Something in COMMON

Leading up to concert day, October 18, 2018, people would ask, “Is Common actually gonna perform here?”  On the tenth, I came out at noon (for insulin) and saw that a real concert stage was being set-up, on the back of an 18-wheeler trailer, with huge speakers. It was super-amazing just to see it, cause I’ve never seen a concert. After all my incarceration started in 1996 when I was 21-years-old.  (I’m excited just recalling it!). 

 

The night of the concert – approximately 6:45 p.m., after security “pat-downs”, my building (#1) was let out. I wheeled my wheelchair around the track. At first, I was limited to staying on the concrete. I could hear really loud thumping music and see hazy concert smoke and lights.  The other disabled brotha, who is blind, and I stood at an ADA table as the grass field quickly became crowded. Suddenly, an Inmate Disability Aid (IDA) worker came and wheeled me onto the grass, taking me a lot closer to the stage. 

 

The show started and the audience erupted when Common (dressed in all black wearing a hoodie) energetically hit the stage. We were even louder once he started rappin!  Watching the show, I kept forgetting I was in prison, but reality jarred me back to life each time I saw a clique or crew walk in either direction.  [I say this because I’ve seen a lot in my 22 years here. Even on the streets (freeworld) there are a lot of fights at rap concerts, so being vulnerable (disabled), my security was paramount]. On the stage, Common’s energy radiated in a truly positive fashion!  Leaving no race out, Common gave shouts of love and respect to us all:  Asians, Blacks, Latino’s, Native American’s and Whites.  I truly felt the impact of the positive messages in his songs. No concert has ever made me think about so much!  Like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol I saw my past, thought about where I’m at and even dared to dream about the future. [Understand, that as a LWOPer, dreaming is something that I never do!]

 

(This experience caused me to drop tears). In prison, it’s taboo to expose vulnerability, cause it’s always exploited as a weakness. The Youthful Offender Program (YOP) inmates were loudly chanting – Common, Common, Common!  The YOP’s had gotton special time with the entire ARC Crew and Scott Budnick before the concert. Dudes who I wouldn’t have thought to be into it were bobbin’ their heads front to back and wavin’ their hands back and forth!  All races were intermingling!

 

Understand that prison is a place where many people don’t like one another. Despite that fact, there were (under cover of darkness, and in a crowded concert in prison) no stabbings!  No one snuck into the middle of the crowd, crept up behind someone to reach around and slice their throat.  There wasn’t even one fight!  I was stunned that nothing happened.  A true anomaly!  I was also happy that for one night our collective hope for a better future was more important than retribution or the lure of false prestige or the artificial respect that a gang gives members who “put in work for the crew.”  

 

The concert was awesome. Between songs, Common reached out with positive messages for us all. He told us it’s our future and that he is there for us). I really felt his genuineness.  Common came down from stage and hugged all brothas of all races standing at the barrier.  Back on stage, he asked, “We got any rappers out there? Who can rap?”  Suddenly, helped on stage was an Asian (Hmong) brotha, about 5 ½ ft. tall, with four strands of braided hair, 2 on each side, same length as his height. Then the DJ started playing a beat, and the crowd gets hella hyped up. The inmate rapper known as Cha-Zilla missed the starting beat and the crowd said, “Aww!”  Then the next beat came and Cha-Zilla was on it, spitting lyrics with the beat flow, one of his hands holding the mic and the other rhythmically moving to the rhythm of his words!  It was hella cool! 

 

Common reached out to us all and created a truly positive atmosphere.  Even staff got in on the act, nodding their heads and recording the show – signified by cell-phones held in the air!  It was almost like that for the duration of the ARC concert, no one noticing who wore blue (inmates) or green (the correctional officers). It felt like we were one, without racial barriers!  In my 22 prison-years, I’ve never seen or experienced anything like it, and I mean that!  Hope was inspired, unity was formed. Between songs, Common introduced his fellow performers (to my best recall):  the DJ – Ace; electric guitar – Julian; the background singing Sista – Abdul-Karim; drummer – Phil. Common also talked about MC’s he grew up to: KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and recent greats: Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z and a few more. 

 

After performing a few more awesome songs – which transferred more of Common’s energy to the crowd, he finished with shout outs to other agencies that help us and our families: Initiate Justice; Ella Baker Foundation; Gina Clayton’s Esse Justice Group, all names I’ve come to know through my correspondence with them over the years, and shout outs to us, SATF “E” yard, to Warden Sherman for approving the concert and all the staff here.  Then Scott Budnick got on the mic, told us he’s with us and described Chicago’s Windy City native and described how hard Common fought for us in (The State Capitol) – Sacramento to pass bills helping us to go home early. Then hope really spoke. Former “lifers,” one by one to a respectfully purely silent audience who now work with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) spoke. After each said their name, stated how much time “they did.” “I did 22 to life!”, “I brought 30!”, “I fought a 25 to life – ya’ll know me!” and also two sistas, one black sista – “I did 20 years!” and one Latino sista – “I did 25+ years (on a LWOP!)” I could not believe it, a former LWOP was on stage! I’m a current LWOP! Then ARC executive Director, Shaka Senghor got the mic and gave us love, told us he’s working hard for us and knows (as a former ‘lifer’) what we’re going through, saying, “I’ve worn your shoes and I won’t forget!”

 

My experience was positive, hopeful. A concert during which I experienced a past, present, and future emotional journey, a night free of violence – inside a prison at a rap concert.

 

I gained hope for a future in which I could use my skills just like the current force of ARC who are former ‘lifers’. Common said “PEACE GODS!” to all his brothas, us.  The whole experience energized me, empowering me with hope and made me come to a realization, that under my ‘state-blues’ is a guru untapped!

 

NOTE: In the days surrounding this event, I kept hearing about the Youthful Offender Program (YOP) sponsor and all the uncountable hours he put in to ensure this whole ARC event would actually happen. CCI-DelaCruz actually counsels and assists us strive for better and greater things; he can breakdown lyrics and actually reach us. I made it a point to mention him because most staff become CCIs to have weekends off and Lieutenant level pay.  DelaCruz teaches us how to turn stumbling blocks in to stepping stones. That’s why ARC’s show happened here – at SATF – (Facility ‘E’).