STORY BY JASON GREEN, STAFF WRITER
PHOTO VIA LINKEDIN
Within a city that is known for being home to several prominent gangs, one gang member named Lami J. Glenn Sr. from South Los Angeles was swatted for the possession of marijuana when it was illegal in 2006.
While being raided by law enforcement, Glenn was inflicted by a gunshot wound to the shoulder. After agreeing to a plea deal, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for possession of marijuana. He was in prison from 2006 to 2015, where he recovered from his injuries.
Glenn shared his story about being incarcerated and a presentation called “Race & the Criminal (In)Justice System,” which discussed different aspects of the justice system, at the Rising Scholars’ week-long event, “Let’s Not Talk About It” at Cypress College on Feb. 28.
Glenn was used to being in shootouts as a former active gang member, so his conviction of marijuana was not his first as he has also been convicted of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, gun possession, battery, and loitering.
During his time in prison, Glenn was moved to three prisons out of state, two in Arizona and another in Oklahoma. The bus ride to transfer prisoners from prison to prison was described as a difficult experience, Glenn said that the prisoners were treated like animals.
“You’re shackled up in a box, they put you in these uncomfortable buses,” Glenn said.
Glenn explained that the company Corecivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, was benefiting financially from adding prisoners by having contracts with prisons and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Glenn described the selection of prison transfers to other states as a lottery system, but one factor that linked all of it together was the security level. He noted that people faked having a mental illness to circumvent their selection, and they do not send those who have mental illnesses out of state.
Other than the bus rides, Glenn told those in attendance that it “felt like a coffin” when he slept in the middle of a triple bunk bed in prison.
After serving his time in prison and still on parole, he eventually found out about the Homeboys Industries, which, according to their website, is “the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.”
Securing a job as a felon is highly difficult, but through Homeboys Industries Glenn was provided job opportunities and got a job as a case manager. He is currently the fleet manager of Homeboys which oversees company and commercial vehicles and he also handles car donations.
Glenn was part of an 18-week program in which he took some classes and had therapy through the program. At the time, an intern at Homeboys, later the Dean of Secondary Schools Program at Harvard University, Dr. César A. Cruz noticed Glenn’s engagement and intelligence in class and suggested he attend a university, starting with one class.
Glenn was initially hesitant but went forward with it. He started at Los Angeles City College (LACC) from 2016 to 2019. Glenn’s parole ended in 2017, during his time at LACC. He graduated from LACC with an associate of arts in behavioral sciences and social psychology. Then, Glenn enrolled at California State University, Los Angeles.
Glenn graduated Summa Cum Lade with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, and a minor in pan African studies last year. He plans to pursue graduate school.
In his paper, “Introspection: An Expository Analysis of Police Brutality Against Unarmed Black Men,” he analyzes aspects of race and the differences between how black men are treated in the justice system.
Glenn addressed this with his thoughts and a video about the drug war that was initiated by President Richard Nixon in 1971. Perpetuated by President Ronald Regan, the drug war criminalized drug users. Glenn noted that it affected minorities, and led to the commercialization of Black prisoners.
Glenn said that people were selling drugs to make ends meet.
“For those who don’t know here in California, prop 36, arresting folks for having rock cocaine, sending them to prison – it wasn’t a problem, they didn’t think about reforming it until Robert Downey Jr. ended up in prison amongst real convicts that they would reform,” Glenn stated.
In the original Proposition 36 measure from the year 2000, vincentoliverlaw.com stated “If you had two or more previous convictions for ‘serious’ or ‘violent’ felonies, your third conviction could put you in jail for 25 years to life…” This was known as the three-strike law.
Proposition 36 of 2012, allows for people that have the three strikes an opportunity to be resentenced.
After mentioning the drug war, Glenn also spoke about the American Legislative Exchange Council in which he said they are creating policies that benefit themselves. The benefits are largely from prisons.
Glenn introduced attendees to the concept of the Million Dollar Hood project, which shows data on how much money is spent on incarcerating individuals. Between 2012 and 2016, the Los Angeles Police Department imposed over 19 billion dollars in bail money.
Glenn continued his presentation with modern-day slavery in which he elaborates by saying that inmates had to work to survive. He was the education clerk at the North Fork Correctional Facility where he said the fire department would train inmates and pay them about two dollars for putting out active fires.
Glenn agreed with someone in attendance about how once someone leaves, they do not have the money to get back into society due to their low wage. “[Inmates] get out and can’t get a job at the fire department,” Glenn stated, “This is our criminal justice system”.
Felons not only struggle with finding a job, but they also lose the right to financial benefits such as food stamps, housing assistance, and the ability to travel abroad.
While Glenn spoke of the negative facets of the criminal justice system, he provided some details of progress. “We can now vote,” said Glenn, noting the new law implemented in 2018 that allows felons to vote in various states.
His solution to fix the justice system, Glenn said, “The system is broken and it needs to be abolished.”
