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8.05.2006
Tenacity. Good, right?
In the dark days in which we live, notably the middle east disaster, a New York Times article bought home the humanity that makes human being worthwhile. Admittedly, the central player is a violent product of gang culture.
A photo of Mr Johnson at San Quentin State Prison 21 years ago
Donny Johnson, a convicted killer now serving three life sentences without parole after attacking two prison guards while in prison for a drug related killing, has created postcard-size paintings with dye from M&Ms (Smarties for you Brits) and brushes fashioned from his hair.
He lives in a small concrete cell about the size of decent bathroom. Not allowed creative materials like paint, he purchases M&M's, soaking them in water to extract the dye.
Another article extracted from an earlier New York Times article can be viewed here.
Not only does this indicate a somewhat tenacious character but he manages to get his art outside, sell them and has recently displayed his work in a gallery in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He has sold around twenty pieces for around $500 each. The proceeds are being used to start a program for children of inmates. He does not profit from the sales.
However, he has broken a rule that does not allow inmates running a business from their cell. An interesting situation; do you punish someone for breaking a rule when the 'crime' could be seen by many as a spark of humanity from an individual who may provide help to innocent children? Or should he have whatever perks he may now enjoy, removed?
He is incarcerated in Pelican Bay State prison in California, just south of the Oregon state line. While Pelican Bay sounds like a nice place to vacation, the penitentiary is a stark place hewn from 275 acres of forest. Further discovery revealed the following articles about Pelican Bay, its inmates and life within its walls. Please note that some of the articles are graphic and contain language that some readers may find distressing.
The official California page is here.
San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association covered the prison in a pictorial format. The Nuestra Familia gang is featured. Particularly violent, they reportedly have perfected a communication system that allows them to run their empire from a maximum security facility. One article from the Media Awareness Project describes this system.
Tenaciousness can be seen as a positive human characteristic but not always in a positive context.
In the dark days in which we live, notably the middle east disaster, a New York Times article bought home the humanity that makes human being worthwhile. Admittedly, the central player is a violent product of gang culture.
A photo of Mr Johnson at San Quentin State Prison 21 years ago
Donny Johnson, a convicted killer now serving three life sentences without parole after attacking two prison guards while in prison for a drug related killing, has created postcard-size paintings with dye from M&Ms (Smarties for you Brits) and brushes fashioned from his hair.
He lives in a small concrete cell about the size of decent bathroom. Not allowed creative materials like paint, he purchases M&M's, soaking them in water to extract the dye.
Another article extracted from an earlier New York Times article can be viewed here.
Not only does this indicate a somewhat tenacious character but he manages to get his art outside, sell them and has recently displayed his work in a gallery in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He has sold around twenty pieces for around $500 each. The proceeds are being used to start a program for children of inmates. He does not profit from the sales.
However, he has broken a rule that does not allow inmates running a business from their cell. An interesting situation; do you punish someone for breaking a rule when the 'crime' could be seen by many as a spark of humanity from an individual who may provide help to innocent children? Or should he have whatever perks he may now enjoy, removed?
He is incarcerated in Pelican Bay State prison in California, just south of the Oregon state line. While Pelican Bay sounds like a nice place to vacation, the penitentiary is a stark place hewn from 275 acres of forest. Further discovery revealed the following articles about Pelican Bay, its inmates and life within its walls. Please note that some of the articles are graphic and contain language that some readers may find distressing.
The official California page is here.
San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association covered the prison in a pictorial format. The Nuestra Familia gang is featured. Particularly violent, they reportedly have perfected a communication system that allows them to run their empire from a maximum security facility. One article from the Media Awareness Project describes this system.
Tenaciousness can be seen as a positive human characteristic but not always in a positive context.
Labels: art, big house, cruel, tenacity
