Our Stories - Beyond the headlines
Every person has a story. Often, the most compelling ones remain unheard. At SkyReality, we believe in shedding light on the journeys of young homeless and incarcerated individuals. We sometimes just see statistics. Don't forget there are human lives behind those numbers. People full of hopes, struggles, and the potential for a better tomorrow. Join us as we explore "How did we get here?" and discover the power of empathy.
Demetrius Roberts
He likes to write and enjoys history. He says if he could afford college, he would love to have gone.
He has been in jail for over 180 days for violating his probation. His original crime was just petty theft and now he has spent years of his life in and out of jail. Unable to get work and pushed to the edge of his sanity.
He told me life is boring and poor.
"Jail has been long. Jail is hard. I try to avoid trouble when I'm out, but it always seems to find me." - Roberts, D
Imagine what a whirlpool of a life he has lived. An older black man striped of his rights and humanity in the name of what? Is money so important we forget to care about each other?
" I want to travel the world one day." - R
" Oh yeah? where would you go? Africa, Europe?" - Me
" Oh no, not Africa. I would like to travel through Europe though." - R
Interview - 1
David Andrew Rogers Jr
" I feel like a cow or a pig in a kennel." - D
All living relatives either dead or in conflict with. Lost his kids the first time he got arrested. Had a really difficult childhood filled with abuse and neglect.
He grew up in hunters' point, San Fransico. He enjoys building lowriders and likes hookah lounges. He has 3 kids.
We reminisced about his past. After telling me horrific things he dealt with as a child, I invited him to explore happy memories.
" I remember being 5 and breaking the coffee table with my spiderman cape on. I remember my mom checking me. She was from South Carolina. She had 5 kids. 3 girls and 2 boys so you can just imagine." - D
He told me about how he still cries about some of the traumas he went through as a child. My exercise didn't fix anything. I pray I helped if even a bit.
Interview - 2
C. B.
D.U.I. crisis and crash out. Mr. C told me that his first DUI worsened his depression which led to more DUI's.
As a Navy sailor he would go on benders that would leave him passed out on the side of the road. The transition into civilian life and the hardships that come with that caused a spiral he wasn't equipped to handle alone. He has been to rehab 4 times and still relapsed. All the treatment in the world didn't seem to be working. One day he found the fix in an unexpected place. His mom told him that his sister wanted her only brother back. This hurt him so much he sobered up. The idea that he left his sister behind was enough to break the cycle of addiction for him.
" I truly believe the opposite of addiction is connection." - C.B.
For the first time in years, he went months sober. He still had to deal with the consequences of his legal situation. A judge declared that he needs to wear a SCRAM device. He had already been 4 months sober when this device detected alcohol in his system. The issue is there was no alcohol in his system. He was unjustly arrested and has been in jail for 3 months without proper legal representation. He has now lost the job and housing he worked very hard to obtain. A man who was just looking to get better for his family now ripped away from them and forced into a harder situation.
Interview - 3
Unheard Voices - "How did we get here?"
We delve deep into the lives of young individuals who have faced immense challenges. Many of our kids are facing homelessness and incarceration. We must remember that the future is in our hands. If we don't actively shape the world we want, what will become of us and the world?
Here you can meet Lento and hear about his story. If his story touch's your hearts and you would like to donate toward helping him get a lawyer, the link will be post here as well. https://gofund.me/4592cd697
Understanding breeds humanity
Our main message is simple. Everyone has a story. Before we judge the person on the street or the individual in jail, we must first hear them out. These stories aim to open hearts and minds. Fostering a deeper understanding of the complex realities many face. They are a call to look beyond appearances and truly see the human being within.
Inspiring action: Coming together for change
We hope these stories will open your eyes to the urgent need for societal change. Anyone can fall on hard times. Stand with me and fight for a world where housing is a right and no child is ever left hungry. We live in a world where we spend 400 billion on a war we are losing but can't seem to find 25 billion to feed the hungry. Let's change that.
"Hearing these stories broke my heart. Listening to people locked in a cage tell me about the hardships they faced was harder than I expected."
Lowe, Sky
Christian
He was arrested at 17 trialed as an adult. He has been in jail for 6 months. They plan to send him to prison for posting an advertisement that a girl had requested him to post for them.
The courts threated him with 27 years, so he paid for a private lawyer. He paid 15k of money he had been saving for years.
The lawyer was able to talk the courts down to 5 years. (I don't get how jail is supposed to stop sex "crimes". If you put someone in jail, they lose the ability to make money legally, so it pushes them further into "illegal" activities. I personally think it makes no sense.)
They took his Chevy Malibu upon arrest. He tried to buy it back, but the sheriffs put a hold on it claiming that due to the "severity" of his crime he isn't allowed to get his car back.... (Think about that... they robbed him.) They auctioned off his car and kept them money.
When he was arrested, they did a stop and frisk on him without telling him what for or what his crimes were. They just stopped his car and forced him to get out so they could search him. He was later informed after having already been arrested that he had a warrant out for his arrest.
Interview - 5
Jessie Lee
How would others describe you?
That I am kind, generous and controlled.
He has no support. He lost his job. The last time he got locked up his crime was allegedly vandalism, and arson. He has no release date. One of his favorite past times is that he’s a Breakdancer. He told me about How he had already been suicidal before the first time he ever went to jail and he became extremely manic after the first time. He knew he wasn’t in the mindset to be around others and was Sobering up for the first time in a long time. He was placed in a solitaire assignment by choice. The affects this hat on him were malnourishment and complete psychosis. He told me about how he kicked the door until his feet went numb daily. He was worried about having hurting others By putting himself around them, but then he started hearing sounds. When he finally got Released, he built a treehouse on the side of the highway. He then built booby traps at the entrance of his freeway for safety. Other homeless people have begun to defecate near the base of his treehouse, and so he ended up burning it down.
Suddenly 2020 hits and everybody’s wearing mask at the time he was homeless without a phone and no access to news no friends to let him know of the craziness that was Covid.
He told me at first he thought he had started it. That it was the end of the world and that maybe it was his fault somehow.
Life have been hard for grew up in a poor family didn’t get my education spent most of his life homeless on drugs. If I’m being honest to me that sounds like the life of someone who needs support and help not the life of a criminal.
He told me about the 100’s. It’s a giant room in the basement of some jails. It holds up to 100 beds and houses all of the most mentally unstable folk. He told me how most of the time they would find mold in their food, about how they aren't any mental health services. How sometimes they would only get 85 plates when there was 100 of them, and they would have to fight over who gets to eat. He told me most if not all Jails have 100’s.
He told me about how the officers treated him as if his life didn’t matter. How no one cared about his mental issues how even the Counselors ignored him. ( I can attest that this type of treatment is in fact how they treat you in jail. It is absolutely horrifying to see and feels horrible experience.)
He told me about how he’s had at least three years of sobriety twice. The pride in his eyes when he stated that fact was nice to see. If only we lived in a country that valued its citizens and made sure to provide all of us with adequate and free education so that we could thrive and be our best selves.
He told me about how he was one of the lucky few Out on the street. How most people didn’t have as good A life as him. Told me some things that have happened to his friends that I’d rather not repeat here or ever. I pray that we start to think about what it is That’s going on.
If you could tell the world anything or would it be? - Me
Stay true, stay honest, stay real. Always try to help people when you can.
Interview - 6
Lawrance Lovett
What are say about you?
I don’t know. I’m too nice to be here, but I’m kind of caring.
Fun fact: Likes boxing and skydiving
“It’s better with support from outside still not great. I have an abscess on my chin, and they refuse to take me to medical, even though doctor said that I shouldn’t just put a bandage in on it. They literally said that I need a medical attention and it’s an open wound so of course I have to act out to get their attention.”
He missed a video visit because the guards couldn’t handle to inmates being out at the same time. His booking number says that it’s invalid, so he has to pay someone in soups every week to be able to use the phone to call his family. He feels like he shouldn’t be here.
“When you’re in here, you have to go by certain rules, even if you don’t like em. Some people feel like they own this place and end up getting comfortable, but I learned that I don’t want to be back in jail ever again. If not for the medication I would fight everyone in here because of all the disrespect. I’m not concerned about being wrong or seen as wrong by the masses. I think that everyone should stand up for what they believe in. No one should have to sell their free meal or figure out how to survive.”
“The system is designed to keep you here.”
“Sometimes I feel like God put me in here because I was being dumb. I’m 40 and I only land but feel like I was wasting time.”
He told me about how the first time he had ever got locked up. He had renters in his place and was making good money but this time he doesn’t have any of that. He said that his only support right now is his girl waiting for him back home Latoya. It feels like her daughter son needs a male figure in his life. His girl is basically raising the grandchild.
“This place makes you think about what you could do better.”
He told me about how when he was younger. His dad had died and his mom was left struggling, so he went out to find a job and ended up in Northern California working on a tobacco field making $400 a day he took care of his family and now he owns his own House. He had 10 brothers and four sisters who depended on him.
“It hurts when I can’t provide for the ones I love.”
He told me about how he ended up in jail this time because he got into a desperate situation and went to go do something to get what he needed. (Honestly, I can’t even judge. It’s a “crime” to steal food if you’re hungry.)
Life was falling apart and led to bad decisions, but all the charges were dropped. He’s only facing probation violation right now.
“I am not a bad person, but I am a criminal because I hit someone with a bat before and soul drugs and that’s illegal.”
If you could say anything to the world or would it be?
Cherish your loved ones even if you don’t think they necessarily love you. Don’t leave home and NEVER come back.
Always remember your family.
Interview - 7