NPR: My Dad's in There

My Dad's in There

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Jim Gates stands in front of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center where his father is currently serving time.

Credit: Luke Burbank, NPR

What if your 70-year-old retiree of a dad called you one day and said, "I'm going to jail, right near where you live. Can I get a ride?" That's just what happened to L.A. radio producer Jim Gates recently. His dad, Philip, was protesting something called The School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga. (The name was actually changed to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, but people still call it School of the Americas -- or SOA for short.)

Check out this interview (audio) we did with Jim about his dad being arrested.

Also, check out this video of Jim and Luke scoping out the detention center where Jim's dad currently resides.

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Send Jim's dad a letter! He's stuck in his room for 15 hours a day for cryin' out loud. We're pretty sure he'll have time to read it.

Philip E. Gates
92947-020 (Inmate number, this is SUPER IMPORTANT)
MDC Los Angeles
Metropolitan Detention Center
P.O. Box 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90053

Put your full name and return address in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope.

Send letters only. Include nothing else with the letter. No stickers on the envelope other than a first class stamp. Send no books, gifts, news clippings, etc. All mail is opened and inspected. Deviations to these Bureau of Prisons requirements will result in undelivered mail.

Luke Burbank

4:24 PM ET | 04- 9-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

This is a question more than I comment. If I want to write to Mr. Gates but live in Europe would my letter be accepted? There are often other stickers on letters besides just postage. Thanks for the info.

Sent by M. Richards | 1:38 PM ET | 04-10-2007

I think stickers are fine, as long as they are part of the official postage. I just got done reading through the official Mail Management Manual (pdf) from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and, man, is it a corker! (I won't tell you how it ends, but it involves tort claims and the USPS.)

Anyway -- there doesn't seem to be anything restricting mail with overseas stickers. The only paragraph I found about stickers/postage was this, about sending postage to inmates:

An inmate may not receive through the mail, stamps or stamped items such as envelopes embossed with stamps or postal cards with postage affixed. If such items are received, they shall be returned, at government expense, with a BP-328 (BP-S328)explaining that such items may not be sent to an inmate. A copy of the form shall be placed with the inmate correspondence for delivery to the inmate.

Told you it was an exciting read.

As long as you make it as simple as possible, the letter ought to get through. Just don't send him a book of stamps.

Sent by Matt Martinez | 3:23 PM ET | 04-10-2007

SOA into WHISC. It's a great idea, really. We don't teach poeple how to kill people. We teach them how to bake!

Too bad I can't send Mr. Gates some cookies. I bet he could use some.

Sent by rich | 8:33 PM ET | 04-10-2007

Why can't I get the audio to work? When I click on the link for the interview I get the option to save a .php file and that isn't what I want to do.

Sent by Sam | 5:12 AM ET | 04-11-2007

Two months in jail for stepping across a boundary line during a political protest seems awfully harsh. What could be done to effectively protest the harshness of this sentence? The severity of the jail time acts to restrict our freedom of speech. Should I write to my congressman?

Sent by Don Burgess | 10:12 PM ET | 04-11-2007

I work at a college that sends people down to SOA every year, I'm surprised one of them hasn't decided to cross the line yet. It really takes some guts and some deep thought to do it, I would say.

Sent by Laura | 10:58 PM ET | 04-15-2007

I couldn't do the audio, either, on my Mac.The video was good, though.
don, others who have "crossed the line" at the SOA have received sentences of 6 months, so 2 months is one of the lesser sentences. I've been twice, 2004 & 2005, and it is one of the most moving vigils in which I have ever participated. It is horrifying to me that our country is still training police and military from our neighbors to the South to abuse their civilian populations, and our Congress will not defund it!

Sent by Peggy | 12:38 AM ET | 04-19-2007

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