Journal of today’s activities:

Preparations continue for the four-day event that the San Jose Mayor’s Gang-Prevention Task Force retained me to lead. We’ve now confirmed the dates. Each day of the seminar will begin at 8:00 and conclude at 5:00 pm. We’ll meet on four Wednesdays in San Jose. The first meeting is March 26, the second meeting is April 16, the third meeting is April 30, and the fourth meeting is May 7^th. I’m expecting 40 city workers to participate in the workshop. During the 32 hours we’re scheduled to spend together I’ll strive to share the strategies and lessons that I learned from great leaders. I’m hoping that those in the audience will find value in the message. If they can convey those strategies and lessons with the people they reach, we’ll succeed in building safer communities. I’ve already laid out a tentative agenda to guide me through the first three days. On the fourth day I’ll teach the Straight-A Guide. Today I prepared a series of group exercises that I’m going to work into the schedule.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 209
• Miles run today: 16
• Miles run this week: 16
• Miles run this month: 76.8
• Miles run in 2014: 550.13
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 103.37
• Today’s Weight: 163

Journal of today’s activities:

After my morning exercise I drove east to meet with several community leaders from Stockton. First I joined a luncheon coordinated by Steve Bestolarides from the County’s Board of Supervisors. I met Steve longer than a year ago when I attended that Councilman Michael Tubbs put together. During that initial meeting I hoped to build a collaborative relationship with the city of San Joaquin. The vision did not come together then, but I continue working to advance the effort. I saw Steve again last month. He was in the audience at the Santa Clara Convention Center when I delivered a presentation on the need to take a disruptive, innovative approach to bring reforms to our nation’s prison system. Following that presentation, Steve invited me to reconnect in Stockton.

We met in a Siamese restaurant. When I arrived I saw Steve and he introduced me to Greg O’Leary. Michael Tubbs joined us later. Greg and I spoke during lunch, and I was grateful to Steve for making the introduction. It’s helpful for me to meet successful business leaders, as they can help launch efforts I make to connect the formerly incarcerated to jobs. After lunch, I drove with Steve to the County Building. I must say that I derive an enormous sense of fulfillment when leaders like Steve Bestolarides welcome me as contributing citizen. He escorted me to a meeting that included Monica Nino, the County Administrator, Steve Moore, the Sheriff of San Joaquin County, and a deputy who specifically asked that I “not leverage off of his name.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I won’t mention his name.

During the meeting, I told the group about my background, about the Straight-A Guide program that our organization offers, and about ways that our organization could add value to San Joaquin County. We’re currently working in San Joaquin County with our job-development program, but if the county agreed to purchase our program, I’m convinced that we could contribute more to community safety.

County Supervisor Steve Bestolarides, Monica Nino, and the Sheriff encouraged me with their receptivity to the message. We’ll have to see whether the meeting advances into a purchase order or a request for a proposal.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 207
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 0
• Miles run this month: 45.3
• Miles run in 2014: 518.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 85.01
• Today’s Weight: 167

Journal of today’s activities:

Today I taught the sixth course of our semester at San Francisco State University. My friend Ronnie Massero visited our class as a guest speaker. He is truly effective at bringing the penitentiary to life. Those who’ve read my book Inside: Life Behind Bars in America know how graphic the language of the penitentiary. For the students, Ronnie seems to have walked directly off the pages of that book. I’m grateful to Ronnie and all of my guest speakers who contribute to these efforts I make of helping a new generation of criminal justice majors understand the complexities of our nation’s prison system.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 206
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 32
• Miles run this month: 45.3
• Miles run in 2014: 518.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 91.58
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

The Limelight Hotel in Aspen is a wonderful spot. I visited the hotel to meet my friend Tom Cappa. Together with his uncle and another partner, Tom has built an extraordinarily successful business venture. I met in Aspen for the purpose of discussing this business and inquiring whether it might be a good fit for the mission I’m on to open more job opportunities for the formerly incarcerated. Although I’m not ready to openly discuss the project, I am inclined to take the next step. Tom and I participated in a conference call with his partners and I learned more about the venture and ways that I could add value. Then, while Tom went off for an afternoon on the slopes of Aspen, I worked in the lobby of the hotel. Tom and I enjoyed lunch at the fashionable Ajax restaurant at the base of Aspen Mountain. In the late afternoon, I boarded a flight back to San Francisco.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 205
• Miles run today: 6
• Miles run this week: 32
• Miles run this month: 45.3
• Miles run in 2014: 518.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 98.15
• Today’s Weight: 166

Journal of today’s activities:

I woke at 4:00 am and walked down to the hotel gym of the Embassy Suites in San Francisco. I was surprised to see a woman on the treadmill at that early hour. I got onto one of the other machines and enjoyed my morning run. When I’m on a treadmill I run much faster than when I run outside. I like the cushioned landing of each step. Following my run and showered, then packed my belongings. The hotel served a complimentary breakfast. I walked past the pastry bar, avoided the tempting waffles, and filled a bowl with oatmeal and fruit. I drank several glasses of orange juice, had some coffee, and then I boarded a shuttle to the airport. I arrived at my gate early enough to sit down and complete some work on my laptop.

As I type this portion of the entry, I’m one of only nine passengers flying to Aspen. My purpose of this trip is to meet with Tom Cappa, a friend of mine who owns a business with operations in New York and Florida. Tom’s business is a representative of First Data, a financial services firm that provides merchants with point-of-sale transaction machines. Tom and will discuss possibilities of opening a branch of his business in the San Francisco Bay area. Basically, it would be a sales organization that signs merchants up onto the First Data program. I’m intrigued with the idea because Tom told me that I could use his system to provide a mechanism for the formerly incarcerated to build their own businesses.

I’ve never been to Aspen before. I used to hear about the city’s beauty from my sister, Julie. Before having children, Julie and Tim would frequently celebrate Christmas seasons there and I’d receive photos from the trip. I won’t take time to ski on this trip. I’m traveling alone, strictly for business purposes.

I consider it necessary to explore all business opportunities. More than seven months have passed since I completed my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons. Although the organization that my partner Justin and I are creating has had some success in finding initial clients, I’m not yet clear on whether we can build a sustainable business strictly around providing products and services to the industry of corrections. Our costs for each sale can be expensive, as there is a long turnaround time between an initial sales call and a purchase order. We need to make numerous sales calls in order to generate a purchase order. Then, we need to wait lengthy periods of time before we receive a revenue stream. Despite those delays, we have ongoing expenses.

With those realities in mind, I’m looking for new income streams. We’re now focusing more energy to develop the staffing component of our organization. A few interns from San Francisco State University are now working with us, and we’ve opened a relationship with another colleague, Caryn, who embraces our vision of transforming America’s criminal justice system. She is now working aggressively to help us execute our three-pronged strategy that includes:

• Providing programs and services that teach people how to reject criminal lifestyles and develop critical thinking skills.
• Building bridges that lead the formerly incarcerated into employment possibilities.
• Spreading more awareness about why we must resolve the great social injustice known as mass incarceration.

I’m looking forward to making more progress as we advance further into 2014.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 204
• Miles run today: 7
• Miles run this week: 26
• Miles run this month: 39.3
• Miles run in 2014: 512.63
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 98.72
• Today’s Weight: 165