GM=George Martorano
OMM=Old Moon Mullens
(in a cell somewhere at Coleman)

GM – “tell me about the halfway house”

OMM – “they have me only 30 days-thought I could stay up to 6 months, guess they changed all that. How was I to find a job, place to live,get a license, find a car. I was to do this in a month? I knew I could’nt do it so I just hung out and watched TV.”

GM – “you got arrested on the 31st day of your freedom – which means after 30 days at the halfway house, and on your real first day of freedom, you got picked up and put back in jail, WHAT HAPPENED??”

OMM – “well, they just opened the front door of that old halfway house and told me to git. I just started walking – no money nothing in my pocket. I worked 27 years in the prison, using my money for commissary and my over the counter medicine.I was not able to save much. I sent a little to my sister before she died of lonliness.”

GM – “the federal people knew you had no money??”

OMM – “of course,happens to ones like me all the time – ain’t got nobody out there-heck, they knew I would be under a bridge as soon as they filled that bed with the next fellar com’in out”

GM – “you know President Bush signed into law the Second Chance Act. This bill is supposed to stop what just happened to you. Are you aware of this??”

OMM – “hey, you’re sounding like one of them birds on TV, you’re a convict, just like me”

GM – “now take it easy Moon, here have some coffee… tell me what happened on that 31st day”

OMM – “…WHAT??”

GM – “the day you were released, you know, the first free day”

OMM – “well, I got to walkin, sun beating on my head, hands in my empty pockets. Saw this bike: a nice bike, with a basket on the front. I looked around, got on and started pedaling. Riding along my stomach starts demanding food-no, they did’nt feed me before they booted me-rode past this bank. Stopped up the way… and started thinking”

GM – “so you decided to rob the bank??”

OMM – “well I’m old, can’t do no hard work – musta asked ten people for a pen and paper ‘fore I got them. Pen would’nt work at first – wrote out a note, sat on bike a bit more, and… hey, they call chow yet??”

GM – “no Moon, no chow yet-so, you’re sittin on the bike, when do you go in the bank?”

OMM – “walked up to this older teller, handed her the note. She read it, handed me a zipper bag full of money… that was easy, I walk out. Bike is waiting for me right out in front-just as I get on, KABOOM, red dye all over me. Man, I got to peddl’in, looking like I was dunked in a can of red paint. Dropped the money bag, took off my shirt and rode away.”

GM – “you got arrested soon after??”

OMM – “yup, was’ent too long, hell, had that red stuff all over me-looked drunk I guess”

GM – “have they charged you yet??”

OMM – “nope, not yet-just brung me back here and told me my charges would ring up soon-I guess I am to die in here this time George”

GM – “are they at least gonna appoint you a lawyer??”

OMM – “guess so, some lawyer came already, said, no hurry. Say, can we finish this later G? Tom, over in B said for me to stop by before chow, he made some of that hot sauce and is gonna give me some”

GN-”sure Moon, we’ll do it again after you meet with your lawyer again. I will be hitting the store later, anything you need??”

OMM – “after the lawyer, sure, sounds good- I am ok with everything, all set. You keep writing George, I will be around, see ya…”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moon Mullens did not tell me the truth-see prison is home to him, 3 meals, a bed and some friends – robbing a bank was JUST a way back to that for him.

There are thousands of Moon Mullens in America today. Old harmless convicts with no -one in there lives-no programs to assisit them-Some, like Moon, just throw rocks at windows to get back in here, sad.

I hope this Second Chance Act is successful. If it does fail, it will be due to the lack of input by “changed” convicts, a jelly bean from the same jar of sorts-heck, he does know the other jelly beans in it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am and is filed under George Martorano, Moon Mullens, Old Moon Mullens, Second Chance Act, interview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.