(Redemption, Restoration, and Healing From Cumulative Trauma – Part 2)
By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
The City and County of San Francisco and local Federal officials (bottom row) brought together a dedicated cadre of care givers, therapists, social workers, outreach staff, and community advocates who are committed to helping house, treat, and heal U.S. Military Veterans who have been impacted by the justice system.
THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES A PROGRAM THAT SHOULD BECOME A NATIONAL MODEL
This is the final part of a two-part series which describes in detail my experience inside the San Francisco County Jail. During my time at San Bruno Jail, I participated in an amazing Veterans’ program that focuses on therapy, treatment, restoration, and healing of incarcerated Veterans.
The former director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), Dr. Grant Colfax, and the new director, Daniel Tsai, seem to embrace a management style which instructs their employees to treat the detainees inside San Francisco County Jail with dignity and respect while also providing quality health care. This was a stark departure from what I witnessed during my 18 months inside the infamous Santa Rita Jail (SRJ) across the Bay in Alameda County. There was a level of empathy and compassion exhibited by SFDPH employees and some Sheriff deputies that I rarely ever saw or experienced from Alameda County’s health care provider, Wellpath, or deputies of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO). That’s not to say that conditions inside San Francisco County Jail are perfect, but I did learn a valuable lesson that the public at large should know. A local county health care provider will outperform a for-profit health care contractor every day of the week!
(left) Dr. Grant Colfax; (right) Daniel Tsai
As I reflect on my experiences inside SRJ and all the deaths and mistreatment I witnessed, I can’t help but mention again that fateful day when activists and community members assembled outside SRJ screaming at the top of their lungs demanding that the ACSO and Wellpath provide detainees housed inside the jail with CARE, NOT DEATH! “Care, Not Death” was the chant that resonated with me the most that day. During my entire stay at the San Francisco County Jail, SFDPH showed me exactly what “care” looks like and, today, I publicly thank them.
WELCOME TO SAN BRUNO AND THE C.O.V.E.R. PROGRAM
I only spent nine days at the downtown jail in San Francisco. After about one week downtown, a tall and distinguished Black man by the name of Mick Gardner visited
F-Pod where I was housed. Mick is a fairly well-known recovery specialist who has mentored men inside California State prisons for decades.
Mick Gardner
Mick is the Executive Director for No More Tears at San Quentin State Prison and has worked for them for 23+ years. No More Tears is a violence- and crime-prevention program founded by men incarcerated at San Quentin and concerned citizens both seeking to remedy the rise of violent crime in their communities and reduce the recidivism rate of parolees.
No More Tears: https://www.nomoretearssq.com/
On top of being a co-founder of the organization No More Tears, Mick also acts as the facilitator of the C.O.V.E.R Program at San Bruno Jail (CJ#3). C.O.V.E.R. stands for Community of Veterans Engaged in Restoration. The program has been active inside the jail for many years and was built up by respected Veterans’ advocate and Viet Nam War veteran, Ron Perez, as well as retired San Francisco Sheriff’s Office Professional Staff member Ida McCrae and deceased Sheriff Deputy Chief Fisher-Paulson.
Destination Freedom Remembers Chief Kevin Fisher-Paulson and Honors SFPD Sergeant Joelle Harrell
https://1drv.ms/b/c/bd2dbf553c0a1145/EfU4n2UJVj5Fu99BlaZJMv4Bnj40E15N_DCN-4on2zZpkQ?e=bK39Ac
Ron Perez & Ida McCrae
S.F. Sheriff Deputy Chief Fisher-Paulson
That day when I met Mick, he conducted a brief intake interview and quickly began the process of confirming that I was actually a U.S. Army Veteran. Sheriff Deputy Lieutenant Zehner helped move along the process as he was in charge of supervising Federal Pre-Trial detainees housed in the San Francisco County Jail at that time.
Approximately a day or two after meeting Mick, I was placed on a bus and transported to San Bruno Jail better known as CJ#3. San Bruno Jail is also operated by the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office. I arrived at San Bruno on June 11, 2024 and spent one day on pod 5A. 5A is a pod which houses general population detainees from San Francisco. Later in the day, I was visited by a member of the Sheriff’s Professional Staff, Rehabilitation Program Specialist, Surayna Spicer.
Rehabilitation Program Specialist, Surayna Spicer (San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office)
Ms. Spicer, who I call Surayna, told me a little about the program in Pod 1-B which houses incarcerated Veterans participating in the C.O.V.E.R. program as well as inmate workers who help maintain the cleanliness of the facility, and who are indispensable in regard to the orderly function of the laundry and food service departments. Sheriff Deputy Hill is one of the main deputies at the jail who oversees and supervises the activities of the inmate workers. Deputy Hill earned my trust and respect.
BIG SHOUT OUT TO DEPUTY HILL AND ALL OUR INMATE WORKERS!
During my conversation with Surayna, the Rehabilitation Program Specialist, I assured her that I was intent on being an active and positive addition to the C.O.V.E.R. program. My reputation as an investigative journalist who focuses on political issues as well as conditions inside jails and prisons had preceded me, and a lot of employees at the jail were skeptical of me. That skepticism existed until they really began to get to know me.
THE HARD WORK OF CONFRONTING AND HEALING FROM TRAUMA
June 12, 2024 was my first official day in the C.O.V.E.R. program. As a participant in the C.O.V.E.R. program, I was able to access numerous VA services while also receiving an education about what benefits are available to me once I am released back into the community. I also attended classes with other Veterans which gave me the opportunity to address and explore issues that had negatively impacted my life and landed me in jail. There are incarcerated U.S. Military Veterans housed in facilities all over the United States. Many of us are lost and forgotten about. We suffer from mental illnesses like PTSD or Schizophrenia, some of us have physical disabilities, and there are some of us who struggle with substance abuse issues. Some of these issues and disabilities originated during our time in service of our country and, thus, they have been labeled “Service-Connected Disabilities.”
I joined the U.S. Army at the age of seventeen (17) via the Delayed Entry Program in 1986. I was exposed to trauma, harassment, and racism during my time in the Army. I witnessed a close colleague, friend and fellow soldier pushed to the point of suicide by a senior noncommissioned officer. I was pushed out of the service because I dared to stand up to this rogue NCO. I was also introduced to alcohol which I began to abuse while in the Army.
In 1988 while serving on Active Duty at Fort Polk, Louisiana (re-named Fort Johnson), I received some life-changing news. I was cleaning the Orderly room when my First Sergeant informed me that my younger sister, Stephanie, was on the phone and needed to speak with me. Stephanie told me that our father, Harry Berkeley Washington, had suffered a massive heart attack and had died. This took a devastating toll on my emotional and mental health. I rarely ever discuss this incident with anyone simply because it still hurts.
The C.O.V.E.R. program provides a safe nonjudgmental environment where Veterans can be vulnerable and work through some of the trauma they experienced while serving the country. They also can address problems they encountered while transitioning back into civilian society. My father was a proud U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Korean War.
The sensitive part of this story is the fact that I was a trained combat medic and pharmacy specialist. I had skills and training that could have saved my father, but I wasn’t there. The pain of not being there in order to render aid and possibly save his life cut like a knife.
SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES – Link: https://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/
The San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with the Veterans’ rights organization, Swords to Plowshares, as well as employees of SFDPH and other stake holders in the community to put together a comprehensive evidence-based treatment program geared to healing and educating incarcerated Veterans. The C.O.V.E.R. case manager, Diana Perdomo, Mick Gardner and many others teach classes such as: Living in Balance, Anger Management, Mindfulness and Meditation, Yoga (taught by Dee-Dee), Art Class which is taught by Ms. ‘Nez’ of Five Keys, and my favorite class, Ending the Preconditioned Belief System for a New Lifestyle. This particular class is taught by SFDPH employee, Mr. Steven Clark.
Steven Clark
Mr. Clark is also a U.S. Navy Veteran who brings remarkable “lived experience” coupled with a unique facilitating style which is able to break through the most hardened street personalities. There are also individuals from the free community who come into the jail in order to share information about services available to Veterans once they are released.
One such person is Corey Monroe, an employee and representative of the Senior Ex-Offender Housing Program which is located in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco. Corey, who also happens to be the uncle of District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, is a wonderful, intelligent and at times comical human being who always comes with quality information and a good word. Corey carries on a tremendous legacy created by Dr. George Davis and the one and only Dr. Frank Williams who joined the ancestors earlier this year.
Recently, Corey Monroe was an “in-the-trenches” award recipient
Dr. George Davis
I’d like to take this time to also mention and celebrate the work of Mrs. Cathy Davis, the Director of the Senior Center in Bayview-Hunters Point. Mrs. Davis has helped carry on and fulfill the dreams of her late husband Dr. George Davis and as a Bayview-Hunters Point supporter and ally, I applaud her selfless commitment to our community.
Cathy Davis, Director of the Senior Center
WHAT CAUSES PAIN AND TRAUMA AND HOW DO WE HEAL?
As children some of us were exposed and subjected to physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, abandonment and more. When we became adults, some of us abused substances in order to numb the lingering pain. Joining the U.S. Armed Services did not always make the pain go away. Sometimes it made it worse by adding TRAUMA on top of TRAUMA. This trauma can be cumulative and cause harm. The curriculum and classes made available to incarcerated Veterans at San Bruno Jail help address the root causes of both criminal and drug seeking behaviors. The C.O.V.E.R. program is also structured in a way that helps treat trauma. For those who are incarcerated or who have a loved one in jail or prison, I say this to you “If you take the time to seek out, uncover, and address the reasons which influenced your criminal behavior, drug use, or have caused you trauma, you will be on the road to recovery, healing and very possibly never returning to a life of crime or drug use ever again. The “Work” is hard, but the rewards are priceless.
Music is also a big part of the treatment and therapy made available to incarcerated Veterans through the C.O.V.E.R. program at San Bruno Jail. Rick Harrell, the founder of HEROES VOICES, visits the participants of the C.O.V.E.R. program twice a month.
Rick Harrell
Along with his trusty guitar, Rick brings a joyful spirit, a keen intellect as well as a compassionate heart for damaged Veterans. For those who really know me well, they will tell you that I love to sing and can be the biggest “ham” you’ve ever seen. Rick also impressed me with his knowledge of history as it relates to Veterans in the Bay Area. Rick explained to me that after the Vietnam War many Veterans returned with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At the time (mid to late 1970s) there had not been much research done in order to treat or even diagnose PTSD. The VA’s Palo Alto Healthcare System created the first-of-its-kind PTSD Treatment program at the VA facility in Menlo Park, California. U.S. Veterans from all over the United States came to the campus at Menlo Park in order to begin healing from this “new” psychological disability created when human beings were subjected to the ravages of war and other traumatic events. Menlo Park also has a program which trains companion dogs for disabled Veterans. Music, Art, Theatre, Yoga, and even training puppies can be utilized as a means to treat PTSD in Veterans and many others. It was Surayna Spicer and my M-3 mentor, James Zhao, who convinced me to read and study the book: The Body Keeps the Score.
James Zhao
James has become one of my closest friends and supporters, and he is a wonderful example of the impact that the Mentoring Men’s Movement (https://www.mentoringmensmovement.org/) can have on the life of a person who is willing to change.
AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
My overall experience at San Bruno Jail was fantastic and incredible. I was allowed to marry my wife, Gale, at San Bruno Jail on my birthday on July 19, 2024. We just recently celebrated our First Anniversary! I was also selected to become the first participant in the newly-formed (November 2024) Federal Justice Court Diversion Program for Veterans charged with felonies.
I owe a debt of gratitude and appreciation to the men and women who serve as Sheriff deputies as well as professional staff for the City and County of San Francisco and local Federal officials. The Commander of San Bruno Jail, Captain Shannon, as well as his rank-in-file, provide unwavering support to the C.O.V.E.R. program participants and staff.
I HOPE THIS SUPPORT CONTINUES
Captain James Shannon
San Francisco County Sheriff, Paul Miyamoto, has continued the legacy of programming and rehabilitation initiated by long-serving former San Francisco County Sheriff, Michael Hennessey.
The work of former C.O.V.E.R. program director, Ron Perez, is most certainly not forgotten nor are the contributions made to the program by Ida McCrae, Allyson Riker, and the late S.F. Sheriff Deputy Chief Fisher-Paulson.
THE C.O.V. E.R. PROGRAM SHOULD BE INSTITUTED NATIONALLY. OUR VETERANS DESERVE A HELPING HAND UP AFTER THEY HAVE STUMBLED AND FALLEN.
DESTINATION FREEDOM ENCOURAGES VETERANS IN THE BAY AREA AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT THEM TO ATTEND THIS UPCOMING EVENT SPONSORED BY SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES
HOUSING FIRST
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has instituted a “Housing First” policy for Veterans who suffer from homelessness, mental illness, or substance abuse issues. The policy is grounded in an effort to eradicate the existence of homeless Veterans on the streets of America.
During my time at San Bruno Jail, I met a very unique U.S. Navy Veteran originally from Canada named Marlon Ashford. Marlon works in the field of Behavioral Health and is a member of the MAT program. The MAT program helps detainees on the mental health case load at the jail to access services and make a smooth transition back into society after being released from jail.
Recently Marlon and I teamed up to help advocate for a 67-year-old U.S. Marine Corps Veteran who had been in the custody of the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office for over five years. There were some “Psychological Professionals” who recommended that the former Marine be committed to a mental health treatment center for life, claiming the man was incapable of functioning as a peaceful law-abiding citizen. Yet Marlon and I saw something else. We saw a Veteran who was proud, had some anger issues, and who didn’t have nowhere to go nor anyone who really cared about him.
I received permission from the Veteran to write to the Court on his behalf and Marlon Ashford and other concerned advocates did the rest. Within one month the Veteran’s charges were dropped and he was released into a transitional housing program for Veterans in San Francisco. Sometimes all it takes is a little patience, empathy, and diligence to solve problems and overcome obstacles “common folks” face in a complex, unforgiving world. The moral of this story is this:
IF A PERSON CARED ENOUGH ABOUT THIS COUNTRY TO PLACE THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE AND SERVE, THEN THESE MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD BE GIVEN SECOND CHANCES WHEN THEY HAVE “FALLEN DOWN”
My mentor and friend Del Seymour taught me that.
Left to right: Bruce, Malik, & Del
With this article, we’re doing something special. We are sharing not one, but two songs and videos from one of Sacramento’s finest. Many people across the United States have been touched and inspired by Christian rap artist and producer, Sevin. Here we share “FALL” and “I Surrender” and we hope you enjoy the message in the music.
Big Shout out to the brothers and sisters at Hog Mob: https://hogmob.com/
Sevin – I Surrender
Sevin – FALL (OFFICIAL VIDEO) @sevinhogmob
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group. For over 13 years, Malik has been a published journalist and news reporter focusing on criminal justice issues, conditions of confinement in jails and prisons, as well as hot-button political issues. You can reach him via email: mwashington@destination-freedom.org or email him directly by visiting www.sacsheriff.com, Keith Washington, #5383546. Sacramento County Main Jail.
Suggestions or leads on stories are always welcome.
