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Christian and Muslim Prisoners Forgive Each Other

Published

11 years ago

April 14, 2015

“The longer I held it to myself, the angrier I got. But, God had another plan. I understood that the killing of my brothers stops with me.”

By Juan Haines, San Quentin News Managing Editor

For years, a Christian and a Muslim prisoner lived in the same housing unit, mentoring their fellow convicts.

One was a church elder, the other a military veteran and self-help facilitator. Each knew little of the other’s past — one had murdered the other’s uncle, while the nephew vowed one day to avenge his uncle’s death.

When the two eventually met to reconcile the past, more than 100 inmates stood in a prison chapel, clapping their hands to the rhythm of a tambourine and singing, “I got a feeling that everything is going to be all right.”

“Twenty years ago, I committed a crime. I murdered Mr. Brian Thompson,” Derrick Holloway told the audience. His sermon centered on the importance of forgiveness.

Holloway compared un-forgiveness to dropping an anchor and saying, “This is where I’m going to be. Like with brothers and sisters, the justice system, cellies, friends, different faiths. The Lord is challenging us to pick up that anchor, because a storm is coming.”

Holloway invited the nephew of the person he murdered to the stage.

Abdul Raheem Thompson-Bonilla walked up to Holloway, embraced him and with tears in his eyes said, “I want him to share some words; it’s a funny thing, how men have thoughts, and God steps in. God has showed favor on me and opened my heart.”

The audience stood up and gave applause.

Thompson-Bonilla told the audience what 18 years of unforgiving and vengeance could do to a person.

“The longer I held it to myself, the angrier I got. But, God had another plan. I understood that the killing of my brothers stops with me,” he said.

“I could not deny the favor of forgiveness that God has given me. So, when it came to my brother, Holloway, I looked him in the eye, and told him that I forgive him.”

Holloway went on to talk about the meaning of true forgiveness.

“We need to forgive each other without condition,” he said.

“To be long-suffering with your brother,” he continued. “If you want forgiveness, you’ve got to give it. When you sit in that boardroom, you want forgiveness. We in prison have a way of pushing away some inmates who committed a certain kind of crime, but we have to forgive everyone. In order to have forgiveness, there must be dialogue. If there’s going to be real forgiveness, there must be some type of dialogue. I think that Victims Offender Education Group has it right when they make people write a forgiveness letter. You have to have a conversation.”

Holloway warned of the dangers of not forgiving, or saying, “I’m not going to forgive.”

“I believe that many of us, right now, are seeing the faces of those to who we are saying, ‘I will not forgive.’ Like the one who told on me, I would not forgive. My brother, I would not forgive. My pastor, I would not forgive. My enemy, I would not forgive. My wife, I would not forgive. This is not a Christian thing, this is not a religious thing,” Holloway said. “It’s a human thing. We all need to forgive in order to defeat our enemy.”

He said that the enemy keeps the door of un-forgiveness open. “There are a lot of us who have these places of un-forgiveness.”

“The foundation of what Christ did was forgiveness. So, if the enemy knows he can shake your foundation of forgiveness, then he has you,” Holloway warned. “Father forgive them, because they know not what they do,” Holloway read from the Bible.

Holloway invited everyone in the church to come forward if they had issues of un-forgiveness that they’d like to address.

More than half the church went forward as a pastor prayed that they’d find forgiveness in their lives.

“Dear Lord, I give you all the hurt that I’ve done to others. Today I give it all to you,” the pastor said. “Every bit of it. Today, you break the pain and anguish. So that the men here can walk out of here free. No one will leave this place the same.”

Thompson-Bonilla thanked everyone who facilitated the meeting, including other veterans and all his Muslim brothers, who he said didn’t know the particulars of why they were in church that day.

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Oakland Mayor Pushes Charter Overhaul to Clarify Roles in City Government, Increase Accountability and Improve Service Delivery

Under the proposal, the mayor would serve as Oakland’s chief executive, overseeing city departments, implementing policy, proposing the annual budget, and managing day-to-day operations. The measure would also give the mayor veto power over legislation and the budget, though the City Council could override a veto with a two-thirds vote.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Oakland Post Staff

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is backing a sweeping proposal to restructure Oakland’s government, arguing the changes would make City Hall more accountable and improve the delivery of basic services like public safety, homelessness response, and infrastructure repairs.

The charter reform measure, introduced April 7 and co-sponsored by Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, would ask voters in November to approve a “strong mayor, strong council” system designed to create clearer lines of authority inside city government.

The City Council, meanwhile, would maintain legislative authority by adopting ordinances, approving budgets, conducting oversight hearings, and confirming key mayoral appointments. The proposal would also create an Independent Budget and Legislative Analyst Office to provide nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis for councilmembers.

“I’ve spent months listening to Oaklanders across every neighborhood about what they expect from their city government,” Lee said. “The Charter Reform Working Group’s engagement made clear that residents want a system where there are no questions about who is responsible for delivering results on public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, and basic services.”

Jenkins said the proposal would strengthen both executive leadership and council oversight.

“I’ve long believed Oakland works best when residents have clear lines of accountability and a government structure that aligns responsibility with results,” Jenkins said.

The proposal follows recommendations from the Mayor’s Charter Reform Working Group, co-facilitated by the League of Women Voters of Oakland and SPUR.

Over five months, the group conducted more than 60 interviews, held 14 public meetings across Oakland, and engaged more than 750 residents while reviewing governance models used in other cities.

“The process of engaging residents across Oakland surfaced the governance clarity Oakland needs,” said Sujata Srivastava of SPUR. “The Charter Reform Working Group has produced a thoughtful set of recommendations that if adopted could strengthen accountability and improve service delivery across city government.”

Polling cited by the mayor’s office suggests voters may be open to the changes. A February 2026 poll by the East Bay Polling Institute found 64% of voters support adopting a strong-mayor system. Separate polling conducted by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and David Binder Research found support ranging from 61% to 63% among likely voters.

The measure is scheduled to be heard by the City Council Rules Committee on May 21. If approved by the council, it would appear on the November 2026 ballot, where Oakland voters would have the final say.

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Activism

The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.

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Rep. Kamlager-Dove Introduces Bill to Protect Women in Custody After Reports Detailing Miscarriages and Neglect

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) on May 7, reintroduced updated legislation aimed at strengthening protections and healthcare standards for pregnant and postpartum women held in federal custody, including in immigration detention facilities.

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

The legislation builds on a bipartisan version previously passed by the House during the 117th Congress. The updated bill includes new standards for healthcare access, mental health and substance use treatment, high-risk pregnancy care, family unity protections and increased federal oversight.

“Proper pregnancy care is a human right, regardless of your immigration or incarceration status,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody.”

The bill would also limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women, improve data collection on maternal health in custody and require additional staff training and enforcement measures.

Supporters of the measure said the legislation is intended to address long-standing concerns about maternal healthcare and safety in detention settings, particularly for Black women and low-income women who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and health disparities.

“Pregnant women in custody should never be subjected to dangerous and inhumane treatment that threatens their health, dignity, or the well-being of their babies,” said Patrice Willoughby, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the NAACP and a longtime public policy and government affairs strategist, in a statement.

A 2021 report estimated there are about 58,000 admissions of pregnant women into U.S. jails and prisons each year. Kamlager’s statement also cited a recent investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law that identified allegations of severe mistreatment or medical neglect involving at least 54 pregnant women or families in county jails between 2017 and 2024.

Federal policy under the Department of Homeland Security restricts the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants except in extreme cases. However, the agency reported that ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, including 16 recorded miscarriages during that period.

The bill is cosponsored by several House Democrats and backed by organizations including the NAACP and the Vera Institute of Justice.