Memory can be an intense rush of emotional turmoil. When a family member is incarcerated, memories can be uncomfortable company.
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At P.O.P.S, our motto is FIRST WE EAT.
Each week, at our meetings, we enjoy lunch provided by local restaurants and donors. It is our belief, and experience, that breaking bread together breaks down barriers and nourishes the heart soul and mind. Too often loneliness and shame are inherent in a connection to the prison system, and that shame has silenced many prisoners’ family members and friends. P.O.P.S. offers friendship, camaraderie, community and an opportunity to tell our stories.
Stories like:
I Remember
Bianca Lopez
I remember when the cops would come to my house looking for my brother almost breaking down the walls.
I remember when my parents wouldn’t tell me what was going on because they said I was too young to understand.
I remember late nights when I would hear the police sirens roaming the streets, me wondering if something had happened to my brother.
I remember when they took my brother to prison for something he didn’t even do.
I remember the phone calls saying he misses and loves us.
I remember the long waiting lines just to get on a bus to visit my brother at L.A. county jail.
I remember the days he wasn’t here as a brother like he should be.
I remember having nothing to say but that I have a brother In jail.
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Photo: Zuerichs Strassen/Flickr