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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Straight Out of I Love Lucy
Drew (middle) after his release from 7 days of fasting in jail. Claire and TJ (two other No Blood for Oil 12-ers) stand with him.At 12:10 a.m. this morning, Drew walked out of jail with his arm raised - a great photo op. He was free. And alone. His people, his support, his ride home were not there.
Meanwhile, three of us, hung out in front of the jail until around 1:15 a.m., wondering how long it takes to process someone out of jail. We had a nice time together.
It was a beautiful night; perfect weather, real quiet. Quiet, except for the moments just after midnight when inmates above us were banging on the windows - really loudly. Were they the No Blood for Oil 12 women inmates? We couldn't see who they were. Inmates only get two or three 1/2 hour visits a week - through a glass partition - depending on what level of confinement they are in. The people reaching out to us by knocking on the windows were exercising their other option of face-to-face connection with the outside - an option probably not smiled upon by the guards, considering the time of night.
Around 1:15, Claire pushed The Button a second time to speak to the voice behind it. The first time she had pushed it, THE BUTTON'S voice wouldn't give us any information, but this time, we were told that Drew had been released through the Work Release door a little after midnight.
Condensed ending: We finally found Drew. He had been expecting, if not a nice reception into freedom, at least a ride home. And he got both. After waiting 1 1/2 hours. And you know what? He was not mad. What a beautiful man! He said he would rather spend the night waiting outside than spend it sleeping in jail. He said that he learned a lot of patience in there. He probably didn't expect his first test to occur the moment he set foot outside, but I'd say he aced the test.
People like him give me strength.
.
posted by Carol at 8:53 AM
4 Comments:
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Carol -- I had no idea these wonderful people had done this! What a brave, courageous bunch. I wish I had their courage and tenacity!
Peace!
Amy
Hi Amy! Today I will interview Drew - now that he has gotten home and recovered - and I will write about his jail experiences on my blog. I am finding the jail system to be quite interesting.
You are right. These are some awesome people! But I don't think that courage only comes in the form of getting arrested and going to jail. There are many expressions of courage, and I think that, through your voice, through the way that you stand up, even in your grief, you have displayed a courage that touches my heart.
We're all drops in the ocean...
I won't be going to Camp Casey this summer, Amy. Will you be there? I didn't get to meet you last time, but I saw you and heard you speak. I will be at Camp Casey in spirit this time.
Oh, BTW, I found your blog. I will post the link.
Amy....you, Cindy and the other Goldstar's are the real courage and an important part of my nourishment. If transportation appears I will be at the Camp...as you know these are empowering experiences...Peace/Dance/Defy
Drew Edmondson
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