EMERGENCY UPDATE ON ANTONIO BATTLE
Hello friends-
First, an apology. A lot of great things have been happening with the work at NIC on Rikers Island, and I will tell you about it soon. In fact, I have most of the email drafted, but just need to fill in a couple of blanks before sending it.
Now, though, I have a request. It's not monetary, though it involves someone who has received funds you've kindly given. My long-timers probably know the name Antonio Battle, who was in my first workshop at Rikers and has been struggling through the legal system after being picked up on a minor drug charge and held at Rikers for over two years on $250,000 bail (that's the same amount that Roger Stone got out on last week, for a point of comparison). He was finally released last November after serving almost all of the time on his coerced plea, and had a small nest egg I crowdsourced from you guys and no place to stay. He ended up at Jamaica Hospital in Queens for a few weeks, then went to Faith Mission, a halfway house in the same area. He left there two weeks ago with his girlfriend to another shelter for couples in Far Rockaway, and they both have spent most of the past week looking for jobs.
Yesterday he was supposed to come out to the re-entry workshop I run with my colleagues Joni Schwartz and Jackie Cangro. He never made it, and his girlfriend texted me that she hadn't seen him all day and was worried. This morning she texted me to say he was picked up from their shelter and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Complex (MDC). Yes, that MDC, possibly the coldest place in the entire city last week during possibly the coldest front we'll see this year.
His crime: Not telling his parole officer about this "change of address." A few things are worth unpacking here: 1) His parole officer told him not to worry about it, that they would figure it out when he got settled. 2) They obviously knew where he was, as they sent officers there to collect and detain him. 3) THE MAN IS HOMELESS. I.e., he has no address to change. He is at the will of a loose configuration of shelters and halfway houses that all have end dates to his temporary stays there, and has no phone to call a PO and almost no money for a MetroCard to make his parole appointments (I gave him the last of the working budget from y'all's donations on Sunday to buy him a few rides to make job interviews).
Another thing I should add: Antonio was on an upward trajectory. He finally had his meds under control. He and his girlfriend were seeking permanent housing. He is due a settlement for the permanent nerve damage to his wrist he suffered while incarcerated. He was set to start our workshop last night so he could continue the work of using words to heal.
All that has been wiped away now, and he and his girlfriend will be starting from scratch. His girlfriend even lost her place at the shelter because she is no longer part of a couple.
What I'm asking from you now, as a friend and an ally, is action. If you're in the city, call your councilperson and/or representative. It can be as simple as using social media to mention the injustice put upon him, or even just retweeting/sharing the posts you see from me about him on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter.
Or find your own ways of using your influence, of lending your privilege, of holding your space with the world. Remember, this is a live case, and these kinds of injustices can only exist in darkness. Be the one, or ones, to get a friend of a friend out from an unjust incarceration because the right person reads or hears your words.
Feel free to email me back if you want more information or want to talk this out further. I'm undoubtedly leaving out plenty of important information, and have probably left in some typos, simply because I'm so livid as I write this.
And as always: Thanks, Fam.
Oh, and one last thing: Antonio has given he permission to tell his story honestly and frankly, and I take this responsibility seriously. I wish he was given the voice that I'm allowed, and I hope in our common future that he will be.
Re/Creation is now running a fundraiser from July 12-31 with limited edition t-shirts and coffee mugs featuring Antonio Battle’s work. Please considering buying one (or more!). All funds will go to Antonio as he continues to struggle and strive in his work and in his reentry.