My second visit to the Francisco House left me just as heavy-hearted as the first. I introduced myself to some of the people there, who were so friendly and genuine. I also greeted Ralph and I really appreciated that he seemed happy to see me again.

This time, the topic was on Control and Setting Personal Boundaries. It was a group of about 10 men gathered together on a Saturday morning. Martin led the meeting and shared his story of a Lawry's chef who managed to talk down on him and speak ill of him to other people over a missed phone call. As Martin vented his frustrations and the the other men shared their own accounts of being "played games with by even the LA County Sheriffs" and being disrespected, my heart really felt their helplessness. They asked, "why play on someone when they are in need?"

A criminal record has a life-long impact that follows these people wherever they go. No matter how much they transformed and truly desire to become positive members in the society, it is the others in the community who aren't willing to give them a chance. The Chef claimed to be helping these men by giving them jobs, but his condescending attitude towards their history really robs them of the respect that they deserve as human beings. The fact that these ex-offenders are out of prison and on parole indicate that they've earned another chance to be part of the society again.

Another man, Kenya, has been free for 3 weeks and after apologizing for being late to the meeting, expressed his thoughts. After 30 years of imprisonment, he is back in the real world and feeling like an alien. While everyone around him is impatient, always in a hurry, he is simply trying to take everything in and being thankful for support. He says, "take one step at a time and tomorrow will be a better day". These words are so true but I know that I don't practice it myself. It's a great experience whenever I come to Francisco House because what these people have to say seem so wise and enlightening. One man, Jessie, a devout Christian, quoted the Bible that there are wolves and sheep out there and they must be as kind as doves and shrewd as vipers. Interacting with these men really gave me a graver sense of purpose to my goal to give voice to their concerns, because they're not heard and they need to be. The difficulties that they experience will only become greater. They explained to us external problems such as the corruptness of the prison and judicial system, employment and finances and internal issues that they face in the reintegration process into society such as respect from others, taking in all the changes that have happened since they were locked in and so on.

It was a really insightful meeting and I definitely look forward to next Saturday.