in
C B Z .C B B A T IM G A D E C & D E
9
street roots
Education * Dialogue * Independence
OUT AND DOWN, fro m page 8
The Department of Corrections says
that 5 2 percent of released offenders
in Oregon had no home to go to in
2 0 0 8 . In 2 0 0 9 , 4 ,4 6 1 inmates are
scheduled for release.
included 16 years of homelessness. Art is
passionate about the lack of support for former
prisoners, and, especially, the difficulty of
coming back to a home that deems you
undesirable. |
“Unless you have family,” says Rios, “you’re
out of luck.’’T or many criminals, says Rios,
even family can be unforgiving.
Speaking bluntly about prison life, Rios
unveiled the cyclical criminal patterns of his
family.
,
“There was one year,” he recalled, “where I
went to county (jail) 114 times.” When he,
served his first hard sentence, a six-month stint
at Folsom Prison, he joined some of his family
members who already were locked up. When he
got out of Folsom, however, his remaining
family refused to take him in. \
Rios takes particular pride in the way
California is dealing with the issue of
homelessness. Specifically, he mentioned, EDAR
(Everyone Deserves a Roof), a Los Angeles'
initiative that provides cart-sized, collapsible
shelters, as well as a recent effort ini-
Sacramento, where 10-foot by 10-foot
transitional housing units were being built — an
attempt to ease prisoners out of living in tiny
cells.' i
, Once you’ve been in prison, society “sees you
as, a violent person with no remorse,” he says.
' Transitioning out of prison life was especially
difficult for Rios, a recovering addict who has
been sober since 2006. Given that many of the
resources available for ex-cons are dependent
on clean urine samples, it’s no surprise that .
finding housing and employment is difficult.
Post-prison, it took Rios two years to get back
zon,his feet
■■M
!psi!i
"I don't want to be
continually punished"
-. Even though they are free of the constraints
of prison, both Gollyhorn and McGinnis find
their liv es-in astate of flux. Gollyhorn has been
evicted frorrrhis Hillsboro home and has been
staying with McGinnis and Destiny while he
waits for a room through Transitions Project
Inc. For the first time in his life, he is focused
and has plans on' going to school for
engineering.
His eyes light up when he talks about the
possibilities for his future, but it’s the past that
seems to solidify where he is at present. “I want
my rights back,” he says, noting the extreme
difficulties in finding work for a person like
himself — someone, in particular, who has been
legally designated a “kidnapper” based on one
of the charges from his arrest “I don’t want to
be continually punished for'a mistake I made.”
Rios spoke of how there should be better
housing and drug treatment programs^ but that,
most importantly, there should be assistance ;
with family reunification. Rios was a primary
| player in a homelessness protest last year and
continues to make appearances at City Hall in
the name of equal rights for the homeless and
more resources for former prisoners. Ending
the cycle of transitioning from prison to the
streets and then back into prison will .'take a«.,
entire societal transformation, according to
Rios, who said, “Change the attitude. Seriously.”
. For all three, thought having a' second chance
at life is a crucial thing. It is family support,
which for all of them includes the community of
friends they have at places such as Sisters Of
The Road that keeps them going, “If your family
can’t look out for you/-says Gollyhorn, “who’s
gonna?”
& , ..
"Unless you have fam ily," says Art
Rios (above), "you're out of luck."
For many criminals, says Rios, even
fam ily can be unforgiving.
APPLE A N D DELL C O M P U T E R SALES
• F A C T O R Y C ER TIFIED SERVICE A N D REPAIR
LAKE O S W E G O . O R EG O N
(5 0 3 ) 7 2 2 - 2 1 1 0
w w w .A B S C o m p u te rG ro u p .c o m
l _,'X
i
www.streetroots.wordpress.o