To commemorate the September 30, 1991 coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide that killed thousands of people and filled Haiti’s prisons;
To honor beloved sister and friend of Haiti, Lori Nairne;
In solidarity with Haitians presently being incarcerated and killed as they rise up against the imposed regime of Jovenel Moise.
Haiti Action Committee presents a benefit for Haiti Emergency Relief Fund
Solitary Man: My Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison
Performed by Charlie Hinton and Fred Johnson
Written by Charlie Hinton
Music by Fred Johnson
Directed by Mark Kenward
Updates from Pelican Bay and from Haiti will follow the performance
with more music from Fred
In Solitary Man, Charlie travels to Crescent City to visit a lifer named Otis Washington, a 64 year old native of New York City, who’s been imprisoned since 1975 and at Pelican Bay since it opened in 1989. To quote Otis, “There are people who say they have no regrets in life, and if they had to do it all over again, they wouldn’t change a thing. Well, I’m just the opposite. Ignorance guided me to this present predicament. Over the decades I’ve worked hard to better myself and recover from my raggedy past.” In Solitary Man, Otis explains some of what he has learned and experienced.
About Fred and Charlie:
Fred is a formerly incarcerated person that has gone on to address the human rights issues of drug users and formerly incarcerated persons, as well as the wider community, guided by harm reduction principles. He has worked in a variety of settings, including policy analysis and syringe access programs throughout the US. He plays trumpet, mostly in the New York City area, and has recorded a CD History Speaking: A Tribute to My Mentors.
Charles grew up in Joplin, MO and spent 3 years in the Peace Corps in Bolivia. He attended the founding meeting of Bay Area Gay Liberation in 1975, and through BAGL, began his work around prison matters. He worked for 19 years at Inkworks Press, a collectively owned and managed printing company in Berkeley that closed its doors in 2015, leaving him “retired.” Besides writing and visiting prisoners, Charlie works with Haiti Action Committee, the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Committee to End Sleep Deprivation, and the Committee to Free DeWayne Ewing. Solitary Man is Charlie’s second theatrical endeavor, after his solo show Life Wish. He is the author of Life Wish: Essays, Letters, Songs, Solo Performance, Haiku written over time.
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