Blogs

Injustice time as of this writing 132,145 hours.  5,506 days.

Last week's Visit Day blog came out of my witnessing of a mother, a father, a wife and children visiting their loved one for one of the last times before his murder by the state of Texas.  It had a profound effect on me. Witnessing a family’s last visit day took on new meaning to me as I chronicle my visits here. RIP Beunka Adams 4/26/12.

As of this writing, injustice time 132,053 hours. 5,502 days.

Visit days usually begin at 7:30 a.m. when we hit the road heading due east — trip distance 174 miles. Our only stop on the way to Livingston, is our bathroom/breakfast stop in Caldwell. Then it's on to Bryan, Huntsville, Onalaska and lastly Livingston.

As you drive FM350 South toward the Polunsky Unit, a sprawling gray cinderblock supermax prison complex, we pass homes, churches, a mobile home park, a restaurant, a Knights of Columbus hall, a red and white water tower, and then we arrive at the entrance to where Rodney is imprisoned.

There are many different prisons. There are the jails, correctional facilities, supermaxes, for-profits, and entities run by the city, county, state and federal governments. Then there are the prisons of poverty, abusive relationships, drug addiction, war, racism, sexism, patriarchy, terminal illness, disabilities and myriad others. And then there is the prison of the mind.

As of this writing, injustice time is 131,712 hours. 5,488 days. Rodney's legal property has been sent to and received by his attorney. Rodney's personal property is being held in the property office of the Polunsky Unit, pending the outcome of Rodney's step 2 grievance, which was filed after his step 1 grievance regarding the confinscation of his property was declared unfounded and denied.

Injustice time as of this writing: 131,260 hours.  5,469 days.  Follow up to Blog 11 - Rodney's belongings have not been returned to him.

Friendship is one of life's most precious gifts. What makes a friendship? Why do some friendships last a lifetime? I've been thinking about these questions and the unique, special friendship that Rodney and I share.