Posts Tagged ‘Jonathan Stack’
Where are you?
When THE FARM was broadcast in 1998 it was the highest rated documentary on A & E. If I remember correctly, it got about a 3.0 Nielsen rating which nowadays would be phenomenal, but even then was quite amazing. Over the years, the film was shown again and again; resold to A & E, broadcast on Starzz and the Sundance Channel, distributed throughout the world. The film is used in school curricula, thousands of dvds have been purchased at Angola’s Prison Museum gift store alone and it is iconic amongst people who work in our criminal justice system.
Indeed, over the years countless numbers of people have seen the film and uniformly they ask the same question; Whatever happened to the men in THE FARM. “Did George raise the $3000 for his appeal?”, “Did Ashanti get to take that bath?”, “Did the Governor ever sign Bishop Tanniehill’s pardon?” Finally, we’re finishing the THE FARM: 10 DOWN and we can answer everyone’s questions. The film is airing on National Geographic, but the challenge is how do we let all the people who saw THE FARM know it’s happening?
Posted by Jonathanstack
My education at Angola Prison
Over the years I learned that I could grow in strength if I didn’t blame others for the negative things that had occurred in my life and accepted responsibility for my own actions. I learned that I had a stubborn side of me that really gave me the strength and determination to stay focused on the path that I had choose to travel. I learned how to detach from many of the events that were taking place around me so that I wouldn’t be effected emotionally and if I maintained control of my emotions I was have a clear enough mind to think through each situation I faced. I learned a lot about God and my relationship with God gave me a sense of hope that one day “everything is going to be alright.” I learned that I had the power to reshape the world around me by the words that I speak, the thoughts that I think and the prayers that I prayed. I also learned to love people (it was a gradual process, but I learned that it was really alright to love people as simply being who they were). All of those things gave me a sense of freedom and a different sort of power within me.
Posted by Ashanti
The Journey of Healing in Angola Prison
It was several years before I decided to change my life. I had seen a lot of violence and was classified as a jail jouse lawyer and a militant, but it wasn’t until I had been confined to a maximum security cell (I had gotten caught with two knives in my possession) for about a year that I seriously began to think about my life, my family and everything that I had lost that the reality of my 75-year entence began to sink into my mind. At that point I hadn’t ever had the opportunity to see my daughter and that caused me a lot of anger and grief. It was also during that time of confinement that I decided to change and never go back to the life I had lived. It was the beginning of a long journey that would be filled with trials, set-backs and victories, but it was a journey that I wouldn’t turn away from.
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Ashanti Witherspoon spent 27 years in Angola Prison. In 1999 he was granted parole. Since leaving prison Ashanti has become a motivational speaker and is devoted to mentoring at-risk youth. He was featured in Jonathan Stack’s film THE FARM and THE FARM: 10 DOWN, which will be released June 16th, 2009 on National Geographic Channel.
Posted by Ashanti
Birth of a City
This week the team has been working like crazy to get this website up and running (albeit in a beta stage). It’s critical to get it just right, because it’s inside ‘Gabriel City’ where the impact of what we do takes shape. The good news is that a website is an ever evolving entity and what doesn’t work will reveal itself over time with use and can be adjusted accordingly. We are hoping that many of you will offer the kind of criticism and contributions that will allow us to achieve our goals.
So here are the “whats” and the “whys.”
Gabriel City has two main “whats.” On one hand we want to be a community created site, think Wikipedia, for all matters concerning criminal justice. From how to visit a loved one behind bars (google maps for jails and prisons) to what types of organizations exist to support victims of crimes, from links to local, national and international news sources, to advice and ideas about critical issues of our day; the site will be an important and comprehensive resource for the millions upon millions most directly affected by crime.
The other emphasis is for the site to be a storytelling venue. Imagine a kind of YouTube for criminal justice content. There is no doubt that there is a strong link between the experience of incarceration and the artistic expression it inspires. And yet, while there certainly is an enormous amount of talent and creativity within prisons, this will not just be an art center for inmates.
No, Gabriel City exists to harness the power of storytelling for the greater good of society. We want to break the endless cycle of crime and incarceration that destroys lives and communities which ultimately only leads to more crime. By empowering people with a way to tell their story, and an audience to listen to it, we begin to heal the wounds of time and crime. That is why Gabriel City needs to grow.
To be clear, we are neither romantics who believe all criminals are victims of the system, nor do we believe that all inmates are animals unworthy of forgiveness. And while victims of crime must not be silenced nor their pain ignored, policy issues affecting the criminal justice system can not be guided strictly by their suffering. Finding the correct balance is not easy and requires dialogue, reflection and lot of hard work and dedication. That is what we are going to launch….together.
Posted by Jonathanstack
My first day in Angola Prison
There were different “first days” of my confinement:
- There was the period when I woke up in the hospital and realized that I had been shot in the head.
- There was the day when I was moved from the hospital to the Caddo Parish Prison, and on to the Caddo Correctional Center.
- There was the day when I was transferred back to the Caddo Parish Prison (when the new prison was built).
- There was the day when I was transferred back to the Caddo Correctional Center. 5) There was the day when I first arrived in Angola.
As you can see my first day had different meanings at different points of my “first day,” but for now let’s look at my first day in Angola.
Traveling to Angola was an emotionally moving experience. I was nervous, tense and prepared to kill or die. The horror stories of Angola seemed to find a permanent place in my thoughts and it wasn’t a comfortable feeling. I was relieved when I got off of the bus, stepped through the doors of the Reception Center and recognized the face of someone from the city Shreveport. He worked in the area and was assisting the security guards with checking in the new arrivals. He nodded to me, and when we were out of ear shot of the others he told me that he had a knife for me and would get it to me by the time I reached the dorm.
Posted by Ashanti
Swede is Gone
This morning I read that Douglas Dennis, died from a heart attack suffered while serving out his life sentence in Angola for a murder that took place in the 1950’s. I only knew him by his nickname Swede.
Swede was the most intriguing man in that place. Sarcastic, bitter, but funny and brilliant. I used to bring him New Yorker Magazines which he loved and we’d talk about almost any topic imaginable as though he had been everywhere and thought of everything. No doubt about it, Swede was the smartest person in Angola and a good storyteller.
Posted by Jonathanstack
Bishop’s Theme Music
Jazz great Curtis Lundy composed and arranged this amazing piece of music for Highest Common Denominator Media Group’s new documentary THE FARM: 10 Down premiering June 16th at 8PM eastern time on The National Geographic Channel.
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Posted by hcdmedia
THE FARM: Life Inside Angola Prison
Jonathan Stack’s 1998 Academy Award® nominated feature length documentary is now online via The National Geographic Channel. Check it out!
Posted by hcdmedia
THE WILDEST SHOW IN THE SOUTH
Highest Common Denominator Media Group Executive Director Jonathan Stack’s short length documentary on the Angola Prison Rodeo held annually. Posted originally at The National Geographic Channel.
Posted by hcdmedia