Here is Chapter 2

By Callie Greer 

Hey y’all, I’m back. This blog will start my attempt to share some of the things I’ve learned and lived throughout my grieving process. If you’re here, I want to take advantage of your precious time and pull on you a little more because you have a dog in this fight. You want to be a part of what can happen when we have real conversations about serious, delicate, personal harm, because when “Survivors Speak, Change Happens,” as our partner, Crime Survivors Speak (CSS) often says. I’ll share more about them and our partnership as we move along.

Before I go deeper, I want to offer a trigger warning– some of what I share may directly affect people and trigger emotions, so proceed with caution. 

Grief. 

One definition I ran across is, “The natural emotional response resulting from a significant loss, especially the death of a loved one.” Another definition I ran across, and the one I like most, is, “Grief is a sign that you love deeply.”

Callie Greer speaks at a rally at the Alabama Capitol organized by Crime Survivors Speak Alabama.

We can all agree on that, right? Can we also agree that we all grieve differently? I know this statement has been said millions of times, and that’s what is troubling me. It’s become just that– a statement. But grief, if not dealt with properly, will turn into something unrecognizable. Grief is painful, and when pain goes unattended, folks will start to act out because we need relief from our pain. I truly believe that much of the violence we are seeing– living– is “pain violence; not gang violence”. Until we deal with the root causes, we will see this continue to escalate. 

When folks live in a state of trauma, they become a traumatizer. They wreak havoc, wanting others to feel what they feel. Sort of like when we lose a loved one; we want the entire family of the perpetrator to hurt and feel what we’re feeling– it doesn’t matter if they were a part of the harm or not! We just want someone else to feel it. I believe that this is what we are witnessing right now. Unattended harm, pain, and trauma has turned into unrecognizable action that is almost uncontrollable. This is where I see justice needs to be heavily applied, not only in words but direct action, and that justice must be restorative. Because when you lose something or someone, there must be some form of restoration. Now that looks different for everyone. I’m not insinuating that Mercury or Venus, the two children I lost, can somehow be restored to us, but I do have a choice in how they are remembered, what legacy we continue about them. This is restoring for me, because my reality is, “They will never return to me, but thank God, one day I will go where they are.” 

The author, Callie Greer

Grief, trauma, violence, lack of humanity, lack of justice, devaluing, lack of resources– all of these are “roots” that have grown into one big, ugly tree with branches and limbs of violence. Branches that look like unforgiveness, harmful cycles, poverty, prison overcrowding, corruption, lies, deception, greed, eye for an eye mentalities, hatred, and many other outcomes that don’t serve or heal anyone. My point is this: we can keep feeding this tree, or we can start planting other seeds that are the opposite of this tree– seeds of forgiveness, truth-telling, equal justice, real, all-inclusive conversations, patience, longevity, support and attainable resources. 

Yeah, this is going to be a lot of heavy lifting. If you’re good where you are then I ask you to stay there, because it’s time for what I call “the chasers”. If you’re not chasing after the latter things I wrote, unfortunately, you’re part of the problem. If your mindset is, “We’re good over here”, then this is not for you. If you see the struggle and your response is, “They shouldn’t have been doing that”, and not, “Why are they doing that?”, then yes, by all means, stay over there. 

This crop calls for real ole school farmers, ones that used what they had to get what they needed. Folks who heard about so-and-so in the community who lost their job, so when they cooked they made enough and sent down a pot of peas and a pan of cornbread. The people whose relationship was good with folks in the community, so when they saw a neighbor’s child doing something they could go talk to them and it was appreciated because the neighbor knew there was real care there, and it showed way before they came by. I could go on, but some of y’all will start calling me old. I remember when all of this was true, and yes, those were my “good old days”. I shudder to think that my children and grandchildren will someday look back and say these were their “good old days”. 

So as I close this blog and ready myself for the next one, I hear Stevie Wonder in my head singing, “Love’s in need of Love today”. If love is applied in every action, we’ll always be victorious. For love covers a multitude of sins and can heal all hurts in time. Let’s sit with that.

Until the next blog,

Mama Callie

The post Chapter 2: The Process of Grieving appeared first on Alabama Appleseed.

William Thomas was found hanging inside his segregation cell at St. Clair Correctional Facility on Aug. 7, 2023. Although he lived, he’s still fighting to get his life back from the severe brain injury that has robbed him of his speech and mobility. 

Though William eventually was released from the hospital through a medical furlough and returned to his parents’ Huntsville home, he needs constant care and is unable to stand or fully communicate. His condition has thrust the Thomases into an ever-expanding community of families across Alabama with loved ones who emerged from state prison custody in previously unimaginable conditions: debilitating injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, even coma. 

It was another incarcerated person, not prison staff, who called Tanisha Thomas, William’s mother, and told her that her son had been found hanging from a light fixture in his cell. He had requested to be placed in a segregation cell to be safe from the physical abuse he was suffering, and to get away from the drug addictions fueled by the narcotics inside the prison, his mother said. The family believes that his hanging was either the result of hallucinations he may have been experiencing due to drug withdrawals or someone else may have tried to kill him. 

William Thomas before incarceration

At the time, the family drove to UAB Hospital in Birmingham and eventually was able to visit with William, who had been placed in a medically-induced coma. He was hooked to a ventilator. The family received very little information about her son from hospital staff, who were limited in what they could say by prison officials, she said. 

“Palliative care came out to me a few days later and tried to convince me to just make him comfortable, that he’s not going to be the same person. It’s not going to be a good ending. Don’t let him suffer,  and all that, and my religious belief is the complete opposite,” Mrs. Thomas said. “I’m not the giver, nor the taker, of life, so I wasn’t going to make that decision.” 

As her son began to improve, he was eventually taken off of the ventilator and breathing on his own.  “He opened his eyes on command. I told him, ‘Son, if you hear me, let me know you hear me. Just open your eyes.’ He opened his eyes,” she said. 

Tanisha Thomas comforts her son, William Thomas, who suffered severe injuries after being found hanging in his cell at St. Clair prison.

About a month after his injury, the family got a call at their Huntsville home from the hospital asking what they wanted done with his belongings. It was a confusing call, then they learned William was being sent back to the prison system where he nearly died. “Unbelievable. It was unbelievable,” Mrs. Thomas said.

His condition deteriorated once back in St. Clair prison’s infirmary. They’d visit him every Saturday that visitations were held. “Every time we saw him, he was getting worse and worse. His arms were contracting. He started losing his fingernails. He was losing his hair. He wasn’t even 100 pounds,” Mrs. Thomas said. 

A social worker with YesCare, the medical provider under contract with the Alabama Department of Corrections, began the process of getting William released on a medical furlough, but that process was dragging. A correctional officer who knew someone connected to the nonprofit Redemption Earned suggested William might be a good candidate for release, and Redemption Earned reached out and took him on as a client. He was paroled in April 2024 and was sent to a Birmingham nursing home in May of that year. 

William Thomas with his father and his son. Multiple generations of the Thomas family provide support to William.

William just recently began receiving Medicaid, which only pays for some medical costs incurred up to three months prior, so Mrs. Thomas is still dealing with his medical bills, and because she has to care for him day and night, she’s unable to work. Her retired husband went back to work but has only been able to find a part-time job. It’s been difficult getting her son the kind of therapy she hopes will help him get more of his life back. 

The TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas specializes in providing therapy for patients with catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. The family is raising funds to get him flown to the Texas hospital. 

“We know he won’t be the same, but we hope he gets a better quality of life,” Mrs. Thomas said. He is improving since he’s been home, she said. The two have worked out a way to communicate, and he’s able to move his arms and legs on command. 

“I try to ask him yes and no questions. So we’ve developed a process of where he blinks several times for yes and he doesn’t blink at all, or maybe once, for no. I’m a drill sergeant, and I told him, you know, I’m not gonna give up. We’re gonna keep going. We’re gonna keep going,” Mrs. Thomas said. She had advice for others who have loved ones inside an Alabama prison. 

“If they have a loved one in the prison system, no matter what their demons are, do not abandon them. I know most of the time the demons are drugs, and there is a major expense with that,” Mrs. Thomas said. “But don’t abandon them. They need a voice. They need an advocate to fight for them.”

William Thomas, pictured during healthier times, with his father and son.

William was incarcerated after a 2019 parole violation. His original conviction was for first degree-robbery in 2013, for which he was sentenced to 15 years. He would have been eligible for parole consideration in June 2025, a year and nine months after he was found in his cell. 

There were times while her son was incarcerated that she’d call the prison seeking a welfare check on William, only to later learn the officers who did the check mistreated him for having to conduct the check, she said. Today, the struggle for her is to try and care for him as best she can. Once a gifted athlete who played football and baseball, he’s now fighting to regain basic functions. “I just wake up every day and I know my son needs me. I’m learning how to do all of this feeding tubes and catheter cleaning. I’m learning how to provide medication. Love is driving me,” she said. 

The post Alabama mother fights for better quality of life for son who returned from prison with severe brain injury appeared first on Alabama Appleseed.

Appleseed’s Community Navigator Callie Greer

Since 2021, I’ve been a part of a community roundtable called the Community Advisory Group (CAG) at the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program. Six individuals were chosen and invited to lead the roundtable, and the main topic was poverty and how it’s the catalyst that precipitates life without wealth. Poverty could result from an event or situation that happens unexpectedly, prematurely, suddenly or happens continually and it’s just always been that way. These six well-rounded, fully invested, seasoned and directly affected members who are experts in the field of “life without wealth” are Alana Gracey (Michigan), Kadisha Davis (New York), Eboni Worsley (Arizona), Rosazlia “Ms. Rose” Grillier (Illinois), Victor Inuk Gavilanes (New Jersey), and myself, Callie Greer (Alabama).

Collectively, we’ve been directly affected by gun violence, other forms of violence, homelessness, unemployment, food deserts, incarceration, and all the other struggles that come with what I’ve coined life without wealth. Since 2022, we’ve looked at this issue from every angle we can think of and some that have just showed up. We looked at how our children and grandchildren could benefit from having $1,000 deposited in a savings account that generated interest and would become available when they become adults. We have also discussed financial literacy classes and been encouraged to think and live for the long ride and the future. I know many of us would be successful with this added critical thinking. But folks like myself (60 years and older) without any savings, life, retirement, or otherwise, can only wonder, what if? And we can continue to do the work of making systems better for the next generation. But what if there was a government program that invested in folks like me, and at the tender age of 55 invested in a retirement savings account that as long as the person was employed, the government would deposit a match up 5% of the earned income into that savings account? I know there are unanswered questions about that, but there’s not enough time or space here to answer all of them. For now, we’re imagining creative ways to tackle life without wealth and all that comes with it.

As we approach 2025 and our fourth year as the CAG, we’re focusing on a more person-centered approach. For me, this is what folks like Alabama Appleseed and Aspen Institute have been doing all along without naming it. For example, Alabama Appleseed is learning from our formerly incarcerated clients that, with support, people who have served decades in prison can thrive in our communities. We are seeking resentencing opportunities for those who have life without parole sentences for crimes where there was no physical harm caused to anyone and the material harm can be restored. While Alabama Appleseed has had good success with the latter, they can only do it on a person-centered level, case by case. They call it “Second Chance.”

What does that have to do with our Community Advisory Group? Glad you asked. Aspen Institute would have this conversation with “You” one on one or in a small CAG, but we know that’s not possible. But they have reached out and invited us in and they are following our leads. For real, real! And getting it done, because at the end of the day week, month, year, or this blog, it’s all connected, and if we would stop rerouting the dots and follow the well-documented, marked trail, it would have long ago lead us to a place called, Fairness Justice, Humanity, Respect, and Love for each other.

Am I my Sister’s Keeper? Yes I am. So as we venture on this well traveled road and reconnect those disconnected dots, I invite you to dream with me. After all, it’s that time of the year, isn’t it? Where miracles happen, warm blood flows through cold hearts, folks give you an unexpected smile, we look for some way to bless someone else? Dream with me of this place where I’m not worried about if you’re warm or not. Or if the lights are on or if there’s enough food not just on the table but in the fridge, too. Where everyone got one thing they needed and it really changed the way they looked at humanity. Dream with me of a place called Justiceville. I’ll meet you on the corner of Hope and Trust, and we’ll walk down Restored Lane and have a cup of equal justice and share whatever wealth we have with each other, and maybe there will be none lacking. Will you dream with me?

About the Program
The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s (Aspen FSP) mission is to illuminate and solve the most critical financial challenges facing American households and to make financial security for all a top national priority. Core to the Aspen FSP’s theory of change is that for policies advancing financial security to reflect the experiences and needs of the people being impacted, those people need power and influence over how those policies are designed, delivered, and evaluated.

Aspen FSP established the Community Advisory Group (CAG) in December 2021 to inform the program’s research, activities, and publications. CAG members bring both lived and professional experience of communities most impacted by financial insecurity to FSP’s work. The group is composed of 6 leaders with current or previous experience with financial insecurity who are working to advance financial security in their communities through organizing, advocacy, or direct service and would be most impacted by changes to policies or market practices. Through monthly virtual meetings, CAG members discuss their own work, provide input and feedback on FSP’s portfolio and prepare for engagement in FSP public-facing events.

The post “I’ll Meet You at the Corner of Hope and Trust.” Reflections working with the Aspen Institute’s Community Advisory Group appeared first on Alabama Appleseed.

Appleseed’s Reentry Coordinator Ronald McKeithen introduces Appleseed’s clients at the Celebrate Justice event on October 24th. These men were sentenced to die in prison until Appleseed won their freedom.

This year, Appleseed’s annual Celebrate Justice event looked back on 25 years of advocacy for marginalized and vulnerable Alabamians. We celebrated alongside longtime supporters, founding board members, elected officials, retired staff, and our beaming formerly incarcerated clients, who vibrantly shared their stories with the crowd. 

Appleseed Reentry Coordinator Ronald McKeithen celebrates with guests

In preparation for our 25th Anniversary, we combed the archives, and throughout the evening, we shared memories of the impact Appleseed has had during a quarter century. Over the years, Appleseed has played a role in reforms of: tenants rights, immigration, healthcare, disaster recovery, property rights, criminal justice, predatory lending, the death penalty, and more. Much of this work was accomplished under the leadership of the heroic John Pickens, our founding executive director, who joined the celebration. 

Speakers highlighted some of Appleseed’s major legislative wins, including:

• Passage of Alabama’s first Landlord-Tenant Act in 2006;
• Ending judge override in death penalty cases in 2017;
• Stopping the practice of Alabama sheriffs underfeeding jail inmates and pocketing profits in 2019;
• Providing a 6-month grace period before people must begin paying court debt following incarceration in 2022;
• Ending automatic suspensions of drivers licenses for people too poor to pay traffic tickets in 2023.

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr attended the celebration

We were honored that several statewide and local elected officials joined us, including: Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Wallace, Bessemer Presiding Circuit Court Judge David Carpenter, Cam Ward, Director of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Brooke Reid, and Alabama State Representative Chris England, whose father, retired Judge John England served on Appleseed’s founding Board of Directors.

In addition to celebrating our history, we took stock of our current work, as Alabama’s leader in criminal justice reform and Second Chances advocacy. We have won freedom and provided hope for countless incarcerated people, like Ronald McKeithen, who served 37 years in prison, is now a valued member of the Appleseed team, and shared his enthusiasm with the crowd.

Appleseed’s Executive Director Carla Crowder with Appleseed’s first Executive Director John Pickens

Under the leadership of Executive Director Carla Crowder, Appleseed’s work has garnered national attention from major philanthropies. We have secured multi-year funding from: the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the National Football League Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and the Just Trust. Our small office of four has grown to offices in Montgomery and Birmingham where researchers, lawyers, social workers, formerly incarcerated advocates, and support staff come together.

“I like to think Appleseed brings out the best in our state,” Carla shared at the Anniversary event. “Over and over again we’ve brought together small groups of committed, caring Alabamians. We’ve fearlessly tackled what is most urgent and brought relief and hope to the suffering and overlooked. Yes, we have many challenges and many mountains yet to move in Alabama. But the people in this room have proven that more fairness, more opportunity, and more justice is possible when we turn our hope into action.”

Special thanks to our title sponsor, O’Neal Industries, our generous host committee, and board members Tiffanie Agee, Duquette Johnston, and Barbara Royal, who all played a role in the event’s program. 

Celebrate Justice, 25 Years of Alabama Appleseed, was held October 24 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Founding board member Nick Gaede and Executive Director Carla Crowder at Celebrate Justice

Celebrating Justice!

Appleseed’s Community Navigator Callie Greer ends the evening in song and inspiration.

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Wallace talks about Appleseed’s economic justice work.

Appleseed Board Vice Chair Tiffanie Agee welcomes guests

Appleseed client John Coleman greets guests

Appleseed clients Robert Cheeks and Joe Bennett with staff Ronald McKeithen and Mary Parker

Appleseeds Advocacy Director Elliot Spillers, Communications and Development Director Megan Cheek, and Policy Director Elaine Burdeshaw

District Judge Martha Reeves Cook and Founding Board Member Cassandra Adams

Celebrating Justice!

Celebrating Justice!

Celebrating Justice!

Celebrating Justice!

Celebrating Justice!

Celebrating Justice!

The post Happy 25th Anniversary Alabama Appleseed! appeared first on Alabama Appleseed.

By Kathleen Henderson, Appleseed Reentry Case Manager

Larry Garrett proudly holds his new driver’s license

The day after his release, I pick Larry Garrett up from Shepherd’s Fold, a reentry ministry, and take him on the first of many journeys. We gather documents to obtain the felon ID, which he must obtain within 24 hours of release. If he does not carry this card with him at all times for the rest of his life, he is in danger of reincarceration. Alabama is the only state in the nation with this law. We go downtown into the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office and wait. The office is imposing to many who have suffered so much at the hands of the justice system. Larry is feeling uncomfortable, but he is ready with his temporary prison ID and his release papers. This ID is a stark reminder that he committed three felonies and even though he paid with much of his lifetime, he remains marked with a Scarlet Letter and his convictions remain a factor in his daily life. He gets the ID as soon as the officer does the research and takes his photo. Tomorrow, he will apply for a birth certificate. Larry breathes a sigh of relief as this seems much more of a mundane process.

Just one day ago, Larry walked out of Holman prison, after being resentenced from Life Without Parole to time-served. He spent 38 years in prison following convictions for burglary and theft in which no one was physically injured. Larry grew up the oldest boy in an impoverished family in Talladega County; he felt pressure to help feed his siblings, which led to his convictions. Despite his strong family ties, a quirk on his birth certificate almost meant Larry Garrett would never be able to prove who he is.

The application for a birth certificate is simple if you know parental information and where and when you were born. His temporary prison ID serves as a picture ID. We drive to the local health department and Larry applies and waits about 30 minutes for the kind women behind the counter to produce a birth certificate. But he will have to file additional paperwork in Montgomery. His birth certificate was found, and all the information was correct, except his name was not on it. When we ask what name is on it they cannot tell us. She says “it probably just says baby boy.” She shreds the application and gives us the new packet with mailing instructions. 

The new packet has different identification requirements. However, at release, Larry was only given a temporary ID, release papers and a few years worth of prison medical records. Thankfully, after several weeks, Larry’s brother finds school records from 7th, 8th and 9th grade and his mothers’ birth certificate. So we send everything we have, every form of ID, every correspondence and after three weeks we are told we will need to provide additional information because it is his name that is missing, and that requires a stricter set of proof. I learn we must provide two of the following:

• Marriage certificate
• State ID 
• Birth certificate of a child in which your name is listed as father 
• Voter ID card from 5 years ago or better
• Immunization records from 10 years old or better
• DD 214 (the capstone documentation of completed military service)
• Life Insurance policy.

That sounds simple, right? Except Larry has been incarcerated so long that the family keeper of the documents (his mother) has passed away. Also, he has never been married, or had children. He doesn’t possess any state ID except his felony ID and inmate ID. He couldn’t register to vote in prison (many people with felonies cannot restore their right to vote) and no one holds life insurance on him; they always felt he would die behind bars. 

This leaves the DD214 and immunization records from 10 years ago. Luckily, Larry is a United States veteran and the Alabama Department of Corrections should have immunization records. Most entities only hold immunization records for five years, and when we explain this to the helpful woman in Montgomery, she says records from five years ago will do. We comb through the records he has been released with and there are only two years worth of medical records. So we file paperwork with the ADOC to obtain the records. After several months – there is still no response.  In the meantime we apply for a DD214 and wait. The Veteran’s Services representative takes his prison ID as proof of who he is. After all, it is a state entity. 

At this point, Larry begins to feel a bit down. After being locked behind bars for so long and made to feel like a nobody, he still doesn’t exist in our system – at least in the ways required to obtain the most basic form of identification, proof that you were born. He is a veteran and a citizen and yet, this has not been validated. Making mistakes should not negate the fact that Larry is a human being, however, this is how he feels. Furthermore, Larry is energetic, eager to start a job and become self-sufficient, but this bureaucratic hurdle stands in the way of his future.

Believing there must be something that we can do without a birth certificate, we go to the Social Security office and are told that the list of documents has no exceptions. So I begin calling around trying to see if there is anything that can be done. After days of being told no, we visit several offices and are found lacking every time. 

Eventually, we speak to someone in the Social Security office who believes she has found the mistake. She sees someone named Larry (his step brother’s name) who was born one year earlier, to the same parents. She believes that is the mistake and we can obtain that birth certificate. We go straight to the Health Department and we receive that birth certificate. However, it says deceased on the front. It appears that this is a half brother of Larry’s that has passed away. We return the birth certificate and begin to wait again.

Reentry Case Manager Kathleen Henderson celebrates with Larry Garrett

We wait and wait, and wait. Weeks pass. We are told to contact the Health Department in the county where Larry was born, perhaps they have some immunization records, so we do and are told they do not have anything for us.

Back to the immunization records quest: After several months, we hear from ADOC that we sent the wrong paperwork, despite using the precise form the agency provided. However, the person in charge of medical records requests provides her direct information and requests that we fax it to expedite our request. We originally applied for the birth certificate on December 20, 2022. More than 90 days later, we received his DD 214 military record. We just need one more document from the list of seven to reach the Holy Grail.

For about the fifth time, I call the Alabama Department of Corrections only to hear that an invoice should have been sent by their contracted medical company more than two weeks ago. This particular ADOC staff member shows some sympathy for this story and incredulity that this has happened. She immediately requests a search by the records clerk.  Meanwhile, I make several phone calls to the ADOC medical contractor only to be told that there was no invoice sent and that there is no particular timeline that it would be done. After a week, I call the ADOC back and find that the medical company no longer has a contract with ADOC and we cannot access their database. The frustration builds in both Larry and me. 

After more investigation, I find that the elementary school that Larry attended was closed, but the records might have been transferred to another school. So I give that a shot. The administrative assistant says that she has no idea, but connects me to someone who might. There is no answer and no subsequent returned call. I call several more times and reach a voicemail each time. I try researching libraries and health departments to see if maybe they have something and the health departments do not have his records.

We keep researching for another week or more and thinking and calling people and we decide to go try to get a Social Security card with his DD214. It works! Oh mercy, it works! But a Social Security card is not on the list of required documents. After I explained our situation to the employee in the Montgomery birth certificate office, she asked, “Do you have a social security card? I hesitantly said, “We do, we actually do now.” So she said, “Well send me that and the DD214 and I will amend the birth certificate.” You know Larry and I both danced a dance of delight. 

And this is how the saga of the birth certificate ends, she did what she promised and within two weeks we received a birth certificate. However, this is only the beginning of great things for Larry Garrett as opportunities abound! He is enrolled in truck driving school and plans to work until he turns 70. After that, he plans to sit in a rocker on the front porch and spend time with the family he so desperately tried to help before he was incarcerated. 

The post “It probably just says ‘Baby Boy.’” An Odyssey Through Reentry from Prison Without Access to a Birth Certificate appeared first on Alabama Appleseed.