We are creating political action in Yonkers, New York.  Making things happen a step at a time.  I joined Community Voices Heard a year ago or so and we are working on a big meeting on August 28th, coming up next week.  We will have a chance to tell each of our stories, and then break out in groups to discuss topics of interest.  We are talking about violence against women and what keeps people in poverty.  These are topics that are very close to my heart as they hit close to home for me.  I wish I had a magic wand to get my son out of prison, where he is still hold up in Portland, Oregon.  They won't let him out of the state.  I have never imagined that a human being would be treated in this manner.  It's just a terrible crime the way the operatives in the criminal justice system handle prisoners, and keep them incarcerated for much longer than they should be.  They have a way of testing the strength and sanity of any individual.  I thought that they would at least treat him with humanity.  But oh my, did they ever do the opposite.  They went into his cell and pulled riot gear on him, breaking three of his ribs, cracking open his head, and "tazer" gunning him.  It was just disastrous.  Then they keep putting him back in and he goes around in circles,  but when he's out they can't do anything to help him.  Now he's been denied SSI back five or six times since he's been incarcerated.  It's unbelievable that the government expects felons to live on nothing.  I think it is an atrocity!!!  I hope we can finally sue them for what they've done to his life.  At 27 he now is bald from all the stress.