Manuel

Manuel was a boy from the hood. Born to a young Hispanic mother overwhelmed trying to support her family in a  violent inner city slum with little ability and no assistance, he had no father and other children were already in the home .Having little but his mother’s love, and he had very little of that, he barely survived. The apartment he called home didn’t have room for him. At night no accommodations were provided, no bed, nothing. He found places on the floor, in the “living room” to sleep. But, because his older siblings engaged in drinking and drug activities nearly every night with their “friends,” the noise was difficult to endure, as was the violence and abuse. As a young child, ages 3, 4, 5, he was pretty well abandoned. He was not fed, was neglected, and was hit repeatedly with sticks and other weapons. At age 5 he was taken temporarily by an aunt where he was allowed to sleep on the couch. Noticing he seemed very ill and didn’t get up from the couch for a number of days, she took him for medical attention. Apparently he was near death due with an infection in his brain caused by the physical injuries he had endured to his head, which had not healed. Antibiotics saved him, but nothing at home, to where he was returned, really changed. The beatings, which he took more and more frequently at the hands of an older alcoholic brother, finally drove him in despair from the apartment. Thus, at age 12 he found himself living on the streets of Los Angeles alone. He had to hunt for food where he could find it, sleep where he could and survive as he was able.  It should come as no surprise that he joined forces with those who offered to help in some way. He became the member of a gang. By nature this little boy was tender hearted and sensitive. Frightened by “scary” movies, drawn to animals and babies, horrified by anger and violence, he had a difficult time adjusting to his new “lifestyle.” He would retreat, when he could, to a flood control / water diversion cement “room” which he had discovered and where he could sit alone to think, and to cry. He committed burglaries and similar crimes to survive and did jail and prison time intermittently. He didn’t commit violent crimes because he couldn’t stomach them. At age 18, he was, remarkably, pulling his life together somewhat, in spite of the fact that he was also suffering with grief for the loss of his mother who had recently died from breast cancer. He had a job, a car and some hope for the future. Then, a neighborhood friend asked him for help. He was planning a car theft and needed a ride to the location where he was going to steal a car. He approached Manuel who agreed to drive him to the mall. He dropped him off and left him there. The friend, later, was arrested for grand theft auto and Manuel was implicated. At that time, the infamous new California “three strikes” law had just gone into effect. Because it was Manuel’s third “felony,” Manuel was given a life sentence and remains housed in a state prison to this day, 17 years later.