By: Laura Talkington-Brady

Laura Talkington-Brady — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:52:17 +0000

Dear Mr. Beckles,
I appreciate your article and speaking with you during the family conference at the Ella Baker Center on Saturday, August 11, 2012. I just read this article and find it necessary to bring to your attention and the readers of this article a few corrections that I feel need to be made. Although an article in an FHM magazine did set me off, the struggles I had dealing with the CYA started back in 2000. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the staff at the Ella Baker Center in 2004 and learned about their campaign Books not Bars did I get involved with the campaign. Although I would love to say I was one of the founding members of Books Not Bars, that would not be the truth. In fact, the Books not Bars campaign was already a blessed reality. Books not Bars was formed to stop Alameda County’s plans to build what would have been one of the biggest juvenile halls in the country, and they accomplished just that. In 2004, is when the Books not Bars campaign to shut down the eight abusive youth prisons began. 2004 is also when Families for Books not Bars was formed with the collaboration of myself and two other mothers, Lourdes Duarte and Barbara Jackson. We now have more than 1,000 members across the state, and are growing. Another correction that needs to be addressed is that my son was stabbed 9 times, not 16 times. It’s important to note that this incident was perpetrated by the Fresno County jail’s correctional staff. It’s also important to note that on December 13, 2011, the Prison Law Office and other law firms filed a class action lawsuit seeking to remedy cruel and unusual conditions in the Fresno County Jail. The suit describes how prisoners have been subjected to violence and denied mental health care and medical treatment for life-threatening illnesses and injuries. I want to thank you again for this very important article, and just one final thing before I close, a hugh shout out to the staff at EBC because they are just amazing. These are the most caring, dedicated, hardworking group of people that I’ve been blessed and honored to work with and know. Sincerely, Laura Talkingon-Brady, a founding member of Families for Books not Bars

By: AGO

AGO — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:20:39 +0000

Thank you for the story, it is a powerful reminder that justice does not occur without action.

Comments on: At Books Not Bars event, family members and the formerly incarcerated share their stories

By: Laura Talkington-Brady

By: AGO