we have to collectively have our voices heard to make a difference. The least we can do as a human race is fight for justice.

To inspire a generation of people to change their evil ways, we need to have an optimistic outlook to want to see justice for everyone. "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:3-4. We live in a world with people who can be described as: sheep, goats, wolves, brood of vipers, false prophets', hirelings, and shepherds just to name a few. Which category and character of lifestyle do you represent?

Are we truly coming along side of those who need help to assist them with their injustices, or are we just watching and waiting to see what the outcome will be? Do you want justice for all? The Apostle Paul lets us know we can easily be tested by a trespass of some kind ourselves.

According to the scriptures, he tells us to support those who have been overtaken in any trespass. "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1-2. Injustices affects us all, so let's take a stand and seek justice for all.

Clark A. Thomas, author, he discusses practical life applications to make life less stressful. Writing articles has helped him become known online, more information available at http://www.ClarkAThomas.com

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California prisons showdown: inmates' lawyers seek contempt finding against governor

Gov. Jerry Brown and his top state prison official are about to find out how mad they've made the three federal judges overseeing California's overcrowded prison system.

In court papers filed Wednesday, lawyers for prison inmates asked the special three-judge panel to find Brown and Jeffrey Beard, the state's corrections chief, in contempt for failing to comply with orders requiring the administration to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for reducing the prison population.

Citing "willful defiance" by the governor and his staff, the inmates' lawyers argue the federal court must take strong action to force the state to shed another 10,000 inmates to cut the prison population to about 110,000 at the end of this year.

Terminally Ill Inmates Dying in Prison When They Don’t Have to

30 years ago, Congress passed a measure that stated that terminally ill prisoners could be released before their sentence was up. This is called compassionate release, and it is something that many prisoners and their families try to take advantage of. It makes sense — when someone is terminally ill, they want their family members surrounding them all the time, something that is not possible in a prison.

What it Costs When We Don't Educate Inmates for Life After Prison

By EMILY DERUY from ABC News
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May 27, 2013

Right now, taxpayers spend up to $70 billion each year to house the nation's two to three million prisoners. That works out to about $31,000 per inmate. One would think that with such a stiff price tag, we'd be doing a better job of rehabilitation. The truth is that the prison system still does a particularly questionable job of educating inmates for life after incarceration, with only about 6 percent of corrections spending used on education programs. And that matters more than the average person realizes.

Currently, less than 15 percent of students in juvenile detention centers finish high school or complete a GED. Few prisons offer opportunities for adult inmates to pursue college degrees. That can make finding a job and reintegrating into society in a positive way much more difficult.

Justices Make It Easier for Inmates to Challenge Convictions

WASHINGTON — In a pair of 5-to-4 decisions that divided along ideological lines, the Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for inmates to challenge their convictions.

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In McQuiggin v. Perkins, No. 12-126, the majority said a one-year filing deadline for prisoners seeking federal review of their state court convictions under a 1996 law may be relaxed if they present compelling evidence of their innocence. The new “miscarriage of justice exception” to the deadline, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority, “applies to a severely confined category” — cases in which no reasonable juror aware of the new evidence would have voted to convict the defendant.

California jails to soon impose new mail rules

Inmates incarcerated in San Diego County jails will no longer be able to receive handwritten letters, except postcards. On September 1, a new policy will go into effect that will prohibit inmates from reading letters that are not sent through email or postcard form in an effort to cut down on potential drug smuggling.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department website, inmates are allowed to purchase pre-stamped envelopes and postcards from the facility commissary.  Inmates who do not have sufficient funds will be given a select  number of pre-stamped envelopes; however, family members are able to deposit money for such purposes into an inmate's account online. In addition, inmates are able to send as many letters as they would like to each day, as long as there is no mention of nudity, gang symbols or drug references, in which case the communication would be returned to sender.

Check out 10 of the worst police fails ever

"All mail entering and leaving a jail facility is searched for contraband and the writing will be scanned for security issues," the source stated. "The only exception will be 'legal mail' between an inmate and the inmate’s attorney, correspondence from State and Federal Courts, any member of the State Bar or holder of public office, Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB), Internal Affairs, Office of the Sheriff, the Corrections Standards Authority and the Facility Commander or the Assistant Facility Commander."

There are several ways that prisoners and their families smuggle drugs into prison. In the past, experts have found that scribbles written by an inmate's young family member or child contained powerful drugs that were later determined to be contraband. According to The New York Times, opiates that come in paper strip form such as Suboxone have been attached to Father's Day cards, coloring book pages or under stamps that inmates can later sell for up to $25 per hit.

As of September 1, inmates will only allowed to receive rectangular postcards that are 3.5 inches to 4.5 inches high and 5 inches to 6 inches long. While photo postcards will be accepted, anything marked with crayons, stains, makeup or similar substances will be sent back. Police know this new system will not completely eliminate the drug trade within prison walls from taking place, but hope that it will bring some change.

 by Greg Rynerson