John Clean

Letters from the American Gulag: a Story of Love, Lost in the System John Clean

This is the story of Erika, a 23 year old African American mother of 3 year old twins who was accosted at a night club and thrown to the ground. In defending herself, she cut two of her attackers. The attackers lied to the police and Erika was charged with attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, and assault. This book is the love letters between Erika and her fiance, through an unbelievable ordeal devoid of humanity and reeking of racial prejudice, who desperately tried to hold onto their love and commitment to themselves and to the children. Sometimes raw but always honest, this narrative highlights the tragedy of our modern day judicial system that has gone beyond convicting criminals of any and all crimes and instead condemns them with no hope of redemption. How many watchers do we need to keep us safe? The prison population has grown over 400 percent since 1980, the general population just 20 percent. This is a story of love, lost in that system.