Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 26, 2013

A5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 26, 2013 


WITCHES AND WITCHES EYEBALLS

By Christoper Nyerges

From Christopher Nyerges’ unpublished book about growing 
up in Pasadena

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Guide to Wild Foods,” 
and other books. You can learn about his books and classes from School of 
Self-reliance, Box 48134, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.ChristopherNyerges.
com.] 

“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt


EDUCATION BASED INCARCERATION: 
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

 There have been a lot of negative reports about Los Angeles County Men’s 
Central Jail and the excessive use of force and multiple lawsuits. My task is to 
inform the public that there IS something positive being done. The Sheriff is 
aware that wrongs took place and has acknowledged that. The Department has 
undergone changes. Although Undersheriff Tanaka has retired, Teri McDonald has come from the 
State Prison system as an Assistant Sheriff.

 Last year, I heard about Education Based Incarceration (EBI). When I met Assistant Sheriff 
McDonald, I asked to learn more. Consequently, I met with Sgt. Ray Harley and Dep. Dave Bates, 
M.E.R.I.T. Program Coordinator to discuss EBI, and was given a manual explaining the program. At 
first glance, its cover caught my eyes with its message- “Create a Life Worth Living.”

 “Create a Life Worth Living” is quite extensive and consists of 50+ pages explaining the 
program, charts with info on recidivism-repeat offending -and safer jails, and mention of 40 incidents 
of recognition/awards for the jail system. Because there is so much information in the manual, I will 
report on it in two segments.

On the first page Sheriff Baca’s message speaks of running the nation’s largest jail system. “From 
documented high rates of recidivism across the country, we realize traditional incarceration with 
punishment doesn’t work.” That is why the LASD established its Bureau of Educational Incarceration 
in May, 2012 and began to utilize its programs.

Part One: Going In explains that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) manages 
the largest jail system in the United States, nearly 19,000! Each day, The Inmate Reception Center 
(IRC) receives approximately 440 new bookings. Each inmate goes through a detailed classification 
process and medical screening, and is asked if he/she would be interested in entering an educational 
program while incarcerated. If the answer is “yes”, they are given a second assessment to indicate 
which studies and courses they should take to improve all aspects of success in life and which subjects 
and career training they would like to pursue. A “Master Plan” is made for each student with his/her 
active participation and they are appointed a “Case Manager”, who creates a computer file to chart the 
student’s progress. All completion certificates/awards are placed in that student’s record and can be 
forwarded to schools, authorities or prospective employees on request.

Part Two: Time In explains The Transformation during incarceration: Aristotle is credited with 
“Education is not the filling of the bucket: education is the lightning of a flame.” This section speaks 
of the learning environment -to be successful, an education program depends on a stimulating 
environment. Incentives include Video: A library of over a thousand Discovery Education Network 
videos, Animal Planet, History and other educational channels; Music: EBI is expanding the network 
of good music (favorites, cool jazz, light classics and other specialties) to all facilities for sleeping 
or restful medication; Libraries: There are thousands of books available to inmates in libraries and 
delivered on “rolling libraries” to those who are disabled or have no access.

 The Inmate Programs Unit’s primary mission is coordinating all the educational, vocation 
and behavioral therapy programs for inmate students.

 Academic Programs include Adult Basic Education –A series of courses offered to students 
preparing for the formal GED preparation course and General Education Development-An alternative 
program of a state-approved equivalency series in language arts, math, science and social studies.

 The Sheriff’s Department offers a wide variety of industrial training courses:

Cement and Concrete Block Masonry (Modern masonry techniques), Art Education (General 
art skills techniques & expression, Automotive Body repair and Detailing (Repairs, Maintenance, 
welding, power tools, metal techniques, spray painting, refinishing, details, Commercial Painting 
(Instruction in brushes, rollers, spray equipment, abrasive blasting and rigging/scaffolding), Building 
Maintenance (Custodial repair, basic repairs, floor care, insect/rodent control, Residential Construction 
(Comprehensive course from foundation to roofing and everything in between, Commercial Welding 
(Various types), Computer Operations (Basic Microsoft 2010,Word, PowerPoint, Access/Excel), 
Landscaping (Lawn care, irrigation, plant care, landscape design), Culinary Arts (Food services, 
baking/cooking)and Directory Assistance Operator (Taught by a contracted education agency, 
inmate students provide info services 24/7.)

 The Jail Enterprises Unit oversees vocational shops spread over several jail facilities. 
Credentialed instructors train the students and the products they manufacture are sold to Los 
Angeles County departments and employees generating revenue for the Inmate Welfare Commission 
to support the entire scope of inmate programs. These courses include Print Shop (This Commercial 
building at Pitchess Detention Center; students learn basic/advanced printing application and 
produce forms, flyers, brochures, invitations, envelopes, magazines ), Wood Shop (Millwork, Finish 
Carpentry, Cabinet making; repair furniture & crafts signs for LASD), Wheelchair Repair Shop 
(Repairs wheelchairs for Medical services Bureau), Sign Shop (Learn computer-aided fabrication & 
introduced to graphic arts design; produce engraved signs, plaques, trophies/medallions), Bike Shop 
(Repair & refurbish bikes donated from nationwide shops), Plastic Bag Manufacturing ( Industrial 
machine operation, packaging and small-scale warehousing , Commercial Embroidery Shop 
(Embroidery basics, machine maintenance & technical application), Pet Grooming (Job training skills 
to work at kennels, animal shelters, pet shops/salons), And Commercial Landscaping, Plant Nursery, 
Landscaping, and Grounds keeping (Training for nursery operations, equipment maintenance, 
horticulture skills, soil preparation, plant preparation ,sprinkler installation/maintenance) . 

 Next week, I will explain the Behavioral Modification Courses (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 
which offer a wide variety of critical thinking and perception courses-over 150 community volunteer 
members have been trained and recruited for this and the MERIT PROGRAM (Maximizing 
Education Reaching Individual Transformation)which provides an avenue for change through 
personal accountability and increases the student’s skills at utilizing options and resources for success.

 I entered first grade at Saint Elizabeth school with great anticipation, 
and some fear. I initially felt pain at being separated from my mother and 
family, but that dissipated once I got used to my "school family." Besides, 
two of my older brothers were there too, and a few other boys who I knew from Kindergarten and 
the neighborhood. 

The school day was very regular, with topics planned for each hour and each day. For example, Thursday 
was art day. 

On the Thursday before Halloween, our nun gave everyone "construction paper" – heavy colored 
paper – and we were to make our choice of Halloween themes. Most students made jack-o-lanterns, 
or cutouts based on other examples that were posted around the classroom. 

I decided to make a witch on a broom, which was not one of the examples posted. I cut out a large 
moon from orange paper and pasted it onto the black sheet of paper. Then, as best I could, I cut out 
the silhouette of a witch on a broom stick, with pointed hat and hair flowing in the wind. It was very 
crude, of course, and I cut the image based on something from my memory. I didn’t talk to anyone 
about what I was doing. Most students enjoyed talking to each other during art class, but it took me a 
long time to talk to anyone at all. After about 2 hours, the nun went around and looked at everyone’s 
art. She held up some examples from a few of the more popular students, and everyone oohed and 
ahhed at these examples. They were good variations of the examples that had been posted around the 
classroom. I was sitting in the last seat that the nun got to, and she acted stunned when she saw my 
witch. 

"Look at what Christopher made," she said. At first, I thought she was going to be mad. After all, I just 
made what I wanted to make, not what she gave as examples. 

"That’s very good," she said, holding it up for everyone to see. The popular girls came over to my desk, 
with many other students, and they were all looking at my art work. 

"We didn’t know you were an artist," said Mary, apparently speaking for the entire class. 

I didn’t know what to say, and said nothing. After the excitement wore off, the teacher posted all the 
art works on the little clips that were located at the top of the blackboards. I was given a "first place 
prize," as my art was different from everyone else’s. I wondered about this myself. Was I an artist? 
What inspired me to make the witch? I knew that I liked to create art pieces but I didn’t have the 
discipline to continue to make examples in each motif until I’d mastered it. Art was simply a medium 
for something else. 

 

You’d think that because of my interest in the witch, I’d be interested in all things Halloweenish. Such 
was not the case. The next weekend, the "older boys" (8th graders) had a “haunted house” in one of 
the classrooms. You paid your fee, got blindfolded, and someone held your hand, and pushed your 
hand into one plate of “stuff” after another. Yes, I knew I was not really touching witches eyeballs – 
they had to be grapes. But after having my hand pushed into icky stuff two or three times, and having 
the “grown-ups” cackle and laugh and try to scare me, I was terrified, and with all my might, I pulled 
away from the grownup holding me, and made a mad dash outside. I got out and I ran and ran until 
I was far from the classroom haunted house. I didn’t stop until I was satisfied that no one was going 
to grab me and take me back in there. 

Partly, I think, I was frightened due to the blindfold and the feeling of vulnerability. But that cured me 
of paying to have someone scare me. I found that henceforth, I preferred my eyes open in any such 
frightening experience. And somehow, I never had the desire to go on rides where I could get killed, 
such as roller coasters and other “fun” and fast amusement park rides. I found that having a steady 
emotional state meant that I would forego all such future “thrills.” It was a cost that I paid easily. 

 To this day, I don’t understand why anyone would pay good money to get frightened, and so 
I have rarely watched “horror” movies.

 Halloween on the streets of our neighborhood in 1960 and the early 1960s was like a wild 
scene from a Fellini movie. The streets were packed with children and their parents going door to 
door, and there was a din of yells and screaming as children made the rounds in costumes with their 
paper bags. 

 My father enjoyed sitting on our front brick porch, and giving out small cups of apple cider to 
each person who came by. Many of the adults and youngsters enjoyed this because they were thirsty 
from all their running around. So people would pause briefly on the porch and talk with my father, 
usually wearing some silly wig. 

 But today, I think even parents have grown weary of all the bad things that can happen when 
mobs of children roam the streets in the dark. I think it’s a good thing that Halloween commemorations 
have returned to social and group events.


FLU SEASON IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is offering this free immunization 
program to individuals with no health insurance. 

Below is a list of clinics providing the public with flu shots in our area

 

Local Outreach Clinics: 

Monrovia Health Center 

330 W. Maple Avenue

Monrovia, CA 91016

(626) 256-1642

Monday and Friday 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. /12:30 to 2:30 p.m. 

Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. o 4:30 pm 

 

Azusa Senior Center 

740 N. Dallton Avenue

Azusa 91702 

(626) 812-5204

STARTING 10/31/2013 - 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

Anyone 6 months and older is eligible /no proof of low-income is required 

Shots are limited and available on a first come first serve basis

 

Let’s Stay Healthy This Season especially our children and the elderly 

Please contact each center for more information