Incarcerated men hold "Healing Through Hula" filmmaker Louis Sales on the Red Carpet at the San Quentin Film Festival on Oct. 10, 2024. While the festival showcased the best of what the criminal justice system can achieve — rewarding talented inmates with marketable skills and recognizing their humanity — the defeat of Proposition 6 on the November ballot threatens to undo by continuing the practice of involuntary servitude at slave-like wages. (San Quentin Film Festival via Bay City News)
THIS FALL I attended the first-ever film festival at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Big name celebrities attended, like Kerry Washington, star of the TV drama “Scandal,” comedians Jerry Seinfeld and W. Kamau Bell, and Cord Jefferson, winner of the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay this year for the film “American Fiction.”
I watched as guests mingled outside the prison’s Garden Chapel with incarcerated filmmakers, near a beautiful landscape and a water fountain. I saw photos being taken of those who stood on a strip of red carpet.
“This is one of the most beautiful days of my entire life,” said Jefferson. “I want you to know I have seen some of the greatest of humanity here, so much love and friendly vibes.”
Not long after that came the November election, when Californians voted no on Proposition 6, a ballot measure that would have amended the California Constitution to officially recognize incarcerated peoples’ humanity by eliminating involuntary servitude (i.e., forced labor), the last vestige of the brutal practice of slavery that still exists in California prisons.
Filmmakers working to change minds
A yes on Prop. 6 would have given incarcerated people freedom and autonomy to use our creative and intellectual abilities to pursue passions like filmmaking. Rahsaan “New York” Thomas is a formerly incarcerated person who lived under this inhumane system of forced servitude. Thomas co-created the San Quentin Film Festival.
While incarcerated, Thomas co-starred in the documentary “26.2 to Life: The San Quentin Prison Marathon,” a film about the transformative power of the SQ 1000 Mile Running Club. He produced a documentary called “Friendly Signs,” that focuses on an incarcerated man who learns sign language to communicate with his brother.
Before his release from prison, Thomas campaigned against dehumanizing treatment of the incarcerated, by working to get rid of words like “inmate” and by promoting terms like “incarcerated people.” He empowered himself through his writing.
“While incarcerated I was a Pulitzer Prize finalist with Ear Hustle podcast,” he told the film festival crowd. “I published 42 stories in 31 months in major publications through creating the Empowerment Avenue program.”
Attendees of the inaugural San Quentin Film Festival pose for photos on the red carpet, Oct. 10, 2024. From left: Filmmaker Louis Sales, San Quentin Film Festival Founder and Co-Director Cori Thomas, corrections officer L.L. Romero, SQFF Inside Team member Harold Meeks, The People In Blue Asst. Secretary/Sergeant at Arms Tam Nguyen, and President of The People In Blue Arthur D. Jackson. (The People In Blue via Bay City News)
By creating the San Quentin Film Festival, Thomas hopes to break down the walls of forced labor and inspire Hollywood elites to see the humanity and skill of the formerly and currently incarcerated. He is campaigning for fair and equal opportunities for employment and pay for those still in prison.
While the minimum wage in California is $16 an hour, incarcerated people only make between 16 cents an hour and a maximum of $2 for skilled peer mentor positions. Incarcerated firefighters may make between $5 and $10 a day. Besides money, Prop. 6 was about not forcing incarcerated people to work in dangerous situations, like we did during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two dozen of us died during COVID outbreaks and many of us were engaged in forced labor when we caught the virus. Prop. 6 was also about being able to choose an educational or vocational program, rather than forced labor.
Learning skills improves odds of earning wages
Bernard Raheem Ballard is an incarcerated person who got a rare opportunity to participate in a film vocation in the San Quentin media center. At the San Quentin festival, he won the Supported Artist Award from the International Documentary Association and an American Documentary award for his film “Dying Alone,” which focuses on three elderly men serving life sentences who are seeking compassionate release due to illnesses. His film is now eligible to be shown on PBS.
Louis Sale is another media worker who got a rare opportunity to pursue a film vocation and create a documentary called “Healing Through Hula,” a film about native Pacific Islanders who use hula dancing to find their way back to their culture. He won best short documentary. He has people interested in compensating him for his work.
Kevin D. Sawyer won an award for best documentary film pitch, about the history of prison journalism. “After I won about four different producers came up to me and said we need to talk about doing this documentary,” he said.
Any incarcerated person in California can be forced to labor for 30 years and never be paid. Many of us may never learn a real marketable skill or be able to be reasonably compensated for any work we do while incarcerated.
Sawyer and other award-winning incarcerated documentarians are gaining valuable skills that other incarcerated individuals only dream about. They are increasing their ability to gain a livable income after they reenter society.
I have been forced to work in dangerous conditions, in factories and fields, for almost 30 years, making wages as low as 8 cents an hour. I worked for decades without being able to build up a Social Security safety net, or being provided an opportunity to save money for my hope of returning to society. As it stands, any incarcerated person in California can be forced to labor for 30 years and never be paid. Many of us may never learn a real marketable skill or be able to be reasonably compensated for any work we do while incarcerated.
The real tragedy of it is, that after decades of forced labor in prison, many of us return to society unable to find a job or a place to live because we’re convicted felons. This reality must change. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new California model is based on a system of normalizing life in prison as close to society as possible. Attending a film festival and standing on a red carpet taking pictures with Hollywood celebrities is a great way to show it — but we also need a system that normalizes recognizing our humanity. We need a real opportunity to develop valuable skills and earn decent wages before we reenter society.
Californians voting no on Prop 6, only sets incarcerated people up for failure. If people are serious about public safety and lowering recidivism rates, the last remnants of slavery that exists in California prisons must go.
Steve Brooks is a California Local News Fellow with Bay City News Foundation, reporting from inside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. His perspective gives readers insight into issues and news from inside the prison. See more of his work at Inside/Out on Local News Matters.
Opinion: Prop. 6 was good for public safety, but California voters turned it down anyway
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THIS FALL I attended the first-ever film festival at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Big name celebrities attended, like Kerry Washington, star of the TV drama “Scandal,” comedians Jerry Seinfeld and W. Kamau Bell, and Cord Jefferson, winner of the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay this year for the film “American Fiction.”
I watched as guests mingled outside the prison’s Garden Chapel with incarcerated filmmakers, near a beautiful landscape and a water fountain. I saw photos being taken of those who stood on a strip of red carpet.
“This is one of the most beautiful days of my entire life,” said Jefferson. “I want you to know I have seen some of the greatest of humanity here, so much love and friendly vibes.”
Not long after that came the November election, when Californians voted no on Proposition 6, a ballot measure that would have amended the California Constitution to officially recognize incarcerated peoples’ humanity by eliminating involuntary servitude (i.e., forced labor), the last vestige of the brutal practice of slavery that still exists in California prisons.
Filmmakers working to change minds
A yes on Prop. 6 would have given incarcerated people freedom and autonomy to use our creative and intellectual abilities to pursue passions like filmmaking. Rahsaan “New York” Thomas is a formerly incarcerated person who lived under this inhumane system of forced servitude. Thomas co-created the San Quentin Film Festival.
While incarcerated, Thomas co-starred in the documentary “26.2 to Life: The San Quentin Prison Marathon,” a film about the transformative power of the SQ 1000 Mile Running Club. He produced a documentary called “Friendly Signs,” that focuses on an incarcerated man who learns sign language to communicate with his brother.
Before his release from prison, Thomas campaigned against dehumanizing treatment of the incarcerated, by working to get rid of words like “inmate” and by promoting terms like “incarcerated people.” He empowered himself through his writing.
“While incarcerated I was a Pulitzer Prize finalist with Ear Hustle podcast,” he told the film festival crowd. “I published 42 stories in 31 months in major publications through creating the Empowerment Avenue program.”
Attendees of the inaugural San Quentin Film Festival pose for photos on the red carpet, Oct. 10, 2024. From left: Filmmaker Louis Sales, San Quentin Film Festival Founder and Co-Director Cori Thomas, corrections officer L.L. Romero, SQFF Inside Team member Harold Meeks, The People In Blue Asst. Secretary/Sergeant at Arms Tam Nguyen, and President of The People In Blue Arthur D. Jackson. (The People In Blue via Bay City News)
By creating the San Quentin Film Festival, Thomas hopes to break down the walls of forced labor and inspire Hollywood elites to see the humanity and skill of the formerly and currently incarcerated. He is campaigning for fair and equal opportunities for employment and pay for those still in prison.
While the minimum wage in California is $16 an hour, incarcerated people only make between 16 cents an hour and a maximum of $2 for skilled peer mentor positions. Incarcerated firefighters may make between $5 and $10 a day. Besides money, Prop. 6 was about not forcing incarcerated people to work in dangerous situations, like we did during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two dozen of us died during COVID outbreaks and many of us were engaged in forced labor when we caught the virus. Prop. 6 was also about being able to choose an educational or vocational program, rather than forced labor.
Learning skills improves odds of earning wages
Bernard Raheem Ballard is an incarcerated person who got a rare opportunity to participate in a film vocation in the San Quentin media center. At the San Quentin festival, he won the Supported Artist Award from the International Documentary Association and an American Documentary award for his film “Dying Alone,” which focuses on three elderly men serving life sentences who are seeking compassionate release due to illnesses. His film is now eligible to be shown on PBS.
Louis Sale is another media worker who got a rare opportunity to pursue a film vocation and create a documentary called “Healing Through Hula,” a film about native Pacific Islanders who use hula dancing to find their way back to their culture. He won best short documentary. He has people interested in compensating him for his work.
Kevin D. Sawyer won an award for best documentary film pitch, about the history of prison journalism. “After I won about four different producers came up to me and said we need to talk about doing this documentary,” he said.
Sawyer and other award-winning incarcerated documentarians are gaining valuable skills that other incarcerated individuals only dream about. They are increasing their ability to gain a livable income after they reenter society.
I have been forced to work in dangerous conditions, in factories and fields, for almost 30 years, making wages as low as 8 cents an hour. I worked for decades without being able to build up a Social Security safety net, or being provided an opportunity to save money for my hope of returning to society. As it stands, any incarcerated person in California can be forced to labor for 30 years and never be paid. Many of us may never learn a real marketable skill or be able to be reasonably compensated for any work we do while incarcerated.
The real tragedy of it is, that after decades of forced labor in prison, many of us return to society unable to find a job or a place to live because we’re convicted felons. This reality must change. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new California model is based on a system of normalizing life in prison as close to society as possible. Attending a film festival and standing on a red carpet taking pictures with Hollywood celebrities is a great way to show it — but we also need a system that normalizes recognizing our humanity. We need a real opportunity to develop valuable skills and earn decent wages before we reenter society.
Californians voting no on Prop 6, only sets incarcerated people up for failure. If people are serious about public safety and lowering recidivism rates, the last remnants of slavery that exists in California prisons must go.
Steve Brooks is a California Local News Fellow with Bay City News Foundation, reporting from inside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. His perspective gives readers insight into issues and news from inside the prison. See more of his work at Inside/Out on Local News Matters.