Digest Post – 4/5/13

By BitcoDavid

Well, our post-a-day streak was broken yesterday, but before you go thinking I dropped the ball, I want you to know I was busy drumming up some Supporter Contributions that will be going up this week.

Image courtesy of Pat Bliss

In keeping with our editorial priority list, the first order of business in today’s digest post is a brief update on Felix’s case. From Pat Bliss:

Felix had a video interview by a
reporter from a major Florida newspaper, this week. His clemency
action is on track. He is now living in the Faith Dorm and is doing
quite well there.

I do wish I had a little more to report. Unfortunately, that’s all Ms. bliss sent. We have picked up a few new signatures on the petition site. This petition is still a necessary and powerful tool to help persuade Pam Bondi and the other members of Florida law enforcement – including Governor Scott, that Felix deserves the justice that has eluded him for the past 30+ years.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please click the link – here – or on either of our sidebars, and sign this vital petition. Felix Garcia has served a lifetime in prison – a Deaf man – for a crime he has long since been proven not guilty of.

Again, here’s the link to our petition to grant Felix a full pardon.

***

In life – I believe – everybody searches for their own personal title fight. You go toe to toe with whoever or whatever comes along, but your end game is always that big fish. Everybody wants to bag the elephant. I use this to explain my ongoing love-hate relationship with the venerable Gray Lady - the New York Times. Now – I go to the Times for sources on posts, but there will come a day, when the Lady herself will not print a story without first checking DeafInPrison.com.

Anyway, directly from herself , comes this update on the Clements case.

But weeks after Mr. Clements’s killing, investigators are still trying
to sort out whether the death was in fact a gang-ordered hit or the act of a lone gunman whose years in solitary confinement may have nurtured paranoia and a hatred of prison officials.

OJ Keller holding his only two friends. Photo: White House Boys

They make mention of the fact that Clements was working on eliminating the use of solitary confinement in Colorado’s prison system – a fact that I find staggering in its irony. In every report I’ve read, Clements is described as a tireless reformer who has dedicated his career to making prison more humane for the inmates – the very opposite of a fire and brimstone – law and order type such as  O.J. Keller of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. An infamous, vicious torturer, and corrupt administrator.

In quoting James F. Austin, a consultant who worked with Clements in his efforts to improve Colorado’s prisons, the Times wrote, “This has just never happened before in the history of corrections,” Dr.
Austin said. “What would be the value of the gang doing that, except to
bring incredible heat both on and off the street?” He added that the gangs “like to do their thing without much attention,
especially with a director who is doing everything he could to make the
prison safer and more comfortable.” — NYT

But law enforcement officials said on Thursday that they could not rule out the possibility that Mr. Ebel — who died after he was wounded in a shootout and a chase with Texas police officers and sheriff’s deputies northwest of Dallas on March 21 — was acting on orders from the leaders of the 211 Crew.

A search is continuing for two members of the gang known to have had contact with Mr. Ebel recently, said Lt. Jeff Kramer, a spokesman for the El Paso County sheriff’s office in Colorado. He called the men, James Lohr, 47, and Thomas Guolee, 31, “persons of interest” but stopped short of saying they were suspects in the case. Both are also wanted on warrants for unrelated crimes, Lieutenant Kramer said, and are thought to be armed and dangerous.

Even in this great shot of the accident scene, no sign of a truck – or a trucker. Photo:NYT

And still, no word on the trucker whom Ebel t-boned in his 100mph escape attempt in Texas. A guy climbs into his rig one morning, and out of nowhere a psychopath driving what passes nowadays for a Cadillac, creams him. I’m just sayin’, it’d be nice to give him just one line, in the reams of coverage this story has gotten.

Here’s the story as covered by that other news source – the NYT.

***

http://www.behearddc.org/

 

Finally, a reminder that this coming Wednesday, H.E.A.R.D. will be hosting their public meeting at Gallaudet. Here’s the PDF embed.

 

View this document on Scribd

This event is listed on our Events Page, and here’s a link to the above embed.

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives,
he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab
driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer.
He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and
obesity related illness.

Related articles

• Follow Up: Texas Style Arrest of Clements’ Alleged Shooter (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• New development in Colorado killing (cnn.com)
• NYT Confirms, Ebel Dead after Police Shootout (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Colorado governor orders audit of inmate records (cnsnews.com)
• Programs got suspect in Colorado slaying out of prison early (star-telegram.com)
• 1 of 2 suspected gang members linked to Clements murder arrested (kdvr.com)
• Caldwell: The tragic killing of Tom Clements, a quiet crusader (denverpost.com)
• Cases of Solitary Confinement (inprisonedwomen.wordpress.com)
• Here’s the Conclusion of The Brookline PD’s Presentation (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Team Blood (bitcodavidsboxingblog.com)

Marsha Graham Part 2

By BitcoDavid

I strongly suggest you watch these two videos. Ms. Graham’s personal story is fascinating, and her insight into the Deaf Community and law enforcement is both informed and entertaining. — BD

[OK. It looks to be good now. I went back to the original mpeg, re-edited it and re-rendered it.]

Symposium4Re-Render

►

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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• Here’s the Conclusion of The Brookline PD’s Presentation (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• First Video Installment – Brookline PD (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Marsha Graham’s Presentation at the Symposium (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Live Coverage of Bridgewater Event (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Amnesty International Petition for Angola 3 Member (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Event: Webinar (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• The Theft of Dignity by Pastor Mark Ehrlichmann (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Team Blood (bitcodavidsboxingblog.com)
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Marsha Graham’s Presentation Part 1

By BitcoDavid

Symposium3

►

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

Related articles

• Here’s the Conclusion of The Brookline PD’s Presentation (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• First Video Installment – Brookline PD (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Marsha Graham’s Presentation at the Symposium (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• From USABoxing – Casting Call (bitcodavidsboxingblog.com)
• Live Coverage of Bridgewater Event (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Event: Webinar (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Amnesty International Petition for Angola 3 Member (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Team Blood (bitcodavidsboxingblog.com)

Marsha Graham’s Presentation at the Symposium

By BitcoDavid

A particularly eerie image from the film Brazil. Credit, Filmicability

Marsha Graham, from AnotherBoomerBlog, has been a great supporter and an even greater asset to us, here at DeafInPrison.com. In her presentation at the Internationl Symposium on the Deaf and the Justice System, she drew a comparison between the Deaf and the insular Native American cultures she has also worked with, in Alaska.

She pointed out the similarities between the two cultures, stressing the linguistic and literacy limitations, making the point that if someone can’t understand what’s going on during a trial, they can’t be said to be competent in their own defense. She went on to stress the need for interpreters – or at the very least, some form of communication assistance – from the very first contact between law enforcement and members of the Deaf community.

Ms. Graham, also mentioned the case of Lashonn White, which we’ve covered, as well as the Felix Garcia Case. Ms. White, you may recall, was the woman who called the police after being attacked in her home. When the cruisers arrived, she ran out of her house, screaming and waving her arms – believing them to be her salvation. When she failed to stop her advance on the officers – unable to hear their commands to stop – they tased her multiple times, and put her in jail. She stayed there, unaware as to what was going on, for 4 days. Felix Garcia on the other hand is an individual whom we have been working – since our launch a year ago – to secure release for. Our contributor Pat Bliss, has been working directly with Felix on his case for many years prior to that.

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Marsha also gave DeafInPrison.com a little well needed shout-out, which we gratefully appreciate. She mentioned Pat Bliss and our publisher, Joanne Greenberg, by name.

She stressed the need for interpreters, emphasized the advantages of live interpreting over C.A.R.T. and spelled out examples of where the justice system failed to provide adequate services for the Deaf. She also spoke of her own deafness, and how that impacted her abilities as a trial lawyer when working in noisy courtrooms. She said that judges want to move cases along, and become annoyed when interpreters are late, or when seemingly competent defendants request them. I found myself reminded of that old song, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, “The judge said guilty in a make believe trial, Slapped the sherrif on the back with a smile and said Suppers waiting at home, and I gotta get to it.”

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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• The Theft of Dignity by Pastor Mark Ehrlichmann (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Here’s the Conclusion of The Brookline PD’s Presentation (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
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The Theft of Dignity by Pastor Mark Ehrlichmann

By BitcoDavid

Pastor Ehrlichmann is a member of HEARD, and a supporter of the #JusticeForFelix project. Below is a letter he wrote for use in his Ministry, regarding Felix and the plight of all Deaf prisoners. It’s a heartfelt and profound read, and we are grateful to the Pastor for sharing it with us – and for all the work he does for the inmates.

View this document on Scribd

If the text of this document is too small for you to read, you can zoom it in by clicking the magnifying glass icons on the bottom of the embed. You can also view it in full size, by clicking the link directly beneath it.

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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Remember We Are Picture People

By Pat Bliss

Image: Pat Bliss

I just came back from my third trip to Florida in 4 1/2 months. Each trip had a purpose as a step further to show the innocence of Felix Garcia and towards his freedom. Felix may not be fully cognizant of what all these meetings/interviews      mean to him but he certainly participates with all his might, and answers questions to the best of his ability.

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/facilities/region3/282.html

This trip involved Felix being interviewed by a reporter for a major Florida newspaper. Our scheduled appointment began at 9 A.M. But, there are procedures one must go through up front. Before being allowed into the prison, we gave the staff at the outside window, our IDs. They checked these IDs with their computer roster. When it was Okayed, and because we were going in as media, we all got special badges. The heavy metal gates clinked open and we went on inside – first, to be searched; all rings, bracelets, watches, eyeglasses accounted for. Oh yes, cannot forget the car key. The reporter had a pen and pad and of course, the camera equipment for taking pictures. Staff led us into the visiting area for the interview. The visiting area at Tomoka comprises of one enclosed large room with a canteen. From this room, you can go through double doors to a fairly large semi-enclosed room with barred windows. this room opens to the outside area, where there are concrete picnic tables. Everything is enclosed in barbwire. We settled for the middle room with its large picnic type tables.

A generic visiting room, not the one at Tomoka.
http://bahlool.deviantart.com/art/Prison-visiting-room-99587324

As per past interviews we’ve had, it was a very emotional time. Felix is so open and expressive. In my title, I said picture people, meaning that the deaf relate to pictures – not words – in general. Felix told me the reason for this, is the Deaf dictionary and the hearing world’s dictionaries are inches apart (he showed me the difference with his fingers). So, Felix tells much of his story to the reporter by demonstration. He is so precise, as to exactly what took place, that no one could misunderstand what he was saying.  Sign interpreter, Cheryl Santana from Interpreter Source in St. Augustine, was the conduit between us hearing people and Felix in understanding one another.

[Editor's note: ASL interpreters view their clients with the same level of confidentiality as do doctors and lawyers. Generally, they ask that we don't print their names. To facilitate those seeking interpreter services, in the Florida area, I have left the company name intact. --BitcoDavid]

Felix can read lips and speak pretty well but he’s not wise in formal settings for legal visits or media interviews – room for misinterpretation comes into play. During the interview, the camera operator was clicking away. She must have taken at least a hundred pictures. We were limited as to where the cameras would be shooting so not to include any wire fences or other inmates in the background. The interview should be in print in about 2-3 months. I will definitely let DeafInPrison.com know when it comes out, so it can have a link available to you readers.

http://www.uwhealth.org/patient-guides/uw-hospital/safe-patient-identification-system/29202

I stayed over the weekend with a friend in Daytona Beach Shores and visited with Felix. The procedure as a visitor is the same for access inside the prison except there is a hand scan machine to put my right hand in to identify me electronically.  Once Felix arrived and we found seats, we talked about what is going on with his supporters, his prison life and anything else we could think of. The acoustics are very bad in these rooms. The noise (people talking loudly) around me was unbelievable to the degree that I was “deaf” in understanding much of what he was saying. There is also the fact our communication is not perfect and misunderstandings do occur. So Felix was thinking ahead. He had a pen handy, grabbed a few white napkins, and what I could not understand, he printed in brief sentences to get his point across. Or, if there was something I needed to remember, I would write it down and show him to be sure I understood what he said.  Nevertheless, one thing stood out. The phrase he repeatedly said many times. “Remember, we are picture people.” I took note of that and was quite aware then, as to why he drew diagrams a lot – it was in order for me to better understand what he was trying to convey.

http://www.istc.cnr.it/mostralis/eng/pannello26.htm

On my way home, I was thinking about the phrase “we are picture people” and realized over the years, that Felix was in the habit of drawing – he would draw for clarity. Strangely, it wasn’t until this past weekend that I fully understood this was a Deaf trait in communication. I have come to appreciate the pictures in a new light.

Pat Bliss is a retired paralegal in criminal law. She continues to do legal work for indigent prisoner cases showing innocence. She is a Certified Community Chaplain, Certified as a volunteer for CISM (Crises Intervention Stress Management) and involved in community events.

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My Trip and the Latest on Felix’s Case

By Pat Bliss

Image: Pat Bliss

In mid-December 2012, the Requests for Clemency were filed. This is the first step. The actual hearings may be quite some time from now. We are now engaged in informational meetings, like the one I mention below, with the Governor’s legal counsel. As we progress in this action, I will keep you posted. Thank you all sincerely for your interest in Felix Garcia’s freedom. He so much appreciates knowing he isn’t forgotten and that people really do care.

I got back late Wednesday afternoon – the day after Christmas. I had driven for 10 hours. We had a great productive trip, but one highlight was on the 19th when I had an appointment to meet with the Governor’s legal advisor and Reggie Garcia, Felix’s new clemency attorney. I drove up that morning from Clearwater, Florida. We had our meeting at the Capital and I got a tour of the Governor’s office, too.

Image: Pat Bliss

The other highlight was Christmas day with Felix. He was discouraged because he could not contact me – having heard no news. After I filled him in on the latest about his case, in Tallahassee, he lit up, and his face was all smiles. I saw hope written in his eyes. That is how Felix survives. It is the continual hope for something better.

However, there was one profound moment that really touched me. We were standing in line to buy ice cream at the commissary. The windows were open, no screens but bars. We were standing next to a window and while learning of his case, he asked me, “Do you feel freedom?” I asked him what he meant. He motioned his head towards the window (Inmates are no permitted to reach out) and said, “That is freedom right there, I want that so bad.”  Oh my, it broke my heart. Just beyond those bars, was the parking lot where I would be leaving from, and all I could say was, “You’ll be out there someday – as soon as possible.”

Felix Garcia celebrating his GED in 1984 Courtesy Pat Bliss.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/deaf-prisoners-felix-garcia

Fortunately, we were at the commissary window right then, and we got Snickers Ice Cream bars. Felix sure enjoyed his. I stayed as long as I was allowed. He gave me a big hug upon departure. I started heading north and spent the night just inside the Georgia border. Looking back – what a year this has been. Thank you, DeafInPrison.com and all our readers, fellow contributors and supporters, for being a part of it.

Pat Bliss is a retired paralegal in criminal law. She continues to do legal work for indigent prisoner cases showing innocence. She is a Certified Community Chaplain, Certified as a volunteer for CISM (Crises Intervention Stress Management) and involved in community events.

 

Related articles

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2012 at DeafInPrison.com

By BitcoDavid

Although our brief hiatus for the holidays isn’t officially over until Wednesday, I wanted to get this post up before the end of the year. I would like to begin by wishing all our contributors, guest posters, readers and commentators the happiest of holidays. 2012 was a great year for us, and I truly hope that 2013 proves to be orders of magnitude better, not just for us, but for all of you – you who have made DeafInPrison.com possible.

DeafInPrison.com was founded in December of 2011 by our Publisher, Joanne Greenberg. It was at the behest of one of our contributors – Dr. McCay Vernon – after he was moved by the Felix Garcia story. I became Editor and Administrator in January of 2012. We spent about 2 months developing the format and launched on March 4th.

Solitary Confinement by Stan Moody
Image: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/03/18701671.php

During the past 9 months we’ve covered a number of subjects including Deaf culture, Deaf education, the School to Prison Pipeline, prison health care, the mentally ill in prison, prison rape and sexual abuse, overcrowding in our prisons and the War on Drugs.  We’ve managed to bring together some excellent minds as contributors and guest columnists, and enjoyed over 700 comments.

From a suicide awareness contest
Image: http://media.photobucket.com/image/suicide/ShayySynthetic/SuicideAwarenessContest.jpg?o=3

We’ve peppered these great articles with some truly wonderful artwork. Artwork which – speaking as a content creator – is a source of pride for me. We’ve undergone a number of upgrades and format changes since our launch. First and foremost, our ability to embed videos. This feature allowed us to bring you the entire Felix Garcia Interview. And since we weren’t dependent on a hosting site, we could insert those videos fully captioned. I caption my videos manually. That guarantees an error free and accurate representation of what’s being said. Sadly, I have seen other captioned videos – those that rely on autocaptioning software – that look like the mess you get when you let your cell phone autocorrect your text messages.

Our ability to embed videos, in fact, was what gave Jim Ridgeway the confidence to allow us access to the Felix videos, in the first place. An action that resulted in my deepest gratitude and indebtedness to him. He was quite reticent to put these videos up on YouTube, where they would have been unprotected and vulnerable to abuse.

Felix and me 10/28/2012
Image Courtesy of Pat Bliss

And DeafinPrison.com has done a lot more for Felix’s all important cause, than simply putting up a few videos. Our contributor, Pat Bliss, has been working tirelessly – for several years now – to obtain Felix’s well deserved freedom. She visits him as often as possible, and corresponds with him constantly. (He calls her Mom.) She has become the go to expert on the case, and has written about it extensively on DeafInPrison.com.

We created a petition site at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/453/783/026/felix-garcia-should-be-granted-a-full-pardon/ and we plan to deliver those signatures to the Governor and several cabinet members in Florida. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks, we haven’t been getting the attention to this petition that it requires. Felix’s clemency hearings are going on now . We need 700 more signatures before we can present this, and we want it to work in conjunction with the hearings.

Please! Please! If you haven’t signed this petition, do so now. And please share it to all your friends.

Felix has already served more time than many guilty people serve for similar crimes – and he’s innocent. He deserves justice.

juvenile girl in prison PBSNewsHour/YouTube Photo by Richard Ross

Other upgrades have included the ability to embed non-video media, such as PDFs and Excel files, and our awesome sidebars – another source of pride for me. Through our sidebars, we’ve been able to provide you with bleeding edge coverage of the latest posts by a host of Web sites and Blogs. Our sidebars are an ever expanding source of additional information and interactive content, and a good percentage of my work on the site is in maintaining and adding to them. I hope you find them useful and enjoyable, and moreover, I hope you will gain a greater appreciation for them as they grow.

We’ve also begun adding interactive tag links to all our stories, as well as related content links to the bottom of each post.

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/prisoner,shackles/Interesting

During this first 9 months, we’ve made some wonderful contacts and partnerships. I would like to extend my gratitude to each of them, and extend the hand of friendship to all others who would like to be a part of the DeafInPrison.com experience. Here’s the honor roll:

Human’s in Shadow, National Assn. of the Deaf, Glenn Langohr, Jim Ridgeway, Mad Mike’s America, Charlie Swinbourne, Shanna Groves , PrisonMovement’s Weblog , Marsha Graham, DeafRead.com, CrimeDime, Talila Lewis and HEARD, Diane Lane Chambers, ImageWorksLLC, Maria Dollhopf, Cynthia Dixon, Prison Enquirer, Curi56 and Thousand Kites.

I hope I got everybody, but if I missed you, please accept my apology and feel free to backlink to yourself in a comment. A lot of you have multiple sites, and I, obviously can only create one link per name. You can also backlink to one of your other sites.

Randy Garber Blue Jay Blues. Image courtesy of Jean F. Andrews.

Now, on to the Stats:

We received 31,000 views in 2012. We created 240 posts and uploaded 493 pictures. Our busiest day was October 25th with 451 views. Our most popular piece that day was Angela McCaskill Speaks Out. That piece was our fourth most popular of all time, with the first three installments of the Felix Garcia Interviews edging it out for the #1,2 and 3 slots.

Our top 5 referrers were FaceBook, Networked Blogs, WordPress, Blog Catalog and DeafRead. We had views from 84 countries.  Our videos – 16 of them, altogether – received 1897 views. We got 778 comments.

I’ve been involved with the Blogosphere and Citizen Journalism since it first started back in the ’90s, and everybody has always told me it takes at least a year to get a site off the ground. Based on that, I have to say DeafInPrison.com is doing exceptionally well. I’m proud of our success, but I’m looking to 2013 to make this past year, pale by comparison. Remember, we’re only 9 months old. That’s still infancy – at least in dog-years.

Now, I don’t really get why somebody would want this painted over, but…
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/14/tribute-to-graffiti-50-beautiful-graffiti-artworks/

Here’s some of where I see us going. I could die and go to Heaven, if Felix got full clemency, and was finally released. Perhaps we could convince him to share some of his experiences with us, as a contributor or guest blogger. I want to see us at least double - if not triple our posting for this coming year. I also want to add more videos and more non-video embedded media. I want to see our side bars grow further, packed with more interactive attractions. I want more input from our existing contributors, and I would like to bring as many more on board, as possible. I also want to see more guest posts – and of course, I would love the opportunity to guest post on your blog. Shoot me a line or comment if you think that might be something you’d be interested in.

Again, thank you all for being a part of the DeafInPrison.com project and here’s to wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2013.

Visitors entrance to the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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• A Review of Glenn Langohr’s “Underdog” (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
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The Complete Felix Garcia Interview by Links

By BitcoDavid

Video editor in digital linear suite. 2002. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve received some requests to reintegrate all the Felix videos back into one single interview. The result of that would be a 2 hour long piece. In my experience as a video editor, I’ve come to realize that most people can’t endure watching a 2 hour video.

However, in the name of continuity, I have chosen to provide links to all the videos, in sequence. That way, those of you who haven’t seen the whole thing, will be able to do so – without having to search the whole site. I will also include these links in one of our sidebars, so you will always be able to quickly access them.

Part 1	Part 2	Part 3	Part 4
Part 5	Part 6	Part 7	Part 8

This series represents a massive effort on the parts of all concerned. The Initial interview involved travel to Florida for Pat Bliss and Jim Ridgeway. They were only allowed one hour per month with Felix, so they did the first hour on the last day of one month, and the 2nd hour on the 1st day of the following month. Felix himself was having trouble getting his hearing aids repaired, and getting issued fitting clothes, and was only ready mere moments before the scheduled time.

A download symbol. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Our interpreter had to download the files from my private server, because they were too large to e-mail. She would then watch them and record an audio track with her interpretation. Finally, she would upload that file back up onto my server.

Then, I’d take the file, make it into a stereo mix, and sync it to the original audio track. Then I had to add a separate video track, and manually type in the captions. Autocaptioning software is too inaccurate.  And where most Autocaption applications work with one audio track, I was working with 4.

The finished files were over 5 Gb in size. I’d re-render them down to 50Mb, and upload them to the site.

The only actual editing of the original interview is at the end of the 8th segment. Here, Mr. Ridgeway gives Felix his personal contact info, and you can see why we needed to cut that out. Other than that, this is the interview in its entirety.

Again, these videos are the private copyrighted property of Jim Ridgeway and cannot be copied, duplicated, embedded or shared. You are however, welcome – and in fact, encouraged – to share links to DeafInPrison.com. We want as many people as possible to see this powerful and moving interview.

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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• Update on the #JusticeForFelix Project (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
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Update on the #JusticeForFelix Project

Update on the #JusticeForFelix Project

By BitcoDavid

Let me start with the petition site. We’re currently at 331 signatures, which is where we’ve been for a while now. We still need almost 700 before we can send the petition. But, there’s a silver lining. Our numbers on the page – signatures notwithstanding – are pretty good. We’ve had 389 FaceBook shares and 54 tweets. It has been shared 9 times on Google+ and once on StumbleUpon.

The Petition page has a Google ranking of 6, out of a possible 10. It’s been listed on Google 156,000 times, 91,900 times on Bing and 8,942 times on Alexa. according to Google it has received 149 backlinks. That means that 149 sites other than our own, have posted a link to the page. All things considered, these numbers are really pretty good, and they support the point that there is substantial interest in freeing this innocent man.

Image: Pat Bliss

I received this via e-mail from Pat Bliss.

Felix’s case is now in the hands of an experienced clemency attorney to take it before the Governor and has signed on to do it pro bono for Felix’s sake. However, there will be reasonable and necessary costs such as photocopies, postage,   public records requests and travel incurred. A trust account has been set up. If you would like to help in this last stretch   of Felix’s quest for freedom, please send a check or money order [mention Felix Garcia under memo] made out to: Reginald R. Garcia P.A., P.O. Box 11069, Tallahassee, FL 32302. Thank you!  Pat Bliss

I would like to thank our magnanimous publisher, Joanne Greenberg, for allowing us to post this. When she created this site, and contracted me to manage and edit it, she insisted that it remain non-commercial and that it never solicit funds. However, she understands the need to help Felix, and has asked me to assure that no funds received here will

Image: Pat Bliss

go to DeafInPrison.com. This is funding for Felix’s case, to cover expenses above and beyond fees for the attorneys – who have graciously offered to handle the case pro bono. So, I repeat. No money from this drive will go to DeafInPrison.com, BitcoDavid BlogSites, or any of our contributors. It all goes to Felix’s worthy cause.

It is our intention to submit the petition coinciding with the attorneys case. It will provide the body blow that will support the attorneys in their knock out punch. (Sorry – had to throw a little Boxing lingo in there.) If you can help financially, it will be greatly appreciated, but if you can’t please sign the petition – if you haven’t already – and share, share, share.

Thank you all, and Happy Thanksgiving!

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

Related articles

• A Brief Update on Felix (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Deaf Awareness Week – Day 5 **Happy Birthday, Felix!** (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Felix’s Story Serialized Pt. 1 (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Deaf Awareness Week – Day 6, Felix Interview Section 7 (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Deaf Males and Sex Crime (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• October at DeafInPrison.com (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
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A Brief Update on Felix

By Pat Bliss

I made a trip down to see Felix which was not planned in advance for a business meeting with an attorney on a Monday.  I drove down early so that I could visit with Felix on Saturday and Sunday. He looked good, always smiling, and glad to see me. We talked (he lip reads me) about a lot of different things, but what intrigued him was realizing all the advocacy going on in his behalf both on the ground and online, including how his case and story is presented in serialized form online. He finally understood the magnitude of the World Wide Web.

Felix and me 10/28/2012
Image Courtesy of Pat Bliss

Felix’s face lit up and could only express, “wow, I now understand what you mean.” I have been trying to relay this fact to him over TTY and in letters but sitting down talking about it became quite clear to him. Can you imagine what a new world will be open to him when free to explore the internet? This is something we all take for granted but for someone not experiencing the advance in technology for 31 years, it’ll be awesome.

Picture of Tomoka Correctinal Institution
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/facilities/region3/282.html

In addition to the petition on DeafInPrison.com, Felix’s case is in the hands right now, of an experienced clemency/lobbyist attorney in Tallahassee. Stay tuned! And, one last word. Felix wants to relay his appreciation to all who are helping in his freedom effort. Thank you and I appreciate you also.

Pat Bliss is a retired paralegal in criminal law. She continues to do legal work for indigent prisoner cases showing innocence. She is a Certified Community Chaplain, Certified as a volunteer for CISM (Crises Intervention Stress Management) and involved in community events.

Related articles

• Felix’s Story Serialized Pt. 1 (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Deaf Awareness Week – Day 5 **Happy Birthday, Felix!** (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• A Brief Update on Felix (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• A Letter From Felix Garcia to HEARD (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Finally! Felix #6 is Up! (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• Deaf Awareness Week – Day 6, Felix Interview Section 7 (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• How Prisoners Make Us Look Good – From the NYT (deafinprison.wordpress.com)
• New Webinars on Helping Survivors in Prison (deafinprison.wordpress.com)

July at DeafInPrison.com

Here’s the monthly update for July. It’s been a busy but rewarding month, and I hope you enjoy this roundup. Click on the link below, to open the PDF file.

July at DeafInPrison