IFI got a lot of National and even International
attention. Prison Fellowship decided
that when groups made requests to tour an IFI program, they decided to send
them to IFI-IOWA. Even National Public Radio decided to do a
story about IFI.
A reporter and an audio technician showed up at the Newton
Prison. Sam Dye, Rod Brouwer (Aftercare
Manager) a couple of inmates, and I walked around the prison with our two
celebrities.
We showed Reporter-Gal and Sound-Guy the gym and health
services. We showed them the library and
education. We walked on the east side of
the yard and showed them the Units A-D.
They looked at the weight yard and pickle ball and hairy-tattooed dudes
in blue walking the track. Then we
headed to Unit E and Building M.
Reporter-Gal (who was doing the story) was very, very
interested in questions concerning the TVs.
It was one of the first things she asked all of the inmates she
encountered:
- DO YOU
HAVE A TV?
- DO YOU
MISS TV?
- HOW
MUCH TV CAN YOU WATCH?
- IS
THERE A TV IN YOUR ROOM?
- DOES YOUR
ROOM MATE HAVE A TV?
- IS
THERE A TV ON THE UNIT?
- IF YOU
WERE ON THE TITANIC AND IT WAS SINKING AND YOU HAD A PUPPY IN ONE ARM AND
A TV IN THE OTHER, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU SAVE AND WHICH ONE WOULD YOU SEND
TO A FRIGID WATERY GRAVE?
During these kinds of visits I adopted a “speak when spoken
to” attitude. The less I said the better.
So as we were shepherding around Reporter-Gal and Sound-Guy I had said
nothing. Finally Reporter-Gal and I had
this interaction:
REPORTER-GAL: Well? How about you?
Do you have a TV?
ME: Yes. Yes I do. (I couldn’t tell a lie.)
REPORTER-GAL: Ahhhhhhhhhhh….
SOUND-GUY: Leans in with microphone…
REPORTER-GAL: Do you watch it much?
ME: Not really.
SOUND-GUY: Leans in even closer with microphone…
ME: I really don’t have time to
watch much TV.
REPORTER-GAL: Hmmmmmm…..
SAM DYE to REPORTER-GAL: You realize he (me) is an IFI employee and not an
inmate? Right?
REPORTER-GAL: Looks disappointed…
SOUND-GUY: Shuts of recording devise…
I did not make it on the NPR report.
chris
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