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<v Speaker 1>Speaking of story, you're an author, you have a new

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<v Speaker 1>book coming out. Can you let my private talk listeners

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<v Speaker 1>what's your books about and where we can find it?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, Well, it should be released around March seventeenth. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>so it's not quite ready for release. But it's called

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<v Speaker 2>Triple Jeopardy, and it's about my journey with the federal

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<v Speaker 2>government and indictment. I was indicted and convicted of a

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<v Speaker 2>crime that I did not do, and they convicted me

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<v Speaker 2>three times on the same felony. What they did is

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<v Speaker 2>they just came back a different way and called it

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<v Speaker 2>a superseding indictment. So basically it's just the same charges

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<v Speaker 2>and they did it to me three times. And we

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<v Speaker 2>were a highly political family in Philadelphia, very prominent. I

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<v Speaker 2>was a former commissioner. I served nine years on the

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<v Speaker 2>State Board of Cosmetology under two different governors. My background,

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<v Speaker 2>I did public relations work for I had my own company,

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<v Speaker 2>and I also was a feature stylist for the International

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<v Speaker 2>hairshow I'm old.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, girl, you you've you're seasoned in a very lovely way.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know what I mean. That means like you

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<v Speaker 1>have so many you know, layers to the onion, the

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<v Speaker 1>peel back of the layers, which makes the most beautiful

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<v Speaker 1>woman that you are. And I appreciate you know you

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<v Speaker 1>coming and sharing you know, those things with us. But

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<v Speaker 1>you know you have so many accolades and you have

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<v Speaker 1>all these you know, big accomplishments. How did it feel like,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, we were speaking earlier, like you'd never been

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<v Speaker 1>in trouble before, and now you're being tried and or

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<v Speaker 1>you're being convicted of something three times basically the same thing,

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<v Speaker 1>which you know that you can't be double deperty, but

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<v Speaker 1>they woanted it made it something different, to make it

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<v Speaker 1>like you were even more wrongful it was exactly. So

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<v Speaker 1>how did that make you feel like it was? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>did you were you like thinking it was a joke.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you think that it was like where is this

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<v Speaker 1>coming from? Am I being targeted?

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<v Speaker 2>Like?

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<v Speaker 1>How did that really even affect your life?

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<v Speaker 2>Well? Actually I knew I was being targeted because the

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<v Speaker 2>whole the whole reason that the federal government came after

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<v Speaker 2>me is because my husband was an extremely prominent cleric

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<v Speaker 2>in Philadelpa. And you know how it always comes down

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<v Speaker 2>to the electoral college for wins the national the presidency.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you take Pennsylvania, you pretty much are guaranteed

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<v Speaker 2>if you're a Republican or Democratic, you take Pennsylvania because

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<v Speaker 2>it has a lot of electoral colleges. And so my

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<v Speaker 2>husband was very tied in with unions and clerics, and

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<v Speaker 2>he was actually on the prison board, okay, and so

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<v Speaker 2>he had lots of tie ins with everybody, and it's

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<v Speaker 2>almost like not kissing the ring. But it was like

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<v Speaker 2>if you want to be elected for a local state,

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<v Speaker 2>or you're going.

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<v Speaker 1>To do this for me, and it's not you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to get convicted.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, So what what what? What it was is that

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<v Speaker 2>my husband had a company and the company was doing

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<v Speaker 2>very well, and so he got a contract from the governor,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean not from the governor, from the state and

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<v Speaker 2>from the city, which the federal government said it was

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<v Speaker 2>paid to play, but it was really just something for

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<v Speaker 2>them to use to come at him, because if you

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<v Speaker 2>take Pennsylvania, you can take the presidency, okay. So and

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<v Speaker 2>then it was right after nine to eleven, okay, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're Muslims, so right after nine to eleven, and then

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<v Speaker 2>so who's the prime people to come after when people

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<v Speaker 2>are thinking all Muslims are terrorists and or there's something

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<v Speaker 2>weird about them or whatever. So when they came at us, first,

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<v Speaker 2>they came after him and the mayor, and they were

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<v Speaker 2>after the governor, and they were after other people too,

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<v Speaker 2>And then they came and charged me with a crime

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<v Speaker 2>that was totally unrelated. We had a program at our school.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't want to tell too much about it because

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<v Speaker 2>I want them to read the book. But we had

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<v Speaker 2>a program at our school that was associated with the

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<v Speaker 2>community college in Philadelphia, and I all I did was

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<v Speaker 2>sign the rental agreement. Well, they said it was a

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<v Speaker 2>bogus program, which is not true. The existed, and so

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<v Speaker 2>they came at me with that, and through my lawyer,

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<v Speaker 2>I was offered a chance to do a plea bargain. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not ghetto. I didn't grow up that way. I

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<v Speaker 2>grew up upper class very well, you know, in the

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<v Speaker 2>best areas of Philadelphia.

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<v Speaker 1>And you knew your rights.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, But also I believed in our system of justice.

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<v Speaker 2>And there's no way someone can find me guilty for

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<v Speaker 2>something that I didn't.

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<v Speaker 1>Do, because that's what we were taught to believe, you

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<v Speaker 1>know what I mean, like, you know and believe in

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<v Speaker 1>the justice system that you know, that's what it's all taught.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's like, how are you not going to believe

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<v Speaker 1>in someone like yourself has never done anything wrong? Like,

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<v Speaker 1>why are you going to convict me?

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<v Speaker 2>Right, Alexis when I tell you that I didn't even

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<v Speaker 2>have a moving violation, Okay, parking tickets, I didn't get them.

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<v Speaker 2>My son, my husband, they got them, but I made

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<v Speaker 2>sure we always paid them. I dited all the eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>crossed all the t's. And so my book is not

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<v Speaker 2>about a woe is me because I'm not a weak person,

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<v Speaker 2>But you come after someone that lives a laverish life.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm hanging out with and doing work for Don King

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<v Speaker 2>and Muhammad Ali, and well not actually working for Don King,

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<v Speaker 2>but I created a mascot for boxing, and I did

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of different things, you know, associated with Don

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<v Speaker 2>King productions, and I did things associated with Muhammad Ali.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually I brought Muhammad Ali to be honored in city

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<v Speaker 2>Hall in Philadelphia in the early seventies, and they were

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<v Speaker 2>not amazing. They were not taking a lot of particularly

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<v Speaker 2>Muslims into city Hall to be honored. And then I

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<v Speaker 2>also had a radio show that I did health and

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<v Speaker 2>beauty tips. Okay, at one time I thought myself cute

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<v Speaker 2>enough to do some health and beauty tips.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, girl, you know you're cute. Stop lyinges if I

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<v Speaker 1>was private talkinism and they.

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<v Speaker 2>Know you're cute, Well, I thought I was hot, I'll

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<v Speaker 2>put it that way. To do some health and beauty tips.

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<v Speaker 2>And I was a featured stylist for the International Hair Show,

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<v Speaker 2>so I like basically could write my own ticket in

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<v Speaker 2>Philadelphia like a local celebrity amongst those that knew me,

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<v Speaker 2>and I produced the number one radio show in Philadelphia

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<v Speaker 2>at the time. Amazing.

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<v Speaker 1>Gotta give it up to you. Yeah, I love it.

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<v Speaker 1>You're it's such an inspiration and have you know, such

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<v Speaker 1>a strong woman, And even even those people would try

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<v Speaker 1>to hould you back in the beginning of eve whatever,

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<v Speaker 1>your fight was so much stronger, and you know, you're

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<v Speaker 1>here to tell your story and you know, give people

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<v Speaker 1>like myself hope to like, you know, regardless of what

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<v Speaker 1>downfalls that people try to put in front of you,

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<v Speaker 1>you can still keep going and keep fighting back.

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<v Speaker 2>You know. I think what's really important is that people

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<v Speaker 2>for if they take anything from my book, is that

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<v Speaker 2>they take resilience, because that's what brings you back. You

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<v Speaker 2>have to have a spirit of fight in you because

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<v Speaker 2>you have to reckon. Like you asked me earlier, how

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<v Speaker 2>did I feel about it? Well, first of all, you're

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<v Speaker 2>kind of numb because you can't really believe that this

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<v Speaker 2>is really happening, especially when you're innocent. And I've always

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<v Speaker 2>been the person that if I've done something, you can

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<v Speaker 2>bet your life I'm gonna tell you I did it.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I wasn't the girl in high school that

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<v Speaker 2>if I said something about you and they told you,

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<v Speaker 2>I wasn't gonna deny it. Almost the one like, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I said it, and what okay? Yeah, okay. And I'm

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<v Speaker 2>not like a person that was in a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>fights or anything like that. But if I said it,

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<v Speaker 2>I'll own it. So if I did it, and I'm

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<v Speaker 2>a religious person, Okay, I'm not the most devout Muslim,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not even trying to say that, but I am

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<v Speaker 2>a believer in a law, and I believe that, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>we have to answer to that higher power. So if

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<v Speaker 2>I offend one of God's creatures, the first thing I

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<v Speaker 2>want to do is ask God's forgiveness, get forgiveness from

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<v Speaker 2>that person, and then forgive myself for doing it, and

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<v Speaker 2>then move on and try to make amends as best

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<v Speaker 2>as I could. So if I did it, I would say,

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<v Speaker 2>like a lot of women that I met in prison

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<v Speaker 2>and that said, hey, look, I knew I was wrong.

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<v Speaker 2>I knew I was selling drugs. I knew I was

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<v Speaker 2>doing this, So I did the crime. I know I

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<v Speaker 2>got to do this time. They own it. Yeah, And

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<v Speaker 2>that's one of the things that I want people to

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<v Speaker 2>also understand too, is that there are some really decent

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<v Speaker 2>women who have been incarcerated when they could have just

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<v Speaker 2>gone into a drug program, okay. And many of them

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<v Speaker 2>are in there because of.

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<v Speaker 1>Men and they didn't have the resources too or you.

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<v Speaker 2>Know, exactly exactly many of them. And the other thing

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<v Speaker 2>that really surprised me is because be an African American,

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<v Speaker 2>you always hear or it's a reality that a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of African Americans go through the justice system and go

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<v Speaker 2>to prison. Well, I went to Danbury Federal Prison, and

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<v Speaker 2>I was surprised that the majority of people were not

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<v Speaker 2>African American. They were white. They were white women, and

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<v Speaker 2>most of them were in there because of some crime

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<v Speaker 2>with a man, a baby daddy or whatever, okay. And

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to focused to how women are treated so

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<v Speaker 2>different by men. When they are loyal to the men,

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<v Speaker 2>they're right or die, Okay, they take the charge or whatever.

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<v Speaker 2>And if that guy is around like six days, five days,

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<v Speaker 2>three days, they're lucky. Okay. The just the horrific thing

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<v Speaker 2>said women have to go for. There's one woman that

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<v Speaker 2>I meant she was already had already done eighteen years,

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<v Speaker 2>and my first sentence was twenty four months. So I'm

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<v Speaker 2>not gonna go crying about me doing twenty four months

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<v Speaker 2>to somebody who's.

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<v Speaker 1>Got a much a bigger d yeh much bigger.

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<v Speaker 2>But when I found out that it was her first defense, okay,

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<v Speaker 2>she had a thirty year sentence. She's out now, she's

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<v Speaker 2>in her fifties.

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<v Speaker 1>That's crazy.

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<v Speaker 2>She'll never have a baby for a first offense. No violence,

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<v Speaker 2>because you can't be at the camp if there was

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<v Speaker 2>a gun involved, or it's like a violent crime that

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<v Speaker 2>the camp is for basically white collar crimes and stuff

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<v Speaker 2>like that, or if you've done maybe something that had

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<v Speaker 2>to do with not white collar. But you go to

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<v Speaker 2>a higher security prison and then as your points come

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<v Speaker 2>down so you don't get in trouble, they come down,

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<v Speaker 2>your security risk comes down lower and lower until you

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<v Speaker 2>get to a camp, which is the lowest it's like

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<v Speaker 2>minimal security. And so just some of the stories that

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<v Speaker 2>I heard about these women is why I wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>write the book. I wanted to write the book for

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<v Speaker 2>not just for myself, just to tell people, Oh, up

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<v Speaker 2>in the prison, they wrong me, because I don't care

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<v Speaker 2>about that. I'm still here. You know, I bounce back.

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<v Speaker 2>I live well, I'm comfortable. But when they brought my

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<v Speaker 2>children in, when I wouldn't go along because they wanted

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<v Speaker 2>me to say that my husband and the mayor and

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<v Speaker 2>all these people that I knew that it was pay

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<v Speaker 2>to play, which is real strange within itself. It's pay

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<v Speaker 2>to play when my husband gets a contract, but when

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<v Speaker 2>Dick Cheney gets a contract, or the president's family gets

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<v Speaker 2>a contract. And I'm talking about a specific president. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>just talking about they get contracts with the prisons, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>for all of the commissary, Okay, one of the president's

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<v Speaker 2>family members has a contract with I'm not talking about

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump because this is before Donald Trump. So I'm

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<v Speaker 2>not saying a specific president because I'm just saying that's

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<v Speaker 2>the way the system works. So I don't understand how

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<v Speaker 2>it is that even if they thought that my husband

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<v Speaker 2>got the contracts because he did and help people get elected,

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<v Speaker 2>and when elected officials give contracts to people who pay

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<v Speaker 2>and buy into their campaigns. I don't understand the whole

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<v Speaker 2>reason that they came after him anyway, because even if

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<v Speaker 2>that was the reason, it's done all the time. But

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<v Speaker 2>when they want to turn something into a crime, they

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<v Speaker 2>can make something a crime that's not okay, like triple

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<v Speaker 2>jeopardy that's unheard of. Okay. So but anyway, so that's

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<v Speaker 2>why I was writing the book because I want people

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<v Speaker 2>to know the story, but mostly I want to vindicate

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<v Speaker 2>my children, because after I would not go along with

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<v Speaker 2>them and say, okay, my lawyer said to me, he said,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, they'll offer you six months. I can get

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<v Speaker 2>you six months and probation and for sixty thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 2>you could do a plea bargain. Okay. I'm like, no,

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<v Speaker 2>for what because I didn't know anything, and I know

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<v Speaker 2>what Joy's going to find me not guilty, Yeah, because

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<v Speaker 2>I know I.

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<v Speaker 1>Do have faith that it's gonna be your way because

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<v Speaker 1>you didn't do any There are.

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<v Speaker 2>Jury but anybody who thinks that you're going to go

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<v Speaker 2>into a federal court. Okay, up against all their money. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>how much money you have, go up in a federal

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<v Speaker 2>court and you're going to beat them.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not going to happen.

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<v Speaker 2>Not going to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's the sad part is like you know, when

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<v Speaker 1>they really want you, they're going to make it happen

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<v Speaker 1>in their favor. And that's obviously You're you're a witness

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<v Speaker 1>or an attest to all of this right now. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>triple like you said, triple jeopardy is unheard of. And

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that you know, you you know, lived and

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<v Speaker 1>survived and you know you did your time and all

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<v Speaker 1>that stuff like that and you're still here. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's an amazing and make sures you how a strong

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<v Speaker 1>and powerful woman that you really are. But I have

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<v Speaker 1>a question look for you. It's because you know you

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<v Speaker 1>did your time so long ago. Why now, why write

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<v Speaker 1>the book now? When you you know you saw these

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<v Speaker 1>stories or you heard these stories before. Did you just

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<v Speaker 1>feel like it was the right time in your place

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<v Speaker 1>in your life where you just kind of using your

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<v Speaker 1>platform now to speak on it, or you know, why

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<v Speaker 1>did you choose the timing of the book.

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<v Speaker 2>I really wanted to write the book for years, but

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<v Speaker 2>I just got caught up helping the children, and I

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<v Speaker 2>moved to Vegas instead of in Philadelphia, and it just

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<v Speaker 2>got caught up, and you know, tom just gets away

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<v Speaker 2>from you. So looking back, it's been ten years, but

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<v Speaker 2>this is what really did it. I would think about

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<v Speaker 2>it and then I would say, nah, I don't need

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<v Speaker 2>to do it, and then I think about it again

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<v Speaker 2>from time to time, and i'd write a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm like, nah, I don't. No one cares, Like,

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<v Speaker 2>who cares? It's so old. Nobody cares. My husband. They

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<v Speaker 2>finally convicted him on something else, and he's about to

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<v Speaker 2>get out of prison. So this makes it ten years

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<v Speaker 2>since the time that it started. I'm already out. I've

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<v Speaker 2>been out like four or five years, and he's getting

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<v Speaker 2>ready to get out. The paper that the newspaper organization

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<v Speaker 2>that hounded us and beat us up every day in

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<v Speaker 2>the news did an article ten year anniversary of taking

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<v Speaker 2>down the Alis And that's when I said, Okay, well

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<v Speaker 2>it's to bring it back.

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<v Speaker 1>It's black and white right there for you.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you want to, you want to bring it back? Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>So now it's time. It's my mommy dearest moment. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going.

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<v Speaker 1>To just tell it, okay, But for you again that

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes it's like sometimes I feel like when you when

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<v Speaker 1>you're silent about certain things, it's it almost gives it

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<v Speaker 1>more power, and it's like the wrong thing. So like

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<v Speaker 1>using your platform and speaking on your truths and like

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<v Speaker 1>what you really did in your story, like nobody could

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<v Speaker 1>rewrite that or nobody could live that except for yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>So like, you know, there's similarities and a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>you know people and obviously that you like hear to

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<v Speaker 1>your heart of why you wanted to tell these women's

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00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.919
<v Speaker 1>stories and tell you know what that really like what

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00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:14.399
<v Speaker 1>they endured. So I can you know, I congratulate you

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00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:16.799
<v Speaker 1>on your journey and writing your book. I'm excited. I

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00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.559
<v Speaker 1>want to read it and know more you know about

304
00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.840
<v Speaker 1>it because I feel like I don't know not of

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00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:24.399
<v Speaker 1>other people talk about the tough subjects. You know, it's

306
00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:27.000
<v Speaker 1>about the all fluffy and like these and sometimes we

307
00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:28.480
<v Speaker 1>have to get down to the nitty gritty and it's

308
00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:32.240
<v Speaker 1>uncomfortable sometimes, but again it's about educating people and really

309
00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.360
<v Speaker 1>like letting people know all sides of it. Like you said,

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<v Speaker 1>just because you've been in prison doesn't mean you're a

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<v Speaker 1>bad person. It doesn't mean that you don't have a story,

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00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:42.519
<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean that you maybe not be in there for

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00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:44.519
<v Speaker 1>the right reasons. Maybe it's because, like you said, if

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00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:46.279
<v Speaker 1>you needed, you know, to have a rehab and there

315
00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:49.120
<v Speaker 1>wasn't those resources for you. And now you've thrown away

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00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:50.960
<v Speaker 1>your whole life because of the system and you get

317
00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:53.000
<v Speaker 1>fall between the tracks because you didn't have a good

318
00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:56.159
<v Speaker 1>you know, representation. There's all community, you know, horror stories

319
00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:58.480
<v Speaker 1>that you hear that you never know and really put

320
00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:01.200
<v Speaker 1>in per perspective until it's your own. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I can only imagine you know, the fear and the

322
00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:08.720
<v Speaker 1>hopelessness of when the not the first time, but the

323
00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:10.840
<v Speaker 1>second time, the third time, you know what I mean,

324
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<v Speaker 1>And now they're targeting you again saying this is a

325
00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:14.960
<v Speaker 1>ten year niversary. So it gives you more like fuel

326
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:17.200
<v Speaker 1>to your fire. Been like, okay, what else can you

327
00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:19.480
<v Speaker 1>take from me? You know, you did your husband, you know,

328
00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:21.279
<v Speaker 1>your kids now and you know that's like, you know,

329
00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:23.639
<v Speaker 1>that's your family and you know and number one is

330
00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:26.200
<v Speaker 1>your family. Yeah, you know that's when yeah, and.

331
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.600
<v Speaker 2>Your mama, yeah, mama.

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00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:30.960
<v Speaker 1>Bear, Yeah, that's exactly how it is. So when you

333
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:33.000
<v Speaker 1>were going through all this process. You know, your husband,

334
00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.240
<v Speaker 1>you know, they convicted time on something. How did your

335
00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:37.720
<v Speaker 1>relationships within the community and you know, friends, did you

336
00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.200
<v Speaker 1>see who was really there for you? Did you see

337
00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:41.919
<v Speaker 1>people turn an eye because they didn't want anything to

338
00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:43.840
<v Speaker 1>do with you. Did they believe that you actually really

339
00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:44.840
<v Speaker 1>did these crimes?

340
00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:48.559
<v Speaker 2>If they did, I think to them it didn't matter

341
00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:49.519
<v Speaker 2>the ones that did.

342
00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:52.559
<v Speaker 1>I can't say crimes, I apologize crime.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, that's okay. One of the things that

344
00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:01.039
<v Speaker 2>was very interesting and to me was very fulfilling, is

345
00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.960
<v Speaker 2>that every day in the courtroom, I had so many

346
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.880
<v Speaker 2>people there until they were lined up in the carters.

347
00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:08.759
<v Speaker 1>That's amazing.

348
00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:11.559
<v Speaker 2>And the judge even said at one of my sentencing

349
00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:15.200
<v Speaker 2>he said to the this is the second sentence. He

350
00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.559
<v Speaker 2>said to the prosecution, he said, I know what we're

351
00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:19.799
<v Speaker 2>here to do today, but I just have to ask

352
00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:22.920
<v Speaker 2>this question. I'm paraphrasing, but I'm pretty close to it.

353
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<v Speaker 2>Is it fundamentally he said, I have to ask this

354
00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:29.079
<v Speaker 2>question of the prosecution. Is it fundamentally fair to sentence

355
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<v Speaker 2>this woman again on something that she's already been sentenced

356
00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:36.559
<v Speaker 2>and convicted of. Yes, the judge said it of course

357
00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.079
<v Speaker 2>he said, yeah, so good by now I amount of

358
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<v Speaker 2>money because if people have any idea, it is extremely

359
00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:44.200
<v Speaker 2>expensive and we were well off.

360
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<v Speaker 1>And that's how I feel like they did it on purpose.

361
00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:48.240
<v Speaker 1>They bleed you dry until you have no more money.

362
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<v Speaker 1>So you like, that's that fight if you like depleted.

363
00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:53.440
<v Speaker 1>But it's like, yeah, no, now I still got it inside.

364
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:57.599
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we lost everything. We lost everything, and not everybody

365
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:00.559
<v Speaker 2>was honorable. I remember packing up that house and I

366
00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:03.279
<v Speaker 2>had a lot of people come over, and I had

367
00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.720
<v Speaker 2>furs and jewelry, and you know, I kept a little

368
00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.319
<v Speaker 2>bit of my jewelry because I had my sister take it.

369
00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.680
<v Speaker 2>And when I got out, I had like about four

370
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<v Speaker 2>fur coats that are missing, and I have an idea

371
00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:20.839
<v Speaker 2>who did it, but if they're that foul whatever. And

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<v Speaker 2>I brought that up because you think everybody's with you,

373
00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:29.440
<v Speaker 2>but people have motives. And then when you go into

374
00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.759
<v Speaker 2>prison and it's a high profile case like mine was.

375
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<v Speaker 2>I mean, every day on the news on TV so

376
00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.240
<v Speaker 2>much so Lexus until I swear they had theme music

377
00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:44.119
<v Speaker 2>like letting you know, after this commercial, here we come there,

378
00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:46.599
<v Speaker 2>Ali's are coming after this. We're you know, every day

379
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.680
<v Speaker 2>all day, so you're just being beat down, beat down,

380
00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:52.799
<v Speaker 2>beat down, and the whole time you want to speak out,

381
00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:57.319
<v Speaker 2>and the press everywhere you go, outside of our house,

382
00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.920
<v Speaker 2>outside of our school, outside of the business, everywhere, and

383
00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.079
<v Speaker 2>I'm talking about crowded around you like to knock you over,

384
00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.920
<v Speaker 2>you know, like your major star. So now I know

385
00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:10.920
<v Speaker 2>what it can life. Yeah, yeah, I know what like celebrities,

386
00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.240
<v Speaker 2>why they could annoyed, you know, because you're getting knocked

387
00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:17.799
<v Speaker 2>and banged or whatever. But it was what they never

388
00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:22.920
<v Speaker 2>could break was the hole and the regard that Philadelphians

389
00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:26.200
<v Speaker 2>had for me. When I go back home and Frenchy

390
00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:28.880
<v Speaker 2>that's my adopted son, he can tell you there are

391
00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:33.400
<v Speaker 2>thirty forty fifty people in my suite. Okay, just come

392
00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.079
<v Speaker 2>in to see doctor Love. Yeah, Philly Loved. It's it's

393
00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.359
<v Speaker 2>really the it's real. They say brotherly love, but it's

394
00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:40.680
<v Speaker 2>really the city of sisterly affection too. Now, we got

395
00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:43.440
<v Speaker 2>some low lives there too, but you know, whoever stole

396
00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:47.839
<v Speaker 2>my furs, you know and probably re probably redid them

397
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:50.079
<v Speaker 2>and you know, cut them up and all that type

398
00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:52.720
<v Speaker 2>of stuff. But anyway, so they got that.

399
00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:55.839
<v Speaker 1>But if you're watching our private talk podcasts and those.

400
00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:00.759
<v Speaker 2>Was a silver fox, another one was a black fox,

401
00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:02.920
<v Speaker 2>and then there was another one.

402
00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:07.119
<v Speaker 1>Okay, but it just shows character, like how classless it is,

403
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:08.319
<v Speaker 1>like in a time of need, like some one that

404
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.759
<v Speaker 1>you would think of in your close circle that would

405
00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:13.000
<v Speaker 1>just like, you know, have access to your home and

406
00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:14.880
<v Speaker 1>your goods or whatever, and then you like come out

407
00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:17.480
<v Speaker 1>and you're just like, yeah, that's foul.

408
00:20:18.119 --> 00:20:21.160
<v Speaker 2>You know. The other thing that that stands out is

409
00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:24.680
<v Speaker 2>that I remember knowing that I was going to go

410
00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:28.680
<v Speaker 2>back to prison for a second time, and so I'm

411
00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:30.720
<v Speaker 2>getting rid of everything in the house and most of

412
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.720
<v Speaker 2>them giving stuff away. And I remember one of the

413
00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:37.359
<v Speaker 2>sisters she had a channel bag, one of my chel bags,

414
00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:40.279
<v Speaker 2>and she said, sister Farida, are you so? Farida is

415
00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.559
<v Speaker 2>my Muslim name? She said, are you sure you want

416
00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.440
<v Speaker 2>to part with this? And I said yeah. And then

417
00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:48.160
<v Speaker 2>I had a lot of Muslim garbs and k mars

418
00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:50.720
<v Speaker 2>and stuff like that, and it's like take everything. And

419
00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:53.279
<v Speaker 2>another sister came up, she said, stop giving all your

420
00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:56.839
<v Speaker 2>stuff away. You act like you're never coming back. But

421
00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:58.720
<v Speaker 2>you know what, I knew I was never coming back

422
00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:01.119
<v Speaker 2>to that life again. I knew that I knew I

423
00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:03.559
<v Speaker 2>was transitioning into something else.

424
00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.079
<v Speaker 1>That's truthful, that's real.

425
00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:08.559
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I knew. I was like it was like the

426
00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:12.319
<v Speaker 2>spirit prepared me for it. And I just want to

427
00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:15.640
<v Speaker 2>share something else with you. So I've always been on

428
00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:17.720
<v Speaker 2>this mission to look like you like, to lose the

429
00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.240
<v Speaker 2>weight and get you know, back in shape like I

430
00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:23.039
<v Speaker 2>was when I was younger, to look really hot. And

431
00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:25.720
<v Speaker 2>so I had decided that I'm going to go to

432
00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.000
<v Speaker 2>this I call them fat farms, where you know, they

433
00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:30.720
<v Speaker 2>go and your exercise and they monitor your food and

434
00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:34.640
<v Speaker 2>all that. And the school was a private school, but

435
00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:38.200
<v Speaker 2>it was religious school, and it was always costly every time.

436
00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:40.400
<v Speaker 2>And it got to the point because I started this

437
00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:44.519
<v Speaker 2>initiation program where I would take students that didn't have

438
00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.799
<v Speaker 2>any money and we would pay their tuition and then

439
00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.119
<v Speaker 2>I would ask to parents like, Okay, look how much

440
00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:51.680
<v Speaker 2>can you really afford? Okay? And I started that. Once

441
00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:56.559
<v Speaker 2>I started, I became assistant director of education, and I

442
00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.160
<v Speaker 2>started a program that really helped kids. And we took

443
00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:03.640
<v Speaker 2>them from bad neighborhoods or whatever. And ninety nine, i'd

444
00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:05.240
<v Speaker 2>say point nine percent of them who are going to

445
00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:08.880
<v Speaker 2>the best colleges in the world Oxford, Yale, Princeton. And

446
00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:11.400
<v Speaker 2>these are kids from the hood. Okay, not all of them,

447
00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.799
<v Speaker 2>but a lot of them, and a lot of them

448
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:14.640
<v Speaker 2>were on their way to reform school. We took them

449
00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:17.400
<v Speaker 2>and you know, transform them and transform their lives. So

450
00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:20.079
<v Speaker 2>we had a very good program at the school. So,

451
00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.680
<v Speaker 2>but there was always something going wrong. So because of

452
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:26.599
<v Speaker 2>the tuition support program that I started, when I would

453
00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:29.319
<v Speaker 2>interview them, well, they would say, okay, well I can

454
00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:32.359
<v Speaker 2>actually forward three hundred a month or whatever. Every year

455
00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:34.880
<v Speaker 2>it went down because the word got out, if you

456
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.119
<v Speaker 2>tell miss I'll leave, you won't have nothing. You don't

457
00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.319
<v Speaker 2>have to pay anything. So my husband and I were

458
00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:45.119
<v Speaker 2>supporting the school, okay, And so I had saved up

459
00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:47.079
<v Speaker 2>this money. I think it was like about twenty five

460
00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:48.720
<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars and I was gonna go there for like

461
00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.039
<v Speaker 2>about four weeks. I can't remember exactly the amount, but

462
00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:53.359
<v Speaker 2>I know it's up in the twenty five thousand, and

463
00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:55.480
<v Speaker 2>I said, you know this, I'm gonna do something for me.

464
00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:58.359
<v Speaker 2>I've been neglecting me. I haven't brought anything. I'm gonna

465
00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:03.599
<v Speaker 2>do this. That day, I get a call from a

466
00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.599
<v Speaker 2>brother Faruke. I get a call from him and he says, uh,

467
00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:09.680
<v Speaker 2>Sister Farida, I need to talk to you. And I'm

468
00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:14.759
<v Speaker 2>like what and he says, well, we got a problem.

469
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.119
<v Speaker 2>The boiler went out, and this and that, and I

470
00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:19.759
<v Speaker 2>said okay. And I don't remember how much it was,

471
00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:22.240
<v Speaker 2>but I said, okay, well let's just say twenty five thousand.

472
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:24.039
<v Speaker 2>And he said, so what's going to cost? I said,

473
00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:27.799
<v Speaker 2>let me guess. I said twenty five. He said to me,

474
00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.559
<v Speaker 2>and again I'm not sure they are now he said

475
00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:33.759
<v Speaker 2>to me, how'd you guess? I just knew. Okay, So

476
00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:35.240
<v Speaker 2>I get off the phone with him. I said, I'm

477
00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:37.880
<v Speaker 2>going to go to the bank and get you a

478
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:39.839
<v Speaker 2>check or a cash. I think I went to get

479
00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:42.200
<v Speaker 2>cash and I said meet me because I was at home,

480
00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:49.359
<v Speaker 2>so I have a his see his see bitch fit.

481
00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:54.160
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, no, snotty, see god, that's not right. I

482
00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:56.279
<v Speaker 2>know I'm not the best musclem. I know I'm not

483
00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:58.880
<v Speaker 2>this or that. But all I want it it's just

484
00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:02.240
<v Speaker 2>to go somewhere where they keep food food away from

485
00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:04.559
<v Speaker 2>me and when I could just walk and lose this weight.

486
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:11.880
<v Speaker 2>But the Danbury I went to because that's what they say,

487
00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:15.400
<v Speaker 2>you know, the control your portions. And they talked about

488
00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:17.240
<v Speaker 2>these rolling hills and it was in a place called

489
00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.759
<v Speaker 2>Hunter in New York. I remember that. And they talked

490
00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:21.359
<v Speaker 2>about these hills that you can walk and you can

491
00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.119
<v Speaker 2>go to the gym and they have yoga classes and

492
00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:26.559
<v Speaker 2>all this stuff. And that's what I was crying, like,

493
00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:30.200
<v Speaker 2>oh I would I didn't realize that that was a prayer.

494
00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:33.880
<v Speaker 2>It was a demanding prayer. I was demanded that God

495
00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:35.920
<v Speaker 2>put my fat ass in prison.

496
00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:41.599
<v Speaker 1>He said, oh, okay, I don't know, but I get

497
00:24:41.640 --> 00:24:42.279
<v Speaker 1>what you're having.

498
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:44.279
<v Speaker 2>So when they when they when they when they found

499
00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:48.599
<v Speaker 2>me guilty, and the reporters wrote, oh, farrita ali arrogant

500
00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:50.640
<v Speaker 2>even when she found it, because I just looked up

501
00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:53.720
<v Speaker 2>and said that God, Oh I get it, I get it.

502
00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:56.599
<v Speaker 2>But I know, you know, that's not exactly where I

503
00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:58.960
<v Speaker 2>wanted to go to lose the weight. But that's what

504
00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:03.480
<v Speaker 2>dan or it's five miles from police. Now. If that's

505
00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:04.519
<v Speaker 2>not a.

506
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:07.720
<v Speaker 1>Big signs though, I'm a big believer, and the energy

507
00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:11.240
<v Speaker 1>and signs and sometimes whatever the you know what I mean. Yeah,

508
00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:13.559
<v Speaker 1>that that's that's that's a tough one to like. Kind

509
00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.160
<v Speaker 1>of like the grass, it's the same thing.

510
00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.839
<v Speaker 2>Damberry had the rolling heels and had a path that

511
00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:23.160
<v Speaker 2>you could walk, Okay, how ironic it was the same

512
00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:25.400
<v Speaker 2>disc and they monitor your portions.

513
00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:30.000
<v Speaker 1>I like the way that you think again because of

514
00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.000
<v Speaker 1>you know, such a strong one that you are. You know,

515
00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:33.839
<v Speaker 1>you get to keep a good like a head on

516
00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.640
<v Speaker 1>your shoulder. You're positive, you're funny. You have this like

517
00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:39.000
<v Speaker 1>a you know, eccentric thing about you that you just like,

518
00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:41.839
<v Speaker 1>you know you you just have like this glow about you.

519
00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:44.880
<v Speaker 1>So I love your energy. It's super fun So having

520
00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:46.880
<v Speaker 1>going through all of those things, you still have this

521
00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.119
<v Speaker 1>like positive energy going in. How how is your time?

522
00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:51.880
<v Speaker 1>Like you know, the first time you're going in like

523
00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:55.000
<v Speaker 1>it was orre you scared? Were you just opening up

524
00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:57.200
<v Speaker 1>to women? Is it like the whole typical thing like

525
00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:59.039
<v Speaker 1>Orange of the New Black or Eon? Just like women

526
00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:04.400
<v Speaker 1>going around being like superly openly like highly sexual, so

527
00:26:04.599 --> 00:26:07.839
<v Speaker 1>not have girlfriends? Like how did that whole story fit

528
00:26:07.880 --> 00:26:08.240
<v Speaker 1>for you?

529
00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.599
<v Speaker 2>Well? See, I'm not like a person that judges anybody.

530
00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:14.920
<v Speaker 2>I'm not. I'm not the sex police. I'm not the

531
00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:18.599
<v Speaker 2>the alcohol police or the drug police. That's people's choices.

532
00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.279
<v Speaker 2>I'm not. I'm not. You know, I think that's the

533
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.880
<v Speaker 2>worst thing you can do is judge somebody else and

534
00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:27.119
<v Speaker 2>you're not in their shoes. Okay, you may not agree

535
00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:29.599
<v Speaker 2>necessarily agree with what someone does, but I'm not like

536
00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:32.640
<v Speaker 2>that person that, oh, I'm going to have a heart

537
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:34.720
<v Speaker 2>attack or something because of something you're doing. Yeah, you know,

538
00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:37.440
<v Speaker 2>one way or the other. And I take people on

539
00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:41.119
<v Speaker 2>their merit on how they respond to me. Going into

540
00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:46.079
<v Speaker 2>the federal prison system. It was about as dignified as

541
00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:51.559
<v Speaker 2>it could be because the judge he he authorized for

542
00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:54.119
<v Speaker 2>me to self surrender, which meant that I did not

543
00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:56.880
<v Speaker 2>have to turn myself into and then he also gave

544
00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:59.079
<v Speaker 2>me like thirty days or how he would have given

545
00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:01.359
<v Speaker 2>me ninety. But I just wanted to get it over with. Yeah,

546
00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:05.039
<v Speaker 2>just get it over with. But so it wasn't like

547
00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:09.400
<v Speaker 2>I was like really afraid because I had a wonderful

548
00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:14.160
<v Speaker 2>probation officer. Well, they you're on supervised release even before

549
00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:16.440
<v Speaker 2>you go to prison with the fence. I don't understand

550
00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:21.400
<v Speaker 2>how that works, but even before you get convicted. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.

551
00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:24.079
<v Speaker 2>So he told me, he said, you're gonna be okay

552
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.720
<v Speaker 2>in there. He said, because the most things that cause

553
00:27:27.799 --> 00:27:30.519
<v Speaker 2>problem for women in prison, and I don't know if

554
00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:34.599
<v Speaker 2>that's true for men, but he said, are gambling, sexual,

555
00:27:35.480 --> 00:27:38.559
<v Speaker 2>you know, lover's quarrels, and it was another one, oh

556
00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.039
<v Speaker 2>bigging up, like lying, you know whatever, because everybody can

557
00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:46.480
<v Speaker 2>see through. Yeah. Yeah, So I learned a lot, Like

558
00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:49.720
<v Speaker 2>I learned gay for the stay. I had never heard that.

559
00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:53.720
<v Speaker 2>I could figure it out because some women that are

560
00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:57.559
<v Speaker 2>really gay resent women who come and there. They're just

561
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:00.200
<v Speaker 2>gay for the stay, so to speak. So when they

562
00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:04.359
<v Speaker 2>come out, they act like they were never happened. Yeah. Yeah,

563
00:28:04.359 --> 00:28:08.839
<v Speaker 2>so they really resent that. That's like, that's like a negative.

564
00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:10.960
<v Speaker 1>You know, because you're shunning basically the community. You're not

565
00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:11.759
<v Speaker 1>really respecting it.

566
00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:14.880
<v Speaker 2>Right exactly, but you're doing it because maybe the person

567
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.960
<v Speaker 2>that you're involved with can get you some money from

568
00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:20.559
<v Speaker 2>on their I mean, can get you stuff on their

569
00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:25.240
<v Speaker 2>commissary or whatever, or maybe you really are attracted to them,

570
00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:27.920
<v Speaker 2>but yet you're ashamed or maybe you're whatever. So I

571
00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:33.160
<v Speaker 2>learned about things like that. But going into prison, I

572
00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.880
<v Speaker 2>remember that day. My brother and my couple of sisters

573
00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:40.599
<v Speaker 2>and my biological sister who's no longer with us, drove

574
00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.960
<v Speaker 2>me up there and it was a real rainy day,

575
00:28:43.720 --> 00:28:48.519
<v Speaker 2>and they wanted to stay, and because I wanted them

576
00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:52.319
<v Speaker 2>to go, because I just wanted to get in I

577
00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:54.200
<v Speaker 2>got to do this, and I don't want.

578
00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:57.480
<v Speaker 1>To procres ego not ego. But like you know, it's

579
00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:00.160
<v Speaker 1>it's not a good moment. You know. It's not like

580
00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:02.319
<v Speaker 1>a vacation, no, you know, so it's like you just

581
00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:04.039
<v Speaker 1>like you just want to peel the band aid off

582
00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:06.720
<v Speaker 1>and like this, go home, let me do my thing. Yep,

583
00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:07.640
<v Speaker 1>I got this.

584
00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:10.039
<v Speaker 2>Get the fast pain. Well, I'll tell you it didn't.

585
00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:14.160
<v Speaker 2>It didn't hit me at first. It hit me when

586
00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:16.319
<v Speaker 2>they left because they're going that way and I'm going

587
00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:22.039
<v Speaker 2>to it's real, yeah, and it's real. But the CEO said, okay,

588
00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:24.160
<v Speaker 2>they can stay with you for a while until you

589
00:29:24.200 --> 00:29:27.079
<v Speaker 2>know we're ready to take you. And they wanted to

590
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:29.160
<v Speaker 2>stay till the last minute, but I wanted them to

591
00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:33.319
<v Speaker 2>go because I turned my back as they left. I

592
00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:36.240
<v Speaker 2>didn't want to see them go. So they left and

593
00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:38.960
<v Speaker 2>then I'm sitting there and shortly after I'm seeing and

594
00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:41.960
<v Speaker 2>sitting there, the CEO comes and gets me, and I'm

595
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:44.440
<v Speaker 2>thinking they're going to handcuff me, but they didn't, and

596
00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:47.240
<v Speaker 2>she takes me back. Now, the worst thing for me

597
00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:52.359
<v Speaker 2>was having a non professional do a cavity search on me.

598
00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:54.480
<v Speaker 2>You know, I thought it was bad enough when you

599
00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:56.160
<v Speaker 2>reach all around in my mouth and win in my

600
00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:59.519
<v Speaker 2>hair to see if there was weave, as if some

601
00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:02.039
<v Speaker 2>women can and achieved without weave, like everybody has to

602
00:30:02.039 --> 00:30:03.519
<v Speaker 2>have a weave in because they want to take your

603
00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:07.119
<v Speaker 2>braids out or whatever you have, Like yeah so that yeah,

604
00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:10.119
<v Speaker 2>so yeah. And then to strip down in front of

605
00:30:10.519 --> 00:30:13.799
<v Speaker 2>other women, which I had never had to do experience, yeah,

606
00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:14.240
<v Speaker 2>you know.

607
00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:17.079
<v Speaker 1>And again not having a parking violation, not having any

608
00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:19.119
<v Speaker 1>of these things, and it's like, why.

609
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:23.400
<v Speaker 2>Me exactly exactly, So I knew that I was there,

610
00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:27.640
<v Speaker 2>but it was still kind of like outer body experience,

611
00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:28.680
<v Speaker 2>like it was really happening with.

612
00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:30.400
<v Speaker 1>So you're going through the motions.

613
00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:33.839
<v Speaker 2>Yeah yeah. So then they give you a bag with

614
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:39.640
<v Speaker 2>these dingy pillow case with dingy looks disgusting, an army

615
00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:42.599
<v Speaker 2>blanket and tell you to head up the hill. I

616
00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:44.960
<v Speaker 2>didn't know where the hell I was going. I get there,

617
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:46.839
<v Speaker 2>and I go up to the hill and then I

618
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:50.640
<v Speaker 2>get inside and the women are so nice, the inmates,

619
00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:53.240
<v Speaker 2>they tell me where to go. Okay, but when I

620
00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:56.599
<v Speaker 2>got there, they already knew who I was. High profile people,

621
00:30:56.680 --> 00:30:58.759
<v Speaker 2>they knew when I was coming in. There was a

622
00:30:58.759 --> 00:31:02.000
<v Speaker 2>woman she said I couldn't see because she was standing

623
00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:03.480
<v Speaker 2>in front of a window that had light and she

624
00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:06.160
<v Speaker 2>was up on a platform. So I'm coming in and

625
00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:11.079
<v Speaker 2>she said to me, Hey, for Rita Ali, I'm looking.

626
00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:12.880
<v Speaker 2>I can't make out and on like you know me?

627
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:15.519
<v Speaker 2>She said, no, everybody knows who you are. You've been

628
00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:17.759
<v Speaker 2>waiting on you. I'm thinking, like, waiting on me for what?

629
00:31:18.119 --> 00:31:22.680
<v Speaker 2>Like shoot, yeah, yeah, what the hell, y'all? What you

630
00:31:22.759 --> 00:31:25.880
<v Speaker 2>wait on me for? But you know, later you find out.

631
00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:29.400
<v Speaker 2>And so then you gotta there's a line for everything.

632
00:31:29.559 --> 00:31:31.599
<v Speaker 2>You gotta line up to go to the councilor and

633
00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:33.400
<v Speaker 2>line up to go to whatever. So you're going through

634
00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:38.000
<v Speaker 2>all that. So that whole day you're getting processed in

635
00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:41.880
<v Speaker 2>and you're getting your garments, you know, your prison stuff,

636
00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.599
<v Speaker 2>and so by the end of the day you're pretty

637
00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:48.160
<v Speaker 2>much exhausted. That first day, you know, when it hit me.

638
00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:52.839
<v Speaker 2>You're in a dorm. They turned the lights out, but

639
00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:55.519
<v Speaker 2>the whole lights are on, and the dorm is like

640
00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:58.640
<v Speaker 2>a fish bowl like they call it, because it's all glass,

641
00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:01.960
<v Speaker 2>so that you could see inside, and the light was

642
00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:05.240
<v Speaker 2>shining in and I'm on the bottom bunk and there's

643
00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:07.960
<v Speaker 2>another woman on top of me, and two women in

644
00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:10.160
<v Speaker 2>the bunk here and two women there, so there's six

645
00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:13.680
<v Speaker 2>women all together. Alexis. When it hit me was when

646
00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:17.119
<v Speaker 2>the lights went out, and all of a sudden, I said,

647
00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:20.319
<v Speaker 2>oh my god, I'm really in prison. I felt my heart,

648
00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:26.039
<v Speaker 2>my chest, I felt the weight of knowing that this

649
00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:28.680
<v Speaker 2>is real. I got to be here. Yeah, I'm away

650
00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:31.799
<v Speaker 2>from everyone that loves me and everyone that I love,

651
00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:35.480
<v Speaker 2>and I have to be here in this place. And

652
00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:38.480
<v Speaker 2>I know that I was looking at probably less than

653
00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:40.519
<v Speaker 2>twenty four months. But to think that I would have

654
00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:45.559
<v Speaker 2>to endure this for all this time, that was like

655
00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:46.640
<v Speaker 2>the absolute.

656
00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:48.279
<v Speaker 1>That's heavy, heavy for me.

657
00:32:48.440 --> 00:32:51.599
<v Speaker 2>So I didn't want to be weak. But my eyes

658
00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:55.039
<v Speaker 2>start dwelling, and then you know, my nose start. So

659
00:32:55.079 --> 00:32:57.599
<v Speaker 2>I turned and I faced the wall and I let

660
00:32:57.599 --> 00:32:59.680
<v Speaker 2>the tears, just crying, you know. And I'm like kind

661
00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:02.240
<v Speaker 2>of feeling sorry for myself and feeling like bad and

662
00:33:02.319 --> 00:33:04.440
<v Speaker 2>like this is so wrong. Why they do this to me?

663
00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:06.920
<v Speaker 2>I'm a good person. And then all of a sudden

664
00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:11.680
<v Speaker 2>something in my head said, Nope, don't do it. Don't

665
00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:14.079
<v Speaker 2>give them not another tear. The only thing that you've

666
00:33:14.079 --> 00:33:16.839
<v Speaker 2>got to give these mother e fis is time give

667
00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:20.440
<v Speaker 2>them their time, But how you give it, that's your power.

668
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:22.599
<v Speaker 2>And I took my power for that that day and

669
00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:23.880
<v Speaker 2>I never gave them another tear.

670
00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:27.640
<v Speaker 1>I love that. That's real. That's like, that's the really

671
00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:30.720
<v Speaker 1>honest answer. And that's a you know, you know, you

672
00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:33.000
<v Speaker 1>give you show your weakness on other things and not

673
00:33:33.079 --> 00:33:35.519
<v Speaker 1>weakness because it makes you weak to cry. But in

674
00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:38.880
<v Speaker 1>those environments, it's like, you know, it's fight or flight.

675
00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:40.599
<v Speaker 1>You know, you have to like figure out how to

676
00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:43.000
<v Speaker 1>you know, survive and yeah, you know, put your head

677
00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:45.079
<v Speaker 1>down to your time and let's just you know what

678
00:33:45.119 --> 00:33:48.359
<v Speaker 1>it is. Yeah, So again I think that your journey is,

679
00:33:48.400 --> 00:33:50.759
<v Speaker 1>you know, definitely a powerful thing. I look forward to

680
00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:53.519
<v Speaker 1>your book. I think all my listeners out there are

681
00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:56.759
<v Speaker 1>going to enjoy it as well. You you also are

682
00:33:56.759 --> 00:34:00.480
<v Speaker 1>doing a podcast. Can we talk about that? Yeah?

683
00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:04.799
<v Speaker 2>The podcast is it's based off of We Two Matter,

684
00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:08.960
<v Speaker 2>which is an organization and nonprofit that I found it

685
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:14.320
<v Speaker 2>for to help women reacclement into society who have been incarcerated.

686
00:34:15.239 --> 00:34:17.639
<v Speaker 2>And it's not just only for women, because when you

687
00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:22.519
<v Speaker 2>help women, they have families, so their sons are impacted

688
00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:26.000
<v Speaker 2>by their mothers going to prison. There's a story about

689
00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:29.960
<v Speaker 2>one person he's married to my granddaughter, and his mother

690
00:34:30.199 --> 00:34:33.719
<v Speaker 2>went to prison and for a long time now he

691
00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:36.719
<v Speaker 2>became a doctor. But there are other stories where other

692
00:34:36.760 --> 00:34:40.320
<v Speaker 2>people their mother went to prison because she's the hub.

693
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:44.039
<v Speaker 2>She's the hub, she keeps that family together, and they

694
00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:48.920
<v Speaker 2>go the opposite way. So when you help women reacclement

695
00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:54.360
<v Speaker 2>into society, you help society at large. And that the

696
00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:58.559
<v Speaker 2>realization of being incarcerated with women and seeing women shackled

697
00:34:59.039 --> 00:35:01.800
<v Speaker 2>and having babies and have to be changed to beds

698
00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:05.039
<v Speaker 2>and stuff while they're in labor, and just hearing stories

699
00:35:05.199 --> 00:35:08.280
<v Speaker 2>like I didn't see anybody in the hospital because you

700
00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:10.840
<v Speaker 2>don't you don't go, but you hear stories, horror stories,

701
00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:14.679
<v Speaker 2>and knowing that male CEOs rape women and you know,

702
00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:19.199
<v Speaker 2>and just knowing those horrific things that happen to them.

703
00:35:19.239 --> 00:35:23.239
<v Speaker 2>And then they come out. And when you give someone

704
00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:27.119
<v Speaker 2>a fellon record, you give them a life sentence. It's

705
00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:32.599
<v Speaker 2>a social life sentence. They're sentenced to that degradation, that

706
00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:38.159
<v Speaker 2>stigma of being a low life. They're not worthy of anything.

707
00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:41.079
<v Speaker 2>So now you're going to take everything from them, especially

708
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.599
<v Speaker 2>the FEDS. They take everything like we lost our house,

709
00:35:43.639 --> 00:35:46.000
<v Speaker 2>we lost ever because what they don't take if they

710
00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:48.280
<v Speaker 2>don't have the power to take it, they make sure

711
00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:51.880
<v Speaker 2>you have no funds to keep it okay, and you

712
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:54.960
<v Speaker 2>have to pay an enormous amount to a lawyer for

713
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:59.280
<v Speaker 2>a federal thing. So when the women come out and

714
00:35:59.320 --> 00:36:02.880
<v Speaker 2>there's some are we smart, skilled women, And I look

715
00:36:02.920 --> 00:36:05.039
<v Speaker 2>at all of the things that you know, lots of

716
00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:08.199
<v Speaker 2>people that are doing for criminal justice. But for me,

717
00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:11.639
<v Speaker 2>as a senior citizen, it just seems like everything is

718
00:36:11.679 --> 00:36:16.039
<v Speaker 2>geared towards younger people the focus. I'm not saying that

719
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:20.039
<v Speaker 2>there are not people that are elderly that are in help,

720
00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:24.000
<v Speaker 2>but I know myself, like I'm healthy, but I was

721
00:36:24.039 --> 00:36:26.559
<v Speaker 2>in there. I saw a woman die in prison for

722
00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:28.480
<v Speaker 2>no reason other than that they didn't want to give

723
00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:31.000
<v Speaker 2>her her proper medicine. And she told me, she said,

724
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:33.199
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to die in here. They're not giving me.

725
00:36:33.239 --> 00:36:35.559
<v Speaker 2>I'm a nurse and I know that they're not. And

726
00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:39.199
<v Speaker 2>she was only in there because she kept her husband's

727
00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:42.719
<v Speaker 2>social Security checks after he died for six months. So

728
00:36:42.840 --> 00:36:45.079
<v Speaker 2>you put someone at seventy some years old in prison

729
00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:46.119
<v Speaker 2>for that, I mean, come on.

730
00:36:46.280 --> 00:36:48.960
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, doesn't make sense. Yeah, it doesn't make sense. It

731
00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:50.320
<v Speaker 1>doesn't justify the crimes and.

732
00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:52.960
<v Speaker 2>They have to die in prison, you know.

733
00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:55.280
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's it's kind of a point where I feel like, again,

734
00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:58.440
<v Speaker 1>I think, you know, our education is key about by

735
00:36:58.480 --> 00:37:01.360
<v Speaker 1>communicating and telling stories and all these things like because

736
00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.400
<v Speaker 1>people don't people see it on TV and movies and

737
00:37:04.480 --> 00:37:06.760
<v Speaker 1>like that. But until it happens to someone who's personally

738
00:37:06.760 --> 00:37:08.480
<v Speaker 1>in your family that you can touch or you can

739
00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:10.400
<v Speaker 1>have it, like, it really makes something that you pulls

740
00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:12.440
<v Speaker 1>on your heart strings and if you know that person

741
00:37:12.519 --> 00:37:14.360
<v Speaker 1>or not, but it just like that's when it like

742
00:37:14.760 --> 00:37:17.320
<v Speaker 1>takes an effect and like it makes it real exact,

743
00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:20.000
<v Speaker 1>and it makes it like, oh damn, this could happen

744
00:37:20.039 --> 00:37:22.079
<v Speaker 1>to anybody, you know what I mean. And that's the

745
00:37:22.119 --> 00:37:25.000
<v Speaker 1>sad truth. And and it's unfortunate that you know that

746
00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:27.480
<v Speaker 1>the system has been the you know, taking advantage I

747
00:37:27.480 --> 00:37:29.880
<v Speaker 1>feel like, of our taxpayers moneies and things like that,

748
00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:32.559
<v Speaker 1>and not really putting it and implementing it, implementing it

749
00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:35.599
<v Speaker 1>into the right places. Because again, if you are going

750
00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:38.440
<v Speaker 1>to try somebody for a crime and maybe they did it,

751
00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:40.639
<v Speaker 1>and maybe they didn't or doesn't you know the magnitude

752
00:37:40.639 --> 00:37:42.800
<v Speaker 1>of what the years or whatever, they still should be

753
00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:45.039
<v Speaker 1>able to have their medication still be able to have,

754
00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:48.679
<v Speaker 1>you know, certain things that are just normal human human,

755
00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:52.079
<v Speaker 1>humane things, you know, So it's it's it's a shame.

756
00:37:52.119 --> 00:37:54.400
<v Speaker 1>So I'm happy that you're you know, bringing light to

757
00:37:54.519 --> 00:37:56.480
<v Speaker 1>something a subject that needs to be you know, talked

758
00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:59.840
<v Speaker 1>about more and have more people behind that movement, because

759
00:37:59.840 --> 00:38:01.639
<v Speaker 1>that's the only way that make a change, is right,

760
00:38:01.800 --> 00:38:04.400
<v Speaker 1>you know, having people push it. So using your platform

761
00:38:04.440 --> 00:38:06.400
<v Speaker 1>and again you know doing that stuff is really an

762
00:38:06.400 --> 00:38:06.920
<v Speaker 1>awesome thing.

763
00:38:07.039 --> 00:38:09.760
<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, not to cut you off, but that's why,

764
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:15.079
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I am just so odd odd that you,

765
00:38:15.079 --> 00:38:17.760
<v Speaker 2>you know, a person of your stature, you know, have

766
00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:23.440
<v Speaker 2>a humongous following, that you would take this on and

767
00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:27.079
<v Speaker 2>interview me, because this is going to reach a lot

768
00:38:27.119 --> 00:38:29.760
<v Speaker 2>more people than just I could have reached on my own,

769
00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:32.119
<v Speaker 2>because there are a lot of people who wouldn't want

770
00:38:32.119 --> 00:38:36.119
<v Speaker 2>to touch this because it didn't happen to them for sure.

771
00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:40.159
<v Speaker 2>And for you, like you don't need this, Okay.

772
00:38:40.639 --> 00:38:44.079
<v Speaker 1>Yes I do, well, yes I do read because you care,

773
00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:44.920
<v Speaker 1>Yes I do.

774
00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:47.000
<v Speaker 2>You care, But I'm saying it's not going to do

775
00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:50.360
<v Speaker 2>anything to build your platform. You know, you're helping me

776
00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:55.559
<v Speaker 2>and these women and the seniors. You're bringing a voice

777
00:38:55.599 --> 00:38:58.199
<v Speaker 2>to it. You know, and this is a big deal.

778
00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:01.199
<v Speaker 2>It's a big deal. Like you're modest, but this is

779
00:39:01.239 --> 00:39:04.079
<v Speaker 2>a big deal. You're like a really good person. And

780
00:39:04.480 --> 00:39:06.440
<v Speaker 2>I got a chance to see you up close, and

781
00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:09.039
<v Speaker 2>I got a chance to touch you and feel your energy,

782
00:39:09.239 --> 00:39:11.920
<v Speaker 2>you know, and I watched your interviews. I mean you're

783
00:39:12.039 --> 00:39:15.480
<v Speaker 2>a real person. Thank you you are. I mean, you're real.

784
00:39:15.559 --> 00:39:20.119
<v Speaker 2>You have an orr about you that it's what they

785
00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:23.880
<v Speaker 2>call personal magnitude. Some people have it, some people have

786
00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:26.320
<v Speaker 2>a lot, but you you zube it. I mean, you

787
00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:30.800
<v Speaker 2>just it just flows. So I can't thank you enough

788
00:39:30.840 --> 00:39:32.559
<v Speaker 2>for helping me bring light to it. And when you

789
00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:36.039
<v Speaker 2>ask me about the podcast, that's what it's foul because

790
00:39:36.039 --> 00:39:38.480
<v Speaker 2>I want to put a face to these people. Telling

791
00:39:38.519 --> 00:39:41.119
<v Speaker 2>the story is one thing, but you saw those women, Yeah,

792
00:39:41.719 --> 00:39:44.159
<v Speaker 2>telling the story and seeing them these.

793
00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:46.760
<v Speaker 1>Are real it makes an impact way more. Yes, it

794
00:39:46.760 --> 00:39:50.159
<v Speaker 1>definitely puts, you know, a face to a name you know,

795
00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:52.639
<v Speaker 1>or a name to a face that way. But yeah,

796
00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:54.679
<v Speaker 1>I think that you know, I you know, appreciate the

797
00:39:54.760 --> 00:39:56.440
<v Speaker 1>kind of words. I think that you know, it's really

798
00:39:56.880 --> 00:39:59.039
<v Speaker 1>humbling to hear that from such a you know, amazing

799
00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:01.760
<v Speaker 1>woman like yourself. I think that you know, women you

800
00:40:01.840 --> 00:40:04.039
<v Speaker 1>need to help women with anything that we do in

801
00:40:04.199 --> 00:40:06.400
<v Speaker 1>using our platform, So I think that we equally help

802
00:40:06.440 --> 00:40:09.440
<v Speaker 1>each other because I like to educate people in my

803
00:40:09.480 --> 00:40:12.159
<v Speaker 1>private you know, private talk is about learning more about

804
00:40:12.159 --> 00:40:14.159
<v Speaker 1>you know, our guests and myself and just kind of

805
00:40:14.159 --> 00:40:16.559
<v Speaker 1>like opening the platform of knowing things. So as much

806
00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:18.719
<v Speaker 1>as I feel like it may not matter to me

807
00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:20.760
<v Speaker 1>to a point, it does still matter to me and

808
00:40:20.800 --> 00:40:24.239
<v Speaker 1>my listeners. So I think that I think that it'll

809
00:40:24.559 --> 00:40:26.840
<v Speaker 1>have a message across and like kind of bring light

810
00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:31.760
<v Speaker 1>to such a big problem that we have. So I think, yeah,

811
00:40:31.840 --> 00:40:33.960
<v Speaker 1>it's because I think, like I said, I may not

812
00:40:34.039 --> 00:40:35.719
<v Speaker 1>I didn't really know it as much as in detail,

813
00:40:35.800 --> 00:40:37.440
<v Speaker 1>and when I was asked, you know, if to have

814
00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:39.559
<v Speaker 1>you come on the show, I didn't really know what

815
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:41.119
<v Speaker 1>we would talk about our things like that. But again,

816
00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:43.199
<v Speaker 1>I like to educate myself and I don't like to

817
00:40:43.199 --> 00:40:46.440
<v Speaker 1>pigeonhole myself in one facet of life. And that's why

818
00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:48.400
<v Speaker 1>I kind of I toasted this podcast as well as

819
00:40:48.719 --> 00:40:50.920
<v Speaker 1>you know, I've never had a chance to get my voice,

820
00:40:51.199 --> 00:40:54.840
<v Speaker 1>you know, across in a way where it's like opinionated

821
00:40:54.840 --> 00:40:57.760
<v Speaker 1>things where that really matter on big topics such as this,

822
00:40:57.920 --> 00:40:59.800
<v Speaker 1>You know. So I think that it helps me just

823
00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:01.920
<v Speaker 1>as much as it helps you to talk to people

824
00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:05.039
<v Speaker 1>like yourself with such big goals and then you're out

825
00:41:05.079 --> 00:41:07.519
<v Speaker 1>here and not just having those goals, you're delivering them

826
00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:08.960
<v Speaker 1>and doing them. So I think it gives such a

827
00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:12.239
<v Speaker 1>bigger meaning to all these women out there that look

828
00:41:12.320 --> 00:41:14.760
<v Speaker 1>up to you. Do you have? Who are people that

829
00:41:14.800 --> 00:41:16.840
<v Speaker 1>you you know inspired you to meet? You know you

830
00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:18.840
<v Speaker 1>as strong as you are and have done all these

831
00:41:19.039 --> 00:41:21.400
<v Speaker 1>accolades that you've done well.

832
00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:25.360
<v Speaker 2>My mother, for one thing, I get my kindness for

833
00:41:25.519 --> 00:41:28.039
<v Speaker 2>my mother. My mother was a nice lady on the block,

834
00:41:28.079 --> 00:41:31.079
<v Speaker 2>baking cookies for everybody. I hated it because there were

835
00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:35.360
<v Speaker 2>never enough cookies left for me, but I did I

836
00:41:35.400 --> 00:41:38.920
<v Speaker 2>hate it. You'd always give them the popsicles and everything everybody.

837
00:41:39.039 --> 00:41:43.400
<v Speaker 2>And now I've become mom, Like I've got all these Yeah,

838
00:41:43.880 --> 00:41:48.079
<v Speaker 2>I don't bake on my bio, but get them some

839
00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:51.840
<v Speaker 2>kind of way. But but I've become her in that respect.

840
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:55.639
<v Speaker 2>But I've got my father's zill Like I've never been

841
00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:59.199
<v Speaker 2>a chump. Okay, like I'm just too big for somebody

842
00:41:59.239 --> 00:42:01.239
<v Speaker 2>think they're gonna be slack in me taking my lunch money.

843
00:42:01.280 --> 00:42:04.039
<v Speaker 2>It just ain't gonna happen, okay. And I come from

844
00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:06.960
<v Speaker 2>an area of Germantown where they call them the Germantown

845
00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:09.880
<v Speaker 2>like brights. They mean it as a derogatory uh thing.

846
00:42:10.360 --> 00:42:14.639
<v Speaker 2>People who say that it's like light complexed women with

847
00:42:14.719 --> 00:42:17.840
<v Speaker 2>long hair or girls as we were. And like some

848
00:42:17.960 --> 00:42:20.920
<v Speaker 2>of the bullies, girls that were bullies, they wouldn't. They

849
00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:22.440
<v Speaker 2>had this thing when we were younger. They want to

850
00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:27.039
<v Speaker 2>cut your hair, but they would say not her. You know,

851
00:42:27.079 --> 00:42:30.400
<v Speaker 2>you ain't cutting my hair. You're not touching me. Because

852
00:42:30.920 --> 00:42:35.519
<v Speaker 2>it's not about how well you can fight, because I'm

853
00:42:35.519 --> 00:42:39.480
<v Speaker 2>not a fighter, but it's also whether we're not. You will,

854
00:42:40.239 --> 00:42:43.199
<v Speaker 2>and that's what the bullies understand, is what you will.

855
00:42:43.599 --> 00:42:46.119
<v Speaker 2>And there's like a funny story about prison. When I

856
00:42:46.119 --> 00:42:49.559
<v Speaker 2>went to prison, I didn't know what to expect, and

857
00:42:49.599 --> 00:42:51.119
<v Speaker 2>they had some young ones in there that were a

858
00:42:51.159 --> 00:42:53.480
<v Speaker 2>little wild and stuff like that, and I said, you know,

859
00:42:53.639 --> 00:42:56.199
<v Speaker 2>nobody's gonna be going around talking about they willed miss

860
00:42:56.199 --> 00:42:59.000
<v Speaker 2>Ali's ass. That's just not gonna happen. Now they might

861
00:42:59.039 --> 00:43:00.920
<v Speaker 2>say it, but you're would see a knot on their

862
00:43:00.960 --> 00:43:03.679
<v Speaker 2>head or something. So the first thing I did, no

863
00:43:03.719 --> 00:43:06.280
<v Speaker 2>one told me, I took a pair of socks, and

864
00:43:06.320 --> 00:43:08.599
<v Speaker 2>I went outside and they had these little rocks, so

865
00:43:08.800 --> 00:43:11.199
<v Speaker 2>little stones, and I put them so that was my weapon.

866
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:14.960
<v Speaker 2>But then, you know, prison makes you wise. I got

867
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:21.000
<v Speaker 2>real slick. I brought several locks, combination locks, and I

868
00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:24.280
<v Speaker 2>had about six of them. And I said, anybody that

869
00:43:24.400 --> 00:43:26.440
<v Speaker 2>think they're going to hit miss Allie? And I was

870
00:43:26.519 --> 00:43:28.159
<v Speaker 2>like fifty five years old when I went to prison,

871
00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:30.840
<v Speaker 2>and they think that I'm gonna tear their ass up

872
00:43:30.880 --> 00:43:31.440
<v Speaker 2>with this sock.

873
00:43:31.599 --> 00:43:34.159
<v Speaker 1>So did you ever have to use those those locks?

874
00:43:34.400 --> 00:43:38.280
<v Speaker 2>Almost did? Almost did. I almost did. I almost did,

875
00:43:38.400 --> 00:43:40.679
<v Speaker 2>but the girl got away. She got away. She called

876
00:43:40.679 --> 00:43:43.119
<v Speaker 2>me an old bitch and threw my shoes back in

877
00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:45.199
<v Speaker 2>the door. And then I was accused of being a

878
00:43:45.239 --> 00:43:48.280
<v Speaker 2>lesbian because I loaned through these shoes she didn't have anything,

879
00:43:48.320 --> 00:43:49.800
<v Speaker 2>and then she was going to check them with her,

880
00:43:50.119 --> 00:43:52.239
<v Speaker 2>and then I said, no, you can't take them with you.

881
00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:54.679
<v Speaker 2>Their mine. You gave them to I said, no, I

882
00:43:54.719 --> 00:43:57.400
<v Speaker 2>loan them to you. So she's like, no, you gave

883
00:43:57.440 --> 00:43:59.960
<v Speaker 2>them to me. I'm like, okay, just leave them. Because

884
00:44:00.039 --> 00:44:02.119
<v Speaker 2>she was leaving the next day, going to another prison,

885
00:44:02.599 --> 00:44:04.719
<v Speaker 2>and so she leaves and she's young. I guess am

886
00:44:04.719 --> 00:44:07.440
<v Speaker 2>about like in her thirties. And so she leaves out,

887
00:44:07.440 --> 00:44:09.320
<v Speaker 2>and she slams the door and she goes out and

888
00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:12.199
<v Speaker 2>go whoa, she's mad. Then she swings the door back

889
00:44:12.199 --> 00:44:16.559
<v Speaker 2>open and tosses the sneakers back in the room. Well, sneakers,

890
00:44:16.559 --> 00:44:19.039
<v Speaker 2>you can tell I'm old. I guess y'all call something

891
00:44:19.079 --> 00:44:23.679
<v Speaker 2>else's tennis shoes whatever. So she throws them back and said,

892
00:44:23.760 --> 00:44:28.440
<v Speaker 2>keep your sneakers, your old bitch that ham kissed me off.

893
00:44:28.480 --> 00:44:31.320
<v Speaker 2>I didn't even go for the sock. I didn't even

894
00:44:31.320 --> 00:44:33.639
<v Speaker 2>go for my right. I jumped up. I went after her,

895
00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:36.719
<v Speaker 2>and they grabbed me, and I says, old bitch, maybe

896
00:44:36.760 --> 00:44:38.440
<v Speaker 2>you gotta bring your young ass back here, and I'm

897
00:44:38.440 --> 00:44:41.679
<v Speaker 2>gonna tear it up when you get back here. Wat. Yeah.

898
00:44:41.880 --> 00:44:46.039
<v Speaker 2>But anyway, I didn't get written up because the COO

899
00:44:46.199 --> 00:44:48.199
<v Speaker 2>knew me and she liked me. She was like, she

900
00:44:48.280 --> 00:44:51.400
<v Speaker 2>knew I'd never caused any problem. So the next day

901
00:44:51.480 --> 00:44:54.599
<v Speaker 2>she brings the captain or the lieutenant and this guy, really,

902
00:44:54.639 --> 00:44:57.360
<v Speaker 2>I swear he was a Caucasian with red hair. He

903
00:44:57.400 --> 00:45:00.920
<v Speaker 2>looked like the lepardhunkkn in the hood behind the desk.

904
00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:03.239
<v Speaker 2>I thought he was so short. I thought he was sitting,

905
00:45:03.559 --> 00:45:05.719
<v Speaker 2>but he was actually standing, and so I come in.

906
00:45:05.800 --> 00:45:07.840
<v Speaker 2>He says, all right, all right, let's let's let's just

907
00:45:07.920 --> 00:45:10.679
<v Speaker 2>cut to the chase. I know what happened here. You

908
00:45:10.719 --> 00:45:14.679
<v Speaker 2>guys had a lover's quarrel. You're a lesbian, and she

909
00:45:14.880 --> 00:45:17.440
<v Speaker 2>took off with somebody young. You gave her those sneakers.

910
00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:21.599
<v Speaker 1>I could not you clutched those pearls girls.

911
00:45:23.719 --> 00:45:27.119
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't believe it. I was like, a lesbian, I'm

912
00:45:27.159 --> 00:45:29.719
<v Speaker 2>not a lesbian. Yeah you are, Yeah you are. You're

913
00:45:30.079 --> 00:45:32.119
<v Speaker 2>must be. No, he said, I see this all the time,

914
00:45:32.199 --> 00:45:35.920
<v Speaker 2>the old ones you've been here. That was the first time.

915
00:45:35.920 --> 00:45:38.360
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, well I am old. I didn't because I'm

916
00:45:38.360 --> 00:45:42.920
<v Speaker 2>still thinking, okay, I'm flying. Yeah yeah. And so I

917
00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:46.559
<v Speaker 2>was so mad at him, like not for accusing me

918
00:45:46.599 --> 00:45:49.639
<v Speaker 2>of being a lesbian, which I wasn't, but just the

919
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:53.119
<v Speaker 2>fact that that's the only reason that someone could have.

920
00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:57.559
<v Speaker 1>A quarrel or all about it. That's how you did

921
00:45:57.599 --> 00:46:01.119
<v Speaker 1>you have any female its like, hey give advances towards

922
00:46:01.159 --> 00:46:03.119
<v Speaker 1>you because you know you're such a know did they

923
00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:05.119
<v Speaker 1>just know? Again? Like from being on the blocks you

924
00:46:05.239 --> 00:46:07.760
<v Speaker 1>like being a kid goes back like, no, I was.

925
00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:10.960
<v Speaker 2>The mom Okay, yeah, because most of them were younger.

926
00:46:11.360 --> 00:46:15.000
<v Speaker 2>There were I think about maybe five women in there

927
00:46:15.079 --> 00:46:17.719
<v Speaker 2>that were about my age or older. I was like

928
00:46:17.800 --> 00:46:20.639
<v Speaker 2>fifty five fifty seven something like that, and there was

929
00:46:20.760 --> 00:46:23.920
<v Speaker 2>one woman in there that was my age, and then

930
00:46:23.960 --> 00:46:28.119
<v Speaker 2>the couple of other ones that were like in their seventies. Basically,

931
00:46:28.199 --> 00:46:31.400
<v Speaker 2>I have to say that I was treated with respect,

932
00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:34.400
<v Speaker 2>and the girl who threw the sneakers, the next day

933
00:46:34.440 --> 00:46:38.480
<v Speaker 2>she came and apologized, you know, and I let it

934
00:46:38.519 --> 00:46:40.960
<v Speaker 2>go because a lot of the women had come from

935
00:46:41.039 --> 00:46:44.599
<v Speaker 2>d C, and some of them had AIDS, not because

936
00:46:44.639 --> 00:46:47.440
<v Speaker 2>they came from d C. But d C doesn't have

937
00:46:48.079 --> 00:46:53.880
<v Speaker 2>a federal prison. I mean, well, DC has a their prison.

938
00:46:53.920 --> 00:46:56.119
<v Speaker 2>Is they go to federal prison because it's a district

939
00:46:56.119 --> 00:46:58.039
<v Speaker 2>of Yeah, it's acause they don't go to the state. They

940
00:46:58.039 --> 00:47:00.519
<v Speaker 2>go to federal prison. And a lot of them were

941
00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:04.360
<v Speaker 2>just on drugs, you know. And again a lot of

942
00:47:04.400 --> 00:47:08.639
<v Speaker 2>women are in there because of men. Okay, And I'm

943
00:47:08.679 --> 00:47:11.480
<v Speaker 2>not I love men. I'm not casting disparity against them,

944
00:47:11.679 --> 00:47:14.159
<v Speaker 2>but I just think, you know, baby daddies, y'all need

945
00:47:14.199 --> 00:47:18.320
<v Speaker 2>to stick with the women, okay, or you know, guys

946
00:47:18.440 --> 00:47:23.559
<v Speaker 2>just go ghosts on women. So quick, and women are riding. Yeah,

947
00:47:23.880 --> 00:47:27.559
<v Speaker 2>women are ride or die. Okay, most women, Okay, they're

948
00:47:27.559 --> 00:47:30.000
<v Speaker 2>gonna wait, they're coming, They're putting money on your commissary,

949
00:47:30.039 --> 00:47:32.920
<v Speaker 2>They're bringing your kids to see you. Women visiting rooms

950
00:47:32.920 --> 00:47:38.840
<v Speaker 2>are not packed like men. Okay, maybe some maybe smaller

951
00:47:39.079 --> 00:47:42.159
<v Speaker 2>venues and whatever. But to hear the women, the moans

952
00:47:42.239 --> 00:47:45.840
<v Speaker 2>or cries, the stories, I mean, what more are you

953
00:47:45.920 --> 00:47:48.079
<v Speaker 2>gonna do to them? And then they come out of life,

954
00:47:48.320 --> 00:47:50.480
<v Speaker 2>they come out of prison, they do their time, and

955
00:47:50.559 --> 00:47:53.559
<v Speaker 2>they can't be made whole again because the federal government

956
00:47:53.679 --> 00:47:56.119
<v Speaker 2>or the state has this stigma on them that you're

957
00:47:56.159 --> 00:47:58.599
<v Speaker 2>a convicted felon, which is like you might as well

958
00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:00.000
<v Speaker 2>wear it on your head worthless.

959
00:48:00.480 --> 00:48:00.760
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

960
00:48:01.320 --> 00:48:04.280
<v Speaker 2>So that's what the We Two Matter is all about.

961
00:48:04.320 --> 00:48:07.440
<v Speaker 2>And that's what I hope that the book helps to

962
00:48:07.480 --> 00:48:12.039
<v Speaker 2>generate some more interest in my story. But my story

963
00:48:12.519 --> 00:48:14.960
<v Speaker 2>pales compared to some of the things that these women

964
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:17.599
<v Speaker 2>have gone through. One of the women that I told

965
00:48:17.639 --> 00:48:20.440
<v Speaker 2>you about that was the first woman that said to me, Hey,

966
00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:24.880
<v Speaker 2>for Rita Ali. She had been in there and she

967
00:48:25.079 --> 00:48:28.320
<v Speaker 2>was doing like twenty she was like eighteen to twenty

968
00:48:28.400 --> 00:48:30.519
<v Speaker 2>years in when I was just coming in to do

969
00:48:30.639 --> 00:48:35.840
<v Speaker 2>like two years and she's out now, but she did

970
00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:39.440
<v Speaker 2>like thirty years. She'll never have a baby. And it

971
00:48:39.480 --> 00:48:40.320
<v Speaker 2>was a first offense.

972
00:48:40.840 --> 00:48:41.639
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, it was a.

973
00:48:41.639 --> 00:48:45.519
<v Speaker 2>First offense, So how can you do that? Also, like

974
00:48:46.159 --> 00:48:48.159
<v Speaker 2>the visiting room when I would go to the visiting

975
00:48:48.239 --> 00:48:52.119
<v Speaker 2>room and see the few women who I have never seen,

976
00:48:52.159 --> 00:48:57.760
<v Speaker 2>but one man that brought an inmate's children to see them.

977
00:48:58.400 --> 00:49:00.320
<v Speaker 2>And that was one of the girls that was in

978
00:49:00.360 --> 00:49:03.639
<v Speaker 2>my in my dorm, her boys. She was young, pretty,

979
00:49:03.840 --> 00:49:08.039
<v Speaker 2>and her husband brought her two daughters. But to see

980
00:49:08.119 --> 00:49:14.159
<v Speaker 2>those babies, the little hands being pride off of their mothers,

981
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:17.199
<v Speaker 2>and I you know, oh.

982
00:49:17.239 --> 00:49:21.239
<v Speaker 1>That yeah, I just only imagine that's that's a tough fun.

983
00:49:21.280 --> 00:49:22.920
<v Speaker 2>You know. It just has to be a better way.

984
00:49:23.079 --> 00:49:25.679
<v Speaker 2>You know, it has to be a better way. And

985
00:49:25.920 --> 00:49:31.280
<v Speaker 2>you know, like uh fan John Jones and Donald Trump

986
00:49:31.320 --> 00:49:35.199
<v Speaker 2>and jaredt they're not doing everything with that first act.

987
00:49:35.239 --> 00:49:37.880
<v Speaker 2>It doesn't cover everything. But you got to give credit

988
00:49:38.239 --> 00:49:41.239
<v Speaker 2>where credit is due. I mean, that helped a lot

989
00:49:41.239 --> 00:49:43.159
<v Speaker 2>of people. I think it's like more than seven thousand

990
00:49:43.199 --> 00:49:47.599
<v Speaker 2>people got released early. Okay, so it maybe baby steps.

991
00:49:47.239 --> 00:49:51.280
<v Speaker 1>But it steps, but it's doing forward right, and that's

992
00:49:51.079 --> 00:49:53.280
<v Speaker 1>the right most we can start doing this again why

993
00:49:53.480 --> 00:49:58.119
<v Speaker 1>I pray or I pray the whole podcast on like

994
00:49:58.480 --> 00:50:01.119
<v Speaker 1>educating people and knowledge just power. You know, the more

995
00:50:01.159 --> 00:50:02.840
<v Speaker 1>knowledge that we have, the more that we can make

996
00:50:02.840 --> 00:50:04.800
<v Speaker 1>a difference, the more that we may be, you know,

997
00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:07.320
<v Speaker 1>touching somebody out there that will you know, either tune

998
00:50:07.360 --> 00:50:09.480
<v Speaker 1>in watch your book or listen to your book and

999
00:50:09.519 --> 00:50:11.480
<v Speaker 1>do you know and make a difference and maybe it,

1000
00:50:11.559 --> 00:50:13.280
<v Speaker 1>you know, speaks to them in a way that we

1001
00:50:13.599 --> 00:50:15.159
<v Speaker 1>don't know or wouldn't know that it wouldn't if you

1002
00:50:15.159 --> 00:50:17.159
<v Speaker 1>could never spoke to speak about it. So you know,

1003
00:50:17.199 --> 00:50:20.599
<v Speaker 1>I appreciate your honesty, your truth. I feel like it's

1004
00:50:20.800 --> 00:50:22.880
<v Speaker 1>a heavy message, but it definitely needs to be spoken

1005
00:50:22.920 --> 00:50:25.800
<v Speaker 1>about and a lot of things because again knowledge is power,

1006
00:50:25.840 --> 00:50:27.800
<v Speaker 1>and I feel like it's it's a big it's a

1007
00:50:27.840 --> 00:50:31.599
<v Speaker 1>big thing that we need to talk about it. With relationships,

1008
00:50:31.639 --> 00:50:34.320
<v Speaker 1>how did you know after being incarcerated and coming out,

1009
00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:36.840
<v Speaker 1>how did your relationship with your husband did it? Do

1010
00:50:36.840 --> 00:50:39.400
<v Speaker 1>you feel like the incarceration kind of had an effect

1011
00:50:39.480 --> 00:50:42.320
<v Speaker 1>on you guys not being together or how do you

1012
00:50:42.320 --> 00:50:44.400
<v Speaker 1>how did that happen? And with like the relationship, we.

1013
00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:49.239
<v Speaker 2>Were just separated between space, but I truly loved him,

1014
00:50:49.239 --> 00:50:51.480
<v Speaker 2>and he truly loved me, and there's no time or

1015
00:50:51.519 --> 00:50:55.639
<v Speaker 2>space or distance that changed that. Because I guess too,

1016
00:50:55.679 --> 00:51:00.559
<v Speaker 2>I was already mature and he was mature. So my

1017
00:51:00.639 --> 00:51:05.880
<v Speaker 2>husband's his strength, like he strengthened me. Like I remember

1018
00:51:06.360 --> 00:51:09.320
<v Speaker 2>once I was at a picnic or something with him,

1019
00:51:09.400 --> 00:51:12.920
<v Speaker 2>and I'm like the person that goes to the barbecue

1020
00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:16.440
<v Speaker 2>to cooker. I have to have everything, so I may

1021
00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:17.920
<v Speaker 2>not need the whole hot dog, but I got to

1022
00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:21.199
<v Speaker 2>have half of them. Bit. Yeah. So I had just

1023
00:51:21.360 --> 00:51:24.599
<v Speaker 2>loaded myself with food this day, and the potatoes, salad

1024
00:51:24.960 --> 00:51:27.400
<v Speaker 2>and the hot dogs and the hamburger and everything, but

1025
00:51:27.559 --> 00:51:29.400
<v Speaker 2>like I said, I only take parts of it. I

1026
00:51:29.480 --> 00:51:32.440
<v Speaker 2>was so full. But then it kept it got dark,

1027
00:51:32.480 --> 00:51:34.840
<v Speaker 2>and it kept feeling like something was biting me and

1028
00:51:34.880 --> 00:51:37.519
<v Speaker 2>all over me just kept going. So all of a sudden,

1029
00:51:37.519 --> 00:51:39.760
<v Speaker 2>I started feeling really really sick, and I said to

1030
00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:43.719
<v Speaker 2>my husband, I said, I'm feeling really bad. And a

1031
00:51:43.719 --> 00:51:45.639
<v Speaker 2>few minutes went by and I said, no, I really

1032
00:51:45.679 --> 00:51:47.760
<v Speaker 2>feel sick, like I need to go to hospital. He said,

1033
00:51:47.760 --> 00:51:50.639
<v Speaker 2>you feel that bad all of a sudden, Like see,

1034
00:51:50.679 --> 00:51:54.159
<v Speaker 2>it felt like my legs were like lead and I

1035
00:51:54.199 --> 00:51:56.639
<v Speaker 2>only had to walk the distance which i'd say maybe

1036
00:51:56.679 --> 00:52:01.199
<v Speaker 2>about thirty feet down the driveway through the car. By

1037
00:52:01.239 --> 00:52:03.199
<v Speaker 2>the time I got in a car, I said to

1038
00:52:03.239 --> 00:52:06.079
<v Speaker 2>my husband, I'm dying. He said, you feel that, pad

1039
00:52:06.199 --> 00:52:08.880
<v Speaker 2>and I must have passed out because then I remember

1040
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:12.960
<v Speaker 2>waking up. I hear because he stopped in front of

1041
00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:16.000
<v Speaker 2>my daughter in law's house and I could hear her

1042
00:52:16.079 --> 00:52:18.719
<v Speaker 2>voice saying mo Ma. They sounded like she was way

1043
00:52:18.880 --> 00:52:21.079
<v Speaker 2>far away, and then it got closer because I was,

1044
00:52:21.199 --> 00:52:24.119
<v Speaker 2>I guess I was coming more conscious, and he had

1045
00:52:24.159 --> 00:52:26.360
<v Speaker 2>me sitting out of the side of the car, slumped

1046
00:52:26.360 --> 00:52:29.599
<v Speaker 2>over like that and vomiting. When vomit was just coming out.

1047
00:52:29.800 --> 00:52:32.880
<v Speaker 2>So when I get to the hospital, the doctor's I

1048
00:52:32.920 --> 00:52:38.880
<v Speaker 2>was going into anthrophylactic shop. Something bit me multiple times,

1049
00:52:39.400 --> 00:52:43.159
<v Speaker 2>or more than one insect bit me, and the doctor said,

1050
00:52:43.159 --> 00:52:47.519
<v Speaker 2>what saved my life was that I threw it up

1051
00:52:47.800 --> 00:52:52.159
<v Speaker 2>so the poison stopped. But I remember when I said

1052
00:52:52.159 --> 00:52:55.039
<v Speaker 2>to my husband, I'm dying, and I remember this, he said,

1053
00:52:55.119 --> 00:52:58.679
<v Speaker 2>just surrender, surrender your will to God. You'll be okay.

1054
00:52:59.320 --> 00:53:02.920
<v Speaker 2>And from that only on I was able to process

1055
00:53:04.639 --> 00:53:08.000
<v Speaker 2>trial trials and tribulations in a tool let go yeah,

1056
00:53:08.039 --> 00:53:11.320
<v Speaker 2>in a totally different way. It's like with the FEDS.

1057
00:53:11.760 --> 00:53:14.760
<v Speaker 2>What was I gonna do? Okay, the only thing that

1058
00:53:14.800 --> 00:53:16.840
<v Speaker 2>I knew that I had power over, which is a

1059
00:53:16.840 --> 00:53:19.320
<v Speaker 2>great power. And that's what people have to understand. I

1060
00:53:19.360 --> 00:53:22.000
<v Speaker 2>couldn't impact them or what they thought or what they felt,

1061
00:53:22.199 --> 00:53:24.360
<v Speaker 2>and I couldn't do anything about the sentence. I mean,

1062
00:53:24.400 --> 00:53:25.719
<v Speaker 2>I could have went on the run, but that would

1063
00:53:25.719 --> 00:53:29.159
<v Speaker 2>have been stupid. I had to do the time. But

1064
00:53:29.400 --> 00:53:32.119
<v Speaker 2>how I did the time, that was my And if

1065
00:53:32.400 --> 00:53:37.440
<v Speaker 2>I can give that message to anyone to let them

1066
00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:42.119
<v Speaker 2>know that you control how you allow something to impact you. Okay.

1067
00:53:42.280 --> 00:53:47.119
<v Speaker 2>Now I didn't suffer in prison. It was humiliating. Okay,

1068
00:53:47.360 --> 00:53:53.360
<v Speaker 2>it was hurtful. It was me, but I got through

1069
00:53:53.360 --> 00:53:57.920
<v Speaker 2>it because I was determined that I'm going to control

1070
00:53:58.039 --> 00:54:01.440
<v Speaker 2>my message to my sorrows, my soul in my heart.

1071
00:54:01.920 --> 00:54:05.320
<v Speaker 2>I have the power to not allow this to destroy me,

1072
00:54:05.400 --> 00:54:09.719
<v Speaker 2>because it's almost like, not almost, some of the evil

1073
00:54:09.760 --> 00:54:12.239
<v Speaker 2>people in law enforcement, and not all of them. I'm

1074
00:54:12.199 --> 00:54:14.280
<v Speaker 2>meant a lot of good people in law enforcement, but

1075
00:54:14.400 --> 00:54:18.119
<v Speaker 2>some of the evil people don't belong there because they're

1076
00:54:18.199 --> 00:54:22.639
<v Speaker 2>not just about a prosecution. They're about a persecute execution. Okay.

1077
00:54:22.880 --> 00:54:26.280
<v Speaker 2>They want to break everything about a person and leave

1078
00:54:26.320 --> 00:54:30.320
<v Speaker 2>you with nothing, okay, and that doesn't help society. Do

1079
00:54:30.320 --> 00:54:32.280
<v Speaker 2>you want to just strip a person.

1080
00:54:32.039 --> 00:54:33.360
<v Speaker 1>Of everything makes it worse?

1081
00:54:33.480 --> 00:54:36.039
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And what I would like to see and hope

1082
00:54:36.079 --> 00:54:40.719
<v Speaker 2>that the President, the Congress and the Senate and all

1083
00:54:40.760 --> 00:54:44.679
<v Speaker 2>of them, they need to wipe away these fellon records.

1084
00:54:44.679 --> 00:54:47.320
<v Speaker 2>They need to expunge people's records once they've done their time.

1085
00:54:47.960 --> 00:54:51.400
<v Speaker 2>That's doing more time, you know. And it's just not fair.

1086
00:54:51.440 --> 00:54:53.880
<v Speaker 2>You're going to arrest somebody, you put them in prison,

1087
00:54:54.280 --> 00:54:57.880
<v Speaker 2>you make them pay restitution, and then you still give

1088
00:54:57.920 --> 00:55:00.719
<v Speaker 2>them a fellon record for the rest their life.

1089
00:55:01.480 --> 00:55:04.519
<v Speaker 1>That's right, private talk. I hope you're liking subscribing and

1090
00:55:04.599 --> 00:55:07.719
<v Speaker 1>comment on this episode. I hope you have been educated

1091
00:55:07.760 --> 00:55:10.480
<v Speaker 1>like I have been. I love your message. I love

1092
00:55:10.519 --> 00:55:13.559
<v Speaker 1>your powerful like you just have a powerful presence about you.

1093
00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:15.000
<v Speaker 1>So I really feel like your message is going to

1094
00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:16.360
<v Speaker 1>get across to a lot of people, and I think

1095
00:55:16.360 --> 00:55:18.440
<v Speaker 1>that it'll help a lot of people as well. So

1096
00:55:18.480 --> 00:55:20.199
<v Speaker 1>we're going to take a little bit of a break, guys.

1097
00:55:20.280 --> 00:55:22.400
<v Speaker 1>All right, we're back and we're about to put miss

1098
00:55:22.400 --> 00:55:24.440
<v Speaker 1>taxes on the hot seats. So do you have any

1099
00:55:24.519 --> 00:55:26.960
<v Speaker 1>questions for me, Doctor Rita?

1100
00:55:27.400 --> 00:55:33.000
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I'd like to know where you draw your strength

1101
00:55:33.039 --> 00:55:36.519
<v Speaker 2>from being the profession that you were in, and how

1102
00:55:37.159 --> 00:55:41.400
<v Speaker 2>certain people who are much more righteous than us have

1103
00:55:41.840 --> 00:55:45.840
<v Speaker 2>their opinions about you and people who do you know

1104
00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:50.800
<v Speaker 2>things that they feel are whatever. Where did you draw

1105
00:55:51.159 --> 00:55:54.599
<v Speaker 2>your strength from so that you would be able to

1106
00:55:54.719 --> 00:55:57.639
<v Speaker 2>let people know it's our right to be who you are,

1107
00:55:58.039 --> 00:56:02.280
<v Speaker 2>and you know people with that because people are suffering,

1108
00:56:02.599 --> 00:56:06.960
<v Speaker 2>whether they're gay, whether they're whatever, poor people have issues.

1109
00:56:07.320 --> 00:56:09.840
<v Speaker 2>So where did you draw and where do you draw

1110
00:56:09.960 --> 00:56:13.159
<v Speaker 2>your strength from? And how were you able to come

1111
00:56:13.199 --> 00:56:16.639
<v Speaker 2>to terms with that? You wanted to share this and

1112
00:56:16.679 --> 00:56:18.960
<v Speaker 2>put the kind of knowledge out there that would be

1113
00:56:18.960 --> 00:56:20.920
<v Speaker 2>so helpful as it has been to other people.

1114
00:56:21.280 --> 00:56:24.800
<v Speaker 1>Good question. I feel like I can really only attest

1115
00:56:24.840 --> 00:56:26.559
<v Speaker 1>to like the way I was raised and like the

1116
00:56:26.559 --> 00:56:29.639
<v Speaker 1>support system of like how the structure of my family is,

1117
00:56:29.719 --> 00:56:32.679
<v Speaker 1>and being like I've just been. We were always very

1118
00:56:32.719 --> 00:56:35.159
<v Speaker 1>open and honest and you know, I'm kind of like

1119
00:56:35.199 --> 00:56:36.840
<v Speaker 1>a straight shooter. I just tell it how it is,

1120
00:56:36.880 --> 00:56:38.960
<v Speaker 1>and that's kind of like how I was raised as well.

1121
00:56:39.039 --> 00:56:41.840
<v Speaker 1>So for me, it's like I, you know, like we

1122
00:56:41.840 --> 00:56:44.000
<v Speaker 1>were talking about earlier, I'm like, you can't do something

1123
00:56:44.039 --> 00:56:46.559
<v Speaker 1>wrong when it's your own niche or your own thing.

1124
00:56:46.920 --> 00:56:48.320
<v Speaker 1>So it's like I just kind of like, you know,

1125
00:56:48.360 --> 00:56:51.159
<v Speaker 1>sometimes I may stumble, sometimes I may fall, but I

1126
00:56:51.199 --> 00:56:52.639
<v Speaker 1>also come back and try it again and do it

1127
00:56:52.679 --> 00:56:54.400
<v Speaker 1>ten times harder the next time. So I feel like

1128
00:56:54.679 --> 00:56:56.880
<v Speaker 1>my mom was really inspiring and showed me that, you know,

1129
00:56:56.960 --> 00:56:59.199
<v Speaker 1>never to give up, never to rely on someone else

1130
00:56:59.239 --> 00:57:01.039
<v Speaker 1>to do something for you a man or a woman,

1131
00:57:01.360 --> 00:57:03.000
<v Speaker 1>and just to really, like, you know, live in your

1132
00:57:03.000 --> 00:57:05.559
<v Speaker 1>own truth. So I kind of feel like I abide

1133
00:57:05.599 --> 00:57:07.199
<v Speaker 1>by those rules, and you know, I kind of stuck

1134
00:57:07.239 --> 00:57:09.360
<v Speaker 1>with that, and you know, it hasn't always been easy.

1135
00:57:09.360 --> 00:57:11.400
<v Speaker 1>I've gotten a lot of ridicule from, you know, decisions

1136
00:57:11.400 --> 00:57:13.320
<v Speaker 1>that I've chosen to make, you know, when I was

1137
00:57:13.320 --> 00:57:16.920
<v Speaker 1>in the adult entertainment business. But I feel like all

1138
00:57:16.920 --> 00:57:19.000
<v Speaker 1>of those choices that I made made me who I

1139
00:57:19.039 --> 00:57:21.920
<v Speaker 1>am today, and it doesn't define me. It's just a

1140
00:57:21.920 --> 00:57:23.679
<v Speaker 1>part of who I am and a part of my journey.

1141
00:57:23.840 --> 00:57:25.559
<v Speaker 1>So I feel like, you know, with all those things

1142
00:57:25.599 --> 00:57:28.880
<v Speaker 1>I've I've always been very confident as a woman and

1143
00:57:28.920 --> 00:57:31.039
<v Speaker 1>in my own skin. I've never been the skinniest girl.

1144
00:57:31.079 --> 00:57:34.079
<v Speaker 1>I've never been you know, the prettiest or this or that.

1145
00:57:34.119 --> 00:57:36.039
<v Speaker 1>But you know, I've always just been me, and I

1146
00:57:36.039 --> 00:57:37.719
<v Speaker 1>feel like, you know, I found truth in that, and

1147
00:57:37.760 --> 00:57:40.000
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I've just I'm just comfortable in my

1148
00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:41.480
<v Speaker 1>own skin. So I feel like a lot of that

1149
00:57:41.559 --> 00:57:43.159
<v Speaker 1>I can really only attest to my parents and the

1150
00:57:43.239 --> 00:57:46.360
<v Speaker 1>upbringing that I kind of was around my whole life.

1151
00:57:47.360 --> 00:57:53.159
<v Speaker 2>And the other question is what message would you give

1152
00:57:53.880 --> 00:58:00.000
<v Speaker 2>two young women who are struggling with accepting who they are,

1153
00:58:00.079 --> 00:58:03.119
<v Speaker 2>whether it be that they're gay, or whether it be

1154
00:58:03.199 --> 00:58:07.920
<v Speaker 2>that they don't feel comfortable with their body, their shapes,

1155
00:58:08.119 --> 00:58:11.400
<v Speaker 2>or they don't like their hair, or what what message

1156
00:58:11.880 --> 00:58:14.719
<v Speaker 2>do you have for women who just struggle with their

1157
00:58:15.239 --> 00:58:17.280
<v Speaker 2>physical self identity.

1158
00:58:17.800 --> 00:58:20.519
<v Speaker 1>I think the biggest message that I could give is

1159
00:58:20.679 --> 00:58:22.559
<v Speaker 1>that I live is to each his oone. What works

1160
00:58:22.599 --> 00:58:24.800
<v Speaker 1>for me doesn't work for everybody else. And so it's like,

1161
00:58:24.880 --> 00:58:27.000
<v Speaker 1>as long as you are comfortable and you can sleep

1162
00:58:27.000 --> 00:58:28.679
<v Speaker 1>every day, you know, at night, and lay your head

1163
00:58:28.679 --> 00:58:31.719
<v Speaker 1>down and go to sleep, then that's completely fine. I

1164
00:58:31.719 --> 00:58:34.000
<v Speaker 1>feel like, you know, you have to work, like, you

1165
00:58:34.000 --> 00:58:35.559
<v Speaker 1>have to live in your own truth. You have to

1166
00:58:35.840 --> 00:58:37.800
<v Speaker 1>do what works for you, and you know, even with

1167
00:58:37.840 --> 00:58:40.280
<v Speaker 1>you know this with my brand, and it's something completely

1168
00:58:40.360 --> 00:58:43.119
<v Speaker 1>different that I haven't done before. But it's still on

1169
00:58:43.199 --> 00:58:45.559
<v Speaker 1>brand with what I'm doing because it ties in, you know,

1170
00:58:45.599 --> 00:58:48.320
<v Speaker 1>with everyday conversations with all like walks of life with people.

1171
00:58:48.400 --> 00:58:50.400
<v Speaker 1>So I feel like, stick with what you know, what

1172
00:58:50.519 --> 00:58:52.920
<v Speaker 1>you really want, set your goals high, and you know,

1173
00:58:53.000 --> 00:58:54.840
<v Speaker 1>keep striving to be the best.

1174
00:58:55.079 --> 00:58:55.519
<v Speaker 2>Yeah,