After combing through my Disney photo albums searching for a picture of myself on the "It’s a Small World Afterall" ride and coming up empty-handed, I thought I’d just go ahead and use the photo shown, where my back is to the camera. I understand why TygressTwin (her link, "From Behind Bars") would choose a series of artwork for her blog and a profile view that doesn’t show her face. In this chosen profession, where you sometimes deal with an unsavory crowd, you’re bound to run into a few ex-felons from time to time.For instance: Before Media Play went belly up, my wife and I stood in line waiting to make a purchase when a rather heavyset man approached me. I stepped out of line and soon we were in the front of the store talking. He was an ex-felon and former student of mine at a Detroit prison. He used to tell me, especially after I’d written tickets on him for missing class, that one day he’d get out and I’d better hope I didn’t run into him. I remember him flexing his pecs, one up, one down, trying to intimidate the hell out of me. Well, not anymore. I joked with him, quietly of course, out of earshot of his wife or girlfriend, that it looked like he’d been eating quite well, and he in turn asked if I still worked at the joint. Nothing really came of our conversation, we soon parted ways, and my wife, seeing that he was of a different complexion (not that that should matter), asked if it was okay to go out into the parking lot. Unsure of an answer, I said, "Well, we’ll soon find out."
I’ve always tried to treat people with respect, regardless of their predicament in life. Here are some other incidents:
In Michelle Brooks’s Creative Writing Class (Her link, "Michelle’s Spells"), a student asked me if I worked at "such-such" correctional facility. Hesitantly, I answered, "Yes." He told me his brother’s doing time there for robbing a Pep Boys.
A current student of mine, whom I just wrote an "Out of Place/AWOL" ticket on, doesn’t know that my dad had sold his dad a tailgate off a totaled F-150 truck.
A previous tutor of mine, an old Polish guy doing time for CSC (Criminal Sexual Misconduct), worked in the maintenance department at my wife’s place of employment. She and the others in her office suite knew of him. They’d thought he went to prison for stealing.
My wife’s cousin from Novi encountered an ex-inmate tutor of mine and let him walk through their house which was up for sale.
My dad’s fellow coworker, in a drunken state of mind, ran over a sheriff patrolman on Lake St. Clair with his boat, decapitating him. He ended up doing time at the facility I’m currently working at. I believe he has since transferred.
An old-timer prisoner asked if I was related to so-and-so. Turns out, he was referring to my deceased grandfather. Back in the 70’s my grandfather supervised trustees on a Jackson Prison farm.
A fellow catfish tournament member from our immediate group visits his son at the Adrian Correctional Facility, where his son is doing time for drug possession.
An ex-felon had to tow my van out of the parking lot where I work. He said he reluctantly made the trip to my facility, recalling too many bad memories of the time he had been "locked up." I had to give him my driver’s license and Triple A card.
If you go out into public, you’re bound to run into someone who has been in prison. Keep that in mind. I'm not saying to live your life in fear. Just remember: It’s a small world.
8 comments:
Hey Jim,
Loved this post. Fascinating and creepy. The world is indeed small, even though it's big. Two degrees of separation seems to be getting all-too-common. Not exactly the best kind of community we might hope for. I guess it's more like anti-community, in a sense. And then there's the internet!
Cheers,
Erik
I know exactly what you mean. We were at a restaurant & the waitress said to me "I know you from somewhere, I've seen your face". I didn't recognize her at all. Finally she realized I had treated & transported her from the scene of her car accident. She certainly looked different, much better. Then I started thinking about the families that have lost loved ones, and I was there. What if I run into one of them & don't remember them or their loved one? I've started paying more attention to everyone involved on the scene since then.
Great post and picture. I would have to agree with Eric. The phrase "anticommunity" works for me. On another note JR you are up to 940 hits. Congrats. Keep them coming. MW
My father worked for the Texas Dept. of Corrections for a long time. He taught me first hand, not all felons are horrid people.
It's all creepy I agree, but I actually have a man in my employ that did 14 years. He served his time, and that's all.
I try too to base each case individually, but it is very hard sometimes as a human not to stereotype or be afraid.
Jim,
I hear you on this post! It's a very very very small world, so small that it gives me the creeps at times. It's all summed up with the Joan Didion story about convincing a friend that there would be "all new people" at a party in NYC. He got there and told Joan D that he'd slept with five of the women and owed three of the men money. That sums it up for me. Great post!
Thankfully, I grew up in a different state than the one I'm teaching in. I haven't met an Idaho inmate I knew yet. I also haven't seen one on the outside ... I'm sure it's just a matter of time.
Theme for the twilight zone begins.
Yes, it is a small world, yet one has to ask if this is really so, why does it cost so much freaking money to drive across town?
JB
Jim, This also reminds me of the Twilight Zone. Would be interesting to producing such stuff! It's a very small world these days especially with today's technology. I'm sitting here in Spain reading your blog! Bro Ron
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