Saturday, November 20, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Who we are
5149 group is an upcoming business serving families of the men and women in the U.S. prison system.http://www.5149group.com/
Check us out and tell us what you think!!
Check us out and tell us what you think!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
me
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wonderful1: Black Men And Protecting Their Women and Families Wonderful1 - http://thewonderful1.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 9, 2010
Ma strip search case
Settlement in Mass. jail strip search cases
By Associated Press
Thursday, July 8, 2010
http://www.bostonherald.com
Local Coverage
SPRINGFIELD — An attorney says Franklin County officials have agreed to pay more than $1.1 million to non-drug and nonviolent arrestees who were strip searched at the county jail.
Attorney Howard Friedman announced the settlement Thursday, about eight months after a federal magistrate ruled the searches unconstitutional because there was no reason to believe the arrestees had contraband. A hearing seeking a judge’s approval is set for Monday.
Jail officials did not immediately return a call for comment.
The suit was initially filed by a Hurricane Katrina refugee from Mississippi, Gregory Garvey, now of Sunderland.
Garvey was strip-searched at the jail in January 2007 after being arrested on a traffic warrant. He was held overnight and was strip-searched again before a court appearance where his case was dismissed.
Friedman said the settlement will be divided among 486 people.
By Associated Press
Thursday, July 8, 2010
http://www.bostonherald.com
Local Coverage
SPRINGFIELD — An attorney says Franklin County officials have agreed to pay more than $1.1 million to non-drug and nonviolent arrestees who were strip searched at the county jail.
Attorney Howard Friedman announced the settlement Thursday, about eight months after a federal magistrate ruled the searches unconstitutional because there was no reason to believe the arrestees had contraband. A hearing seeking a judge’s approval is set for Monday.
Jail officials did not immediately return a call for comment.
The suit was initially filed by a Hurricane Katrina refugee from Mississippi, Gregory Garvey, now of Sunderland.
Garvey was strip-searched at the jail in January 2007 after being arrested on a traffic warrant. He was held overnight and was strip-searched again before a court appearance where his case was dismissed.
Friedman said the settlement will be divided among 486 people.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
To My love
Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. Song of Solomon 3:4 Im so in love!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
R.I.P. GURU
Rapper Guru dies after battle with cancer
Apr-20-2010
Rapper Guru, left, shown here with musician Ryan Leslie and producer Solar, died Monday of complications from cancer.
According to his friend and producer Solar, it was the love of the fans that helped keep rapper Guru going.
"I would read him the e-mails that would come in and play him the voicemails," Solar told reporters. "I really do believe that was part of the reason why he was able to go on as long as he did."
The 43-year-old rapper succumbed to complications from cancer on Monday at Good Samaritan Hospital near New York City, Solar said. There had been an outpouring of support from fans in March when it was reported Guru had a stroke and had been hospitalized.
Solar, a long-time collaborator of the artist, said Guru chose not to go public with the diagnosis of myeloma that was made more than a year ago.
"Guru has been in and out of hospitals since last July," Solar said. "It was his wishes to keep it private. We really thought he would be able to beat it."
Born Keith Elam, the rapper was well-respected in the industry for his rhyme style. He rose to fame in the 1980s as one half of the duo Gang Starr, in which he shared the spotlight with his partner, DJ Premier.
He later broke out and found solo success with his series of "Jazzmatazz" albums, where he combined hip-hop and jazz. His collaborations with jazz greats, including Branford Marsalis and Roy Ayers, helped cement Guru's reputation in the music industry.
Solar released a letter he said Guru had written to fans with instructions that it be distributed at the time of his death.
"As the sole founder of Gang Starr, I am very proud of what Gang Starr has meant to the music world and fans," the letters said. "I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low."
Jackie O. Asare, president and chief executive officer of 4Sight Media Relations, which formerly handled publicity for Guru, released a statement praising the rapper for his artistry.
"We honor Guru for leaving us with music that reaches into higher places, for coloring outside the lines of hip-hop, and recognizing the musical masters who inspired him," she said. "Through Guru's eyes, there was no division between hip-hop and jazz, hip-hop and neosoul, hip-hop and history."
Solar said he is sure Guru would much rather be remembered for his music than the controversy that surrounded him in his last days.
Before his death, there were reports that the producer was keeping Guru's family from visiting and speculation that he was controlling the ill rapper.
In the letter Solar says Guru wrote for his fans, it says: "I do not wish my ex-DJ [DJ Premier] to have anything to do with my name likeness, events, tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ."
Solar said Guru was aware of the strife, which included at one point Guru's nephew, Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff, posting on YouTube to complain about the family's lack of access to the rapper.
"I had no control over who could see Guru, but there were times he was in [the Critical Care Unit] and he was unable to see people," Solar said. "Any man at that point in their life has a right to decide who he wants around him and who he doesn't."
Solar said that as per the rapper's wishes, Guru will be cremated. There are plans to hold a tribute concert, which he said will bring everyone together, including fans, family and all those who worked with Guru.
The producer said a nonprofit organization, Each One Counts, was set up by Guru. Focused on disadvantaged youth, the nonprofit has been expanded to aid in cancer research.
The rapper would want his legacy to be the music, Solar said.
"We were making music that was experimental and cutting edge at a time when there was a lack of such music out there," Solar said. "He lived life, and he loved all music."
Apr-20-2010
Rapper Guru, left, shown here with musician Ryan Leslie and producer Solar, died Monday of complications from cancer.
According to his friend and producer Solar, it was the love of the fans that helped keep rapper Guru going.
"I would read him the e-mails that would come in and play him the voicemails," Solar told reporters. "I really do believe that was part of the reason why he was able to go on as long as he did."
The 43-year-old rapper succumbed to complications from cancer on Monday at Good Samaritan Hospital near New York City, Solar said. There had been an outpouring of support from fans in March when it was reported Guru had a stroke and had been hospitalized.
Solar, a long-time collaborator of the artist, said Guru chose not to go public with the diagnosis of myeloma that was made more than a year ago.
"Guru has been in and out of hospitals since last July," Solar said. "It was his wishes to keep it private. We really thought he would be able to beat it."
Born Keith Elam, the rapper was well-respected in the industry for his rhyme style. He rose to fame in the 1980s as one half of the duo Gang Starr, in which he shared the spotlight with his partner, DJ Premier.
He later broke out and found solo success with his series of "Jazzmatazz" albums, where he combined hip-hop and jazz. His collaborations with jazz greats, including Branford Marsalis and Roy Ayers, helped cement Guru's reputation in the music industry.
Solar released a letter he said Guru had written to fans with instructions that it be distributed at the time of his death.
"As the sole founder of Gang Starr, I am very proud of what Gang Starr has meant to the music world and fans," the letters said. "I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low."
Jackie O. Asare, president and chief executive officer of 4Sight Media Relations, which formerly handled publicity for Guru, released a statement praising the rapper for his artistry.
"We honor Guru for leaving us with music that reaches into higher places, for coloring outside the lines of hip-hop, and recognizing the musical masters who inspired him," she said. "Through Guru's eyes, there was no division between hip-hop and jazz, hip-hop and neosoul, hip-hop and history."
Solar said he is sure Guru would much rather be remembered for his music than the controversy that surrounded him in his last days.
Before his death, there were reports that the producer was keeping Guru's family from visiting and speculation that he was controlling the ill rapper.
In the letter Solar says Guru wrote for his fans, it says: "I do not wish my ex-DJ [DJ Premier] to have anything to do with my name likeness, events, tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ."
Solar said Guru was aware of the strife, which included at one point Guru's nephew, Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff, posting on YouTube to complain about the family's lack of access to the rapper.
"I had no control over who could see Guru, but there were times he was in [the Critical Care Unit] and he was unable to see people," Solar said. "Any man at that point in their life has a right to decide who he wants around him and who he doesn't."
Solar said that as per the rapper's wishes, Guru will be cremated. There are plans to hold a tribute concert, which he said will bring everyone together, including fans, family and all those who worked with Guru.
The producer said a nonprofit organization, Each One Counts, was set up by Guru. Focused on disadvantaged youth, the nonprofit has been expanded to aid in cancer research.
The rapper would want his legacy to be the music, Solar said.
"We were making music that was experimental and cutting edge at a time when there was a lack of such music out there," Solar said. "He lived life, and he loved all music."
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
I’m Struggling Too!
Today is a bad day. I wish I could say that I've never had one before, but bad days consume my life. I have no escape from them. Today is a day when I wonder… Where is the support for me
in-this-struggle?"
When a man asks a woman to wait for him while
he's in prison, does he realize what an incredible emotional sacrifice it is? Does he realize the pain and never-ending loneliness that attaches itself to her heart and soul? Does he realize that yes; we are in this struggle too?
When I made this choice to do this bit with my man I didn't know what it would mean to consciously hand over the control and happiness of my life…not to my man, but to an institution. From the very beginning, my man told me that I had the power in the relationship because I was the one who was free.
How am I free? What power do I have?
I buy my clothes according to what is
acceptable for visits. At anytime, I can go anywhere my heart desires, but my heart's desire is trapped within that prison compound. So, where am I going? I stalk the mailman and won't leave the house until he comes, waiting for a white envelope with that familiar handwriting that has taken the place of hugs and kisses. I check the phone several times a day to make sure it's working, waiting to hear it ring and see "unavailable" appear on the caller ID, a sight that has taken the place of the sound of my
doorbell or his car horn.
I set my watch to the clocks in the
prison. I schedule my bedtime around "Count." No, I don't have any power. The phone company has the power. The prison and the guards have all the power. Today, I feel helpless and out of control.
Today surely is a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too.
Today, like most of my bad days that pass, I see a little bit of my life that has slipped away; another memory not made, another dream that doesn't come true. Another day my son wont know
what its like to have a father in his life, One more day my family is separated. One more day I'm without a real home. I am so often standing on the
line between sanity and insanity, I have to keep telling myself, "He's real, this is real, our love is real, and the end will come."
Today when he called I had to fight off the urge to beg him to come home to me. "Please come home. If you really loved me, you'd find a way." Today I blame him for keeping us apart. Today I am so very angry with him. Today is definitely a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too.
A good day can turn bad in the blink of an eye, a tick of the clock, or a beat of my heart. I am on an emotional roller coaster that changes course without warning or consideration for my mental
state. It never asks permission. Attacks of loneliness, despair, confusion, and frustration hit me and consume me from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head and every crevice of my body in
between. Some bad days I want to curl up in my bed and sleep. Sleep the days away. Some bad days I can't sleep or even eat. Sometimes I have to make my heart beat and my lungs take in oxygen.
Suicide is never a thought, but dying from loneliness is always a possibility.
Today I have no answers that make sense to me for the thousands of questions running through my head. My mind is cluttered with doubts and confusion and this makes my heart heavy with guilt and shame. How could I question the one real joy I have in my life? There are so many people who are lonely, without love and passion in their lives, so as difficult as this ordeal is, I know that what he
and I share is the most precious of all gifts.
But today, I can't remember all the unconditional love, support, and non-judgment that my man has bestowed upon me. Today I can't remember that my man is the only one who really understands and accepts me, and the good and the bad. Today, I can't remember all the desire and passion that my
man has brought out of me. Today, I can't remember that he plays no games, tells no lies, and wears our love like a badge of honor. Today, is obviously a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too!
While I wouldn't change one second, erase one tear, or forget heartache, I can truly understand why a woman would choose not to wait. The reality is that I am in prison too…I am also doing time and the only thing I am guilty of is being in love with my man.
For every one of us who stands by our man, that can endure the bad days and savor the good, there are many who can't. Many just don't even try. To the men whose women have chosen to move on, you
must always remember that there are always two sides to every story. Your women might not tell you what's in their hearts, but if you listen hard enough you can hear them. You can hear their confusion and their fear pleading with you to understand, to
forgive, to accept, and to remember…
Not every woman is strong enough to endure the bad days that the struggle brings.
Thank God, I'm strong enough!
Author Unknown
Today is a bad day. I wish I could say that I've never had one before, but bad days consume my life. I have no escape from them. Today is a day when I wonder… Where is the support for me
in-this-struggle?"
When a man asks a woman to wait for him while
he's in prison, does he realize what an incredible emotional sacrifice it is? Does he realize the pain and never-ending loneliness that attaches itself to her heart and soul? Does he realize that yes; we are in this struggle too?
When I made this choice to do this bit with my man I didn't know what it would mean to consciously hand over the control and happiness of my life…not to my man, but to an institution. From the very beginning, my man told me that I had the power in the relationship because I was the one who was free.
How am I free? What power do I have?
I buy my clothes according to what is
acceptable for visits. At anytime, I can go anywhere my heart desires, but my heart's desire is trapped within that prison compound. So, where am I going? I stalk the mailman and won't leave the house until he comes, waiting for a white envelope with that familiar handwriting that has taken the place of hugs and kisses. I check the phone several times a day to make sure it's working, waiting to hear it ring and see "unavailable" appear on the caller ID, a sight that has taken the place of the sound of my
doorbell or his car horn.
I set my watch to the clocks in the
prison. I schedule my bedtime around "Count." No, I don't have any power. The phone company has the power. The prison and the guards have all the power. Today, I feel helpless and out of control.
Today surely is a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too.
Today, like most of my bad days that pass, I see a little bit of my life that has slipped away; another memory not made, another dream that doesn't come true. Another day my son wont know
what its like to have a father in his life, One more day my family is separated. One more day I'm without a real home. I am so often standing on the
line between sanity and insanity, I have to keep telling myself, "He's real, this is real, our love is real, and the end will come."
Today when he called I had to fight off the urge to beg him to come home to me. "Please come home. If you really loved me, you'd find a way." Today I blame him for keeping us apart. Today I am so very angry with him. Today is definitely a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too.
A good day can turn bad in the blink of an eye, a tick of the clock, or a beat of my heart. I am on an emotional roller coaster that changes course without warning or consideration for my mental
state. It never asks permission. Attacks of loneliness, despair, confusion, and frustration hit me and consume me from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head and every crevice of my body in
between. Some bad days I want to curl up in my bed and sleep. Sleep the days away. Some bad days I can't sleep or even eat. Sometimes I have to make my heart beat and my lungs take in oxygen.
Suicide is never a thought, but dying from loneliness is always a possibility.
Today I have no answers that make sense to me for the thousands of questions running through my head. My mind is cluttered with doubts and confusion and this makes my heart heavy with guilt and shame. How could I question the one real joy I have in my life? There are so many people who are lonely, without love and passion in their lives, so as difficult as this ordeal is, I know that what he
and I share is the most precious of all gifts.
But today, I can't remember all the unconditional love, support, and non-judgment that my man has bestowed upon me. Today I can't remember that my man is the only one who really understands and accepts me, and the good and the bad. Today, I can't remember all the desire and passion that my
man has brought out of me. Today, I can't remember that he plays no games, tells no lies, and wears our love like a badge of honor. Today, is obviously a bad day, and yes, I am struggling too!
While I wouldn't change one second, erase one tear, or forget heartache, I can truly understand why a woman would choose not to wait. The reality is that I am in prison too…I am also doing time and the only thing I am guilty of is being in love with my man.
For every one of us who stands by our man, that can endure the bad days and savor the good, there are many who can't. Many just don't even try. To the men whose women have chosen to move on, you
must always remember that there are always two sides to every story. Your women might not tell you what's in their hearts, but if you listen hard enough you can hear them. You can hear their confusion and their fear pleading with you to understand, to
forgive, to accept, and to remember…
Not every woman is strong enough to endure the bad days that the struggle brings.
Thank God, I'm strong enough!
Author Unknown
State prison populations, which have grown for nearly four decades, have begun to dip, according to a new report, largely because of recent efforts to keep parolees out of prison and reduce prison time for nonviolent offenders.
Multimedia
Graphic
A Slight Drop in Inmate PopulationState prisons held 1,403,091 people as of Jan. 1, nearly four-tenths of a percent fewer than a year before, the report said. Prison populations have fallen in 27 states in that period, while they have risen in 23.
“It’s too early to tell whether this is a tap of the brakes or a shift into reverse,” said Adam Gelb, the director of the public safety performance project of the Pew Center on the States in Washington, which produced the report. Still, Mr. Gelb said, seeing the state prison numbers dip for the first time since 1972 “took us a little bit by surprise,” he said.
In the same period, the population in federal prisons increased by nearly 3.4 percent.
The results broaden the conclusions in a report issued this month by the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy group in Washington that looked at efforts to reduce the prison populations in Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey and New York. That report found that all four states had achieved reductions, with New York reaching a 20 percent reduction and New Jersey 19 percent over a decade.
Marc Mauer, the executive director of that group, said the reduction was actually overdue, since crime rates have declined for some 15 years. “That’s the puzzling piece — why did this take so long?” he asked. The lag, he said, was partly the result of longer sentences and partly because of tough standards in many states for revoking parole.
The Pew report noted that while the squeeze on state and local budgets had contributed to efforts to reduce prison populations, “financial pressures alone do not explain the decline.” At least part of the fall-off resulted from changes like California’s decision to reduce the number of low-risk people on parole returning to prison because of technical violations, and Texas’ decision to step up its residential and community-based treatment programs.
“If you had to single out the most common reform that we’re seeing,” Mr. Gelb said, “it’s various strategies to hold parole violators accountable, short of jamming them back into a $25,000-a-year, taxpayer-funded prison cell.”
Releases of prisoners, however, have been controversial. Crime Victims United of California, a nonprofit group, sued the state last month over its efforts to reduce the number of inmates in its prisons, claiming that releases driven by overcrowding would violate a 2008 voter initiative.
The new report does not deal with the prisoner levels in local jails. A 2009 report by the Pew center that did count local jail inmates concluded that 1 in 100 adults in the United States lives behind bars.
The new report concluded that whatever the long-term trends, with 1.6 million people in state and federal prisons and an estimated 700,000 in local jails, “the United States will continue to lead the world in incarceration for the foreseeable future.”
Multimedia
Graphic
A Slight Drop in Inmate PopulationState prisons held 1,403,091 people as of Jan. 1, nearly four-tenths of a percent fewer than a year before, the report said. Prison populations have fallen in 27 states in that period, while they have risen in 23.
“It’s too early to tell whether this is a tap of the brakes or a shift into reverse,” said Adam Gelb, the director of the public safety performance project of the Pew Center on the States in Washington, which produced the report. Still, Mr. Gelb said, seeing the state prison numbers dip for the first time since 1972 “took us a little bit by surprise,” he said.
In the same period, the population in federal prisons increased by nearly 3.4 percent.
The results broaden the conclusions in a report issued this month by the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy group in Washington that looked at efforts to reduce the prison populations in Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey and New York. That report found that all four states had achieved reductions, with New York reaching a 20 percent reduction and New Jersey 19 percent over a decade.
Marc Mauer, the executive director of that group, said the reduction was actually overdue, since crime rates have declined for some 15 years. “That’s the puzzling piece — why did this take so long?” he asked. The lag, he said, was partly the result of longer sentences and partly because of tough standards in many states for revoking parole.
The Pew report noted that while the squeeze on state and local budgets had contributed to efforts to reduce prison populations, “financial pressures alone do not explain the decline.” At least part of the fall-off resulted from changes like California’s decision to reduce the number of low-risk people on parole returning to prison because of technical violations, and Texas’ decision to step up its residential and community-based treatment programs.
“If you had to single out the most common reform that we’re seeing,” Mr. Gelb said, “it’s various strategies to hold parole violators accountable, short of jamming them back into a $25,000-a-year, taxpayer-funded prison cell.”
Releases of prisoners, however, have been controversial. Crime Victims United of California, a nonprofit group, sued the state last month over its efforts to reduce the number of inmates in its prisons, claiming that releases driven by overcrowding would violate a 2008 voter initiative.
The new report does not deal with the prisoner levels in local jails. A 2009 report by the Pew center that did count local jail inmates concluded that 1 in 100 adults in the United States lives behind bars.
The new report concluded that whatever the long-term trends, with 1.6 million people in state and federal prisons and an estimated 700,000 in local jails, “the United States will continue to lead the world in incarceration for the foreseeable future.”
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Welcome
Welcome
This blog was created to be a resource to the wives and girl friends of the men incarated in the Ny state prison system. As a girlfriend of a man who has recently gone upstate I'm looking to network with all the women I can on what my first steps should be.
This blog was created to be a resource to the wives and girl friends of the men incarated in the Ny state prison system. As a girlfriend of a man who has recently gone upstate I'm looking to network with all the women I can on what my first steps should be.
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