Our New Anahuac

In this piece, Efren responds to a few of my questions. Check back for more interview questions in Part III including information on his Nahuatl name.

Tell me a little bit about the most recent efforts to secure your release. Specifically, is there
any review pending?
I currently have a commutation request pending before Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. I had a public hearing in December 2008. It was the largest public hearing in Michigan history (200 people attended — 180 of those were my supporters) and the longest public hearing in the state’s history (nine hours long).

If the Governor grants my commutation request I could be released within a few weeks of her signing it. This is why my supporters created the Free Efrén petition on Change.org. Whenpeople sign the petition an e-mail is sent to the Governor expressing support for my release. The Parole Board held my commutation request for nine months after my public hearing. They forwarded it to the Governor with their recommendation on August 20. We expect that a decision could be rendered any day now.

We are not aware of what the Parole Board’s recommendation was and they will not make it publicly known. We do know that the final decision is made by the Governor.

What are the conditions like where you are being held?
I am housed in multi-level facility in Jackson, MI. I am housed in the Level II part which would be considered medium security in most states. The facility holds 1,900 prisoners. In the part of the facility I am housed there are two prisoners per cell. Up until the past six months or so the facility didn’t have a lot of violence for the most part. One hundred prisoners were added to the facility in recent months which has exacerbated the already crowded situation and resulted in an escalation of violence, problems, and tension.

I have managed to avoid the pitfalls of violence and being assaulted because of the respect I extend to others, and they in turn extend to me. I am conscious of the law of reciprocity. I am also widely recognized by prisoners for helping educate the people around me and foster peaceful resolutions to conflicts that arise. I impress upon others the need to not let their emotions dictate their actions, to eliminate self-defeating attitudes, and the value of developing critical thinking skills that will equip them to avoid potential problems. I also emphasize the need to develop positive self-image and confidence.

At this prison there is a lot of out-of-cell activity. When we are not working or going to school we can go to the yard throughout the day or use the pay phone to call friends and family. I receive visits from family and friends seven times per month, and always receive the maximum of allowable visits. I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who have visited me weekly for the entire 20 years of my imprisonment.

Do you have direct access to the internet, and if so, how does that help you to cope with
your injustice?
No, I do not have internet access. I rely on family and friends to maintain my web site, blogs, and social networking sites. There is no internet access in Michigan prisons. This means I have to receive all my messages and send messages via phone. I call friends and family several times each day to get updates about my case, our campaign, and any messages that people send me. I also tell them messages I would like them to send to people on my behalf as well. Sometimes it can be a lengthy process, but we get it done. All messages sent to people in my name are my exact words. People are very good about doing that for me. As far as posts go, I tell people what I want them to post for me and they do it. I ask them to create groups for me, actions, etc.

I have a fantastic team that works with me.

Much of your online activity seems to be geared toward social justice. Were you or your
family involved with social justice issues before your incarceration? Did your unjust
incarceration move you toward social justice issues?
No, my family and I were not involved in social justice issues previous to my incarceration. You have to remember, too, I was only 15 at the time of my arrest. I always cared about other people’s struggles and I have always been helpful to other people, but when I was home I was a teenage boy who was going to school and playing sports as is the case with many other adolescents.

My unjust incarceration definitely moved me toward social justice issues. Not only did I begin fiercely working on my campaign, but I began working on other campaigns as well, worked to promote social justice on a broad scale, and have inspired others to do so as well.

Being in prison, isolated from my family, friends, and free world gave me a great deal of time for introspection and an opportunity to examine the struggles of people all over the world. I discovered that social injustice is a shameful recurrence that is often fostered by people’s silence or indifference. It was something I felt compelled to not be a partner to. Instead I chose to combat it. “If you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem,” is a maxim that has resonated in my life and I convey to others frequently.

I believe we have to be the change we wish to see in the world. Too often we allow injustice to be pushed into the shadows or ignored. As proponents of social justice we have a responsibility to lend our voices to end injustice wherever it occurs. We are all interconnected. We can’t proclaim to care about the human condition yet stand by and observe our people suffering. We weren’t blessed with knowledge, talent and resources to squander it.

When we work to build the community we work to improve our own lives. If we truly want to make a difference in the world we have to do it, not talk about it. As Cesar Chavez said, “Talk is cheap. It’s the way we organize and use our lives every day that tells what we believe in.”

I came to prison a 15-year-old boy. Today I am a 36-year-old conscious Xicano man whose life has been dedicated to the service of our gente, increasing Raza consciousness (i.e., teaching culture, identity, and history). I promote education, human rights, ending youth violence, working to build alliances inside and outside the Xicano/Latino community, and combating social injustice.

I have been a voice for many people inside and outside prison who want to speak out about social injustice but are afraid, unable to articulate their message, or simply do not know they can express their discontent through the written or spoken word. Encouraging people to express themselves and not be paralyzed by fear are things I try to do.

I often tell people that our perceptions shape our experiences. It is the way we choose to see a situation that determines how it affects us. We wield much ore influence over our lives than we give ourselves credit for. It is important that we teach people to recognize this and empower them. It is a lesson I talk about in my workshop “Awakening the Xicano/Latino Leader Within.”

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122014556740&ref=ts.

If I can prevent one act of violence, one child from dropping out of school, one wrongful conviction, one human rights abuse, or oneteen pregnancy, I have done something to make a difference in the world. From the looks of things it appears I have done many of these things and more already. That means my vision has substance and I am not only talking about change, I am making it manifest as well.

Though my body has been caged, my mind, spirit, voice and love for our gente can never be held captive.

Do you have any models or cases that you look to in regard to unjust incarcerations which
have been reversed?
There have been hundreds of cases that have been reversed by courts across the country. There will be many more to come as well. I don’t necessarily look to any particular cases as guides for how I have lead my campaign for freedom. I have taken an eclectic approach and tried to incorporate the best methods of organizing used everywhere. I am an avid reader and researcher.

I read several newspapers each day, magazines, books — or whatever people print off the internet and mail to me via U.S. Mail, and books. People mail me documents and information all the time.

Consequently, I have had an opportunity to read about and study myriad cases and campaigns over the past two decades. I think the thing that sets my campaign apart is how my family and supporters have harnessed the power of social networking sites and used my web site and blogs to get our story out. We have been able to reach every corner of the Earth with this campaign in that way.

Not to mention the interviews I have done with radio stations and organizations who record their shows via podcasts which has also helped us take our campaign nationwide (e.g., Campaign for Youth Justice (Washington, DC), Thousand Kites (in Whitesburg, KY), Flashpoints on KPFA 94.1 in (Berkeley, CA) La Raza Chronicles (in Berkeley, CA), etc.). You already mentioned the interviews I have done with Ebling and You (in Lansing, MI) and Barrio Nuevo (in Toronto, (ON) Canada).

I do want to add that one thing I do share in common with many of the other persons whose cases have been overturned is my refusal to admit guilt for a crime I did not commit. Under no circumstances, even in exchange for immediate release, am I willing to admit guilt for a crime I did not commit. If I were guilty I would have plead guilty 20 years ago, been sentenced as a juvenile, and been released by age 21 at the latest. I will not reward the system for mistreating me and robbing me of 20 years of my life and admit to something I did not do.