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George Pollock State KidIssue 41
An Abandoned Prisoner
With some difficulty, guards strapped the prisoner introduced as Jean Valjean into a chair,while everybody in the dining hall stared at the creature. Just as Billy opened his mouthto speak, sounds of commotion came from outside.“What's that? Go find out.”An inmate hurried out of the hall and was quickly back. “There's an army out there..”“I don't think they'll attack. There are cops in here. They don't kill their own kind. What isit, staties or national guard or both?”“You don't understand. They're
 people
..”“People?”“Hundreds. From the East Side. They got signs. They're chanting.”Billy had hoped for support from the East Side, but had not counted on it.“We have a chance,” he whispered to Vera. To the inmate, he said, “Open the doors. Letin as many as we can fit.” Then, too softly for anybody to hear and to no one in particular,he said, “The more people in here, the safer we are.”“What if they start ...?”“Lock'em up.”The inmate hesitated.“Look, we have a prison to run. Now go. Wait. Don't seat anybody if I'm talking. Go.”Billy rose and motioned for quiet.“It seems that concerned citizens from the East Side are outside exercising the rights of assembly and free speech. Director Carson has invited in as many of them as fire codeswill permit. Ah, I see some are coming in now. Welcome. Sit wherever you like. Helpyourself to coffee and pastries.”As the people from outside filed in and found seats, Billy noted the discomfiture aroundthe head table. Community Dialogue Day had become an open forum and Carson and hisfellow head-tableists now had little room for maneuver. For the first time since theuprising began, Billy felt, if not safe, at least not on a road to certain doom. A place packed with innocents is as good as a fortress. Plus, he had picked up additionalfirepower -- some East Side men had guns.***Billy approached the head table with a livelier step.With a sweep of a hand toward “Jean Valjean,” Billy said, “No, this is not Jean Valjean.He is Emiliano Cervantes. But when I see him, I think of Jean Valjean, the convict in
 
Victor Hugo's novel, Les Miserables. I was finishing the last pages of the novel in theday-room about the same time that Julio de Cruz was killed. That's why I didn't see themurderous act. Emiliano Cervantes and Jean Valjean have much in common, as you willsee.“Let me tell you a little bit about Emiliano. He is 17 and has been in Granite City for three years. He has spent all but a few months of this time in the shoe, which is short for Secured Housing Unit. That's the maximum-security section where boys are kept who areconsidered too dangerous to be in the general population. When he first came here,Emiliano broke every rule in this institution. He got into fights. He destroyed things. Hethrew chairs and trays at staff and other students. He had bookings this thick. He was putin the shoe where he has been since.“What is his life like in the shoe? He's locked up twenty-three and a half hours a day. Hespends a half hour a day in the rec yard by himself. He takes medications for anxiety anddepression. All medications, food and other necessities are brought to his cell and shovedthrough a slot. He eats with his fingers because, if given a spoon, he would use it as aweapon. He's given a supervised shower twice a week. His hair is long and matted because cutting it would be dangerous for staff. For the safety of others, he does notattend classes or recreational activities. His main amusement is cussing the staff, tauntingthem and playing head games with them. He tries to pull them closer so he can throwfood, urine, and his own solid waste at them.“This is Emiliano's life all day every day. To be leading such a life, one would naturallyassume that Emiliano Cervantes must have committed some awful crimes. One would bemistaken. However, he did commit extremely bad judgment in picking a father whowould be murdered when he was an infant and a mother who would be too poor and tooafraid of life to care for a baby. And so baby Emiliano became a ward of the state of Massachusetts, beginning an odyssey of living with strangers in exactly 26 differenthomes before running away at age 14.“He never had a mother to love him, or a father, or anyone else. Emiliano went through babyhood, toddlerhood, childhood and early adolescence with strangers who took him infor money and who cared more about the family dog. And now he faces adulthood aloneand caged like an animal. After being caught, he was sent straight to Granite City School.Why? The short answer is because he was without family, alone, and powerless. But therewas another reason -- sinister and outrageous -- about which we will hear shortly.***Billy walked over to Emiliano and stood beside him.“Emiliano Cervantes is not a worm ... or a goat ... or a tree; he is the same as each of us --a thinking and feeling human being with a beating heart pumping warm blood through hisveins. He is a child of God with an eternal soul. To me, he is also family because I havetaken Emiliano Cervantes as my brother.“ Not used to such selfless sentiments, all at the head table took on various expressions of  pain and embarrassment, except for Dr. Bridges, whose bystander expression did notchange. Skepticism swept through the press. People of all loyalties looked around,wondering openly what to make of Billy's overdone gesture. Not the inmate guards, however. Spontaneously, they shouted, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
 
while pumping fists in the air. TV cameras panned to them. Prodded by their captors,Carson's guards added their approval of Billy's expressions of brotherhood toward onesorry sight of a prisoner.Emiliano struggled to talk through his gag.“You want to say something, Emiliano?”He nodded his head yes.“Can you behave?”He nodded.“If not, the gag goes back on. Understand?”He nodded again.Billy motioned for a guard to remove the gag. Emiliano cleared his throat. He coughed.He motioned for Billy to come closer. As soon as Billy did, he spat in his face andlaughed hysterically.The assembly groaned en masse.
My God! Did you see that?
Vera shrieked and rushed to Billy. The inmate guards slapped the gag back on Emiliano.Vera untied her red flag and wiped Billy's face with it.“Thank you, Vera. Pleasant fellow, isn't he?”Vera went over to Emiliano, gave him a look to slice flesh to the bone, and slapped hisface with every ounce of her body weight behind the blow. CRACK! The slapreverberated throughout the hall.The motley audience gasped as one. Hand on his face, Emiliano sat bug-eyed withdisbelief. Captain O'Toole's right index finger went to the side of his nose. Mouths at thehead table hung open.“Vera!” Billy said.“He deserved it.”Billy whispered, “Yes, but we're on TV, you know.”“I don't care.”“Look, no more of that, okay?”“Okay, but he deserved it.”***Billy returned to addressing the assembly at large.“Now, should I spit in Emiliano's face? Give him payback, as we say here? Teach himconsequences as they say in behavior-mod class? Good idea --
if 
I want to legitimize such behavior ...
if 
I want to degrade myself and further victimize Emiliano ...
if 
I want todemonstrate beyond a doubt that we both belong here. No, I'll just say that we have both been victims long enough.
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Goldylocks

hehe ...cool...i wish i had more time

reply03 / 20 / 2007
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