The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery other than in prisons - but it was a lie that you regained your freedom once you left the prison gates.
People are released from prison so unprepared. They give you $200. We call it gate money. And you have to pay for a bus ticket back to L.A. You get off the Greyhound bus, downtown Skid Row, and you're supposed to make a life from that.
I got caught back up in the underworld because the upperworld really doesn't have a place for people with criminal histories.
Telling your story is transformative. For both the storyteller and their audience, a new bridge to understanding is created.
It's important the sheriff and the D.A. work with the community to realize real-world solutions. If they make decisions in silos, it will fall short.
Life has took me on a journey, and through much of that journey, I didn't feel whole, connected, and grounded. So as a kid, everyone called me Sue. My daddy called me Susie Q. But through this journey, I've sort of risen to a place that I get this level of respect of Ms. Burton.
