The director of some of the most successful movies of the 1980s and 90s, like "When Harry Met Sally," "The Princess Bride," and "A Few Good Men" was recently in Houston to promote a stage show about the prison system.
Bryonn Bain is a lawyer, professor and multidisciplinary artist who uses his creative projects to call attention to justice reform. His most recent book, "Rebel Speak: A Justice Movement Mixtape," features the voices of high-profile artists and activists alongside those of formerly incarcerated men and women.
From Wrongful Arrest to Anti-Prison Activist: Bryonn Bain’s Road to ‘Lyrics From Lockdown’
From Wrongful Arrest to Anti-Prison Activist: Bryonn Bain’s Road to ‘Lyrics From Lockdown’ courtesy of / Bryonn Bain
Content warning: This article contains use of the N-word.
Monday, November 25. Dawn. Bryonn Bain is one of several inmates chained together to board a bus to Rikers Island. Once on the bus, the men, rolling 12-deep, are told that they will be heading to a new location, Vernon C. Bain Correctional facility.
“A prison boat named after the white folks who owned my ancestors. Damn,” Bain says to himself. Arriving at the facility, he is ushered into a Manhattan criminal courthouse. There he meets with his court-appointed attorney. Having been detained for three days and two nights in a cell with a feces-clogged toilet, Bain is now being arraigned. Despite his resilience, he is weary and convinced that he will be spending yet another night in lockdown.