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I have so much to live for today and I’m ready to give up that lifestyle that at one point I thought I would die for.

I moved to San Francisco back in 2009. I was young, just 19 years old, and I quickly fell in love with the city. Some of my most cherished memories are from here, and even some of my more painful ones as well.

The date of October 17, 2015 is my happiest, I remember speeding down Geary Street in a yellow cab to watch the birth of my son.

My worst memory was a couple years later on an early, foggy, quiet, morning on a deserted street in the Tenderloin District, I destroyed the peacefulness with the deafening roar of a .45 caliber handgun. It only took me three pulls on the trigger to forever destroy someone’s life and my own.

The ripple effect for my actions are endless. It’s not just my life and my victims’ lives I affected, there’s the families of both the witnesses, the community, and so many more people.

My biggest hardship is that my son only sees me behind bars. At least I still have a connection with him and support from my family.

I am now accountable for my actions and I am truly working to change. I was blessed to get a 11-year deal for attempted homicide. I work hard on myself and my certificates are proof, but more than anything else my actions are reinforced.

Even though I only have three and a half years in and a little over five years to go, I have faith in my success this time because I have a good plan.

📬

These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

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