Monday, February 22, 2016
On February 17, 2016 a friend of mine failed to report to his work assignment in the facility garment factory where I also work. I had never known him to miss work and no one I spoke to about it had ever witnessed that from him either. Garment factory staff called the living unit to inquire of his whereabouts. Unit staff called back and reported that he was “unresponsive”. After a few minutes another friend informed me that “unresponsive” meant he had passed away.
The young man of whom I speak, Jordan was his name, was in his early 30s. I don’t know the exact number of years he was sentenced to prison for but had he lived to complete his prison sentence he would have been a very old man at that point. He was a juvenile at the time of his arrest but was charged, convicted and sentenced as an adult.
Other than the draconian prison sentence imposed on him I was unaware of what it was that troubled him. In spite of the injustice of his prison sentence he never complained about it.
On days leading up to his departure he stated more than once, to me and others, that he’d be leaving soon. People do get moved from one facility to another from time to time. I thought that he must have been referring to that.
Jordan was a good man with one hell of a sense of humor. His intellect was razor-sharp. He was generous and hardworking. He wasn’t very outgoing so many people only knew him by face or name. He had a small handful of close friends of which I was one. I’m proud to have been his friend. My life is richer and I’m a better man for having known him. Those who didn’t know him, never will in this lifetime. That, in itself, is a tragedy. The void that now exists is exponentially greater than the physical space he occupied. His absence is felt heavily.
To my friend, I’d like to say that I pray you’ve found the peace you hoped for. I pray your journey to the spirit world was safe. Rest well, my friend. I love you.
Justice for Matthew Mirabal 