 Not that we ever need to ask ourselves what we're fighting for but it always helps to be reminded and often times It's the stories of mothers and their children. They just are among the most devastating and When it goes right some of the most uplifting so I wanted to bring up here two remarkable ladies Karen garrison and Dorothy Gaines Evening good evening. Thank God for another day because we're here to fight and have some victories But in 1998 at 5 30 in the morning I heard on my door They took my babies out of there in charge and were cocaine conspiracy the 14 people. They didn't even know no drugs No guns they tore my house up, which wasn't too hard, but they tore everything up looking for more drugs They were kind enough to let me put my dog outside a hundred and ten Doberman that weighed in and wasn't playing with them, but they put him outside I went to get my sons and I said wait a minute now What's going on? I got to know what's happening here because I'm gonna fight for my boys I make that clear, but I got to know what's going on this time. I'm gonna fight with you But next time you're on your own they say no mommy. We didn't do this. Don't worry about it It'll be okay if we have to go to court. They're gonna drop these charges They know we're not crack deal is my boys never missed a day in school But in the third grade when I bought them new mattresses and he Lawrence got some kind of algae and he missed school That's the only time at Howard University. They never missed a day They never stayed out all night. I had good men good up-and-coming black educated lawyers, which I believe that was the threat But DC wouldn't take them Marilyn said on TV. I couldn't take the conspiracy I had nothing on the garrison twins But the good old commonwealth of Virginia said bring your black boys here I got them my son's got 15 and a half and 19 and a half years I had court appointed lawyers that didn't care about them. They play like they didn't even know them the Marshalls say they're good friends I said they can't be I just entered were introduced to them. They introduced themselves to each other So they played a game, but don't forget the prosecutors. They already had it in the making in trial They had even a guy wrote me back and said they put me up to the window and wanted me to identify them as drug Deals that sold me crap. I said I can't do that to those boys. They're not even hustling boys Don't make no difference, but with the sentencing reduction I was able to fit in with some great organizations wherever they let me get in that fitting I worked hard till we got a reduction lives came home two years early Lamont came home four years early You know and they're doing good and they got a smile on their face And I don't understand it, but I know I put down a hard strong foundation with my boys But don't you forget those prosecutors? I don't want you to ever forget They like guys with a new Corvette riding through town acting cute and doing what they want to do That's what they did in this case, but don't forget That there others you have to treat them as your own and I say all the time no matter black white I don't care. They're in trouble. You got to treat them as your own And so then when Lawrence came home, we realized we were so prepared But not really prepared when they came home We decided to do a radio show I learned about something free We do on my way home Lawrence told them the 12 steps at the feds prepare you to get home They tell you all these little things and we were prepared, but Lawrence knew mommy We got to tell somebody this that's what started. I say I got it now And after he came home his brother came home what he said He's taking a little rest now because his brother's home and his brother said he won't get back on the radio So he does so they've met up and they occasionally get on the show But I got mommy activists and sons radio show because for two reasons my sons called me mommy And then for another reason I was called activists. I didn't know what that was I had to go look it up and make sure they didn't call me something babe But I know that I have sons all over in the federal system that did that begin to depend on me and That's what I do. That's my niche. God walk me to that to that He gets me through it and those are my steps that were ordered and as we begin to continuously do the radio show I always had Dorothy and I was always in a corner from 2000 on And I said well what I'm gonna do now I'm going to do something to make sure she's okay, and we're okay, and we're gonna do the right thing So I started to think well, maybe I'll make her a Reunification specialist then when my friends in France and New Zealand and places started to ask me questions, you know I said well, I'm gonna make her the international Reunification specials So now that we're here at DPA. I know that Dorothy is the international Reunification specialist, but I'll let her explain why she's at this point How she got to this point and why we'll always be connected as we all are Good afternoon It is a pleasure to stand here knowing that 20 years ago DPA was fighting for me criminal justice policy was fighting for me Families against the mandatory minimum was fighting for me along with my only son at nine years old was fighting for me Yes, I am a reunification specialist. I take people from the time of indictment families to the courtroom Through the sentencing after the sentencing and when mothers that are in prison Their children die and they can't get there. I do my best to be there to fill in for them Today is a hardship of what a mother felt and what mothers fear when their children are locked up I'm reminded that I was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 1995 I was sentenced to 20 years with the help of all the organization. I Was able to get a clemency in 2000 Two days before Christmas by former president Bill Clinton Today Today as I stand before you My only son turned 29 years old yesterday and he is laying in a state prison facing a life sentence Now I feel what my mother felt when she died six months after I got to prison my mother died Because she couldn't take the pain Two years ago, I was laying on life support They were looking for me to live overnight and all they could find and that I was stressed from my child Thank God for my grandson that has stood by me and DPA. He's coming to help me out But this has been so hard on my health But what I want you to know is I want you to pray and fight with me When the when the prosecutor laid a life sentence on the table and told my son to plead out He said no My son has an addiction that started at nine years old when he tried to kill himself when I went to prison My 11 year old daughter that was molested while I was in prison at 11 years old Has an addiction at 30 years old because I was the only parent their father died when they was two and three years Oh with a massive heart attack My son don't deserve life. My son deserve treatment because of me leaving him So as I stand before you I'm wondering and I said to my son I'm sorry that I left you, but it wasn't on me They locked me up because I refused to build snitch and lie on someone That's why I left my son That's what my son looked like when I left him and he was fighting for me Now my son is in federal in prison He leaving an eight year old girl that's crying every day for his dad her daddy This is my son now Wearing white and when I leave the prison I think about when he left the prison when I was in prison crying looking through the fence Now when I leave from visiting him, I'm looking at my son and don't know I don't want this to be my last DPA conference, but the way I'm feeling now I will be dead if somebody don't help me bring my child home. Thank you for having me He's mentioned Dorothy and her work. Thank you, Dorothy. Thank you, Karen