Many are familiar with the phrase: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Some people in our community have directly participated in these experiences. But what happens when boys transform into men and those men become broken or damaged as a result of trauma experienced on the battlefield or on the streets of America? Who in the community helps to heal these men and aid them in picking up and putting back together the pieces of a broken life?
I would like to introduce our readers to some of those amazing men and women who have devoted their time, energy, and resources to serving U.S. Veterans.
WHAT IS C.O.V.E.R.?
The San Francisco County Jail – San Bruno #3, has a program known as Collaboration of Veterans Engaged in Restoration (C.O.V.E.R.). The program is described as follows: “C.O.V.E.R. is a collaborative program of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office and Swords to Plowshares, a Bay Area Veteran’s service organization,” “C.O.V.E.R. provides Veterans with in-custody cognitive life skills awareness groups, individualized case management services, benefits advocacy, reentry planning, referrals to treatment programs, and linkages to community-based resource organizations,” “C.O.V.E.R. works with Veterans Justice Court (VJC), a San Francisco collaborative court that addresses the specialized needs of Veterans facing criminal charges by providing them with referrals to social services, educational, mental health, transitional housing, and vocational support.”
Upon my arrival at San Bruno Jail #3 in June 2024, I was interviewed by employee of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, Surayna Spicer. Spicer is the Rehabilitation Program Specialist and Coordinator who oversees the C.O.V.E.R. Program at San Bruno Jail #3. Spicer is also a former employee of Swords to Plowshares. Serving Veterans is deeply engrained in Spicer’s DNA. Spicer is intimately familiar with the part post traumatic stress disorder plays in the stories of many incarcerated Veterans who are participating in the C.O.V.E.R. Program. Spicer played an integral role in inviting the Berkeley Repertory Theater into San Bruno Jail #3 in order to conduct Berkeley Rep’s Transformational Arts Workshop. The transformational workshop consisted of approximately six theatrical teaching sessions between July and August 2024. The workshop was exclusively for the Veterans participating in the C.O.V.E.R. Program.
Anthony Jackson is the Director of the Berkeley Repertory School of Theater, and he led an outstanding three-person team that taught Veterans the basics of theatrical expression and storytelling.
Gendell Hing-Hernandez is a dancer and specializes in coaching actors in movie fight scenes.
Brother Wayne taught us the subtle nuances of storytelling. He spends most of his time working with young people who aspire to express themselves theatrically.
One of the most remarkable and impressive statements Director Anthony Jackson made during the workshop came on the first day when he told our group of Veterans that he and his colleagues were here to build community with us.
The workshop culminated into a performance put on by the men of the C.O.V.E.R. Program on August 22, 2024, at San Bruno Jail #3’s Education Activity Room. The main theme of the presentation that my fellow Veterans and I put on was “Advice to Our Younger Selves.” We also told stories about prideful moments in our lives. The event was attended by numerous employees of the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office Education and Rehabilitation Programs Department. There were also two honored guests from the Veterans service organization, Swords to Plowshares: Tramecia Garner, the Chief Operating Officer, and Elena Kim, the Director of Swords to Plowshares, a one-of-a-kind Veteran service organization.
Swords to Plowshares is fully committed to serving Veterans in the Bay Area. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a way to help Veterans, look no further; Swords to Plowshares is your home. Check them out!
At Swords to Plowshares, Veterans work one-on-one with staff to address their individual needs, overcome obstacles to employment, and determine a long-term career plan. Swords to Plowshares has operated successful transitional and permanent housing programs for homeless Veterans and Veterans with disabilities for over 30 years.
The program that was put on by the men of the C.O.V.E.R. Program on August 22nd elicited a wide range of emotional responses from the audience. There were tears after a heart-felt story by a former U.S. Marine who recounted his successful completion and acceptance into a sniper unit. There were cries after a Veteran talked about his attendance at his son’s high school graduation at Balboa High School in San Francisco. And, of course, there was mad laughter after my cellmate, Jay Bucy, told the story about how he accidentally dropped a corpse during a day as an employee at a funeral home in Texas (Sorry, folks, you had to be there!).
Tara Moriarty, the Public Information Officer at the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office was also in attendance. Ms. Moriarty is a former reporter with KTVU Fox 2. She conducted brief interviews with some of the Veterans, as well as video recording much of the performance that day. I spoke to Tara at length and we both agreed that it is remarkable, but not surprising, that the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office has created a safe space and therapeutic environment at San Bruno Jail #3 where Veterans can be vulnerable and heal.
I, personally, am very grateful for opportunity to participate in the C.O.V.E.R. Program. Many in attendance stated they would love to see this program expanded. The City and County of San Francisco is most certainly on the cutting edge of what is possible in the realm of restorative justice. Remember….it takes a village.
HEALING THROUGH ART AND STORYTELLING
There have been studies that have shown language is essential to healing within the context of PTSD therapy. I personally love to express myself through writing and words. But there are other studies in therapies which show the capacity of art, music, and dance to circumvent the speechlessness that comes with terror. During my storytelling session, I sang a little. I told the story about a beautiful fundraising event that I had the pleasure to be a part of in Bay View Hunters Point (a neighborhood in San Francisco). I spoke of the African cultural district in Bay View. I described the significance of the red, the black, and the green which are painted on poles in the Bay View neighborhood. I explained how District 10 Supervisor, Shamann Walton, supports and promotes cultural expression in the Bay View Hunters Point neighborhood. I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to tell my story…a story absent anger and revenge, but filled with gratitude, hope for the future, and love. People should never forget that there is more than one side to every story…there is my side, their side, and the truth. I haven’t told my side yet.
EDITOR’S NOTE – GALE WASHINGTON:
My new husband, Malik Washington, did not all of a sudden become interested overnight with issues that impact Veterans. He’s been a passionate advocate for well over a decade. In 2015, former First Lady, Michelle Obama, directed the Director of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to answer a letter Malik wrote to her:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkURCjxVvy29macKzjJOcn6J7duzjg?e=IKbc7a
Restorative justice programs have been a priority for me in my nonprofit work inside prisons in Colorado, Nevada, and California. I am thrilled to have a husband/partner who is likeminded and takes these opportunities as seriously as I do. It is very important to Malik and I to shed a strobe light on the good things happening within the criminal justice system. We hope that there will be more stories like this to report on.
I would like to mention some of the work that is being done in partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections. Through the assistance of Deputy Director of Prisons, Mark Fairbairn, Destination Freedom is working with Arkansas Valley Correctional Center (Lifers Support Group) to promote and participate in community outreach events. Just recently, the Lifers Support Group raised several thousand dollars to purchase school supplies for the Manzanola, Crowley, and Fowler County School Districts.
Destination Freedom is also working with the 7 Habits group at Bent County Correctional Facility to hopefully form a program, Destination Freedom Inside, to establish various community events and programs.
Restorative Justice is not a new way of helping to reduce recidivism and to either reduce or eliminate the need for being sentenced to prison.
What is Restorative Justice? https://law.wisc.edu/fjr/rjp/justice.html University of Wisconsin. School of Law
“Restorative justice is a set of principles and practices that create a different approach to dealing with crime and its impacts. Restorative justice practices work to address the dehumanization frequently experienced by people in the traditional criminal justice system. Instead of viewing a criminal act as simply a violation of a rule or statute, restorative justice sees this action as a violation of people and relationships.
“Restorative justice seeks to examine the harmful impact of a crime and then determines what can be done to repair that harm while holding the person who caused it accountable for his or her actions. Accountability for the offender means accepting responsibility and acting to repair the harm done. Outcomes seek to both repair the harm and address the reasons for the offense, while reducing the likelihood of re-offense. Rather than focusing on the punishment meted out, restorative justice measures results by how successfully the harm is repaired.”
The Five R’s (principles) of restorative justice are:
- Relationship: The need for restorative justice arises when a relationship is harmed, and the goal is to repair that harm.
- Respect: Respect creates a safe environment for everyone involved in the process.
- Responsibility: The offender is expected to take responsibility for their actions.
- Reintegration: The offender is allowed to reintegrate into the community after demonstrating integrity by accepting responsibility and repairing harm. This process involves collaboration between the community and the offender, rather than isolation or coercion.
- Repair: The offender is encouraged to make amends to the victim
Some other principles are: Honesty, Engagement, Voluntarism, Healing, Restoration, Personal accountability, Inclusiveness, Problem-solving, Empowerment, and Respecting human rights.
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group.
